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It’s not every day that someone whose work has had an impact on millions of people dies. But on February 15th it happened. Dr. Robert Adler, who brought the world the first practical wireless remote control, died of heart failure at the age of 93. It’s hard to imagine even he could have known the impact his invention would have on modern society when he created it, but the remote has changed society forever.
Dr. Adler invented an ultrasonic remote controller while working for Zenith in 1956. Zenith dubbed it the Zenith Space Command, no doubt playing into the general space-mania in pop culture at the time. When the user pushed a button it struck an aluminum rod, causing a click (giving use the term “clicker” for the remote…). Each button struck a rod that produced a different frequency, and the tv detected the different frequencies and carried out the proper action. Genius. This allowed people to change the channel WITHOUT LEAVING THEIR CHAIR. It’s hard to overemphasize the impact this has had on both the experience of watching television AND the content of television itself.
Zenith’s Space
Command remote
Back in the olden days, if you wanted to change the channel, you had to get your lazy butt off the couch, walk over to the tv, and turn the knob (or have one of your kids do it…). This system worked fairly well because you only had a few channels to choose from. Early tvs had one knob to deal with channels. As UHF became available for broadcasting tvs added a second knob to deal with the additional channels (on my first tv you had to change the main knob to UHF, then adjust the second knob to the channel you wanted). With modern cable and satellite television there are nearly a thousand channels available. That’s a lot of knobs. Luckily the world had Dr. Adler. Without him we certainly wouldn’t have Fox Soccer Channel…
Once the remote (along with a few other technological advances, I’m sure) had made more channels available, channel surfing was born. I would argue that channel surfing made sitting down and watching tv a better cure for boredom. Instead of turning on the tv because you know it’s time for The Brady Bunch, not you turn it on just to see what’s on. You may sit down and flip through the channels endlessly, searching for something to watch. Channel surfing took tv watching from a scheduled activity to an activity with no need for a schedule.
Channel surfing lead to a change in the content of commercials as well. Early commercials were information dense, relying on old-fashioned sales pitches to convince viewers to buy the product. They listed features and benefits of the product. They made an argument. With the advent of the remote and the burst of channels it brought advertisers realized that since it was much easier to change the channel they had to make commercials more compelling. They started making commercials into mini-programs and relying on sensory experiences to keep the viewers on their channel. Many modern commercials are far more memorable for their story or characters than for the products they pitch.
Upon closer examination it’s clear that Dr. Adler’s invention didn’t just make it easier to control the television; it changed the entire experience of watching television. Rest in Peace Dr. Adler. You deserve it.
Links:
Zenith’s page about Dr. Adler
MIT’s bio of him
Wikipedia’s entry
