In today’s day and age technology is at an all time high. With all the new plasmas and HD TV’s usability has become a major issue. Many of these new TV’s are sometimes impossible to use without a remote, and if you’re anything like me the word’s “where is the remote?” are probably a part of your daily vocabulary. This problem of always needing a remote will ultimately cause frustration, because honestly is searching your couches for the remote your favorite thing to do?
I recently bought a new Emerson HD plasma television, and contrary to the belief that a remote is always necessary, with this TV it isn’t. All of the buttons and controls found on the remote are also found on the TV, you are able to switch between digital, analog, and various video input channels by simply hitting a button on the side of the TV. By holding down the channel up or down buttons you are able to quickly find the channel you are looking for and the same goes for the volume buttons. Brightness levels, views, and contrast settings as well as the sleep timer are all located right on the side of the television. With my old TV putting on the sleep timer without the remote was impossible.
This TV also has features to that make your life easier instead of more difficult. Say you’re watching a DVD and the DVD ends but you happen to be sleeping, the worst thing to wake up to is the beginning of the DVD playing that annoying music over and over again until you finally get woken up so many times that you’re forced to get out of bed and turn the TV off. One of my favorite features of this TV is that when this happens and the DVD ends the TV turns off after 10 minutes. Even though this feature is only to prevent pure laziness, or lack of a remote I still think it’s great!
Even though there are so many TV’s that are hard to use, and require manuals to explain options and settings that should be easy to use, believe it or not there are some out there that actually make life easier.
Angela, A simple to operate television without a remote is indeed an example of usability. As you note, instead having to corral a bunch of remotes to do something as easy as watching a DVD, you can simply insert the DVD, push a button on the television, and watch it.
ReplyDeleteI think I definitely need to buy one of those televisions. Approximately 20 times a day the phrase "where is the remote?" comes out of my mouth. Even when I'm sitting down watching t.v I manage to lose the remote. I have to admit that I did laugh when I read the part when you talked about the annoying DVD music playing over and over. Waking up in the middle of the night multiple times to repetitive DVD music and eventually having to drag myself out of my warm bed has also become part of my daily routine. I hate myself so much when that happens for not searching for the remote before going to bed and setting the sleep timer. Just from those two features you have me convinced that I need to ditch my television and buy this one.
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