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Samsung BD3252 Blu-ray Home-Theater-in-a-Box Actually Kind of a Deal for $800
A year ago, a thousand bucks got you a Blu-ray home-theater-in-a-box that's downright primitive today. For $800, Samsung's HT-BD3252, packs in a Blu-ray player with Netflix and Pandora streaming, 5.1 surround (1000 watts), an iPod dock and a Wi-Fi dongle. More »Real Surround Sound Beats Fake Surround Sound 10 to 1
According to our poll "Do You Have a Surround Sound Setup?," 76% of the total respondents had either a HTIB or a system they compiled from separate components. That beats virtual surround respondents nearly 11 to 1. More »Do You Have a Surround Sound Setup?
Surround sound is awesome, but how many people actually use it? Is it true surround sound or virtual surround sound? Is the system hooked up correctly? Let's find out. More »Yamaha's Latest Home Theater in a Box(es)
Yamaha has refreshed their entire home theater in a box (HDIB) line with the YHT-791 ($850), YHT-591 ($650), YHT-491 ($550) and YHT-391 ($450). Here's a quick summary of the systems: More »Samsung HT-BD8200 Is World's First BD-Equipped Home Theater Soundbar; Just Add TV
Samsung's HT-BD8200 soundbar does the standard virtual-5.1-channel sound jig just fineāthe kicker is that it plays Blu-ray discs, streams Netflix/Padora, and has USB- in and an iPod dock, with optional wi-fi. That's a lotta sources. More »JVC's TH-G51 Home Theater in a Box Has Wireless Surround Speakers For $430
There aren't a whole lot of HTIB units that come with wireless surround speakers, but JVC's TH-G51 has 5.1-channel sound, a progressive DVD player, HDMI repeater, and Dolby Digital/DTS decoding. Lands June for $430. More »Onkyo HT-S5100 Home Theater in a Box: 7.1 Surround and Acoustic Room Calibration For $579
Onkyo's best new entry level HTiB setup has a 7.1 surround is notable for having room correction tech. I'm pretty sure its rare to find a low end system that can adjust gain and delay on all channels to calibrate itself to a room's acoustics. The receiver included is the DTS/Dolby capable HT-R560, with 3 HDMI inputs, 130 watts per channel, and is Sirius satellite ready. The set up also comes with an iPod dock and a 290-watt sub. Not bad for $579 from a solid company like Onkyo. There are two lesser models: More »Sony HT-7200HD, HT-SS2300, HT-CT100 and HT-DDWG700 Home-Theaters-in-a-Box Are Built for Blu-ray
Samsung X710 and HT-X715 Home Theater in a Box Eschews Corners
The Pitch: The 2.1-channel HT-X710 and 5.1-channel HT-X715 Home Theater in a Box (HTIB) units have 5.8GHz wireless speakers, 1080p upconversion, and a design that looks like polished obsidian rocks. Available in May 2008. More »Samsung HT-BD2 Home Theater in a Box Does Blu-ray in a Box
The Pitch: Samsung's HT-BD2 offers 7.1 speakers, 1,100 watts, HDMi 1.3, 1080p DVD upconversion, 1080p Blu-ray playback, an Ethernet port, and wireless rear satellite speakers for optimal cord invisibility. More »