Streaming devices.

[21Kid]

They've been cheap for awhile now. My 7.1 Onkyo was $230 5 years ago. (I probably got it on sale.) I'll probably wait until I need something that does 4k switching. Since mine is only HDMI 1.3a.

Speaking of receivers, I was genuinely surprised at the lack of real wireless solutions for receiver based home audio systems when I was looking. Ended up with a system based around a soundbar instead (pretty happy with the quality).

The soundbar's with wireless surrounds/subwoofer are a good compromise. Especially if you are renting and not looking to drill holes in walls/floors. I was thinking of getting one for our next place. I am surprised that there aren't more options for these yet.

[21Kid]

I thought most recent systems could add a delay to certain channels? A lot of them come with microphones to auto-adjust settings too. That should also work for wireless set-ups.

This just popped up.

Upgrade to True Surround Sound With This $300 Onkyo Bundle
Everything you need to upgrade to true 5.1 surround sound is on sale for just $300 today. That gets you five speakers, a subwoofer, and a receiver from Onkyo to power them all.

Also has: HDMI 2.0 for Ultra HD, and Built-In Bluetooth

[Kchrpm]

If you slow down the audio for everything, then it won't be in-sync with the video. It depends how much delay there is, and I guess there could be a difference in sensitivity to A/V sync issues as well. Good luck playing Rock Band, though!

[thesameguy]

I thought most recent systems could add a delay to certain channels? A lot of them come with microphones to auto-adjust settings too. That should also work for wireless set-ups.

The delay is milliseconds, usually 1-40, and is designed to make up for wired speakers that aren't equi-distant from the listener. *Most* people end up configuring their speakers so the fronts are 8-10' away (normal viewing distance) but the rears are right behind or right above, like 1-4'. Adding a slight delay to the rear channels ensures all 5 or 7 speakers make sound that arrives in your ear at about the same time. The delay is typically not applicable to the front speakers - you can't slow them down to make up for lag to the rears. The technology's goal is for the opposite scenario. As Keith pointed out, slowing down the fronts would cause video sync issues. Rear channel delay is especially important when using a decoder like Pro-Logic, where you get leakage between channels (since channels are "made up" by the receiver) that can cause a very disturbing listening experience. Google Haas Effect.

This just popped up

I bought a similar setup which I use for the computer upstairs, got my parents a similar Denon package for their main TV. These aren't "great," but they're a great value and sound output from either system is light years ahead of what even some pretty expensive sound bars make. I have set up a couple JBL, several Vizio, and one LG sound bar and there really isn't a comparison. Of course, with sound bars you aren't running & tripping over wires, so it's a very fair trade off.

[Kchrpm]

YouTube is adding 360 video support to their TV/streaming device apps, so you can load them and look around using a controller.