Entertainment Infrared tech is decades old – why does almost every TV remote use it? There's a good reason we haven't transitioned completely to Bluetooth remotes. By Adnan Ahmed July 19, 2026 11:30 am EST Adnan Ahmed for Engadget The history of TV remotes is an interesting one. The very first remote control, known as the Lazy Bones, wasn't even wireless. It was introduced by Zenith Radio Corporation in 1950 and relied on a long cable to connect to the television. The "Flash-Matic" from 1955 was the first truly wireless solution, which used a beam of visible light to send commands to the four photo cells positioned on the TV's front panel.
Infrared (IR) remotes became the industry standard by the 1980s and have managed to stick around for more than four decades. Infrared remotes work by sending quick pulses of invisible light using an LED. The infrared receiver on the TV then decodes this signal and processes the command. If you point your phone's camera at the front of a TV remote and press a button, you may actually be able to see the infrared LED flashing.
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2213636/why-infrared-still-used-tvs/
Infrared (IR) remotes became the industry standard by the 1980s and have managed to stick around for more than four decades. Infrared remotes work by sending quick pulses of invisible light using an LED. The infrared receiver on the TV then decodes this signal and processes the command. If you point your phone's camera at the front of a TV remote and press a button, you may actually be able to see the infrared LED flashing.
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2213636/why-infrared-still-used-tvs/