It’s the one piece of equipment that can really make or break your home theater system; the remote control. It’s no good to have the latest and greatest gear and world’s biggest DVD collection if you can’t figure out how to use anything. True home theater nirvana is a fantastic performing system anyone can use with a single button press.

Many of today’s home theater receivers and surround processors come with a “smart” remote control. Some of these are actually pretty good too. B&K and Denon come to mind. If you know what you are doing, you can get one of these babies programmed to orchestrate your entire system pretty well. If you haven’t the time or inclination for such a project yourself, hire a professional installer to bring everything together for you. A great place to start is CEDIA (Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association). They have member firms in every state, and many foreign countries, that are experts in making complex home theaters easy to use.

Remote controls come in several flavors. The one most people are familiar with comes with almost any electronic component you buy these days. For the most part it does a pretty good job at making the particular component do what you want. Some of these even let you control other components, especially if they are from the same manufacturer. This way, for example, you can use your TV remote to also control your VCR or DVD player.

The next rung up the remote control ladder is the so called “smart remote”. This type of remote is able to control multiple pieces of equipment from different manufacturers. Some can control up to 8 or 10 different components. They are usually set to control each piece of equipment by entering a 3 or 4 digit code. Some of these units will learn control functions from other remote controls. This is helpful if the unit you need to control is not in your remote control’s internal database. You usually accomplish the learning by entering a “learn” mode on the smart remote, pointing the “teaching” remote at the smart remote and pressing the desired button. Viola! Your smart remote has learned the command from the original remote control.

If you want things even easier than using just one remote to control everything, you need a remote that does macros. These are command sequences initiated by pressing one button. For example, you want to watch a DVD. Typically you would have to turn on your TV, DVD player and surround receiver. Then you would have to switch your TV to the component input and your receiver to the DVD input. With a macro capable remote, this sequence is programmed into the remote. The remote then plays back all the commands in the appropriate order so you don’t have to.

If you want a remote that controls everything, you need a remote with a lot of different buttons. This can make the remote a little intimidating. Sure it can do almost anything but make toast, but where to start? If you have the budget, now is the time to get a touch screen remote. With a touch screen, you typically have only a few actual buttons. These are typically the most used functions such as volume up / down, channel up / down, mute and possibly cursor functions.

All other buttons are just icons on a screen that you touch to initiate the desired command. The beauty of this approach is that you only need to have just a few icons on the screen at any one time. This really cuts down on button clutter and confusion. The icons can be graphical representations of the command, which makes everything very intuitive. For example, you can have an “NBC” logo you touch to go to the local NBC station.

Touchscreen remotes come in four basic variations. First there is the choice of color or grayscale. Color looks better and more information can be conveyed more quickly. Grayscale units are much less expensive. Next, the communication with the remote can be one way or two way. Two way communication allows status to be updated on the remote itself. For example you can display album and artist information from a music server or check the status of your security system or thermostats. Two way communication has been provided via a two way radio link, similar to a digital spread spectrum telephone.

The latest two way remote controls being introduced from companies such as AMX and Crestron use WiFi. This allows a whole host of other possibilities. The range is spectacular for one thing. You can roam around your entire home. On some units you can browse the internet too. Imagine, you are watching a game but you want updates from around the league. Just go to ESPN.com on your remote and take a look.

The remote can really make or break your system. You can have an unusable system with 7 different remotes or a slick system that even visitors can use with no instruction. It’s all up to you, your budget and your programmer.

To put it simply, wireless surround sound systems are the future! Today, more and more major electronics manufactures (such as Sony, Samsung and Bose) are coming out with fantastic wireless surround sound systems for your home. Normally, the placement of speakers in a room will be limited to places that can be reached by the extended wires. To hide the ugly wire extensions, very often, we will need to hack the walls and even install separate power points. Say goodbye to those hassles as the future is now here!

There is good news for the budget conscious as this new piece of technology is pretty cheap. Surprisingly, wireless home theater systems cost around the same as regular systems. There are even some models that costs around $100 - $200. Without the need for wires, you will have greater freedom in placing your speakers. A wireless system also means less clutter, and a neater room. Most prominent brands now have a range of wireless surround sound systems. Here is a quick review of some of the best systems in the market.

1. Panasonic SC-PT760 Deluxe 5 DVD Home Theater System - The speakers of this system are made from rigid bamboo that produces extremely clean and pure audio playbacks. It incorporates Panasonic’s Whisper-Mode Surround technology where you can enjoy surround sounds even on very low volumes. This model includes a wireless kit for its rear speakers. The wireless kit is also expandable by adding more speakers that can be place in separate rooms without the use of wires.

2. Samsung HT-Z310T 5.1-Channel Home Theater Surround Sound System - This is one of my favorite wireless surround sound systems. Most of the main speakers are wired, but if you want to go wireless, you can get the optional wireless receiver. This model is a 7 piece set, that is more than sufficient to give you an amazing surround sound experience.

3. Sony DAV-HDX275 BRAVIA 5-Disc DVD/CD Player 5.1 Channel Home Theater System - This model comes with a 5 disc changer, an iPod dock and 1000 watts of audio power. This sound system is wireless ready where you can purchase the optional wireless receiver to send music from the main unit to other rooms. Like all Sony models, the menu and configuration are pretty user friendly.

A home theater in a box is a great solution for someone who doesn’t know a lot about electronics or doesn’t want to take the time to put together a home theater piecemeal. It takes the guesswork out of buying separate parts and then wondering if they will be compatible.

Home theater in a box setups are made to go together so you know all the pieces will work together the first time. Additionally, these home theater setups can be less costly than buying everything separate, although just as with anything else, there are setups that will run you a pretty penny.

There are many home theater in a box brands available. Here’s 4 that we reviewed along with their price and what you get for it.

Toshiba Sd-V55HT

The lowest priced setup on our list was the Toshiba Sd-V55HT, affordable at around $299.00 it’s a pretty good deal for such a small imvestment. IT comes with 5.1 speakers, 60 w/channel, progressive scan DVD player, VCR, receiver, and tuner. As you might guess, the quality isn’t the greatest and the sound rated low with consumers but when the price is taken into consideration it rates high overall. Cords come with a color code giving this system a super simple setup.

Panasonic SC-HT720

The Panasonic SC-HT720 is a mid priced home theater in a box that can be had for around $349.00. This system has a lot of features for the price and comes with DVD audio playback, a five disk CD changer, 5.1 speakers, 50 w/channel giving it more options that the lower priced sd-v55HT when it comes to control. Unfortunately, consumers gave a thumbs down to the picture and should quality on this setup.

Onkyo HT-S77C

The Onkyo HT-S77C is perhaps the best buy out of the lot. For $700.00 you get a system that includes 6.1 speakers, a receiver, a separate DVD player, And the DV-CP702 six-disc DVD changer. The sound and video on this system are rated very high among consumers although it does have a more difficult setup than any of the others.

Gateway KAS-303 & Connected DVD Player Bundle

This is the most expensive home theater in a box on our list and will cost you around $999.00. This system includes 6.1 speakers along with a separate DVD player that also has the ability to play digital media from a computer. Although the high price suggests quality, many consumers have stated disappointment with it overall claiming that the audio is too overpowering and setup is too complicated.