You can operate all seven functions right from the comfort of your sofa! View all three channels!
You can also ask the chick in yellow who comes free with every console to change the channel for you…
watch it: 1960s ad for TV remote control
share and enjoy
Wow, Technology is awesome. I hope it comes with a digital converter box though…
What I find funny, and interesting in how much things have changed, is that it’s a 5 minute commercial, and very informative on how to use the remote as well.
What really gets me about this commercial is how pretty and weird that television is. Can you imagine how different our households would look if electronics manufacturers still put in that kind of effort to make consumer electronics beautiful? Computer cases are pretty much the only area where people are still making an effort, and they are still considered more of a hardcore gaming thing rather than a general design trend. Sleek curves and glowing lights everywhere are still not things you see in the average home. I think this is one of the reasons for the popularity of steampunk aesthetics. People subconsciously recognize how ugly and boring technology has become.
In my ideal world, all home electronics would have as much care put into their design as the creations of this artist:
http://www.datamancer.net/
I see Jeannie is trapped in her bottle next to the set.
I was struck by how QUIET this ad was. The announcer was speaking slowly and calmly, and there was no background music (except at the beginning and end, and sometimes from the sample TV shows). VERY different from today.
Do you think TV users in the ’60s really needed instructions that detailed (if you adjust the screen too far one way, just push the rocker bar the OTHER way to get it back to where you want it!) — I realize remotes were pretty new technology, but it’s hard to imagine the general idea of the controls being that counterintuitive…