HTIB (which stands for Home Theater in a Box) is an acronym that we are hearing increasingly these days in high-end audio circles, in the movie industry, and at trade shows. Basically, it refers to the movement of some vendors to provide all of the audio components (and the DVD player) in one package. For example, Harman/Kardon has a model out now that features a DVD player, receiver, and 7.1-channel speaker system that comes packaged in just one box. Most people would use the term “home-theater-in-a-box”, but Harman/Kardon has chosen the descriptive phrase "home theater system" instead. I didn’t study semantics, but I know that you won’t be shunned for calling it HTIB. Currently, the trend in HTIB is to combine the DVD player and receiver into only one chassis. It looks more modern and sleeker, and it is invariably easier to set up, especially if you add the crossovers and speaker connectors that snap easily into place. It's an easy, straightforward setup—until something breaks, or the dog carries it away, or you're ready to upgrade, which you often can't do at all without purchasing a completely new system.
This package gives you seven speakers, plus the subwoofer to stash in the corner. It allows you to have the main system set up in the home theater and then a secondary on in the kitchen or wherever you prefer. The sound of the Dolby 7.1 was great at normal listening ranges for television, and I’m sure it would enhance the digital audio available from Dish Network. The included DVD player provides convenient adjustments for the picture color saturation, tint, contrast, brightness, and the black-level, as well as film, and video processing modalities for the progressive-scan video signal. The DVD player is also a DVD/Audio player with one set of 5.1-channel audio outputs, and the setup menu includes a wonderful bass management system to select each speaker's size, distance, and level. The DVD player is solid in its performance. It never locked up, and it responded quickly to the remote’s commands. Its video resolution was just shy of outstanding. At the highest levels of testing, I noticed some weakness of the video signal, but I did not feel I was missing any detail with any real world applications. The price is a bit high perhaps, for some "home gamers" as Jim Cramer calls his fans on CNBC, but in the end, the ability to upgrade, as opposed to buying a whole new system, might actually save you money. I have recommended that the center channel be the first on your upgrade list. It is just too small to do everything that a movie soundtrack is going to ask of it. HTIBs are highly recommended for the average customer who is attracted to a home theater's coolness factor but has doubts about the technical issues. (You could always pay the 15-yr old kid across the street to help you hook it up) For the blossoming audio-video enthusiast, a pre-packaged home theater system like the HK CP 35 provides more than enough user-friendly features to get you started and has enough advanced functionality to keep you moving forward. And it sounded great in kitchen, listening to Dish Network’s audio channels from Sirius Satellite Radio, while I was chopping up some broccoli!