this post was submitted on 07 Nov 2023
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[–] [email protected] 97 points 2 years ago (7 children)

I used to have so much fun back when cell phones had IR blasters. Changing channels and messing with people before it was common knowledge that you could do that on a cell. I wish phones still had that.

[–] [email protected] 77 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Back in the day when they were actually focused on putting features into phones instead of stripping them out...

[–] [email protected] 54 points 2 years ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

used to have a FM tuner on the modem. International models do still carry modems with FM tuners on them. And the antenna was you headphone cord. Which is why it doesnt and won't work with Bluetooth..... And for all likely hood it won't work with USB c headphones either

[–] lobut 26 points 2 years ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 years ago

Swappable batteries was the big one for me

[–] [email protected] 27 points 2 years ago

Oh man my LG V20 was great for this

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 years ago (1 children)

The Redmi line still has ir transmitters afaik

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 years ago

I confirm. The kid in me made me buy it

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 years ago

There are still ways to do that. A friend of mine loves to mess woth Telas. He can open their charging door with a device.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Long before smartphones, Casio used to make an IR blaster watch. Nobody ever suspected the person checking the time was messing with the TV.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 years ago

GS4 owner checking in. That was the best phone I've ever owned for the year it was...

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[–] [email protected] 69 points 2 years ago (9 children)

I loved it when my phone had IR. I really hate it when restaurants have tvs on in the dining room. I would turn the volume down or even turn it off. I really miss being able to do that.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 2 years ago (1 children)

My Galaxy S5 was great when people insisted on watching Fox or Nancy Grace at full volume on the lunch room TV.

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Most Chinese brand phones like oppo and Xiaomi still has it as standard.

I use it to control my air conditioning all the time.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 years ago (2 children)

what is a good phone that has it?

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I wonder if that's why phones no longer have IR blasters.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Phones don't have IR blasters anymore for the same reason they don't have aux ports or SD card slots anymore. For one, they remove these features to make room for other things that take up the real estate of a thin slice of technology. And for two, cutting those things increases the profit margin of the phones they sell, even if only slightly.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 years ago

They also removed radio capabilities. Rip the days I would listen to live radio at 2 am while I washed dishes at chili's.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Well that was the behavior of a jerk.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 years ago

I miss using my LG v20

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (3 children)

i still have redmi note 4 with one
fully controllable with an api too

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I wonder if an IR dongle is a thing that's available and would function well...

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 years ago (1 children)

look irplus wave if you have a headphone jack

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 years ago (5 children)

if you have a headphone jack

about that... :(

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[–] [email protected] 66 points 2 years ago (1 children)

So you're the reason I find my TV turned on in the morning.

I'm going to find you. I will bill you for the power, and I will additionally calculate the cost of screen burn mileage on my TV. You will pay.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Connect your TV power cable to an outlet or splitter with a switch, turn the switch off every time you won't watch tv for long. Enjoy 90% defense against remotejackers and 1% higher calorie burn bonus.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Don't do that if you have an OLED, though. AFAIK, they need to turn themselves on from time to time to do some panel refresh stuff to prevent burn in.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 years ago

Pretty sure that's incorrect. They do, however, shift pixels from time to time to prevent burn in, but that's while they're on.

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[–] [email protected] 41 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (3 children)

I used to have a Samsung Galaxy S4, and its main gimmick was the IR blaster that also made the phone a universal remote. Great way to mess with people when I was in college at parties muting the TV or slowly making it louder over the course of a long time.

My roomie and I also had the same exact TV, which made it fun to point the remote in her room and turn it off from time to time.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 2 years ago (1 children)

S4 was peak Samsung. IR blaster, removable battery, SD card, water resistant, amoled screen that phone just had it all

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 years ago (6 children)

It was not water resistant, actually. I'd know. Mine was broken when I got pushed into a swimming pool. :(

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[–] Rocketpoweredgorilla 8 points 2 years ago (2 children)

I still use my s4 with LineageOS. It's on it's third battery but still going strong.

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[–] [email protected] 33 points 2 years ago

It'd be crueler to open the VUDU app.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 2 years ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 years ago

Came here to post this. There's a great diy post I always wanted to make that integrated one into a hat

Such a brilliant product!

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Wouldn’t this only work with a remote that’s already paired to the Roku, though?

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 years ago (2 children)

The Roku TV remotes don't operate via Wi-Fi like remotes for the dedicated Roku boxes, instead they suck. The Roku TV ones are simple IR remotes.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago

VIA WI-FI? LE Bluetooth would be much better.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 years ago (1 children)

everyone who doesn't use roku: ???

[–] detectivesniffles 9 points 2 years ago

spared from the ravages of an agent of an agent of chaos

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 years ago

When I was in high school in the 90s, someone started selling little keychain universal remotes and kids would occasionally bring them to school to fuck with the TV while the teacher was trying to show a video.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 years ago

My parents have a rough powered device

This isn't how they work

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