The remote control is at the epicentre of friendly domestic disputes within households across the United Kingdom in an effort to gain control over the channels which individuals watch at any given period. Although wireless devices and magic eyes manufactured by Sky allow for multi-room television which extends the satellite broadcasting to other rooms within a residential property away from the traditional place of the living room, remote controls emphasis power and control. Due to the seismic advancements within technological capabilities, modern television sets do not require additional control panels due to the strong transmission rays used between a digital box and remote. Such advancements have also led to significant changes between a traditional remote which provided the foundations for the modern day Sky remote used in conjunction with a digibox.
The most obvious difference between the two is the number of buttons available upon each remote. Due to the significant increase in channels via the introduction of digital television through Freeview and Sky to name but two, modern remotes required an increase in size to incorporate the additional buttons to access any channel of choice. The introduction of high definition television and Sky Plus has further increased the boundaries of possibility within television broadcasting, with individuals able to record, rewind and pause programmes via a Sky Plus remote. Such technological advancements now require remotes, which allow individuals the ability to enjoy the full potential of digital television, either through the multitude of available channels, or interactive services that have rendered terrestrial transmissions obsolete.
As traditional remotes used for analogue television set only contained the required numbers to access the five existing terrestrial channels, in addition to a few other control buttons to change contrast, colour and volume, a Sky remote requires a significant increase to ensure navigational control across all menus and digital channels. While control buttons are placed upon television sets and digital boxes to provide essential control mechanisms, a Sky Plus remote allows control at a distance via transmission rays from remote to sensors placed upon a television and digibox to enjoy the best programmes that digital television has to offer in the comfort of the home.