Robust cable remote control for set-top boxes

In developing countries, analogue TV sets can significantly outnumber telephones or PCs. Advances in the multimedia industry, particularly the advent of digital TV can turn the subscriber into an active viewer. Interactivity is one of the key works at the present time. However, full digital domestic TV receivers are rather expensive and therefore, meanwhile a solution is to use a gateway, commonly called a set-top-box (STB), connected to the conventional analogue TV set. Commercially available STBs are locally controlled by infrared (IR) devices. This is the main reason to keep the TV set close to the STB. This paper investigates a solution for an electrical remote control for STBs. Thus, the analogue TV set can be placed far way from the STB. The novelty of this paper consists in a FSK receiver without PLL, leading to a phase error free system as well as to a low cost implementation.