A Home Theater In a Box audio system usually includes a 5.1 or 7.1 channel home theater A/V receiver (either with or without an integrated Blu-ray Disc player) plus a matched six-piece or eight-piece surround sound speaker system packaged and shipped together inside the same large box, or alternatively a simpler to set up "virtual surround" 2.1 or soundbar plus subwoofer 1.1 system that simulates surround sound with fewer speakers.

The goal of setting up a home theater, of course, is to create that larger-than-life audiovisual experience of going to see a film at your local cinema, but scale it down to fit comfortably within the confines of your room.

You will need to separately supply or buy a high definition television set, and connect your own source components such as a Blu-ray Disc player (unless your system has a built-in Blu-ray player), PS3, Xbox, Wii, HDTV tuner, etc, using HDMI cables.

You may also need or want to purchase Ethernet cable to connect to your home network, (better quality) speaker wire and a subwoofer cable, and speaker mounts or stands, depending on your exact situation. And don't forget surge protection!

The best place to shop Home Theater In a Box surround sound and virtual surround audio systems online is HomeTheaterInABox.com.