It is becoming increasingly popular among mainstream consumers. They contain most (or all) of the separate components needed for a basic home theatre, including all speakers, a surround sound receiver, a DVD/CD player, or even a DVD/VCR combination or DVD recorder. With all the products at the tip of your fingers, you can then get started on putting together your very own home theatre.

Home theatres in a box are reasonably priced and compact, so as not to overwhelm the average consumer. The central DVD/receiver units are usually not that much larger than a DVD player, and the speakers/subwoofers are also very compact. A home theatre in a box is also easy to install and use, as most of the required connection cables are provided. All that is needed is a television with AV inputs and audio outputs, a HiFi VCR and/or DVD player.

However, it may be an option to choose a specialist-designed system for your home theatre, as a home theatre in a box is not a high-end system. They have a tendency to cut corners on speaker construction and quality, and are designed to optimise sound for home theatre use more than for listening to music. If you have other products, such as a game console or cable television, also make sure the system has enough auxiliary inputs to plug everything in.