Sony DAV-DZ170 5.1 Channel DVD Home Theater System

The Sony DAV-DZ170 5.1 Channel DVD Home Theater System just might be the ultimate DVD home theater system. It's certainly got the features, specs and that famous Sony quality to be a leading contender for the title.

Start out with 1000 watts of audio power. Crank it up to full power (not recommended) and the people down the street will complain about the sound—even if you live on a farm. At more reasonable volume levels you can enjoy a wide variety of compact discs and DVD formats—the kind you buy and the ones you burn yourself.

Of course the DZ170 can upscale your DVDs to near high definition quality. If you don't tell your friends that your new home theater is playing DVDs some of them will assume you're showing Blu-ray discs.

Another "of course" on your checklist has to be surround sound processors (codecs). The DZ170 has DTS and several Dolby variations plus a few of Sony's own sound modes, including one that improves the sound of highly compressed MP3 files.

You've probably never heard of D.C.A.C. but it's going to greatly enhance your listening pleasure. It stands for Digital Cinema Auto Calibration, which is how your DZ170 truly becomes yours. No two listening environments are the same. Sound waves are absorbed by curtains and carpets and they ricochet off bare walls and floors.

To customize your DZ170's sound to your listening room you place the included calibration microphone where you usually sit and after a couple of presses on the remote control your DZ170 knows just how to process the signals it sends to each speaker to create the optimal listening experience for you. Add or remove furniture or move your DZ170 to another room and you can quickly and easily repeat the process.

You'll find the USB port comes in handy in a couple of ways. First it's your connection to your iPod or iPhone. You don't need a dedicated dock to move music between your DZ170 and your portable music player. In fact, you can rip whole CDs to USB devices. You can plug in a portable music player or a USB flash drive so you transfer music to your PC or Mac.

If you own other Sony products you've probably heard of BRAVIA Sync. That's the feature that lets you control any compatible device that's connected to your DZ170 by HDMI cable from a single remote. And the DZ170's remote is pretty smart. Even without using BRAVIA Sync you can switch between watching TV, listening to the built-in FM radio, watching a DVD disc or playing back MP3s from whatever you've attached to the USB port with just one touch of the remote.

With such a rich set of features it's understandable that you may think setting up your DZ170 may be awfully complicated. Not to worry; an Easy Set-up DVD walks you through the whole process. Now we know exactly what you're thinking: How can I learn how to set up the system from a DVD if the system has to be already set up to play a DVD? It's easy. Sony includes a one page guide that shows you how to set up the system far enough to at least play the set-up DVD. After you've watched the DVD you'll soon be enjoying the full capabilities of your DZ170.

Like we said, if the Sony DAV-DZ170 5.1 Channel DVD Home Theater System isn't the ultimate DVD home theater, it's right up there. Buy it and try it and we think you'll agree.