The Z-Base systems can be programmed to respond to most remote controls, so a TV remote...or cable box remote...or satellite receiver remote...can control volume, mute, power and input functions.

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Customers can control the volume or mute with a regular TV remote or with one of the free Sonos Controller apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac or PC.

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Like any good hacker, Richardson decided to come up with a fix: He developed a do-it-yourself TV remote control that will automatically mute the television when certain celebrity names are mentioned.

CNN: Hacked TV remote will auto-mute Snooki

The "mute" button of every TV remote control in the world is another good tool for keeping noisy and insulting commercials at bay.

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As you'd anticipate, it's an attempt to bring much of the app's power user mojo to the desktop world: you can check just retweets of your content, mute overly chatty people or hashtags, and otherwise get more control than just watching your stream drift by.

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