Home Theater Hacks

Hack #84. Add a Programmable Remote

Once you have your basic home theater components, you need to buy a good programmable universal remote. It's worth more than luxury seating, theater lighting, and great cabinets combined.

There's nothing as annoying as walking into a $20,000 home theater, sitting down in a plush leather chair, and noticing six or seven remote controls strewn about the room; it's one of the ultimate turnoffs in home theater today. To avoid just such a situation, purchase a good programmable remote control for your home theater. But be warned: these units aren't super-cheap, and often, so-called bargains turn into full-fledged disasters.

First, avoid the $20 "universal remote" at all costs. The typical universal remote (which is not the same as a programmable remote) has hundreds of brand codes, for all types of different devices, built into it. Although this might sound like what you want, realize that it is limited by the specific codes input into it when it left the factory. These become out-of-date very quickly, and often don't contain codes for higher-end brands anyway. A much better idea is to buy a programmable remote, which allows you to program your existing remote control codes into it. This means that as long as you have a remote or infrared (IR) code, a good programmable remote can learn it and can operate devices in your theater. This is the ultimate insurance that your remote won't go out of style, even as you upgrade and change equipment.

Tip

As proof ...