Audio to Play By

The HTB-S715DV Fineline Gaming Home Theater System comes with a 6.1-channel surround-sound receiver (complete with Dolby Digital EX and DTS-ES 96/24 decoding), a DVD player, and seven speakers. Setting up the system took me a mere 20 minutes, thanks in part to color-coded speaker wires.

The thing that distinguishes the HTB-S715DV from other home theater systems is its gaming features. The front of the receiver holds a useful set of video and audio inputs for a PlayStation 2 or other game console (including one optical input for digital audio); and when you start up a game, the system automatically sets your preferred surround-sound mode. You don't even have to hog the stereo while getting your Grand Theft Auto fix: A dual-source mode lets you play games with headphones on while others listen to music through the speakers.

The speaker system delivered warm, clear, balanced sound throughout my living room, and the DVD player's picture quality was excellent. The DVD player supports progressive-scan playback; has composite, S-Video, and component outputs; and is compatible with numerous formats: DVD-Video, DVD-R/RW, VCD, CD-R/RW, and MP3/WMA-encoded discs.

Though you can find cheaper theater-in-a-box systems, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better one than the HTB-S715DV.