When reviewing televisions, much of your time will be spent in darkened rooms We try to recreate the experience of lounging on the couch to watch a movie and evaluate the performance of a set based on perhaps the most stereotypical use of a television However, the lack of light makes it difficult to use (or find) the TV remote control

At some point, the makers of the best TVs and the best streaming devices seem to have decided that they no longer need backlighting on their remotes So when you're watching in the dark, you're left to guess if you can press the right buttons or feel the couch cushions when you misplace the controller

By now, I know my sectionals so well that I can recognize the gap where the sleek remote control of my Samsung Q80T QLED TV always slips in But why should I have to? If the buttons had some sort of backlight, I could find the controller without hassle

It doesn't help that the remote control is slimmer and smaller and looks more like a small Apple TV 4K remote control than the best universal remotes with buttons scattered all over the place The native remote also has fewer buttons thanks to better user intuition

In addition, some TVs have far-field microphones, making the remote completely unnecessary Just talk to Alexa or Google Assistant to change the volume or switch between the best streaming services

But it doesn't feel right to interrupt an epic Marvel scene on Disney Plus by asking the voice assistant to turn the volume down Nor do I struggle to see the few buttons on modern remotes For example, some remotes have replaced the dedicated input button with a dedicated streaming service launcher I don't know about you, but I like to make sure I have Netflix or Vudu open

Backlit buttons would solve all my remote control problems The visual aid in a dark environment makes it easier to select the intended button and better see where you last placed the remote For those who argue that backlighting disturbs what they are seeing, a "sleep" mode could be offered that dims the light of the remote control when no buttons are pressed for several minutes

Dear remote control designer gods, if you are listening, please come out with more models with backlit buttons Again, this is coming from someone who spends too much time in front of the TV Until the day comes when I can telepathically instruct the TV to change channels, I want to see the buttons and the remote control itself in the dark