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Poll: How many remote controls do you have?

November 5th, 2015

40

How many remote controls do you have in your living room? I’m talking physical remotes that control media playing on your TV, including games. In other words, how many traditional remote controls do you have in addition to game controllers cluttering up your end tables?

I had the rare good fortune of consolidating devices plugged into my television this week after purchasing the new Apple TV. Thanks to the new app store and apps like Plex and Air Video, I was able to upgrade my existing Apple TV hardware and get rid of my WD media streamer and its remote. But I also added a SteelSeries Nimbus games controller in the process. That brings the total number of remotes in my living room to four (TV, cable box, Apple TV, and Nimbus). Far fewer than some of my colleagues.

In terms of day-to-day usage, I’m really down to one controller for everything: the Siri Remote. I rarely need my cable box remote since most of my media is served up by the Netflix, Plex, and YouTube apps on my Apple TV. The Siri Remote is also a rudimentary game controller, and my TV remote has been obviated by the Apple TV’s support for HDMI-CEC, or Consumer Electronics Control. HDMI-CEC, has been around for years but the Apple TV is one of the first devices I’ve owned that makes it useful on my Samsung TV (which rebrands HDMI-CEC as "Anynet" for some reason).

With a single press on the Siri Remote I can simultaneously turn on my Apple TV and Samsung TV, and use the remote to control the volume on the Sonos SoundBar attached to the TV’s optical jack. Likewise, when the TV and Apple TV are off, sending an AirPlay video will switch them both on — I’m already watching more AirPlay videos on the TV as a result. Overall, HDMI-CEC has been far more useful than I would have imagined.

But enough about my setup, what about yours?

Poll
How remote controls (including game controllers) do you have?
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