HTIB

Samsung's HT-C6500 combines built-in Blu-ray with outstanding sound quality

As much we liked last year's slew of Blu-ray home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) systems, they still involved some features compromises, such as missing built-in Wi-Fi and HDMI connectivity. This year, Blu-ray HTIBs are filling in a lot of those holes, and Samsung's HT-C6500 ($550 street price) is one of the most fully featured we've seen, including built-in Wi-Fi, two HDMI inputs, and 1GB of onboard storage. The HT-C6500 also has Samsung's expandable Apps platform, which includes streaming-media services such as Netflix, YouTube, Vudu, and Pandora.

If only features mattered, the HT-C6500 would be less of a standout choice; … Read more

Five sound bars that can replace your AV receiver

Sound bars get rid of all the bulk that comes with a full 5.1-speaker home-theater system, but if they still require an AV receiver, they're not as minimalist as they could be.

Sound bar home-theater-in-a-box systems take it one step further, by building the amplifier into the sound bar and by including all the inputs you'll need to hook up your home theater gear. We've rounded up five recent sound bar HTIBs we've reviewed that let you kick your bulky AV receiver to the curb.

The Yamaha Digital Sound Projectors are the best of the … Read more

Bose's new Lifestyle systems focus on simplicity, but start at $2,000

Home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) systems are designed to take some of the hassle out of putting together a home theater, but Bose's new line of Lifestyle home theater systems argues they don't go far enough.

The new Lifestyle systems are built around Bose's Unify technology, which uses a variety of methods, such as clearly labeled packaging, guided setup, and straightforward commands, to make the systems easier to use. The video demonstrations on Bose's site look promising, with simple onscreen menus guiding setup and smooth integration with a Harmony-like universal remote.

Bose announced three new Lifestyle systems Monday, the T20 ($2,000), the V25 ($2,500), and the V35 ($3,300), which are all available immediately.

The feature breakdown on these systems is actually pretty simple.… Read more

Denon S-5DB: When a home-theater-in-a-box isn't good enough

People buy home theater-in-a-box systems for a lot of reasons, but sound quality isn't one of them.

The problem with HTIBs, even the very best ones, is they don't come with great speakers or subwoofers. Denon has a solution at hand: the S-5DB. Think of it as a HTIB that doesn't come with speakers or a subwoofer. No HTIB ever made has speakers as good as the better ones I've reviewed from Aperion Audio, Atlantic Technology, Definitive Technology, Energy Speakers, Klipsch, Mirage, or Polk. You want great sound? You gotta have great speakers.

The S-5BD combo … Read more

Onkyo 3D-ready HTIBs are coming

Tuesday we told you about a slew of new Onkyo receivers that will support 3D content. Thankfully, that upgrade has trickled down to the company's 2010 line of home-theater-in-a-box products. Both the HT-S3300 and HTS-5300--which are follow-ups to the HT-S3200 and HTS-5200--will fully support 3D video pass-through.

Sure, 3D support is a welcome addition; however, perhaps the most notable improvement to this year's models is the capability pass both video and audio via an HDMI cable. Until now, these Onkyo HTIBs required a separate audio connection, but now you can ditch the extra wires.

Finally, the company announced an unconventional 2.1 HTIB, the HTX-22HDX, that is designed to emulate surround sound with just two speakers.

Highlights of the three new models:… Read more

Sony has non-3D Blu-ray HTIBs, too

LAS VEGAS--Sony surprised us by announcing a 3D-capable Blu-ray home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) system at CES 2010, but the company also introduced several standard Blu-ray HTIBs, too.

Key features of the Sony BDV-E570:

5.1 home theater system Built-in Blu-ray player 1000 watts of total power Wi-Fi capable using the included USB dongle Access to the Bravia Internet Video platform, which includes Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand, YouTube, Pandora, Slacker, and NPR streaming capability Onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio Can control using iPhone/iPod Touch iPod playback using USB S-Air-ready (requires purchase of S-Air transmitter) DLNA compatible $550 … Read more

Samsung's trio of Blu-ray HTIBs get DLNA, Wi-Fi, apps

LAS VEGAS--We liked most of the Blu-ray home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) systems we reviewed in 2009, but the Samsung HT-BD1250 stood as the best, thanks to its excellent sound quality (for an HTIB, at least). Samsung has announced a new line of Blu-ray HTIBs at CES 2010, adding features like DLNA-compatibility, Samsung Apps, and Wi-Fi. Here are the details.

Key features of the Samsung HT-C6500:

5.1 home theater system Built-in Blu-ray player Built-in Wi-Fi 1GB onboard storage Supports Internet@TV/Samsung Apps, which will provide content from Netflix, Pandora, Vudu, Blockbuster, Picasa, and Twitter Automatic speaker calibration No release date or … Read more

Panasonic's first sound bar uses HDMI 1.4 return channel

LAS VEGAS--Sound bars have been around since the Yamaha YSP-1, which won a CNET Next Big Thing nomination at CES 2005. Panasonic is a major manufacturer of home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) systems, but the company is making its first entry into the sound bar market with the SC-HTB1. The press release highlights its "Clear-Mode Dialogue" feature and advanced bamboo cone speakers, but the most interesting announcement to us is its compatibility with ARC (audio return channel), allowing you to "connect it to the TV with just one HDMI cable."

An audio return channel is one of the new … Read more

Panasonic intros new line of Blu-ray HTIBs

Home-theater-in-a-box systems often get flak for the integrated components that don't work as well as separate components do, but with Blu-ray HTIBs we've generally found that the built-in disc player works as well as standalone units. Panasonic announced three new Blu-ray HTIBs for 2010, adding the similar features (Wi-Fi, Netflix) to the product line as the company did with its mainstream Blu-ray players.

Key features of the Panasonic SC-BT230:

5.1 home theater system Built-in Blu-ray player PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus video processor Bamboo cone speakers in the center channel Supports Panasonic's VieraCast streaming content portal, … Read more

Sony's BDV-HZ970W is a 3D Blu-ray HTIB

LAS VEGAS--We knew 3D was coming, but we didn't expect it to be integrated into a home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) system this quickly. Sony announced the BDV-HZ970W, a home theater system that features an integrated 3D Blu-ray player and a 5.1 speaker system with wireless rear speakers.

Key features of the Sony BDV-HZ970W:

Integrated Blu-ray 3D player 5.1 speaker system with wireless rear speakers Multiroom functionality utilizing Sony's proprietary S-Air wireless audio products HDMI 1.4 output Access to the Bravia Internet Video platform, which includes Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand, YouTube, Pandora, Slacker, and NPR streaming capability … Read more