Home theaters are complex systems that can be difficult to operate.  Universal remotes  and control systems offer an effective solution.

1. Many home-theater owners use a  universal remote  to replace the individual remotes for each device. There are many choices from companies such as  Logitech Harmony and Universal Remote Control (URC).
2. Some universal remotes have single-function physical buttons for most common tasks, while others have a touchscreen interface that changes based on what you're doing; you can also add a universal-remote app, such as Roomie Remote, to your  smartphone or tablet . I strongly prefer physical buttons because you can find them by feel in the dark and avoid disturbing your dark-adapted vision by looking at a bright touchscreen to find the desired button.

3. Most universal remotes use an infrared (IR) light beam to transmit commands, while some use radio-frequency (RF) emissions, and a few use Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Some models combine several of these modalities.

4. IR remotes must be pointed at the equipment they are meant to control with no obstructions, because IR operates via "line of sight"; remotes that use RF, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi can be pointed in any direction, because those signals radiate spherically and pass through most objects.

5. Another option is an  integrated control  system from companies like Crestron, Control4, and Savant, which can control not only your home theater, but your entire home, including lights, motorized shades and drapes, heating and air conditioning, security, etc. Most of these systems use a dedicated touchscreen or app on your smartphone or tablet and send commands via RF, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi.

6. Virtually all audio/video devices accept an IR remote signal, so a remote or control system that uses RF, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi must have a separate receiver that converts the signal to IR and transmits it to the devices. Some newer devices can respond to control messages directly via Wi-Fi or  Ethernet cable  over the home's network.

7. For devices that respond only to IR commands, the RF/Bluetooth/Wi-Fi receiver must have an IR emitter and possibly several "IR blaster" outputs; special cables with a small  IR emitter  on one end are connected to the blaster outputs, and the emitters are placed so that each device's IR "eye" can see the light coming from them. This allows the equipment to be located behind closed doors in a cabinet or closet, as shown in the diagram above.

8. A universal remote or control system must be programmed with the command codes for each piece of equipment as well as "macros" that execute a series of commands—for example, turn on the TV,  AV receiver , and Blu-ray player, set each device to the correct input, and dim the lights—at the push of one button.

9. Programming a universal remote or control system to operate your  home theater can be difficult, often requiring training or a professional programmer to do it for you. The  Logitech  Harmony universal remotes are the easiest for non-experts to program, but they are not as sophisticated as most integrated control systems.

10. If you decide to use a universal remote or control system, do not discard the original product remotes; no  universal remote  or control system can do everything, so you might need the original remotes for some uncommon tasks.