Sony Ht-Ct150 2 Home Theater System - Dolby Truehd, Dts Hd, Dolby Digital, Dts - Hdmi Soundbar

The good: Three HDMI inputs; excellent sound quality for a sound bar home theater system; no AV receiver required; capable of switching between six devices.

The bad: IR receiver on the subwoofer limits its placement options; subwoofer isn't wireless; cluttered remote.

The bottom line: Sony's HT-CT150 sound bar home theater system sounds great and is way ahead of the competition with its three HDMI inputs; however, its IR receiver limits the subwoofer's placement options.

You say you want a home theater system but those 5.1 channel and 7.1 channel systems seem too complicated, too expensive and just plain too much. For some people they seem like overkill. If you're one of them, the Sony HT-CT150 3.1 Channel Home Theater System might be exactly what you've been looking for.

A 3.1 system is simple. Think of a regular two speaker stereo system. Add a center speaker and a subwoofer and voila! You've got a 3.1 channel home theater that's easy to set up, easy on the pocketbook and a joy to use.

We don't think it gets any simpler than the CT150. It's a 3.1 channel system with only two main parts! The left, center and right speakers are all contained in a single sound bar that's just 31 1/2 inches (800 mm) wide. It will look great on your TV stand. With a little bit of additional hardware (not included) you can even hang it from the wall.

If you take a look at the Specifications tab you might think we've made a mistake at first. All of the inputs and outputs and sound processors are listed under the Subwoofer section. That's no mistake because that's where they're all located. The subwoofer not only puts out those deep bass tones, it's the brains of the operation.

It's got three HDMI inputs and an HDMI output. The HDMI Repeater function allows you to connect multiple devices via HDMI cables and easily switch between them keeping the HDMI signal intact on its way to your TV. Audio Return Channel (ARC) allows audio to be sent from your compatible TV to the system on the same HDMI cable that's sending high definition video and audio to your TV. That can eliminate one more cable from your setup.

The HDMI ports can also pass 3-D signals from a 3-D Blu-ray player or 3-D gaming system through to a 3-D compatible TV or projector. So you can start out very modestly and go all the way to 3-D without having to buy a new home theater. (You'll just need a 3-D compatible TV, 3-D glasses a 3-D compatible Blu-ray player or gaming console and 3-D programming. "Simple" gets a little complicated when you go 3-D.)

To enjoy 3-D you'll want to be sure to use high-speed HDMI cables. With high-speed cables you can also enjoy 1080p (in addition to 720p and 1080i high definition) and Deep Color (more than a billion colors!) on compatible TV sets.

You can also enjoy Blu-ray disc HD Audio. Most new Blu-ray players can output the latest high definition audio formats like Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio. When your player is connected to your CT150 via HDMI you'll experience audio truer to the way it was captured.

Then there are those touches that make a Sony a Sony. BRAVIA Sync is Sony's brand name for HDMI CEC, the industry standard that allows you to control multiple HDMI-connected devices from a single remote control. The subwoofer's Digital Media Port (DMP) allows you to connect an optional Sony adapter that enables you to plug in your iPod, Walkman or PC-based devices so you can enjoy your portable music through the system.

If you want great sound but you want to keep it simple and affordable, you want the Sony HT-CT150 3.1 Channel Home Theater System.