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With today's modern home theater options, even a basic system will use three or four components. That means three or four remotes to operate it, right? Not anymore.
Step 1:

Universal remotes are a godsend when it comes to operating your home theater. It is a master control that will work all of your components and in some cases give you one button operation. The first step is to figure out what kind of remote you need.

While there are different brands, the Harmony remotes from Logitech are your best bet if you are a do-it-yourselfer. These are designed for the customer who has a modern but basic system, usually including a TV, a cable box or satellite receiver, a DVD player, a game console, and a surround sound system.

The first tier of remote is the Harmony 550 or the 880. The equipment should be all in one room and visible to the viewer since the remote has to pointed at what it is controlling. If this sounds like your setup, these remotes will do everything you need them to. The 550 is around $125 and the 880 is around $250. The 880 works the same but features a color LCD screen and a rechargeable lithium ion battery. It retails around $250.

The next step up would be the Harmony 890. It is identical in looks and operation to the 880, but features an RF base station that lets you control the equipment even if it is a different room or behind cabinet doors. It is ideal for customers that have their equipment hidden out of sight, or for those who want to be able to control the system from a different area of the house. It retails for around $400 and comes with everything you need to set it up.

The top of the line from Harmony is the 1000. It works the same as the other remotes, but features a rechargeable color LCD touch-screen, more of a novelty as opposed to functionality. The remote itself is around $500 and the RF function can be added for an additional $130.

Step 2:

Once you have decided which remote you need, the next step is programming it. One of the best selling points for Harmony remotes is that they can be programmed by anyone with a computer and an internet connection. It comes with software you install on your computer, which can also be downloaded from their website. The program features a step by step walkthrough of what needs to be done. All you need to have ahead of time is the brand and model of any equipment you want to control (i.e. your TV is a Samsung LN-52A550), and know the inputs that the components are set to for any given activity. (i.e. When you "Watch TV" the TV is set to "HDMI 1" and the A/V receiver is set to "TV/CBL".) Having this information written down will simplify the programming a great deal.

Once the software has walked you through all of its questions, it will download the program directly to the remote through the provided USB cable and it's immediately ready to use. If you have an RF remote, you will also have to connect that to the USB cable when prompted, and there is an additional step. Otherwise, you are finished.

Step 3:

For customers using the RF base station, there is an additional step. This involves putting IR emitters (included with the remote) on each piece of equipment in your system. The IR emitter should be put over the IR receiver on the front of the equipment. If it is not labeled on the front, the location of the receiver can be looked up in the owner's manual. All the emitters then plug into the back of the base station. This base station is how the remote ultimately communicates with your equipment.

Now that you have your remote, you can simply push "Watch TV" and relax as it turns on all the appropriate equipment and set the inputs to what they need to be. Remember that, just like any new hi-tech gadget, it will take some getting used to. But once you get the hang of it, you will wonder how you ever got along without it.

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