One of the issues today for the home cinema buff is controlling all of the devices you have in your collection. At the last count, my home cinema was made up of over 10 devices, which included an amp, Sky+ (HD) box and Playstation 3. For every device you need a remote control, or at least that was the view only a couple of years ago. Now however, if you have any more than even a few devices to control, you would be crazy to not consider investing in an all-in-one remote control.

When the idea of universal remote first came about their price was generally too high for most consumers - my first all-in-one was the price, and indeed almost the size, of a DVD player. Nowadays, however, both the price and the size have been reduced - thankfully.

At one end of the scale we have the likes of the Philips SRU 9600, which supports up to 8 devices - more than enough for most. Its extensive IR database should mean even the most obscure piece of home cinema kit should be supported. If you find that you have a device that isn’t supported out of the box then this controller can also learn from existing devices. You could also consider the One For All URC 7800 controller, which controls up to 12 devices including your amp, DVD player and TV. Its low price is quite incredible considering its functionality, including a built in modem to download additional codes, an extensive macros function and of course it actually looks and feels like a standard remote control.

Of course if you wanted to push the boat out a little, you still can, with the Harmony 1000 from Logitech. The touch sensitive 3.5″ colour screen adds a little style to your home cinema room, without losing any functionality. The advanced features allow you to perform multiple tasks at the touch of a button. Just imagine hitting a picture of a DVD player, only for your amp, DVD player screen to spring to life. Of course as with any complex piece of kit, the setup can take a little bit of time and as you add to your collection ongoing tweaking may be required. I know some people have even taken home cinema control a little further by enabling control of lighting which adds another special touch.

One thing is for sure though, the addition of any universal remote is a must have if you want to save time and space in your home cinema setup. Oh and one final thing, you will also need to find yourself a big box to store all of your obsolete controllers in.