All in One
Why buy an all-in-one home theater? It's simple--literally. HTiBs are generally easy to connect and set up, especially if the DVD player is integrated into the receiver. I set up most of the units in less than 30 minutes each; the sole exception was Gateway's kit, which required over an hour of sweat and frustration, plus a firmware upgrade.
An integrated unit presents fewer wires--no worry about getting an optical digital audio cable to send the soundtrack from the DVD player to the receiver. An HTiB setup makes even more sense if you want to play DVD-Audio, which requires a six-channel direct connection between the DVD player and the receiver. On an integrated system, that's six fewer wires and hookups that you'll have to contend with.
You also tend to get more for your money with an HTiB. Purchased by itself, a middle-of-the-pack receiver runs approximately $200 to $300, DVD players cost about $100 to $200, and speakers start at $100. In contrast, an HTiB goes for as little as $299. Of course, you can spend considerably more if you want to: The Gateway KAS-303 & Connected DVD Player Bundle is $999, and it isn't even Gateway's most expensive HTiB.
The matched speakers that accompany HTiBs complement each other and are designed to be used together--voice reproduction will sound the same on each speaker. If you buy speakers individually, or even in multiple pairs, you'll have to do your homework to be sure they have the same tonal characteristics. Why go to all that bother?
Home theater-in a box components vary, but generally they include these elements:
A receiver: The hub of any home theater, the receiver unites several essential components, including an amplifier to power the speakers and a tuner for radio signal reception. The receiver also decodes various audio formats such as Dolby Digital and Dolby Pro Logic, deciphering which parts of the signal should be sent to which speakers.
Photograph: Kevin CandlandSpeakers: Home theater audio requires at least a 5.1 setup: one center, one left-front, one right-front, and two surround speakers (the 5 in 5.1), plus a subwoofer (the .1) dedicated to bass reproduction. A home theater package should also include various wires for connecting the speakers to the receiver. If you want to place your speakers farther than 10 feet from the receiver, though, you may discover that you need to buy longer wires.
A DVD player: Most of us buy a home theater because we want to enjoy the superior audio and video quality of movies recorded on DVD. The DVD player in an HTiB kit may be integrated into the receiver or it may be a separate component.
Some HTiBs have separate receivers and DVD players. You lose some of the simplicity with that type of setup, and some of the cost savings, too: Priced at $700, Onkyo's HT-S777C is essentially the company's HT-R520 receiver, 6.1 speakers, and DV-CP702 six-disc DVD player packaged together. Purchased separately, they still cost $700.
Gateway's KAS-303 & Connected DVD Player Bundle even uses separate remotes for the DVD player and the receiver, increasing clutter and reducing ease of use. But despite those drawbacks, a two-component system solves some potential buying problems: For one thing, you can feel certain that the speakers will handle the power generated by the receiver.
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