# My TVs turned on by themselves. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 4, 2011, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543 "2011-10-04T11:34:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543/41 "2011-10-06T20:16:39Z")
For all the folks who are suggesting it’s a neighbor’s remote or some such: current TV remotes work via infrared signals, don’t they? And those require line-of-sight, so the neighbor would have to be standing at the window, pointing their remote at the TV, and even then it might not work. ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543/42 "2011-10-06T20:45:18Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > For all the folks who are suggesting it’s a neighbor’s remote or some such: current TV remotes work via infrared signals, don’t they? And those require line-of-sight, so the neighbor would have to be standing at the window, pointing their remote at the TV, and even then it might not work. IR can bounce, right? If the neighbor’s TV room is visible from **cherry** ’s TV, then theoretically her neighbors could aim at their own TV and have some of their remote’s signal make it to her TV. But the fact that it happened to multiple TVs in different rooms makes me think that **DirkGntly** has the most likely answer. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543/43 "2011-10-07T00:10:58Z")
_They’re heeere._ ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543/44 "2011-10-07T00:20:40Z")
You don’t often see that sort of behavior from a major appliance. ---
**Author:** ![Marconi\_N.Cheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Marconi\_N.Cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marconi_N.Cheese)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543/45 "2011-10-07T01:36:02Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Seriously? Because if it’s actually a ghost, it means we have left the knowable Universe and are on a long trip to la-la land, where we have no idea how anything works or whether what we ate for lunch just gravely offended some pissy deity with a penchant for cruel punishments. > > More likely, if someone is convinced there are ghosts about, they’re either stupid or schizophrenic, neither of which are pleasant to live through. Especially with a baby on the way. I hope these statements don’t come back to haunt you. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543/46 "2011-10-07T08:03:46Z")
My TV has timers built in so I can have them come on and go off at regular times - or for one-time shots. Could yours have been set (either as a joke or by accident?) ---
**Author:** ![Foxy40](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@Foxy40](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foxy40)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543/47 "2011-10-07T13:27:24Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > 1. A ghost was trying to get the phone number to order The Juicer. Rarely do I laugh out loud at a post but this one got me. Well done. ---
**Author:** ![Chanteuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543/48 "2011-10-07T13:40:07Z")
That happened in my house once a long time ago, in the BC (before children) era. My husband had gone to work and I went back to catch a few more Z’s. Just about the time I was drifting off, I heard the TV. It started low, but gradually increased in volume and got very LOUD! I couldn’t help being freaked out some–had to MAKE myself go check it out. I discovered that the remote had gotten wedged between two couch cushions and enough light, but steady pressure was being exerted on the power and volume buttons to turn on and turn up the TV. I was good and awake after that! ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543/49 "2011-10-07T14:01:20Z")
Okay, is anyone else mildly concerned that Cherry hasn’t checked in since Wednesday. I’d hate to think that she was sucked into another dimension by the little people in the t.v. while we sat here and made jokes. Of course, now that everyone has big screen tv’s, they aren’t even little people anymore. ARGH! ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543/50 "2011-10-07T14:28:43Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > Okay, is anyone else mildly concerned that Cherry hasn’t checked in since Wednesday. I’d hate to think that she was sucked into another dimension by the little people in the t.v. while we sat here and made jokes. …but then there’d be something good on TV… I sure hope she didn’t have \*Blues Clues \*on… We just got a Viewer! We just got a Viewer! We just got a Viewer! Wonder who it is? Hey Kids, do you know who it is? “Its Cherry!” _Cue Cherry, entering from left hand stage, screaming in mindless terror_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tvs-turned-on-by-themselves/598543.md?page=2)