The Rover Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Eugene Polley, inventor of TV remote, dies at 96 CHICAGO (AP) - Couch potatoes everywhere can pause and thank Eugene Polley for hours of feet-up channel surfing. His invention, the first wireless TV remote, began as a luxury, but with the introduction of hundreds of channels and viewing technologies it has become a necessity. Just ask anyone who's lost a remote. Polley died of natural causes Sunday May 20, 2012 at a suburban Chicago hospital, said Zenith Electronics spokesman John Taylor. The former Zenith engineer was 96. In 1955, if you wanted to switch TV channels from "Arthur Godfrey" to "Father Knows Best," you got up from your chair, walked across the room and turned a knob. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Or you could buy a new Zenith television with Flash-Matic tuning. The TV came with a green ray gun-shaped contraption with a red trigger. The advertising promised "TV miracles." The "flash tuner" was "Absolutely harmless to humans!" Most intriguing of all: "You can even shut off annoying commercials while the picture remains on the screen." Polley was proud of his invention even late in life, Taylor said. He showed visitors at his assisted-living apartment his original Flash-Matic and how it had evolved into the technology of today. "He was a proud owner of a flat-screen TV and modern remote," Taylor said. "He always kept his original remote control with him." Polley's Flash-Matic pointed a beam of light at photo cells in the corners of the television screen. Each corner activated a different function, turning the picture and sound off and on, and changing the channels. Chicago native Polley and fellow Zenith engineer Robert Adler were honored in 1997 with an Emmy for their work in pioneering TV remotes. In 2009, he received the Masaru Ibuka Consumer Electronics Award from the Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers. During his 47-year career as an engineer, Polley earned 18 U.S. patents. At Zenith, he worked his way up from the stockroom, according to a biography from Lincolnshire, Ill.-based LG Electronics, which owns Zenith. Polley also worked on radar advances for the U.S. Department of Defense during World War II. He helped develop the push-button radio for automobiles and the video disk, a forerunner of today's DVD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jahfin Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Even though in the grand scheme of things it wasn't that long ago, it's still hard to imagine a time when one had to actually get up to go change the channel. Harder still to imagine the generations that have come along since that have no conception of that time period whatsoever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Even though in the grand scheme of things it wasn't that long ago, it's still hard to imagine a time when one had to actually get up to go change the channel. Harder still to imagine the generations that have come along since that have no conception of that time period whatsoever. That's what kids were for. Your dad or uncle would throw a shoe at you and tell you to change the channel to CBS so he could watch "Gunsmoke" and Ed Sullivan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redrum Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 From 'That 70's Show'---'WHY CAN'T YOU FIX THE CLICKER????' :^) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Dawg Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 He invented Some amazing and worthwhile technologies I use everyday, presets on the radio dial and the remote. The video disk will soon be obsolete but is far superior to tape. I'm not much of a techie but I am sure his innovative work with the Flash-matic made all sorts of remote control applications possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAS Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 A true American. Without him I would have get up and change the station manually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betteremily Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 More importantly this guy invented "MUTE"! It's the one button on my remote I can't read anymore! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redrum Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 H's a dead ringer for Robert McNamara. :^) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ally Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 That's what kids were for. Your dad or uncle would throw a shoe at you and tell you to change the channel to CBS so he could watch "Gunsmoke" and Ed Sullivan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Dawg Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 He's a dead ringer for Robert McNamara. :^) I'd have to agree. Different style spectacles though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Rover Posted May 27, 2012 Author Share Posted May 27, 2012 I'd just like to know who invented the personal vibrator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 I'd just like to know who invented the personal vibrator See the new movie "Hysteria" with Maggie Gyllenhall and you'll find out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Dawg Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 I'd just like to know who invented the personal vibrator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.