h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

how many remote controls do you have?

I am Dutch with 5 remote controls
- 2 hifi set
- 1 tv
- 1 tv/computer
- 1 computer

4-tv
dvd/hardrive
stereo
camcorder

Is that because remote controls serve a useful function?

useful?

only for a couchpotato!

>>Is that because remote controls serve a useful function?<<

No, it's because the Consumer Priests demands alot of waste. Why do there have to be 4 remotes for the TV (one for the TV, one for the dvd, one for the paytv box, one for the freeview box)? We know how to make universal remotes, so why aren't companies doing that?

I used to have quite a few remote controls.
Actually at the bottom of the second cable box (the one that is ment* to be just audio/HiFi cables), are probably several old remote controls
Actual remote controls I have:
1 for the hiFi in the front room.
and, somewhere* I have a remote control for the CD player in the big HiFi system upstairs, but I've never even bothered putting a battery in it, as the room isn't big enough to warrent the use of a remote control, and I always start CDs from the beginning rather than moving to a specific track
I did* briefly have a software remote control installed on my smartphone; which promised to work through the phone's IR doobry, and control vertually anything you were near enough too, whcih I thought would be nice to upset people in high street stores but it didn't work

One for the telly, one for the freeview box (which also works the telly but I can't give up the telly one as there is no other way to change AV channels), one for the PS3 (if you are counting the hand controllers which work movies etc), one for the portable DVD player which I've never used, and now one for the DVD player on the laptop which I've also never used and have no intention of using. Neither screen is big enough that I can get far enough away for it to be a nuisance to use the buttons on the appliance!

I've also got one for my old VCR which I forgot to chuck away with the VCR, and one for a portable telly which I forgot to pass on with the telly. A local charity will take those though, in case they work other models.

And still one more for the PS2, which is a proper DVD remote control (has more functions than the controller).I was going to try to flog that on ebay.

One for my hifi in the bedroom, but I don't know where it is. Again that's close enough to just use the buttons on the machine, although I used the previous hifi remote a lot more as I was living with my mum still when I got that so spent a lot more time lying around in bed listening to music.

I do have a telly in the bedroom with no remote though.

That makes 9, and probably J has one or two for his ipod or something ridiculous.

iMac Dvd - 1
Lounge hifi - 2
Home Cinema system - 1
Defunct Freeview - 1
LCD Tv - 1
Vcr x 2 - 2
Spare Ctv (non LCD) - 2
Hifi (bedroom) - 1
Camera - 1

Total - 12



MMF

2 for my PC which came with TV cards (I foolishly bought my first one just before digital came out).

Why they decided to bundle a remote control I don't know, I don't them. Wireless mouse does the trick much better.

We have too many!

Your right Lil...and why can't I ever find one when I do need one ?

I am teaching my dog to find them.

Each component I won definitely came with its own remote. I just set them aside in storage in case I sell the device later, and we only use one universal remote to control everything. I just got a new one, which charges like a cell phone rather than using AA batteries, which is nice. The rechargeable AA batteries discharged pretty quickly- within a couple of days- in the other remote, for some reason.

I'm sorry- "won" in that first sentence was supposed to be "own". How nice it would have been to have won everything rather than having bought it, but such is not the case.

I have:

1 for the TV
1 For the Freeview box
1 for my stereo
1 for my DVD player

If the Wii controllers count as remotes, I've got 4 of them as well.

I have;

3 TVs all with remotes
5 DVD players/recorders each with their own remote (I must add, that some of them only work with different region DVDs and one of them is a portable which I got as a freebie - Thank you, Grauniad)
1 Sky box - 3 remotes (two were 'rescued' from the tip)
I VCR - with remote

If we are counting games console remotes I have 4 for the PS2 - including a DVD remote (never used) and 2 for the WII.

I *do* have a universal remote but it's rather old and won't work with some of the newer items. So a total of 19. seems rather excessive

I have exactly one less than is necessary at any particular time.

Yay, I am a minority!

In the household of the Lady of the Mice and Yelbakk, there are exactly 0 (in words: zero) remote controls.

It's not something we planned out or take pride in. There was just one conscious decision: no TV. With no TV in our home, there is no need for a TV set. Without a TV set, no need for a VCR or DVD player. (We do watch DVDs, but use the computer for that.) Our stereo system is rather old in did not come with a remote at the time I bought mine, and the Lady bought hers (we did not know each other at the time, this being some 17 years past, but by whatever coincidence, she and I bought the same systems...)

So... this leaves us with no remote whatsoever. Hey, life can be that simple.

Y.

You lot have just made me feel better.

We have 1 for the TV,
1 for the DVD player,
1 for the VCR
1 for my CD player.

And upstairs the stepdaughter has 1 for her TV and 1 for her DVD player.

So 6 in total, and I thought that was ridiculous until I read this thread.

Multimachine remotes can be bought easily at the market, the local TV/stereo shop or at the supermarket so they are easily available.

The trouble is.... they're crap. They have very limited functionality in my experience. We had one once and we stopped using it very quickly for that reason sadly.

"...and 2 for the WII."

ISTR they're branded as 'Wiimotes' so they probably count.

We have one for the TV, one for the Freeview box and one for the DVD player. I got one with my CD player, but I never stray that far from it if I'm listening, and usually use it for analog radio instead anyway.
I have a couple of PS2 controllers, but they're plugged in so probably shouldn't be called 'remotes'.