Sony HT-7000DH

Quick Take: The Sony HT-7000DH is a component-based home-theater-in-a-box system that offers a five-disc DVD/CD/SACD player. The component based nomenclature refers to the fact that the receiver is separate from the five-disc player, which means that it takes up more space than smaller all-in-one lifestyle systems, but this makes it more versatile and easier to upgrade in the future. The HT-7000DH includes a 5.1-speaker system that features an automatic speaker-setup program and a microphone to assist with proper speaker placement and optimizing sound quality. The DVD changer boasts an HDMI output with the ability to upconvert DVDs to 1080i or 720p. The receiver includes two HDMI inputs--one for the included DVD player, and one for another HD-capable device, such as a cable/satellite box or PlayStation 3--and one output. Additonally, it's XM-ready, which means that with a subscription, it can receive XM satellite radio by attaching an XM Connect-and-Play antenna. The Sony HT-7000DH ($500 list) will be available in April.