Home Theatre - Home Cinema Kits - Reviews round-up

Best 'home theatre in a box' systems

You've finally taken the plunge and invested in a large screen TV, but found out pretty much straight away that the sound is thin and not deserving of the term "home theatre". So where to next?

22/02/2008 12:30 PM

2007: The best of home theatre

We pick our favourite A/V gear released in the past year -- from televisions to disk players and even to a particular high-def games console.

28/12/2007 01:45 PM

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What's hot in AV: CEDIA 2008

The CEDIA 2008 show on the Gold Coast is the closest thing we have to CES in Vegas, and we went along to find some of Australia's newest AV gear.
Eight tips to make your home eco-friendly

Cnet.com.au's top tips to turn your home into a more eco-friendly household.
Intel and DreamWorks go to the movies

The chipmaker and the movie studio announce an alliance designed to enhance DreamWorks Animation's 3D movie-making technology.
Samsung HT-X715

The Samsung HT-X715 is very easy to set up and it does make your movies look and sound good. We just didn't care for the music sound quality with flabby sounding bass.
Photos: T[Life] Melbourne

Telstra's new T[Life] store in Melbourne is glossy and enormous, and those south-of-the-border should count themselves lucky. Everyone else we bring you a virtual walk through.
Samsung HT-X810

The Samsung HT-X810 is a breeze to set-up and looks great sitting underneath your TV, and while picture quality is great, the sound slightly disappoints.
Panasonic range focuses on 1080p and plasma

Panasonic has unveiled its 2008 range of televisions and home theatre in Sydney with HD recorders and plasmas high on its priority list.
Panasonic SC-PT865W

The Panasonic SC-PT865W is a 5.1 HTIB system with wireless rear channels and an integrated iPod dock, but do the features justify the cost?
Samsung HT-BD2

The Samsung HT-BD2 delivers the sort of top-notch video quality you'd expect from the world's first HTIB with built-in Blu-ray — but its high price, average audio quality, and lack of extras make it tough to recommend.

Easy home theatre setup

In setting up a surround system, how much space should I allot between the speakers and the listening position?
Yamaha aims high and low

Yamaha is aiming to entice more consumers into the world of home theatre, introducing several products in its 2005 range for the budget conscious.
TV: LCD vs. DLP vs. plasma

I am leaning toward an LCD rear-projection TV because I don't want to deal with the rainbow effect of DLP rear-projection sets or the burn-in issues with plasma flat panels. I hate the fact that I have to replace a bulb every few years, but it's only a couple hundred bucks, so I guess I can stomach it. Have any strong opinions about one technology over another? Thanks.
Look, Ma - No wires: Home cinema kits with wireless speakers

Eliminate some of those pesky cables from your surround-sound set up with these "wireless" home cinema systems.
Philips's inexpensive HDMI home-theatre system

One of Philips's more intriguing announcements at this year's CES is an inexpensive, virtual surround home-theatre-in-a-box system that features HDMI connectivity.
Samsung's new receivers, DVD players, and HTIBs

On the home-theatre front, Samsung usually makes the most news at CES with its announcements of new TVs, but it also trotted out some notable home-theatre systems and a couple of new A/V receivers.
1080p DVD: Denon DVD-5910CI

The Denon DVD-5910CI adds the latest video-processing technology from Silicon Optix and DVDO to enable DVD playback via its HDMI output at resolutions as high as 1080p.
CES 2007: Philips' home theatre in a speaker

We heard about Philips' 1.1 virtual surround system, the HTS8100 SoundBar, before CES 2007, but now that we've got the final specs, we're even more eager to give it a whirl.
DIY: How to buy a home theatre system - are kits or components right for you?

Whether you want to buy a home-theatre in a box or go the components route, you'll need to decide which way is best for you right from the start.

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Editors' choice

Samsung HT-X715

The Samsung HT-X715 is very easy to set up and it does make your movies look and sound good. We just didn't care for the music sound quality with flabby sounding bass.
Samsung HT-X810

The Samsung HT-X810 is a breeze to set-up and looks great sitting underneath your TV, and while picture quality is great, the sound slightly disappoints.
Panasonic SC-PT865W

The Panasonic SC-PT865W is a 5.1 HTIB system with wireless rear channels and an integrated iPod dock, but do the features justify the cost?
Samsung HT-BD2

The Samsung HT-BD2 delivers the sort of top-notch video quality you'd expect from the world's first HTIB with built-in Blu-ray — but its high price, average audio quality, and lack of extras make it tough to recommend.
Samsung HT-X30T

It's not the loudest system around, but people will love the Samsung HT-X30's warm sound and great picture quality. Extra features such as a USB port, DivX playback and DVD-Audio support only add to its charm.

More reviews »

Samsung HT-X715

The Samsung HT-X715 is very easy to set up and it does make your movies look and sound good. We just didn't care for the music sound quality with flabby sounding bass.
Samsung HTX810

The Samsung HT-X810 is a breeze to set-up and looks great sitting underneath your TV, and while picture quality is great, the sound slightly disappoints.
Yamaha Digital Sound Projector YSP4000BSWi

The Yamaha YSP4000BSWi has a great range of features and is still one of the best 5.1 simulators, but it may not represent the best value for money.
Bose 3-2-1 Series II

This is a beautifully designed system, with great features for the price.
Panasonic SC-PT865W

The Panasonic SC-PT865W is a 5.1 HTIB system with wireless rear channels and an integrated iPod dock, but do the features justify the cost?

More popular reviews »

Samsung HT-TXQ120T

The Samsung HT-TXQ120 is a rock solid audio system that rivals component-level kits in sound quality. This, however, is not the case for the video department with its just above-average visuals.
Samsung HT-P1200

A stylish and highly capable 5.1 home-theatre-in-a-box system with HDMI support and a fully-featured DVD player.

More editors' choice »

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Photo gallery

Inside Apple's new Chatswood store

Apple selected a shopping centre in suburban Sydney as the location for its second retail outlet in the Asia Pacific. Our photo gallery takes you to its grand opening.
What's hot in AV: CEDIA 2008

The CEDIA 2008 show on the Gold Coast is the closest thing we have to CES in Vegas, and we went along to find some of Australia's newest AV gear.

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Home Theatre - Home Cinema Kits - Reviews round-up

Best 'home theatre in a box' systems