The idea behind an all-in-one home cinema surround sound system, is to provide a simple package with all the necessary components for a surround sound experience in your home.
For many people, the convenience of an all-in-one package is perfect for their needs. Although you can often get a higher quality sound by buying a separate AV receiver, speakers and disc player - you can get a good sound with a home cinema system at a more affordable price.
You will find home cinema systems called a number of different names - such as an all-in-one system, an HTiB (home theater in-a-box) or just simply a home entertainment system.
The most important thing to consider before you spend your money, is to know exactly what components you want in your package. You will find the specifications of these systems can vary even though they may have similar names.
A true all-in-one home cinema system should have a Blu-ray or DVD disc player, some form of receiver to power the speakers (and to connect external sources like a games console or satellite TV), and some speakers with all the necessary cables.
A system won't come with a TV unless you buy one as part of a bigger package.
You do need to be careful as some 'home cinema systems' will only have a receiver and speakers - while others may only provide a speaker package.
If you need more help, you can go here to find a more detailed guide on choosing the best home theater systems, but if you know what you want already then carry on to the shop.
You can click on each product link and to get more technical information on the model, plus you will find user ratings and reviews.
Finally, here's a brief buying guide to remind you of some important things to think about.
Home Cinema System Buying Guide
1.
Which type of disc player you want with your system? A Blu-ray player will be more future proof as it will play Blu-rays, DVDs and CDs. However, if you don't want to play Blu-ray discs, then a DVD-based system will probably be cheaper. If you already have a good disc player, then you may not need an all-in-one system, and you could think about buying an AV receiver and some surround speakers.
2.
Many all-in-one systems will have limited options for connecting your external devices. If you need to connect another source into the speaker system, such as your satellite TV box or MP3 player, make sure the model you buy has the right inputs for you to do this.
3.
Unless you have a really big room, an output of 50-100 watts per channel should be plenty for the majority of people. Also, don't let yourself be fooled by some of the power figures that you see quoted as they can sometimes be misleading. A bigger number doesn't necessarily mean a system is louder! See the page on
amplifier power ratings for more details on this.
4.
Some models may come with wireless rear speakers, so decide if you will really need this. Although potentially harder to install, a cable can sometimes be more reliable.
5.
There are a number of different speaker layouts to choose from. You will often have the choice between a
soundbar, 2.1, 3.1, 5.1 or a 7.1 speaker system. If you're not sure about this, go to the
guide to surround sound speaker layouts for more details.
Click on each product link to get more technical information on each system - to find user reviews and ratings - and also to add the product to your shopping cart.
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