Our remotes

Frozen March 28, 2026


This essay provides a brief overview of the remotes we use to control our TV, Xumo streaming box, CD/DVD player, and cable box. The cable box serves primarily as a backup source for TV content in case the internet is unavailable.

Our television is a TCL Google TV, which I mainly use for streaming apps. It includes all of our streaming services except the Spectrum TV app. I typically rely on the voice-driven search feature to browse content across apps, although I can also navigate directly within each app. I operate this remote without any issues.

My wife primarily uses the Xumo streaming box. It provides access to the Spectrum TV app as well as other frequently used apps by her such as Netflix and YouTube. For her, the accessibility of the remote is extremely important. We are still searching for a remote with better accessibility features to meet her needs, and currently use the standard Xumo remote. A possible enhancement is tactile/visual markers on key remote keys.  One useful feature is that pressing the power button three times turns on both the TV and the streaming box, switches the TV input to the correct source, and prepares everything for use. This remote also controls the TV’s volume.

We also have an accessibility Spectrum remote that can control the TV’s power and volume, as well as the cable box and CD/DVD player—all in one device. However, it is only used occasionally when we need to watch a DVD or rely on the backup cable service.

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