[averydonovan]

I'm wanting to add a home theatre in a box system to finally have surround sound for watching DVDs and now for DTV/HDTV. It would need to have a built-in DVD player and also a digital input and sound at least passable, and would need to be $200 or less. I just want a cheapie since it may not get used that much and even when it does, I'm not going to be listening all that closely. Any recommendations?

 

[jjcapurro]

At that price point they will all be pretty shoddy and sound questionable. Just pick the one that appeals most to you visually.

 

[averydonovan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjcapurro At that price point they will all be pretty shoddy and sound questionable. Just pick the one that appeals most to you visually.

Well, some do sound better than others. The Sony units generally sound completely awful but I have heard some units that aren't overly offensive in that range. Was just hoping somebody here might have had some experiences with units in that range. Plus, it seems to be very hard to find a unit with a built-in DVD player and a digital audio input, for some reason they seem to have a digital out which is a bit baffling. As for visual appeal, they all look like the same butt-ugly silver pieces of plastic to me, so that doesn't help

 

[450]

If you don't mind refurb...here a Panasonic for 175...

I haven't heard this one, (I heard the 900 which I liked, not the 700), C|Net likes it though...

http://reviews.cnet.com/Panasonic_SC...-30381936.html

 

[Illah]

Check your local Craigslist - you can probably find something decent there. I managed to piece together a full HT with a big screen TV for literally 20% of what it would have cost retail. HUGE savings and all the stuff works perfectly. Granted it wasn't $200 for all that gear, but you get the point.

http://www.seanmulholland.com/arc/09...ater-setup.php

--Illah

 

[Kram Sacul]

Just the term "home theater in a box" is shoddy.