14 DAY TRIAL // After learning about the demise of Philips Pronto universal remote controls yesterday, we had sort of a bleak image regarding the future of this particular type of devices, but it seems that Logitech, one of the largest remaining players in this segment, has a rather different opinion, as well as a rather comprehensive market study to back it up.
The Global Remote Control Trends Study was carried out by independent research firm Wakefield Research in seven countries, which include the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Sweden, Netherlands, the United States and Germany, and reports that a majority of households in France (51 percent), Australia (52 percent) and the United Kingdom (52 percent) possess four or more devices in the living room that need remote controls.
And the number of devices in the living room leads to frustration or confusion over how to do even a simple task such as watch a movie.
In nearly every country in the survey, almost half of remote users needed to press three or more buttons – usually on multiple remote controls – just to watch a DVD.
With all these remotes floating around, the chance of losing one of the controllers increases, and a lost remote control can render an electronic device virtually useless.
Almost one in five Americans own a device, such as a DVD player or home audio system, that is connected but rarely or never used due to a missing remote.
Furthermore, according to the survey results, even when people have the remote, between 15 percent and 24 percent of global households have someone who does not use electronic devices simply because they don’t understand how to operate the remote.
Naturally, the reason why Logitech supported this study is that its universal remote controls are just the things that will help avoid such problems.
“If you think you’re the only person who needs to use the TV remote, then the audio remote, then the DVD remote to just watch a movie – you’re wrong,” said Scott Harrington, director of product marketing at Logitech for Harmony remote controls.
“An increasing amount of technology in the living room produces greater complexity, for which consumers need a solution. Through the recent study we conducted, we found it’s clear that people around the world are calling for one-touch simplicity, which has been lost in the array of gadgets people use on a daily basis,” concluded Mr. Harrington.