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Thread: Robert Adler - TV Remote Inventor

  1. #1
    Danny62 Guest

    Robert Adler - TV Remote Inventor

    Adler was credited as co-inventor of the television remote control with fellow engineer Eugene Polley, and was best known for his Zenith Space Command remote control, which was introduced in 1956. Adler earned a doctorate in physics from the University of Vienna in 1937, and then joined Zenith's research division in 1941. He retired as Vice President of Research in 1979, and was a technical consultant for the company until 1999. During World War II, Adler specialized in military communications equipment. He later helped develop sensitive amplifiers for ultra high frequency signals used by radio astronomers and by the U.S. Air Force for long-range missile detection. Adler was a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the National Academy of Engineering, as well as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. For many years he was also adjunct professor of electrical engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana. In his six-decade career with Zenith, Adler obtained more than 180 U.S. patents. He remained active almost until his death.

    Dec 4, 1913-Feb 16, 2007

  2. #2
    Curtis Radiohead Guest
    The remote control is one of the greatest inventions ever! I remember the days when my dad ordered one of us up to change the channel when we were younger, obviously before the vast popularity of remote control! Does anyone remember the old cable boxes that had that long cord? That was a life-saver, as my Dad no longer had to order one of us kids to change the channel. I couldn't imagine living without a remote today, especially in light of my back injury!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Middle Earth
    Posts
    13,009
    All mankind owes this genius. He my buddy fer dang sure.
    Stay in Drugs. Eat your School. Don't do Vegetables.

  4. #4
    Curtis Radiohead Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by cleanskull View Post
    All mankind owes this genius. He my buddy fer dang sure.

  5. #5
    Blondin Guest
    I remember a Jay Leno joke about how easy we have it compared to our parents. He said " What are we going to tell our kids? When I was your age I had to get up to change the channel".

  6. #6
    Kathyf Guest
    Thank God for him. LOL

  7. #7
    deathybrad Guest
    A class mate of mine in high school had an old VCR at his house that had a remote on a long cord. I'm not that old, even the VCR we had was my parents wedding shower gift and it had a regular remote.

  8. #8
    Danny62 Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by deathybrad View Post
    A class mate of mine in high school had an old VCR at his house that had a remote on a long cord. I'm not that old, even the VCR we had was my parents wedding shower gift and it had a regular remote.
    I remember when you could rent VCR's in the late 70's. It required a $500 dollar deposit to rent them!! LOL

    And you had to reserve them in advance. Yes I am that old!!!

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Middle Earth
    Posts
    13,009
    My first vcr was a top loader with wired remote.Doesn't seem that long ago.Hell my 8-track player still works.
    Stay in Drugs. Eat your School. Don't do Vegetables.

  10. #10
    Danny62 Guest
    I think this dude helped promote "The couch Potato!"

  11. #11
    opheliahardin Guest
    But, but... How did he die?

    Please don't tell me he got stuck between the sofa cushions and suffocated.

  12. #12
    Danny62 Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by opheliahardin View Post
    But, but... How did he die?

    Please don't tell me he got stuck between the sofa cushions and suffocated.

    LOL

    Died in a Boise, Idaho nursing home of heart failure!

  13. #13
    SuckMyKiss Guest
    What the friggin ell are 'wired' remotes?

  14. #14
    Danny62 Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by SuckMyKiss View Post
    What the friggin ell are 'wired' remotes?
    You know, the remotes had wires attached to them!

    Hence the new name "wireless"!

  15. #15
    SuckMyKiss Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Danny62 View Post
    You know, the remotes had wires attached to them!

    Hence the new name "wireless"!
    Remotes had wires attatched to them? Whaaat? This is news to my ears. I can only remember remotes being like they are now.

  16. #16
    Jaxxx Guest
    God, I remember when TV came out, everyone in the neighborhood came to our house just to see the test pattern.

  17. #17
    cobbius Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Danny62 View Post
    Adler was credited as co-inventor of the television remote control with fellow engineer Eugene Polley, and was best known for his Zenith Space Command remote control, which was introduced in 1956. Adler earned a doctorate in physics from the University of Vienna in 1937, and then joined Zenith's research division in 1941. He retired as Vice President of Research in 1979, and was a technical consultant for the company until 1999. During World War II, Adler specialized in military communications equipment. He later helped develop sensitive amplifiers for ultra high frequency signals used by radio astronomers and by the U.S. Air Force for long-range missile detection. Adler was a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the National Academy of Engineering, as well as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. For many years he was also adjunct professor of electrical engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana. In his six-decade career with Zenith, Adler obtained more than 180 U.S. patents. He remained active almost until his death.

    Dec 4, 1913-Feb 16, 2007
    Between this genius, Adolph Coors, and Orville Redenbacher, I owe them my triple bypass.

    This couch potato would salute you, my hero, if only I weren't so winded afterwards.

  18. #18
    Irishlass Guest
    I remember the days when you had to get up and flip a switch behind the tv to get HBO and Showtime...And mom told us to change the channel..course back in them days you had only 3 channels
    nbc,abc and cbs

  19. #19
    Jazbabee Guest
    Good grief, if the remote is misplaced in our house, its a major crisis !!!!

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