Budget-Friendly Home Entertainment Systems
Jarek Ostrowski 
February 2, 2020
During the early times of basic home entertainment, home entertainment systems were not a must-have pieces.
However, these days, it has become something that homeowners are adding to their amenities. Whether it’s for upping the value of their home or for their personal enjoyment, there’s no denying that home entertainment systems improve the overall entertainment experience at home. Fortunately, well-known entertainment companies produce home entertainment systems that won’t break the bank.
Movie-Like Experience
It’s hard to compare to movie theater sound quality. Captivating imagery and impressive audio are what make the movie-going experience special. Home entertainment systems bridge the gap in features one might usually expect from home AV unit and that of specialized movie theater equipment. With a capable home theater unit, you’re on your way to recreating a movie-like experience right in the comfort of your living room.
Basic Home Theater Components
Naturally, you will need a TV, or even a projector, to complete your home theater setup; most home theater packages don’t include those things since it’s more common for buyers to purchase a television/projector separately. A basic home theater system package will have the following components:
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AV Receiver
As the name suggests, an audio/video receiver receives signals from devices such as Blu-ray and DVD players, processes the audio and video, and transmits these signals to your TV and speakers.
Many receivers have built-in Blu-ray playback capabilities; this feature allows streaming content from the web.
Speakers
A basic 5.1 system is needed for a home theater setup. This speaker system includes a pair of floor standing speakers, a central channel speaker, a subwoofer, and two rear speakers. On the other hand, a 7.1 system will have two additional speakers.
Useful Terminologies
To take your home theater knowledge a step further, let’s get familiar with some useful terminologies:
Soundbar
This is a long bar enclosing multiple speakers within. These speakers are built and configured to mimic surround sound.
DTS/Dolby
These are the most common audio formats which used with home media. The system you choose should support one of each of these audio formats.
More common functionalities included with home theater systems nowadays are Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Near Field Communication (NFC) capabilities.
In today’s post, let’s focus on budget-friendly home entertainment setups from one of the most popular and trusted brands in entertainment: Sony.
Here are some of Sony home theater systems we recommend for home theater enthusiasts.
Sony 5.1 Channel Full HD Blu-ray Disc Home Theater System | Price: $499.99
This comes with a Blu-ray player and 2 HDMI inputs that support 4K content. As for audio, it has two wireless rear surround sound amplify which makes the installation plain and straightforward; you don’t have to worry about connecting the speaker wire to the back of the installation area. It’s also capable of handling DTS-HD and Dolby True HD audio formats to get that theater audio attribute. You will even get a calibration microphone, which lets a location-based configuration system.
Additional Features:
Controls via the SongPal App
Bluetooth, Wifi, NFC connectivity
iPod, iPad, iPhone compatible
Sony 5.2-Channel 725-Watt 4K 3D A/V Surround Sound Multimedia Home Theater System | $549.95
This supports 4K and 3D HDMI outputs. There’s also a Digital Cinema Auto Calibration setup for easy installation of the speakers. It supports DTS and Dolby surround sound translation.
Additional Features:
AM/FM tuner
USB input
Bravia Sync capability
Sony DAVTZ140 DVD Home Theater System | $129.99
This Sony home theater system has 2 HDMI inputs with a 3D Blu-ray player integration. To achieve a theater-quality audio experience, the speakers are also compatible to support DTS and Dolby audio formats.
Additional Features:
Wi-Fi connectivity
iPhone/iPod dock
USB slot
Web browsing
Sony BDV-E2100 3D Smart Blu-ray Home Theater System | $249.99
This system can support complete HD output and 3D playback content. It also has a 3D Blu-ray player for optimal viewing and 5.1 channel surround sound for your listening pleasure.
Additional Features:
Bluetooth, Wifi, NFC connectivity
Mobile phone remote control via the TV SideView app
FM tuner
