Turn off any TV - $15.00 +S/H [NA]

[Greebo]

http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/electronic/755e/

I could have so much fun at Best Buy with one of these.

I practically live at Best Buy, I go there so often - but one thing I hate is all the NOISE from the hundreds of TVs playing everything from explosion based movies to explosion based video games.

To go in and shop in blessed silence...ahhh, a dream!

 

[poadeleted3]

Man, I could have fun with that on our street around here during football season. Just about every house is having a party during an Eagles game, and you hear cheers and jeers all up and down the street at the same time. Our neighbors across the street actually put a TV on the porch and party and BBQ there during game time. Well, this is all friendly and fun and stuff. But not nearly as much fun as shutting them all off just when it looks like a big play is about to happen!!

 

[gkainz]

Man, I could have fun with that on our street around here during football season. Just about every house is having a party during an Eagles game, and you hear cheers and jeers all up and down the street at the same time. Our neighbors across the street actually put a TV on the porch and party and BBQ there during game time. Well, this is all friendly and fun and stuff. But not nearly as much fun as shutting them all off just when it looks like a big play is about to happen!!

Yikes! I have to question your "risk assessment skills" on that one!

 

[gismo]

Yikes! I have to question your "risk assessment skills" on that one!

Especially given the 20 ft range and 60 second response time. You'd better be able to run fast!

 

[ausrere]

Man, I could have fun with that on our street around here during football season.

Man... do that in Texas during football season, and I'm afraid your next flight will be in a medevac helicopter!

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

Gut the electronics and hook it up to a signal mega-amplifier, go airborne with it -- or pay to have it on the next satellite launch, transmitting continuously over the continental US.
Might 'fix' a lot of this country's ills!

 

[AirBaker]

Don't let the terrorists know that they can screw with our way of life for only $15!!

 

[AirBaker]

Actually my Ipaq came with software to use it as a programmable remote. Works nicely when you're at chillis and you'd rather watch a rerun of Airwolf instead of world soccer.

 

[terzap]

Gut the electronics and hook it up to a signal mega-amplifier, go airborne with it -- or pay to have it on the next satellite launch, transmitting continuously over the continental US.
Might 'fix' a lot of this country's ills!

AMEN! I've been TV free for seven years (almost as long as I've quit smoking). When removed from it, it's all too easy to see how it's taken control of our society. Egads.

I gotta deploy that plan of yours ASAP...

Terry

 

[fgcason]

Gut the electronics and hook it up to a signal mega-amplifier, go airborne with it -- or pay to have it on the next satellite launch, transmitting continuously over the continental US.
Might 'fix' a lot of this country's ills!

It's obviously just an IR transmitter with the off button commands built in and sequencing through them until the tv goes off. Line of sight fairly close range.

I'll stick with RF jammers like the one I had in the college dorm for Mr 24/7 Blasting Stereo in the room next to mine. A not so well regulated 60hz hum for a week 2 feet from his antenna pretty much shut him up.

 

[BillG]

Actually, isn't it a "power" signal? Same thing turns the tv on AND off, right? So indiscriminate blasting isn't going to work - you'll turn on as many as you turn off!

Anyway, it's not my TV that I love - it's my TiVo, which doesn't have an Off switch! Don't mess with my TiVo...! I don't understand why everyone doesn't have one.

Bill

 

[poadeleted3]

Actually, isn't it a "power" signal? Same thing turns the tv on AND off, right? So indiscriminate blasting isn't going to work - you'll turn on as many as you turn off!

Bill

Going around turning TVs on in the middle of the night could be as much fun as turning them off. Especially in homes near graveyards

 

[Lawreston]

Gut the electronics and hook it up to a signal mega-amplifier, go airborne with it --

Now that's funny, Dave; and reminiscent of when I was in college in Boston. Living in a rooming house in adjacent Brookline, up on the next floor was Wendell, a fun-lovin' techie attending Wentworth Institute. Wendell's girlfriend was a B.U. student and lived in a dorm about four streets away. Wendell, tired of not being able to reach her by telephone most of the time, had a walkie-talkie set of which she had the other unit. He boosted the hell out of the units' normal xmtr power(0.5wt?) and then had no problem reaching his honey.

So, one day we were up on the roof (it was not permitted to do so -- through the skylights -- but what the heck, girls from adjacent buildings were sun-bathing. Wendell was yakking away with Michelle on the handsets, and this helicopter was continually circling the vicinity. Granted, the chopper may have been viewing the rooftop girls, but Wendell was convinced that the not WHDH traffic helicopter was official and trying to track his booming signal, so he shut the handsets down. Ah, those were the days.

HR

 

[AirBaker]

Well... you'd turn as many on as off if you were pointing that IR signal at them.

 

[gismo]

Well... you'd turn as many on as off if you were pointing that IR signal at them.

Many TV's have separate IR codes for turning power off and on, even if the supplied remote only has the dual purpose "power" button. I don't know if the designer of this gadget has taken advantage of that but he might have.

 

[fgcason]

Many TV's have separate IR codes for turning power off and on, even if the supplied remote only has the dual purpose "power" button. I don't know if the designer of this gadget has taken advantage of that but he might have.

Really? Hmmm. I didn't know that. That could be very useful. I hate command sequences that turn two things off and the one that was off, now on.

All the IR remotes I have use the same code for on and off. TV, stereo, (both ancient) VCR, DVD (relatively new). If there are separate commands, they're not coming out of the transmitters I have. Doesn't mean the equipment can't decode though. About 2 years ago I finally found the CD eject command while sequencing through code combinations with the computer (handcrafted 8255 board, IR emitter, and a small hand full of parts)

 

[wsuffa]

If this doesn't work, you can simply use a dog whistle or jingle a set of keys (anyone else remember doing that, or am I just dating myself)?

 

[fgcason]

If this doesn't work, you can simply use a dog whistle or jingle a set of keys (anyone else remember doing that, or am I just dating myself)?

Yep. BTDT. Our dog's collar tags could turn the tv on. He'd run past, the tv would come on and he'd scare himself.

I remember those remotes. Zenith at that. My dad did television repair specializing in Zenith (when the name use to mean something) so I always had about 20 of those units to play with and take apart. The 4 button ones were advanced technology. Channel up, channel down, on/off, mute. Matter of fact I could probably dig up several of those and the receivers for them time I'm down to visit the parents.

Our first remote was when my dad built a box with buttons on it. It had a wire that went back to the TV. Volume, on/off, channel change. It even had a 1/4" jack for headphones and you could turn the sound off to the tv speakers if you wanted. It was sooooo cool.

 

[gismo]

If this doesn't work, you can simply use a dog whistle or jingle a set of keys (anyone else remember doing that, or am I just dating myself)?

Klink, Klink. Yes you're dating yourself, but I guess by admitting I've used such a remote dates me as well. IIRC those generated ultrasonics by using a hammer to ring a chime. I can still remember getting chewed out for changing channels too often ("You're gonna wear the damn thing out!"). I also vaguely remember a TV that you changed channels by shining a regular flashlight at it. A precursor to today's IR remotes?