Universal remotes and home automation systems put home theater control in your hands.

Don't you love those movies where the action hero or bad guy packs about a dozen weapons? They need cool-looking overcoats to hide a sawed-off shotgun, a pair of .44-calibers, an automatic with multiple magazines that pop in and out with metallic clicks. Sometimes you wonder if they're going to whip out a missile launcher or cannon. n However, just because Mr. Action Figure packs a small arsenal shouldn't mean you have to do the same to fire a command at your home theater system. Does turning on your home theater system really have to resemble a full-blown action scene from The Terminator or The Matrix?

The correct answer here is no, unless you like having several remote controls, figuring out how each one works and knowing where all the buttons are (often in the dark). You could go with a universal remote that serves as the single control for all your electronic gear, or you could go one step further and tie your audio/video and other components together with a home control system, if only for one room.

Universal Remote Controls

There are a few types of universal remote controls available. Preprogrammed remotes contain hundreds, if not thousands, of infrared codes that communicate with many popular audio/video makes and models. Programmable remotes can "learn" the infrared (IR) command codes of any audio/video component and with a little tweaking, might even be capable of operating a light switch.

Touchscreen-based remotes present control buttons on a touch-sensitive LCD panel. These screens can be customized to look a certain way and to contain layers of menus, so that only a few buttons are displayed at a time. Some people prefer the feel of a traditional remote control with buttons. Many remotes today offer a combination of both these "hard" buttons and a touchscreen.

Programming a universal remote with the proper codes for controlling all of your equipment often involves transmitting information from your old remotes to the new one. A more reliable way to do this is either by using computer software or by downloading codes from a web site.

To save yourself a headache, use a remote that can be programmed to transmit at least one "macro" command, in which one button makes a number of things happen. A common macro, such as movie time, might turn on the TV, DVD player and audio/video receiver. More sophisticated controllers trigger several actions at once, such as dimming the lights, closing the shades and starting the entertainment system.

Of course, the more a remote control can do, the more difficult it is to program. That's why some remotes are best configured by an audio/video specialist.

If your audio/video equipment isn't within a direct line of sight from your seating area, you may want to look for a remote that uses radio frequency (RF) technology to broadcast the command signal to a broad area. If you'd rather use an infrared remote, you can install "IR repeaters" that pick up the signal and transfer it to the appropriate equipment.

You may also want to look for a remote that comes with a stylus pen, for key-pressing comfort and accuracy. A remote control with a touchscreen can be difficult for larger hands to operate.

Finally, keep in mind that many universal remotes do not have an important and often overlooked feature called "12-volt sensing." What this does is "sense" whether a component, say your audio/video receiver, is already switched on so it won't mistakenly switch it off when you activate your system. In many older and inexpensive components, the on/off functions are on the same toggle switch, so when a remote tries to turn it on, the switch is activated. If the component is already on, it shuts it off instead. See the value of 12-volt sensing? Many newer components have dedicated on/off switches that preclude the need for this, but it's best to check your equipment and universal remotes to see if you could use it. Some more expensive control systems come with this convenient function.

Control Systems

There are several types of control systems available for your home theater or for your entire home. Most home theater control systems are hard-wired with a central processor that's connected to your home theater gear.

Hard-wired systems can perform many tasks at once and do them quickly and reliably. They can also tie together your lighting, audio and video, security, even your heating and ventilation systems into one control package. Some manufacturers of high-end home control systems also make scaled down one-room control systems that are ideal for home theater use. It may be well worth your money to check them out.

Wired control systems are typically operated by either touchscreens or keypads. Touchscreens feature LCD panels that can be placed on a tabletop or the walls. They allow users to scroll through pages of controls, each one for a separate system such as lighting or audio/video, for example. Some touchscreens can display video from a DVD, satellite or security camera. Less expensive keypads are generally located on the wall near a room's entrance. Each button on a keypad can be programmed to set a scene or operate a single device in that room.

Some hard-wired control systems have wireless touchscreen or touchpanels that use wireless radio frequency (RF) technology to send commands to the system's processor, which in turn is wired to the audio/video system. Such remotes use one-way RF, meaning that the signal only goes from the remote to the processor, while others use two-way RF, meaning that the remote receives a return signal confirming that the command was received. If your equipment rack is not located within a direct line of sight from the seating area, it might be best for you to use a two-way RF remote so you can ensure that a command has been received.

A new breed of control makes it easier than ever to control all the devices in your home or home theater. It's called Internet protocol, or IP control. IP systems use computer technology to turn your home theater or your entire house into its own little Internet, with every device on the network assigned an Internet address. This type of control system can also help your home entertainment system receive audio or video files from your computer systems. Be on the lookout for more of this type of technology and for prices to drop.

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