Nothing can ruin your home theater or high-end audio experience like a poorly designed remote control. Many of today's AV components, even the high-end ones, come with very basic controllers that don’t provide an intuitive user experience. That’s where a good universal remote or an advanced control system comes into play.

Today’s control platforms aren’t just limited to the gear in your home theater or audio system. Custom-oriented systems like Control4 and Crestron—which must be programmed by a trained installer—allow you to control a variety of whole-house applications, from multi-room music to lighting to HVAC to security.

Check out the review archive below to read about latest and greatest in home automation, AV distribution, and system control.