10: Onkyo HT-S9100THX

­If you've ever settled into a movie and been met with a loud, whirring noise accompanied by a huge rumbling, you may have thought the robots were finally taking over and stampeding the theater. Fortunately, if you check the movie screen and see three large letters, "THX," you can rest easy -- the short intro before the film is letting you know that the images and sounds you're about to experience have been given a special seal of approval.

If you're familiar with the THX logo and its association with audio and video performance, then you should give the Onkyo HT-S9100THX a listen. So does Onkyo have anything to do with THX, or is the home theater company just using the letters to get some attention?

As it turns out, the Onkyo HT-S9100THX package is the world's second home-theater-in-a-box -- or "integrated home-theater system," as the two companies like to call it -- that is THX-certified. (The first was an earlier version by Onkyo, the HT-S900THX.) The S9100THX includes a DVD player that can upgrade video to 1080p, a 7.1 channel surround sound system and is priced between $799 and $999.