Take control of home entertainment with a universal remote.

• Author: Zimmerman, Ann
• Position: Golf and Home Guide - Includes related article - Brief Article

A new home theater can easily surpass the cost of a fine luxury car, but with a new car you can put the key in the ignition, pop in a CD and drive down Main Street. Poring over manuals to operate a theater with a basketful of remotes is as disappointing as when you were a kid and had to wait until the day after Christmas to buy batteries for a new toy.

A theater owner can immediately take an entertainment joyride with a universal remote, which bypasses complicated setups. This ease results from the hours a theater technician invests in personalizing, programming and debugging problems. Who will ever know you're one of the majority of Americans who still can't set the time on their VCR?

Home theater is a deceptively simple term for a complex array of interconnected technical equipment used in an acoustically prepared space. Installation teams, once merely responsible for connecting relays and contacts, now include skilled programmers, called "integrators," for home theater retailers and installers. Once programmed, a universal remote coordinates the interface and operation of all systems, and replaces a fistful of remotes specific to just one system component. To appreciate the role and importance of an integrated universal controller, it helps to understand what goes into equipping a home theater.

The most obvious features are the video displays, but the unseen support is in a large equipment rack usually housed in a nearby air-cooled closet. For a theater experience, many want a bigger image than a large screen television can offer, so they choose a projection unit and screen. These systems are divided into two basic categories: front and rear projection. Some home theater owners (particularly sports enthusiasts) will configure a television set to each side of the projection screen for concurrent multiple-channel viewing. There are different grades for projection units just as there are for televisions, and the highest grade is required for high-definition reception and display.

The biggest advance in home theater technology is distributed audio, or surround sound, which emphasizes the importance of speakers. The new digital systems allow for five speakers (front right and left, center; and rear right and left) and a subwoofer, or bass. The central operating system that makes this possible is found in the equipment rack, and the functions of a receiver and tuner for radio reception and amplification can be integrated into this central unit...