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3.PREPARE TO RECEIVE Since your HTiB probably came with a receiver (or DVD/receiver combo), you might be wondering why you should buy a new one. I'm glad you asked!

To meet the aggressive pricing of these systems, costs must be cut, and one of the first things to go is power. Since the receiver powers all of the satellite speakers, you want something with a little muscle. When checking specs, don't just look at the wattage, but see how the unit is rated. To get a sense of what's really under the hood, check power ratings for "all channels driven from 20 Hz to 20 kHz." Also, the lower the number for THD (total harmonic distortion), the better. A beefy power supply is heavy, so a receiver's weight can sometimes be used as a quick judge of quality.

Even the most basic A/V receiver often eclipses the scant number of inputs offered by HTiB receivers. To jack in your DVD player, gaming consoles, cable box, TiVo, and iPod, you'll want to make sure there are enough inputs to go around. Equally important is the number of digital audio inputs. With more components offering Dolby Digital and DTS audio output, it's a good idea to have multiple optical and coaxial digital inputs on hand.

To avoid having to switch inputs through your TV, you'll want to route video signals through the receiver. While most receivers now offer composite-, component-, and S-video switching, the slickest models upconvert the composite- and S-video signals and then route all incoming video signals to a single output. This frees you from switching inputs on your TV, which greatly simplifies day-to-day operation.

Finally, if your HTiB system is more than a year old, it probably doesn't include the latest surround processing modes, like Dolby Pro Logic IIx or DTS Neo:6, which can create surprisingly good surround sound from two-channel material like CDs and older TV shows and movies.