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LAS VEGAS - Here is a company-by-company rundown of what's being introduced today in home theater in a box (HTiB) systems at International CES, here:
Acoustic Research: The Audiovoxowned brand plans the first-ever HTiB offered with optional speaker-hiding home accents to cut speaker clutter. The accents include a mantle clock, fake hardcover books, sconces and - for a subwoofer - a wood chest.
Some years ago, MB Quart offered home speakers shaped like wall sconces.
The HTiB, called the HD510 Home Décor system, is a suggested $899. The decorative covers will range in price from a suggested $29-$59 for the small satellite speakers and $79-$99 for subwoofer covers. They ship in March.
Audiovox: The $249-suggested DV1606XM 600-watt DVD-equipped HTiB features progressive scan, Dolby Digital 5.1 and ProLogic II decoding, playback of MP3 and JPEG files on recordable CDs, digital AM/FM tuner with 20 station presets, active subwoofer, CD-R/RW compatibility and remote.
JVC: Five new HTiBs include the company's first five with USB host ports to connect MP3 players and other USB mass-storage devices, including card readers and digital cameras. The systems are the company's first with DiVX video decoding and MPEG-4 video decoders. They also feature MP3 and WMA decoders and digital-picture support.
The top two systems, the TH-C60 and TH-C50, are rated at 1,200 watts total and feature height-adjustable speakers that can be placed on a floor, shelf or wall.
LG Electronics: The company plans its first XM-ready, wireless-surround-speaker-ready, and its first four USB host HTiBs that control the selection of audio and video content from USB-equipped devices such as MP3 players, portable media players and digital cameras. LG is also expanding its selection of HTiBs with HD/up-scaling HDMI outputs to four from one.
The $599-suggested LH-E9674 features XM-ready capability, wireless-ready surrounds, HD-up-scaling HDMI output, five-disc DVD changer, 5.1 speaker system, 1,000 watts, DiVX video decoding and USB host input. It's due in April.
The single-disc LH-T9654 is also wireless-ready but not XM-ready. It's due in April with USB host and HD/up-scaling HDMI output at a suggested $499.
Another new model is the $1,199-suggested LH-T755 with 1,080i/up-scaling DVD player, USB host, 70 watts and NXT-technology flat-panel speakers that can be floorstanding or wall-mountable. It's due in the first quarter.
The wireless kit for surround...