(Nov 19, 2009)
Matthew Moskovciak
Not everybody wants to go through the arduous task of putting together a home theater system from separate components. Luckily, there's another way--home-theater-in-a-box systems (HTIBs) that include everything you need in a single package, so it just works out of the box. All you have to provide is your own TV and you're good to go.
Now that Blu-ray has dropped in price, manufacturers have begun to integrate Blu-ray players to HTIBs for only slightly more than DVD systems. Our experience with Blu-ray HTIBs has been excellent so far; almost all of the systems we've tested this year offer a legitimate home theater experience often for only a couple hundreds dollars more than a standalone Blu-ray player.
If you already have a Blu-ray player, check out our list of the best Blu-ray/DVD-ready home theater systems, which offer everything you need, minus the disc-player and TV.
>> See all recent home-theater-in-a-box system reviews
Samsung HT-BD1250
Samsung's HT-BD1250 home theater system has built-in Blu-ray, streaming media from Netflix and Pandora, and excellent audio and video quality, making it our top budget Blu-ray all-in-one system.
Price: $349.95 - $499.00 (check prices)
Review date: Aug 14, 2009
Excellent
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LG LHB953
The LG LHB953 combines Blu-ray, tons of streaming media content, and solid AV quality into an all-in-one home theater system that scores high on the value quotient.
Price: $399.95 - $529.95 (check prices)
Review date: Aug 14, 2009
Very good
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Panasonic SC-BT300
Panasonic's SC-BT300 is a 7.1 home theater system with built-in Blu-ray and its tall-boy speakers help deliver very good sound quality, but it doesn't have the Netflix streaming found on some of its similarly priced competitors.
Price: $429.95 - $699.98 (check prices)
Review date: Aug 3, 2009
Very good
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Panasonic SC-BT200
Panasonic's SC-BT200 is a 7.1 home theater system with built-in Blu-ray and solid sonics for the price, but it doesn't have the Netflix streaming found on some of its similarly priced competitors.
Price: $389.95 - $599.97 (check prices)
Review date: Jul 31, 2009
Very good
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Sony BDV-E500W
The Sony BDV-E500W is an attractive home theater system with built-in Blu-ray and wireless rear speakers, but it's too expensive and lacks streaming media services such as Netflix or Pandora found on cheaper competing systems.
Price: $749.00 - $799.99 (check prices)
Review date: Jul 20, 2009
Very good
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