Mitsubishi's 149 iSP series LCDs have a 16-speaker sound bar built-in for people who are too lazy (like me) or don't know how (like my parents) to set up a home theatre. The integrated Sound Projector, as it's called, sends sound flying around the walls to act like surround sound--in my experience, it was way better than typical front speaker-only setups but didn't match the immersive feeling of true surround.

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Onkyo's best new entry level HTiB setup has a 7.1 surround is notable for having room correction tech. I'm pretty sure its rare to find a low end system that can adjust gain and delay on all channels to calibrate itself to a room's acoustics. The receiver included is the DTS/Dolby capable HT-R560, with 3 HDMI inputs, 130 watts per channel, and is Sirius satellite ready. The set up also comes with an iPod dock and a 290-watt sub. Not bad for US$579 from a solid company like Onkyo. There are two lesser models:

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Sharp's new ANPR1000H home theatre system does a lot more than just hold up your TV. This bad boy can pony up 300W of power and 2.1 channel surround sound, plus it has "Audistry" sound reproduction technology by Dolby, DTS, and Dolby Digital and Dolby Pro Logic II Decoder. It's stylish, compact, and a great platform to display that big-ass plasma you spent a fortune on. Hopefully you didn't break the bank on it, though, because picking up the ANPR1000H will set you back another $1099. [Sharp via Tech Digest via Uberreview]

According to Panasonic, their new RP-WF5500 headphones are "the world's smallest and lightest wireless surround sound headphones." Believe it or not, each unit packs 5.1-channel Dolby Surround support over a 2.4GHz connection, a 20 to 22,000 Hz frequency band, 30-meter (98-foot ) operating range, and six hour battery life into a 250g (.56-pound) frame. They can also automatically determine and adapt to multi-channel digital, DTS and MPEG-2 ACC audio formats via 2 optical digital audio inputs, one analogue audio input, and music/movie mode selections. Pricing details have not been announced, but you can expect to see the RP-WF5500's ship November 20th in Japan. [i4u via TFTS]

Yamaha is taking its pimp sound projector skills to the boardroom with this teleconferencing contraption. Set one $3,000 Projectphone at the business end of your conference table (connected to a TV), and another identical one at a table in a room far far away. Three cameras shoot you and your two prettiest associates, and as you talk, the mics pick up what you say—and from where you said it. The viewers on the other end are treated to a virtual recreation of your threesome, with voice-activated camera trained on whoever is speaking. And of course, you and your crew get the same immersive conferency vibe from the people in front of the remote Projectphone. [Yamaha]

These speakers are dubbed The Planets, and due to their unique design with chrome "omni spheres" positioned above the drivers, they deliver full 360-degree sound throughout the room they're placed in. The cabinets themselves also help deliver solid bass, according to some technical mumbo-jumbo: "The cabinets use a precision double-ported design on the bottom of the speaker. Aiming the double port at the floor instead of to the front or behind the speaker creates a quasi-acoustic lens with an omni pattern." But of course! Unlike most speakers with such highfalutin' design, these are actually relatively reasonably priced at $1,295 a pair. [Product Page via BornRich]

This Triops Camera may not be the best device ever invented for family portraits, but with its three lenses and sound-activated trigger, it might be able to snag some of the weirdest-looking photos you've ever seen. Made specifically for shooting panoramas and odd shot sequences, apparently you can slam the sucker into the wall and it will release its shutter. Plus, its three lenses are situated in such a way that one click immediately gets you enough shots to put together a 360° photo.

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I've had the pleasure of testing out the fourth-generation Yamaha surround sound bar, the YSP-4000. You know, the box that sits under a TV and projects 5 discreet beams of audio using Cold War direction Sonar steering from Submarines. This generation has had its trapezoid shaped array turned into a more of a hexagon, and the chassis is more rigid. There are HDMI inputs, and upscalers for analogue content. And there are DSP modes for stereo music sources that did not exist before. Does the fake surround work? Hell yes, better than ever.

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Consisting of two satellite towers and a downward-firing amplified subwoofer, these red LED-illuminated Rosetta speakers from Britz have been designed with computer or gaming set-ups in mind. Featuring IHSS (Indeptendent Harmonic Surround Sound), they are probably a bit too weedy for hardcore gamers. If you ask me, both towers and sub look like the kind of vase you'd find in a funeral home.

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Logitech's $200 G51 surround-sound speakers work with hot new 5.1 sound cards thanks to a direct six-channel input, but they were designed to intensify even lame-ass stereo games with a 5.1 matrixing mode and an explosive 56-watt subwoofer. The system has an integrated headphone jack for conveniently talking trash with the other kids combatants. But say your mom suddenly interrupts the melee with your favorite PB&J—Logitech thought of that, too.

The dual mute function allows you to mute the audio coming out of the speakers so your mom doesn't complain about you going deaf. And it lets you mute your headset, so your battalion of renegade mercenaries (or is that mercenary renegades?) don't have to hear the dreaded, "I love you too, mommy."

The final touch, for the more artistic gamer, is something called G-Skin. The speakers have clear shells, under which you can insert your own "personal artwork." Hopefully, once Logitech sees what your own stuff looks like, it will begin offering download-and-print artwork of its own. That or you borrow some of those excellent unicorn drawings from your sister.

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