MetaChat - I have never had a remote control go bad before. . .

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19 April 2007

I have never had a remote control go bad before. . . but mine just did. →[More:]It seemed to slowly go out, like the batteries were dying. Well, I have tried 3 sets of brand new batteries, made sure the contacts were clean, etc. and now it does not work at all.

Is there something that I don't know? I am just assuming it got dropped once to often.

Could it be something on the TV?

(Remote is a Toshiba ct-847, cheap enough on E-Bay to get another one.)

Thanks in advance for any hope or experiences.

post by: danf at: 21:19 | 13 comments

Buy a universal remote.

posted by Doohickie 19 April | 21:25

Remotes are always those things you expect to lose, not break. Maybe just the power button failed? Have you tried turning the TV on from the buttons on the box and using the other remote buttons?

posted by backseatpilot 19 April | 21:28

I usually go through a remote every two three years or so.

posted by hadjiboy 19 April | 21:29

Yeah they die from time to time.

posted by arse_hat 19 April | 21:36

..especially when babies bang them on tables.

posted by PlanetKyoto 19 April | 21:45

Yeah we can get up and turn on the tv, change channels, etc.

We'll get more exercise until this gets resolved, I guess.

posted by danf 19 April | 22:02

Kids are particularly hard on remotes, I have found.

posted by dg 19 April | 22:20

Mine isn't working now although I've tried changing the batteries. It flashes but doesn't do anything to the TV or VCR or DVD player. The thing is, it's less than a year old. I keep meaning to see if I can't find the receipt and take it back.

posted by Orange Swan 19 April | 22:29

Might I suggest turning off the television, and unplugging it from the wall entirely, for about 30 minutes? Sometimes the IR reciever and decode logic in the television needs a power-off reset for things to work right again. You need to unplug the set from the wall to ensure that power save circuitry is completely de-energized, too, for this to work.

posted by paulsc 19 April | 22:36

I have it on a power strip. . .would switching this strip off have the same effect as unplugging?

posted by danf 19 April | 22:52

Yeah, I had a DVD remote once... At first it was sassy, and then one night it missed curfew. A week later it was smoking and hanging out by the 7-11.

I think it was some sort of adolescence. That, or an indication I'd been watching too much porn.

posted by Triode 19 April | 23:07

"I have it on a power strip. . .would switching this strip off have the same effect as unplugging?"
posted by danf 19 April | 22:52

In theory, sure. In practice, ??? Why not just unplug the set for 1/2 hour, and be sure everything in it goes cold?

posted by paulsc 19 April | 23:52

I feel your pain. The remote for my kareoke-enabled dvd went screwy and set the audio to transpose down a fifth, and won't change it back. None of the universals I've tried worked so now everyone including the women speak in a rich baritone.

(spell check wants to change dvd to dvm ???)

posted by StickyCarpet 20 April | 07:17

← From one end of the spectrum... || This makes me sad and angry →

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