Thought you guys/gals would like to know this:
I have a Toshiba TV that's about 8 years old which I have the new Apple TV connected too.
Yesterday, I had to take the cable wire out of the TV to move it. While waiting for the other location to be ready, I decided to use the Apple TV. I then noticed I could now use the AppleTV remote to turn the TV off and on. Keep in mind that I did NOT pair my normal TV remote to the Apple TV or the new remote yet.
Thanks,
Dan Uff
Yes, it's indeed quite interesting that the Siri remote works with (most?) television sets right out of the box. Communication between remote and TV happens via infrared codes, but as far as I know there are no standard codes for e.g. switching the power on/off or adjusting the volume (which, by the way, also works out of the box). Maybe the Siri remote simply iterates over all known IR codes and remembers which one worked out. 😉
Anyway, I guess such zero-configuration behaviours definitely contribute to a great user experience.
My guess is that the Apple TV somehow identifies the TV set over the HDMI cable and then programs the remote with the appropriate volume codes. Controlling the TV power seems to be a separate mechanism—it actually only works with one of my family's TVs. But all that's just a guess.
