A typical Sky+ or Sky HD installation has the set top box connected directly into the TV, along with the games console and the DVD player. In this scenario, the owner is missing out on a major part of the TV or DVD watching experience. If they are lucky, they have all their devices set to output the best resolution that their TV supports but often that is not the case. They will almost certainly not be getting the best from their audio capabilities. Let’s list the best capabilities of each device to see what is needed.

1. Sky+ can output video via an RGB scart interface at best so a high definition TV is not being used to its capability. A more common ommission is the fact that Sky+ has a digital audio output for those movies and TV shows that are broadcast with Dolby Digital surround sound but without a device to decode that audio into the multiple channels, the surround experience is missed.
2. A SkyHD box has an HDMI (High Definition Multi-media Interface) output which can be described as a modern scart in that it allows a single cable to carry both the audio and the video information. Unfortunately, convenience then means that the SkyHD box is cabled directly to the new HD television which produces great visual results but again, loses the whole surround sound experience
3. Most games consoles (except the Xbox 360 Elite and Playstation 3) have better video and audio capabilities than the cables that they ship with allow you to exploit. The cable provision plays to the lowest common denominator of composite or s-video (sometimes even component) for the video connection and simple 2-channel stereo via phono leads (a cable with one red and one white plug at either end) for the audio. A simple cable upgrade can get you better, even HD, video ouput and provide surround sound with a coax or optical digital audio cable. You will most likely need another piece of equipment and more speakers (if you only have 2) but more on that in a minute.
4. DVD was a great evolution over VHS tapes from a video quality perspective and every household probably has one by now (if not more than one). However, it is very common for the other major benefit of DVD (I would argue more significant than the video improvement) in the surround sound capability to be largely missed out on as the DVD player is treated as a replacement for the old VCR  and is plugged straight into the television. The overall cinematic experience of watching a DVD in the semi-dark with a full surround sound set-up can not be underestimated.

As you have probably gathered by now, there is a common theme running through this post – you are missing out on your various entertainment experiences if you don’t have a surround sound setup or “home cinema” as the AV retailers like to call it. It does not have to be expensive as there are some very good packages out there but it is worth remembering one or two things about surround sound equipment before you rush out to the shops.

1. Most “home cinema” packages include a DVD player that you probably don’t need and they will most likely not have digital audio inputs for your other devices (SkyHD, games console, Blu-ray, etc.) which is why you are getting more speakers in the first place. Therefore, you are more likely to need an AV amplifier to handle all the audio and video inputs and get a seperate 5.1 or 7.1 speaker package that fits your budget
2. You get what you pay for when choosing an AV amp so if you have three boxes that all output HDMI then you will need an AV amp that has at least 3 HDMI inputs and that will put you in the £400-600 bracket.