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Home Theater Features Comparison

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Home theater systems are available in a variety of sizes and configurations, although sound bars and 2.1 speaker systems seem to be all the rage. Any budget home theater system you buy should support some kind of audio processing technology to improve sound quality. Most support a handful of Dolby formats, but the Zvox Z-Base 220 uses its proprietary PhaseCue II audio processing technology. Today's budget home theater systems don't need much more than a digital optical or coaxial input to connect to a TV, but many include a few extra inputs. Some home theater systems now support Bluetooth connections, and a handful also use wireless subwoofers. Budget home theater systems with additional components such as a Blu-ray player or receiver are going out of style, but are still available if you want one.

Speaker configuration Audio formats Inputs Bluetooth/wireless Additional components
Boston Acoustics TVee 26 estimated price $299
2.1 Dolby Digital 1 digital optical, 1 analog, 3.5mm Wireless subwoofer No
Zvox Z-Base 220 estimated price $200
3.1 PhaseCue II 1 digital optical, 1 digital coaxial, 3.5mm N/A No
Panasonic SC-BTT195 estimated price $358
5.1 Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD 2xUSB 2.0, digital optical, analog audio, Ethernet N/A 3D Blu-ray player
Panasonic SC-HTB350 estimated price $198
2.1 Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS Digital optical x 2 Bluetooth + wireless subwoofer Control module
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