Smart TVs have become hi-tech but the remote is still on old technology. Why was Bluetooth not adopted?

New Delhi. Today Bluetooth technology is being used in almost every electronic device. Smartphones, smartwatches, wireless earbuds and even smart TVs are equipped with Bluetooth. In such a situation, a question often comes to people’s mind that when the TV itself supports Bluetooth, then why its remote still works on infrared technology. There are many technical and practical reasons behind this which keep this technology relevant even after decades.

Infrared or IR technology has been used in TV remotes since the 1970s and 1980s. This technique works in a very simple way. The microprocessor inside the remote generates a digital code when a button is pressed. The infrared LED then sends that code to the TV as a sharp pulse of light. The sensor installed in the TV reads this signal and converts it into the relevant command and accordingly changes the channel, increases or decreases the volume and completes other tasks.

Although Bluetooth technology is considered more modern, infrared still proves to be a better option for TV remotes in many cases. The biggest reason is its low cost. It is much cheaper to make infrared based remotes, which allows companies to control the overall cost of the product.

The second major reason is low power consumption. Infrared remotes use very little energy so their batteries easily last for several months. Whereas Bluetooth consumes relatively more energy due to continuously maintaining the connection.

Reliability is also an important reason. Infrared technology communicates directly with the device without any pairing or network issues. All the user has to do is point the remote at the TV and the command starts working immediately. Apart from this, the use of infrared technology does not require any additional licenses or complexities related to wireless protocols.

Although Bluetooth has many advantages of its own. Its biggest feature is that it does not require turning the remote towards the TV. Due to the long range of Bluetooth, the device can be controlled from another room also. Apart from this, the same Bluetooth remote can also work with multiple smart devices.

This is the reason why the use of Bluetooth remote in premium smart TVs is increasing rapidly. Features like voice command, Google Assistant Alexa and Air Mouse are also available in these. However, infrared technology still remains the most popular option in general and budget TVs due to its low cost and better battery backup.

Experts believe that the use of Bluetooth remotes with smart TVs will increase in the coming years, but infrared technology will retain its place in low-cost models for a long time.