HTIBs with Integrated DVD

Complete home theaters on a budget

As Blu-ray prices fall, and HTIBs with integrated Blu-ray players become mainstream, DVD-based home theater kits are drifting to the very bottom of the market in terms of performance and cost. Many are mediocre performers or worse when it comes to video and audio. Some reviewers are so disappointed by the current crop that when they test HTIBs with DVD players, few fail to earn even a modest recommendation.

There are some exceptions, however. For example, CNET includes the 5.1-channel Sony DAV-HDX587W (*Est. $330) on its list of best home theater systems, though it brings up the rear. Sound quality with music isn't great, but it does a better than average job with movies. On the video side of things, CNET says things look pretty good; although some imperfections showed up in bench testing, things are near perfect when viewing most real-world videos.

Though the price isn't that far removed from a system with a Blu-ray player, for those who don't care about that high-def format there's a lot of value packed into the DAV-HDX587W. Features include a five-disc DVD changer, iPod dock and wireless (except for electric power) rear speakers. There's an automatic speaker setup program; it works well in tests for the most part, though CNET says it sets the subwoofer volume too high.

Like most home theater kits of this type, connectivity is limited. There's no way to bring any additional video sources into the DAV-HDX587W, though you can feed it digital or analog stereo audio from a cable box or other device. Because there are no HDMI or analog multichannel inputs, there's no way to later add a Blu-ray player. Though the surround speakers are on the small side, the tall boy left and right front speakers and the rather bulky center channel speaker won't do the best job of disappearing in a room. If you don't need the wireless rear-channel speakers, or don't want the front tall boys, the less expensive Sony DAV-HDX285 (*Est. $240) is otherwise identical.