Ship Date: Now

The Technology Extreme staff has been hammering away at various speaker set reviews for the past month, and we've got more coming.Today we're swinging back to the home theater market, which has lately centered on providing complete, all-in-one amplified speaker sets that provide Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS decoding for DVD players.

The newest member of the ever-impressive VideoLogic family of audio products is named the "DigiTheatre DTS" for good reason. The soon-to-be- arriving $500 system offers full 5.1 surround sound decoding for both Dolby Digital and DTS, which are the two major audio standards for DVD discs.

This makes the DigiTheatre DTS the only closed speaker/amplifier system under $1,000 that offers full connectivity and support for the burgeoning DTS format, which currently includes approximately 125 - 150 DVD movies. Lets look at the new VideoLogic kit in depth, as we analyze its merits and negatives, and whether DTS is a significant improvement over Dolby Digital 5.1

Last month we reviewed VideoLogic's original DigiTheatre system, which offers six speakers, Dolby Digital 5.1 decoding, and a remote controlled command center for manipulating the audio environment. We found the DigiTheatre to be very competent at its intended role, its audible range and depth were among the best we've heard in the unit's price range ($350 - $400).

The new DigiTheatre DTS builds on the foundation of its older sibling by offering enhanced speakers, more amplifier power, a better remote control and command unit, more connectivity options, and full Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS surround sound decoding. The benefits of the DigiTheatre DTS system versus the original DigiTheatre are obvious, and the two are separated by approximately $100 at the retail level to further the distinction. The DigiTheatre DTS checks in at the more expensive range, while the normal DigiTheatre is priced lower. The real story behind the DigiTheatre DTS system though is the detail and impressive flexibility of the system and each of its components.