The history of TV remotes began with Zenith Radio Corporation's 1950 "Lazy Bones" wired remote, followed by the 1955 "Flash-Matic" using visible light. Infrared (IR) became the industry standard by the 1980s and persists today. IR remotes send invisible light pulses via LED, decoded by the TV's receiver.

Modern TVs ship with Bluetooth remotes for voice control and gestures, yet retain IR transmitters. IR costs next to nothing after decades of mass production and offers universal compatibility with existing TVs, soundbars, and equipment. Adnan Ahmed for Engadget notes that Bluetooth remotes rely on IR for initial pairing and standby power-on, since Bluetooth isn't active in standby. Testing on a TCL smart TV revealed the remote uses IR only for power on/off, defaulting to IR when Bluetooth is unpaired.

Bluetooth's advantage is no line-of-sight requirement, while IR remains battery-efficient. Ultimately, IR serves as a reliable fallback and pairing aid, though Bluetooth handles most daily commands. Bluetooth also enables phone-as-remote functionality via Android.