I'm not a big fan of Home-Theater-In-A-Box speaker systems, but I'll make an exception for Anthony Gallo Acoustics. If you want great looking and excellent sounding speakers and are on a budget, then their new Theater-In-The-Round speaker system is the only system you should be considering. It's based off their successful Nucleus Micro speaker, and comes with 5 of the 4" orbs and a 100 watt subwoofer. All this for only $999. What a bargain!

If you've been searching for a great looking HTPC case you might want to check out the Kanam HT400. It's a standard sized ATX desktop case (6"h x 17"w x 16"d) that will fit nicely into your A/V rack. It comes in either natural or black brushed aluminum. The $269 price tag gets you the case, a remote control (IMON RSC) and a VFD display.

ESS Technology has announced that JVC will be using the ESS Vibratto(TM) II DivX Certified chip in the XV-N315. Making it the first DVD player offered by JVC to play DivX disks and has achieved DivX Certification from DivXNetworks. This DVD player by JVC displays the DivX Home Theater Certified logo, assuring the consumer that it meets DivXNetworks' stringent requirements for quality, full format compatibility (plays back all versions of DivX video) and interoperability. Pricing and availability hasn't been announced, but it seems like we may now have yet another format to deal with.

The first time I saw Rotel’s RSP-1098 surround sound processor/pre amp I thought it was some high-tech media storage playback unit. It turned being a high-end surround sound processor... you may be asking yourself, why would one need a 7" widescreen LCD panel on the front of a processor? I came up with these three reasons... 1) it looks very cool 2) if you have it in a A/V equipment room, you can use it as a video monitor to cue up movies 3) you can see all the settings for the processor on one easy to read screen. Rotel's philosophy is that balanced design is better... "Instead of a jumbled array of controls and arcane symbols, you’ll find an integral LCD color monitor flanked by just a power switch, two knobs, and six miniature pushbuttons. These elements let the technophobes enjoy the RSP-1098’s exceptional performance, yet allow more sophisticated users a level of control, system customization, and convenience simply beyond the capabilities of lesser processors."

The RSP-1098 has all the standard inputs and outputs as well as HD video switching. It employs a full 32-bit digital signal processor, decodes surround formats like Dolby Digital, Dolby EX, Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS, DTS ES, DTS ES Discrete, DTS Neo:6, DTS 24/96, HDCD. They didn't bother licensing THX Ultra 2 for this processor. For a full review of this processor click here. MSRP: $2,999

What's 4" round, comes in an assortment of colors and can handle a 100 watts of distortion free audio? Give up? Anthony Gallo Acoustics, Nucleus Mirco orb speakers. I was given the task to find the the smallest, best sounding speakers for my brother-in-law... after a couple weeks of searching, I found these little guys. My first recommendation was the engineered sounds of BOSE, he bought the system, and he didn't care for it's sound (don't blame him), BOSE is good for people that want big sound in a little box and don't want to deal with anything else. The Nucleus Micro's are all about great sound and good looks. Their patented S2 technology, enhances low frequencies that go way beyond conventional satellite speakers. By using 3" full-range driver and by eliminating the crossover, the Nucleus Micro sounds like a full size loudspeaker. These aren't the cheapest speakers around, but well worth a listen. They'll set you back about $150 to $200 each orb.

They don't call themselves the the Bass Authorities for nothing, the SVS PB2-Plus subwoofer measures in at a huge 18" wide, 25" tall and 28" deep. How heavy is this sub? A hefty 120 pounds... imagine how much air this thing can move in your home theater. You'd expect to pay over $4k for a subwoofer like this, but SVS has done it for a little under $1200. It's proudly made in the U.S.A. and its twin 12" custom TC-Sounds high capacity woofers are powered by an all digital 900 watt BASH switching amp. These guys really know bass... selectable 16Hz, 20Hz or 25Hz tuning with included port plugs, makes this sub a perfect match to any home theater speaker system.