Home theater in a box

HTIBs are marketed as an "all-in-one" way for consumers to enjoy the surround sound experience of home cinema, even if they do not want to, or do not have the electronics "know-how", to pick out all of the components one-by-one and connect the cables.

If a consumer were to buy all of the items individually, they would have to have a basic knowledge of electronics, so they could, for example, ensure that the speakers were of compatible impedance and power-handling for the amplifier.

A typical HTIB generally consists of a central receiver unit which usually contains a DVD player (some systems separate the DVD player into a separate unit), a multi-channel power amplifier and a series of speakers for surround sound use, generally including a subwoofer.

HTIB systems do not include a television set or monitor with which to display the visual material or a stand to place the receiver unit on.

A few manufacturers, notably Sony and Panasonic, have implemented wireless connection technology for the surround speakers in this class of equipment.

Some higher-end HTIB models offer additional features such as 1080i or 4K (mainly versions with Blu-ray) video resolution upscaling, a 5-disc platter, HDMI inputs, USB connectivity, Bluetooth support, Wi-fi support, Internet apps, DAB and DAB+, mirroring possibility, iPod dock and a hard disk for recording TV shows.

A mid-priced Panasonic Home Theatre in a Box package, which consists of the DVD player, which contains an integrated multi-channel power amplifier , and a set of speakers. The consumer must buy the television and stand separately.