Remote Controls for Less Than $500

By Phil Lozen

You can have all the latest gear, the most up-to-date display and the biggest, baddest speakers known to man but there’s still one thing that can ruin an enjoyable romp through an action-filled blockbuster, and it’s likely the smallest piece of equipment in your theater.

I’m talking about the remote – an extension of everyone’s hand, the one thing that lets you have total control over your world. A universal remote done right can make even the most complicated A/V setup easy enough for grandma to watch “Murder She Wrote” reruns without help.

There are endless options from a number of manufacturers for both custom installers and general consumers. While you could certainly walk into the local discount retailer and spend $15 on a “universal” remote, we’re guessing that you’re looking for a bit more control than that. With that in mind, we’ll examine some features to look for in a remote and look at a few offerings from some of the top brands in the consumer space.



Let’s look at some offerings from a couple consumer brands. It’s certainly possible to purchase remotes intended for custom installers and set them up yourself, but for this article we’ll be looking at remotes intended solely for consumer use. Note that all the options below feature learning and macro abilities.

Logitech Harmony
The company that popularized the PC-guided remote setup, helping to bring the full-function universal remote into the consumer space. Harmony sells a wide range of remotes, starting at $100 and moving up to $500 for its top of the line, touch screen Harmony 1000.

Setup-type – PC-guided wizard.
IR/RF signals – Both available, depending on model.
Backlighting – Yes.
Batteries – Rechargeable and standard available.
Featured Remote – The Harmony One, priced at $249, has a full-color touch screen window along with hard buttons and a rechargeable battery. It was awarded Best of Innovations at CES2008 for home theater accessories.

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[Link: electronichouse.com]