Most of us have an entertainment center full of gadgets, like a receiver, a Blu-ray player, a console, and of course, your television. There's no reason you have to keep a half-dozen remotes on your coffee table just because you have that many devices—a good universal remote will duplicate all of the functions and features of the individual ones so you only have to use one gadget. Earlier in the week we asked you which remotes you think are the best, and then we took a look at the top five universal remotes based on your nominations. Now we're back to highlight the overall winner.

Predictably, the Logitech Harmony series took the top spot with a far and away 78% of the vote, despite furious debate in the comments. In second place with 14% of the vote were those of you who suggested a custom option made for the gear you have, using mobile apps for your iOS or Android device that let you control the programming on your TV, HTPC, set-top box, or other connected devices. In third place with about 5% of the vote was URC, a company which makes a range of universal remotes for everything from simple entertainment centers to whole-home automation systems, complete with professional installation. In fourth place with 2% of the votes cast were the Philips Pronto/Prestigo series, and bringing up the rear with its iOS and desktop-only solution was the ThinkFlood RedEye, with just under 1% of the overall vote.

The Hive Five is based on reader nominations. As with most Hive Five posts, if your favorite was left out, it's not because we hate it—it's because it didn't get the nominations required in the call for contenders post to make the top five. We understand it's a bit of a popularity contest, but if you have a favorite, we want to hear about it. Have a suggestion for the Hive Five? Send us an email at tips+hivefive@lifehacker.com!

Photo by Julien GONG Min.

TV lift cabinets are great accessories for your home theater system. The only trouble is that while you can you get a smaller bedroom-sized lift cabinet for under a thousand bucks, cabinets for full size home theater TVs(up to 60") can go up to two or three grand. Here's a design you can make yourself and accommodate as big as a TV as you'd like for less than half that amount.

Instructables user ihart came up with the design based on a $540 Firgelli Lift that includes an IR detector and remote control. The author used birch plywood, wood panel molding, an IR repeater, and various hardware odds and ends to build the cabinet at a total cost of around $1,000. Not cheap, obviously, but cheaper than preconstructed cabinets for larger TVs and this design offers storage space for all your audio/video components as well as media and gaming accessories.

The author not only has plenty of construction photos and drawings, but he also recorded a 40 minute playlist containing 24 YouTube videos of the construction process.

Depending on your level of woodworking skill this project may take several weekends, but you'll be rewarded with a great piece of home theater furniture.

How to Make a TV Life cabinet | Instructables

Dear Lifehacker,
I'm finally in the market to get a home theater PC, and I'm not sure which direction to go. You guys have advocated a number of things, from using an old PC to building your own, or even buying a cheap nettop or an Apple TV 2. Which of these is the best option?

Sincerely,
Hankering for a Home Theater

Dear Hankering,
It's no secret we love dedicated home theater PCs here at Lifehacker, but you're right, we've talked about so many different methods that these days, it can get a bit overwhelming. The problem is, no one solution is "best"—it all depends on what you plan to use it for, how much you're willing to spend, and how much you're willing to tinker with it. Here are your options.

Repurpose an Old Computer

This is certainly the cheapest option, if you have an old computer lying around. You can just format the drive, install something like XBMC or Plex, and start loading up movies. Chances are, even old desktop PCs will be more than powerful enough to run media center software and play movies, so you shouldn't run into any trouble there. You might need a new hard drive if your current one is small (since movies can take up a lot of space), but apart from that and maybe a remote control, you won't have to buy anything new. You might even have room to add a TV tuner, if desired.

Of course, this method also has some big downsides. First and foremost, it will probably be loud. Really loud. This may not seem like a problem until you realize that you have to crank up your movie volume just to hear it over the blaring fans. Also, unless you're repurposing an old laptop or other small computer, it's going to be very large, not to mention ugly. If these things don't bother you, then go for it—it sure is the cheapest option—but when you consider that for about $100 you could have something small, silent, and powerful, it might be a more difficult decision.

Photo by Bc. Jan Kaláb.

Buy a Nettop or Apple TV

If you don't have an old computer or don't want a big, loud machine in your living room, consider buying a nettop or Apple TV 2. Our own Adam Pash advocated for the Acer Aspire Revo for a long time, citing its low price and quiet nature as the perfect HTPC companion. They don't make our specific model of Aspire Revo anymore, but you can grab something like the $219 Asus Eee Box or Acer's current Aspire Revo model, which is slightly more expensive than the old one at $300.

However, these days, we've become pretty big fans of the Apple TV. The second gen model is tiny, very cheap at $100, and with a bit of jailbreaking, runs XBMC like a champ. It's slightly less responsive than the Revo, but still plays HD movies very well. It doesn't have any local storage or USB drives, though, so you pretty much have no choice but to stream your movies from another machine, like your desktop or a NAS if you have one. You also have to deal with the hassle of jailbreaking, but it's pretty easy—it's just one more step in the process. The Apple TV also supports things like Netflix, AirPlay, and other things you won't get on an XBMC Live installation, so that's a big plus too. This is one of our favorite methods right now.

Build Your Own

If you have experience building your own computer (or want to give it a shot), it's one of the best ways (not to mention my favorite way) to get a versatile home theater PC. It's the most expensive option—usually costing at least $300 or $400 dollars—but with the right motherboard and BIOS tweaks, you can make it pretty darn quiet. Plus, you can add any hardware you want, like a TV tuner, store movies on the built-in hard drive, and even hide it in your TV cabinet. Furthermore, being able to install whatever hardware and software you want lets you do things like use whatever remote control you want (like that universal remote you already have), turn your HTPC into a video game console, use it to play Blu-Ray discs, and more. Of course, this adds up to a lot more work than the other options, but if you're a master tinkerer, you'll probably love this option.

Photo by Richard Jones.

Other Options

These aren't the only methods for getting home theater software on your TV. You could always buy a pre-made product like the Boxee Box, a Roku, or a TV with Google TV built in (on which you can install home theater software like Plex). Furthermore, if you have a current-gen video game system like the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, you already have some pretty great media center features built-in to those, and you can stream movies to them using UPnP.

The possibilities are many, and while each has its own pros and cons, it's clear that our favorite options are the Apple TV (for its seriously low price and great features) or building your own (for its versatility). Hopefully this helps you begin your search, and good luck!

Sincerely,
Lifehacker

P.S. If you have your own favorite HTPC method that we didn't mention, let us know about it in the comments.

Whether your tech is in need of troubleshooting or you've just messed with the settings beyond repair, FactoryReset.com will show you how to get it back to its out-of-the-box state.

No matter what trouble your tech is giving you, when all else fails, a factory reset can at least get you back to square one. Most gadgets these days have an easy method for clearing all your settings back to factory status, though they aren't all obvious. Some gadgets (like routers) have a reset button on the back, while others (like TVs or Blu-Ray players) might require a specific combination of buttons. Instead of searching everywhere for your device's manual, just head to FactoryReset.com, plug in its model number (or search by manufacturer) and you'll have easy-to-follow instructions right there. It's a Wiki, too, so if your device isn't listed, you can add it yourself—though it already has quite a few devices, including 84 models and brands of TV, 53 models and brands of DVD player, as well as DVRs, AV receivers, GPS units, and much more. Hit the link to check it out.

FactoryReset.com | via #tips