While a mouse and keyboard are good for controlling media center if you’re sitting at a desk, it gets a little more difficult from 10 or 12 feet away.  Today I decided to show you some options for controlling your Vista Media Center as well as any extenders you might be running.

First up is the media center machine itself.  Now, if you’ve installed any sort of decent TV tuner then you should already have a remote.  Most come packaged with them so at least to get started, you’ll be all set.  However, if using multiple remotes gets on your nerves then you’re going to want to upgrade pretty quick.  Universals are of course the way to go so let’s run down a few.

Now, it’s hard to review something you don’t use.  All I can really do here is re-hash what the company website says and I’m sure people reading this are perfectly capable of going to a website to read.  This being the case, I decided to take a different approach to this article.  I headed over to The Green Button to ask what people there are using.  The members at this site are THE experts when it comes to media center, so they’re the best people to talk to about how to make it all come together.  So, let’s take a look at the remotes some of them use, and what they have to say about them.

The first up is actually the one I use as well:  The Logitech Harmony Xbox 360 Remote.  This is one slick little gadget let me tell you.  Able to control the Xbox 360, media center PC and almost any other piece of equipment in your home, this remote is great.  The included software allows you to program exactly what you need.  To give you an example, when I want to go into my media center, with one button push it turns on my TV, receiver and Xbox360 then switches it to media center.  When I want play a game, it does the same thing but starts whatever disk is in the drive of the 360…can’t beat it.  Logitech lists this with a price of $99, but you can find it a lot cheaper on other sites.

The next remote mentioned on TGB was the Gyration.  This remote uses both RF and IR technology so you can control your media center without line of sight, but also control your other A/V equipment.  The interesting thing with this remote is that is also uses a gyroscopic technology to provide full mouse control while sitting on your couch.  I could see this being extremely handy if you use your VMC machine in your main viewing area as opposed to an extender.  Here’s what TGB users had to say about the remote and the control it provides:

"I’ve been using this Gyration remote since March and I totally give it my endorsement. It has all the typical Media Center controls, including the "Green Button". It uses internal gyroscopes to provide mouse control (including right and left mouse buttons) when you need it, uses RF so no "line-of-site" issues and also has an IR blaster to allow it control of my other components (TV, cable box and audio receiver). When I built my rig, I used the Microsoft remote and installed it’s IR receiver inside the case. It worked fine enough, but wasn’t very useful when I wasn’t inside the MCE interface. I bought mine at Circuit City for about $65. If you use it a lot, it eats through 2 fresh AA batteries in about 2 months but I have 4 rechargables that I rotate in/out of it."–KGaines72

"Gyration Vista certified Media Center Remote. I would rate it 5 out of 5, and for the following reasons:
1) Durability - the kids have gotten a hold of it a few times, and it still works and look brand new (it is more than 1 year old)
2) RF - no IR receiver to worry about, and I can change the volume of my music from out on my deck without a problem!
3) Gyro mouse - this is an awesome feature. I can use the mouse at anytime using the built in gyro mouse. Sometimes it really comes in handy when I need to minimize Media Center to check something out. Plus I can do anything like a regular PC.
4) Programmable - It has programmable setting for three other components, so I can switch and control the volume of my receiver, or TV, etc.
5) Vista "Green Button" certified - has all of the controls I would expect to run media center (and a few more)
6) Layout - it is will layed out and fits nicely in my hand."–Steinway

Sounds like a good deal to me…

A few people said they’re using the Professional Product Line MX-900.  This is the first time I’ve heard of this remote so I’ll let the users do the talking for this one.

For the last year I have been using the URC MX-900 remote. It  can control up to 40 devices using RF and/or IR, although I only use it for my HDTV, Comcast Motorola 6412 box, and a nearby HP Pavilion Media Center m8010y running Vista Ultimate. I retired my Denon DVD player when I found that DVDs played through VMC looked as good if not better at 1080i.

I found one price for this one of $450.  A little pricey but with both IR and RF, it could be worth it.

A few people mentioned more of the Harmony remotes, including the Harmony 880, and the Harmony One.  Much like the Harmony Xbox 360 Remote, I have no doubt that these remotes will provide you all of the customization you need to control your system.  Both of these remotes go for $250 so it’s a toss up as far as what features you’re looking for.  the Harmony One offers recharging which is always a plus.  No more battery changes! 

One that I found in a recent search uses Microsoft’s new Sideshow programming to provide access to email, IM, and other functions right on the LCD screen on the remote.  This is something I would love to have since we watch media center downstairs and the PC is upstairs.  Ricavision is offering two of these unique remotes but with a price of around $500, this could keep you buying upgrades or other equipment you need for a great home theater setup.  I’d love to have it but it won’t be happening anytime soon!

This rundown is only a sample of the remotes available for your VMC.  If you take a look around, you’ll find there are a multitude of remotes out there that will be able to control almost anything you throw at them.  Good hunting, and let us know if you find a remote that you love.

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