Denon Opens Online Store

You can now purchase Denon products directly from Denon in the US at http://usa.denon.com/

Why would you want to purchase direclty from Denon?

Pricing - Nope. Denon controls their pricing and you have to pay the same price from all authorized dealers, the price on their website is List Price. Same as what you'll pay everywhere else.

Shipping - For the moment they are offering free shipping but you have to enter the promo code Welcome

Perks - Right now they are sending free hats with every purchase. OK, cool, but not a reason to buy from them.

Bottom line - Buying from the manufacturer direct is a good deal IF they offer the same support as a dealer. You will need to pay tax if you are in NJ, NY, CA or IN Since Denon has offices in those states.

Denon is not known for great customer support so you have to consider this when purchasing. On the other hand they need this to succeed so you might have leverage you won't have at other online stores.

Buy from Amazon - You can of course get the free shipping, no tax and the full support of purchase from Amazon. At least with Amazon you'll know for sure that issues and returns will be handled quickly and without problems.

Buying a Blu-ray Home Theater System

Sometimes you just want simple. Buying a receiver, blu-ray player, and separate speakers and subwoofer can often be a difficult task. Will they match up well, will I have to get a unified remote control, multiple vendors to deal with if something goes wrong, hard to use. Fortunately there is an easy way out.

Blu-ray home theater systems

The Home Theater in a Box category (HTIB for short) has been around for quite a while. It is a great way to get an inexpensive and easy to set up surround sound system without needing a degree in rocket science. With these systems the audio video novice can walk out of a store with one box with speakers, Blu-ray player and amplifier all in one box. This not only makes shopping easier but usually makes set up easier too.

See 50 of our favorite Blue-ray Home Theater Systems in our Store

Advantages of getting a HTIB

• One box to take home
• One vendor to deal with if something goes wrong
• Easy Setup
• Easier operation (usually)
• One Manual
• One Remote to learn!
• Matched components

Features to Consider When Purchasing a Blu-ray Home Theater System in a Box

1. Do I want to listen to regular radio? Not all HTIB's have a tradational radio tuner included
2. Do I want a Network compatible unit? With a Network compatible HTIB, you'll be able to access Internet entertainment like Pandora, Rhapsody, Slacker and thousands of Internet radio stations. Note that not all units get all content. Requires a WiFi network for wireless and some require a network cable. Choose carefully.
3. Do I want a 5.1 or 7.1 speaker system?
4. What type of speakers do I want? Wall Mount, Shelf, Towers, Speakers on Stands?
5. Is the subwoofer wireless?
6. How big is the subwoofer and where will it go?
7. Is the Unit 3D compatible?
8. Does it have HDMI inputs for other devices like cameras and video cameras?
9. Can I connect my iPod via cable or bluetooth?
10. Is it AirPlay or DLNA compatible?
11. Is there an app available to control the unit?
12. What formats will the Blu-ray play?
13. Price. Cheap is cheap. If you buy a $150 HTIB it will sound like one. Stick to the $350 and up combinations, idealy $499 and up would be better

Things Not to Worry about with a Blu-ray HTIB

1. How many watts. If you are concerned about watts due to a large room, don't buy an HTIB, get a high quality receiver and separate home theater speakers
2. Brand. Some brands are better than others but in general they will all perform fine if you stick with the major manufacturers
3. Subwoofer size. This is another issue of room size. If you're truly concerned about subwoofer size you might not want a HTIB

Getting the most our of your system

Like with any home theater setup you'll get the most out of it if you setup the speakers correctly. Poor speaker placement will do more to harm the overall sound than anything else. Don't turn up the volume to earth and speaker rattling settings, you'll not only damage the speakers but your hearing as well.

For the most part you can find a decent home theater experience, with a blu-ray player and speakers without breaking the back. Just be sure to consider the options listed above to get the most our of your movie watching and music listening experience.

Search for Blu-ray Home Theater Systems

Search for Network & WiFi compatible Blu-ray Home Theater Systems

Surround Sound Receiver for under $250

You can't really do much surround sounding without a good surround receiver. Sony makes some pretty decent ones, as does Denon, Marantz and Pioneer. The sweet spot for most consumers is the $500-$600 price point. So when we saw this Sony on sale at Buy.com for half off we had to post it. Get a Sony STR-DN1010 7.1-Channel 3D Ready Home Theater Receiver Normally $499, for $249 at Buy.com, Valid through 07-05-2011

• 7.1-channel A/V receiver with 110 watts per channel
• 3D HDMI pass-through
• 7 HD video inputs (4 HDMI, 3 component)
• Upconvert/Upscale from analog to 1080p via HDMI
• On-screen graphical user interface for ease of use

 Sony interfaces are usually better than the competition, which may make this an excellent buy for somone who does not want to futz around a lot.

Match up with the following Speakers for a complete home theater experience
Polk Audio RM6750 5.1 Channel Home Theater Speaker System (Set of Six, Black)  $214
Klipsch HD 300 Compact 5.1 High Definition Theater system (Set of Six, Black) $272
JBL 5.1 Channel SCS145.5 Surround Cinema Speaker System $276

New AirPlay & DLNA Receivers from Pioneer

Pioneer announced 5 new Pioneer Elite AV receivers. Most will support AirPlay and DLNA. This is good news for those who want to use these technologies to make their receiver their entertainment hub. I favor DLNA just slightly over AirPlay for its open platform That said there is something to be said for Apple's total system and its easy integration.

The new receivers—the VSX-40, VSX-50, VSX-51, VSX-52, and VSX-53—will all work with the iPad, iPhone, and iPod” and support 7-channel audio, a USB/video cable to attache an iOS devices right into the receivers. All support HDMI 1.4a input and output with 3D and ARC support. Starting with the VSX-50, they start to pick up networking and mobile features: the VSX-5x models can all be controlled from an iPad or iPhone using custom apps, support wireless access to users’ iTunes library via AirPlay, along with DLNA/vTuner technology to pull in media from other devices on a home network. The high end of the line, the VSX-52 and VX-53 also support Pandora, Rhapsody.  All the units support two or three zones of audio. This is great for those of us who are looking for more reasons to buy more speakers! Prices range from $450 to $1,100. Not really high-end but they should suffice for most movie and music listeners.

View all Pioneer AV Recievers here with Reviews
Search Amazon.com for pioneer VSX-50