The home theater experience for potential buyers is initially judged by the quality of the video display.

Few pay attention to the sound quality coming from those tiny stereo speakers built into the TV. Most big-screen-TV buyers simply don't see the need to invest in bona-fide home theater systems with a receiver, five (or more) speakers, and a subwoofer.

Great-looking high-definition video matched to low-fidelity sound just doesn't work for me; but everyone has their own priorities.

Here's the thing: Great video is critical - that's a given. BUT… really great audio is what truly defines your home theater experience. It's the emotional connection to what we see. George Lucas famously once said, "The sound and music are 50% of the entertainment in a movie".

Unfortunately, a lot of people didn't get that memo.

It's gotten to the point now that those considering stepping up to a $300 sound bar speaker are now considered sophisticated buyers. And when we move up to home theater in a box system - with five or more speakers and a subwoofer - we're getting to the elite buyer class.

Really.

Apparently HTIB buyers can deal with a tangle of wires and all the setup hassles associated with a receiver-based home theater system.

But if you can tackle that project, why not go for the gold?

For higher quality home theater system with a receiver and full-size speaker/subwoofer system, plan on spending close to $2,000. Yes, you can spend less, but you'll just wind up with something that doesn't sound much better than a good HTIB.

One more time: Really great audio is what truly defines your home theater experience.

That said… here are some recommendations for the best-sounding home theater solutions for any budget.

The Samsung HW-C450 sound bar ($300 street price) is a worthwhile step up from your TV's tiny (and tinny-sounding) built-in speakers.

Next step up? If you already have a DVD or Blu-ray player, consider the Onkyo's HT-S3200 HTIB. It comes with five nice speakers, a hefty subwoofer, and a component grade receiver, all for around $350!

For a 5.1 channel HTIB that includes a built-in Blu-ray player, think about Samsung's HT-C6500 ($650 street price).

BTW: There is one HTIB that can be heartily endorsed: Synthesis One Array ML Premier by Harman/JBL. MSRP is $88,100. No, that isn't a typo. It's $88,100. If you already have it, then go for the Porsche 911 Coupe. Same price.

Anyway…for an entry-level receiver, Pioneer's VSX-920 ($399) matched up to a Klipsch RF-10 ($1,464) speaker package with tower speakers, full-size center speaker, dipole surround speakers, and a 200 watt, 10-inch powered subwoofer is an awesome package.

This system will blow away the pitiful speakers built into your TV, as well as every sound bar and home theater in a box ever made... well, except for the Harman one mentioned earlier. In fact, chances are you'll own this system long after your shiny new TV has been replaced the 'next big thang.'

Redbox will rent Blu-ray Discs® at $1.50 per night plus tax and the company expects to have availability across its network of approximately 23,000 kiosk locations by the fall.

It was only a matter of time until the kiosk upstart began offering Blu-ray titles. Sales of Blu-ray players increased 103 percent in the first half of 2010. There are now an estimated 19.4 million units out there. It was a market that Redbox could no longer ignore.

The number of Blu-ray titles and copies will vary by kiosk and location with new titles being added each week.

Redbox Fun Facts: Each fully automated Redbox kiosk holds 630 discs, representing up to 200 titles. Consumers simply use a touch screen to select their favorite movies, swipe a valid credit or debit card and go. Customers can even go online (www.redbox.com) to select their movie online or via their iPhone® app and pick it up immediately at the Redbox location of their choice.

With 10 stores and in business since 1964, the Ken Crane's Southern California Home Theater chain is closing up shop.

Mighty Circuit City has closed. A myriad of other regional chains have one foot on the banana peel and the other in the grave.

Is it possible the root cause could be that home theater gear is just too good?

Think about it. The market share is now dominated by big box and warehouse stores like Wal-Mart, Costco and so on. They sell commodity products at rock bottom prices.

For example, you can buy a 55 inch HDTV that is brighter than a bug zapper and can make one hell of a 1080p picture; add a $150 Blu-ray player going into a $500 soundbar with a subwoofer and all connected to your satellite TV and you have one hell of a system. It plays loudly and it looks pretty slick installed.

The overall expense is maybe $4,000 or $5,000 total, which to today's price-savvy consumer is pretty compelling for an entire home theater. Heck, $5,000 barely bought you a 42 inch 1080i plasma seven or eight years ago - today you get the whole system that is vastly improved.

What you DON'T get is actual support or sales expertise. If you can't learn enough about the product from the outside of the box, then don't buy it. The salesman doesn't care because he's not a salesman - he's a minimum wage clerk who will be gone in 18 months or less.

To survive in today's brave new market, home theater dealers must provide more value.  Not necessarily sell for less.  They need to make the event of going to their store a jaw-dropping experience every time someone walks in the front door. They need to offer longer warranties, professional calibration, in-home support, the top brands, awesome audio and even better video.

Training of salespeople is the key to differentiation. Consumers hate it when the salesperson is a bullshit artist… and they can smell them coming from 50 feet away.
The handwriting on the wall portending Circuit City's demise was when they fired their commissioned salespersons years ago.

Specialty AV dealers need to be able to sell HT products like a high-end kitchen store sells Sub Zero or Gaggenau. People who buy a Sub-Zero likely never look at Frigidaires. Many consumers want fine products in their life; but nobody wants to waste money. For anyone who loves and/or has experienced what high-end home theater is all about - the idea of  a Costco TV and soundbar is a bit hard to swallow.

As reported in Reuters, an online study was conducted in early June of this year by website operator Kakaku.com in Japan. A whopping 70% of the 8,957 respondents said they have no intention of buying a 3D TV.

The biggest reason for not wanting a 3D TV in their home? The requirement of having to purchase special glasses to achieve the full 3D effect.

Keep in mind that all of the respondents were Japanese, who traditionally embrace EVERY new technology whole-heartedly.

Comments range from the glasses being ugly and at times uncomfortable to being too expensive.

Indeed.

Sony's active-shutter 3D glasses sell for about $150 per pair making the glasses cost as much for a family of four as a decent non-3D TV.

Prices will eventually decline for 3D TVs and the necessary gear needed to watch it. Also, more content is coming online every day. But apparently unless those two factors are combined with the technology to allow 3D viewing with NO glasses, the adoption is destined to fizzle.

Sony is no stranger to innovation and has no aversion to risk. When they added a Blu-Ray drive to every PS3 during the HD wars - it actually hurt the PS3 during the first couple years thanks to the high manufacturing cost - but it's now paying off big.

The major game publishers such as EA are adding extra content exclusive to the PS3 - all thanks to Blu-Ray's massive storage capacity.

Here's the question: Can Sony do it all over again, this time with 3D? Apparently the consumer electronics giant is not at all concerned about the challenge of getting consumers to adopt 3D tech in their homes.

Sony is shrewdly using the PS3 - and more specifically 3D gaming - to help usher in the era of 3D home theater entertainment.

Sony just released a free firmware update that activates Blu-ray 3D capability for previously announced Blu-ray Disc models including the BDP-S470 and BDP-S570 players and the BDV-E570 and BDV-E770W home theater systems.

Sony now offers consumers the most diverse line of 3D-capable home entertainment products including 19 BRAVIA® HDTVs, Blu-ray Disc players and theater systems, and audio/video components that offer various levels of performance and features.

It's all part of their master plan for 3D, according to Scott Rohde a Sony VP:

"The best thing I can relate this to is the Blu-Ray launch. I think this is like a rewind for me; a lot of the same questions. It's a distinct strategy that we've chosen to take to be on the bleeding edge and drive the market into these new experiences. So we're not worried about quick adoption rate. We're driving people to adopt period."