# Where is the keypad/touchscreen for my TV remote? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 24, 2020, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-keypad-touchscreen-for-my-tv-remote/916170 "2020-07-24T00:30:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2020, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-keypad-touchscreen-for-my-tv-remote/916170/1 "2020-07-24T00:30:17Z")
Even my office desk phone has a touch screen. Even my car has a touch screen. Why can’t they make a TV where I can type in my email and password to get to a streaming site, instead of tapping the arrow buttons dozens of times? > **[Text Entry](https://xkcd.com/2137/)** > > I like to think that somewhere out there, there's someone whose personal quest is lobbying TV providers to add an option to switch their on-screen keyboards to Dvorak. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2020, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-keypad-touchscreen-for-my-tv-remote/916170/2 "2020-07-24T00:48:26Z")
You wouldn’t want a touchscreen on your remote since you’d have to look at it to use it. I (and I assume most others) can use my remote entirely by feel. In fact, it’s usually under the blanket and I have no problem adjusting the volume, turning the tv on/off, picking a show to watch etc. I wouldn’t be able to do any of that if the remote was a flat piece of glass. ETA: newer tivo remotes have a speech to text option so you can speak into it if you don’t want to push the buttons. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2020, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-keypad-touchscreen-for-my-tv-remote/916170/3 "2020-07-24T01:08:23Z")
Android TVs and LG TVs with WebOS let you pair your phone to the TV, so you can use your phone keyboard to log in (or just use your phone’s stored credentials/login procedure for some services, e.g. YouTube). Their magic remote is also a lot easier to use. It just depends on your TV’s operating system. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2020, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-keypad-touchscreen-for-my-tv-remote/916170/4 "2020-07-24T01:19:25Z")
Roku lets you download an app to your phone which then works as a remote control. (I discovered this when our remote was lost.) Good news is that it works even if you’re not pointing it directly at the Roku device. Bad news is that (as Joey\_P explained so very well) you can’t use it “by feel”. Another good point - illustrated by xkcd above - is that when you do get a touch keyboard for passwords and searching, etc. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2020, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-keypad-touchscreen-for-my-tv-remote/916170/5 "2020-07-24T01:34:32Z")
Amazon firestick also allows the use of a smartphone app, also it is possible to use a bluetooth keyboard and mouse and other input devices so that may be possible. But in my experience using the good ol’ amazon remote works far better then the smartphone, as said above you need to look at the touch screen, while you can navigate by feel the remote. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2020, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-keypad-touchscreen-for-my-tv-remote/916170/6 "2020-07-24T15:16:47Z")
Here you go: > **[Harmony Elite](https://support.myharmony.com/en-us/elite)** > > Walk through our setup tutorial: adding your devices, setting up Activities, and learn more about the usage of your remote Now your next question, “why not include this with the TV.” And like all things, it comes down to cost. I’m not going to shell out a couple hundred extra bucks just to get a TV with a touchscreen remote. Like the other posters above, the way of the future is just to get an app that allows you to control your TV. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2020, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-keypad-touchscreen-for-my-tv-remote/916170/7 "2020-07-24T15:40:44Z")
My Vizio remote has a full keyboard on the back. We hardly ever use it. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2020, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-keypad-touchscreen-for-my-tv-remote/916170/8 "2020-07-24T15:42:58Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > My Vizio remote has a full keyboard on the back. Same. It only works about half the time you’d want to use it. I use my Roku app far more often for the times I need it. I also love the voice activation options on the newer Roku remotes. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2020, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-keypad-touchscreen-for-my-tv-remote/916170/9 "2020-07-24T15:45:49Z")
Netflix has a very clever solution to the OP’s problem. When you want to log into your Netflix account from a new TV, you launch the Neflix App, and then you can go to a computer and log in and approve the TV. It’s brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![Didi44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Didi44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didi44)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2020, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-keypad-touchscreen-for-my-tv-remote/916170/10 "2020-07-24T17:17:55Z")
As the others have said, it’s a pain to use a touchscreen remote, having to constantly look at it. In the 90’s, I got the 15th Anniversary Betamax that had a touchscreen remote. I quickly switched to my regular remotes after the novelty wore off. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2020, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-keypad-touchscreen-for-my-tv-remote/916170/11 "2020-07-24T18:27:51Z")
Comcast/Xfinity lets you use the number pad to search (2 = ABC, 3 = DEF, and so forth), and no, you don’t have to hit the number multiple times to choose the right letter. After a few characters you usually find what you’re looking for. It’s a good compromise, IMO - not quite as intuitive as a full keyboard, but much better and quicker than the cursor-on-the-screen method. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2020, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-keypad-touchscreen-for-my-tv-remote/916170/12 "2020-07-24T20:25:30Z")
My AppleTV does some sort of automagic with my other iThings when passwords need to be entered so I can type them or just as often, hit touch ID on the tablet or phone to pass the ID/password, or more likely a tokenized version, to the AppleTV. Agreed on the idea that touchscreen remotes are not ideal since they require almost your full concentration to use. Touchscreens on the Enterprise? No thanks. I’d want a nice obvious physical button to press for launching torpedos. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2020, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-keypad-touchscreen-for-my-tv-remote/916170/13 "2020-07-24T21:54:43Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Here you go: I’ve got one very similar to this because I have to manage three devices to watch TV (and once in a while I still watch a DVD). My screen is not a touchscreen, but shows soft labels for the hard buttons that I can configure however I want according to the devices (TV, audio system, cable box). However, it does not have the ability to enter text to login to a service. That is the only reason I would want a screen. I am a little surprised that so many people prefer hard buttons to a touchscreen. What kind of phone do you have? Bottom line is that I have not seen any alternative to the task I hate the most, which is entering my email address and password if I have to login to Netflix, Hulu, Disney+. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2020, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-keypad-touchscreen-for-my-tv-remote/916170/14 "2020-07-24T21:57:55Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > I am a little surprised that so many people prefer hard buttons to a touchscreen. What kind of phone do you have? You look at your phone while you use it. You usually don’t look at your remote. > [@](#): > > Bottom line is that I have not seen any alternative to the task I hate the most, which is entering my email address and password if I have to login to Netflix, Hulu, Disney+. How are you accessing those apps? ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2020, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-keypad-touchscreen-for-my-tv-remote/916170/15 "2020-07-24T23:55:28Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Netflix has a very clever solution to the OP’s problem. > When you want to log into your Netflix account from a new TV, you launch the Neflix App, and then you can go to a computer and log in and approve the TV. > It’s brilliant. Yeah, this is a much better solution than trying to make a TV take arbitrary text input. And there are lots of ways to implement it.