Make your way towards the Hi-def age may be a problem but not if you bank on a reliable brand like Sony. In fact, Sony has a great all-in-one Blu Ray cinema system in the Sony HTP 350IS that can certainly make your home theater needs a whole lot easier.

The HTP-B350IS combines the BDP-S350 deck and HT-IS100 amp/speaker system. Both are available separately but are slightly cheaper when bought as a package.

The system is immensely stylish, but by far the most appealing feature are the five tiny satellite speakers, each one no bigger than a golf ball, which are the updated version of the speakers supplied with the superb DAV-IS10 system.

Their diminutive size makes them easy to integrate into your surroundings but they’re designed to sound like much bigger speakers and can comfortably handle the 50W they receive from the amplifier.

Price: £473.04

If a home cinema system is on your Christmas list but you only have space on your living room for a 2.1 system, take a look at the Yamaha DVX-1000.

This Yamaha model consists of two 90W speakers + 1 big subwoofer, and received a good rating of 90% at RegisterHardware. The price tag is pretty high £1,000 (close to $1,500) but taking in consideration its performance, it is well worth the money.

Thanks to a Yamaha technology named Air Surround Xtreme, the DVX-1000 is able to provide sound quality similar to a 7.1 system.

The unit can handle DivX and DivX Ultra video, and JPEG snaps on disc or USB stick. Connections at the rear of the head unit include an HDMI interface, Scart, optical digital in, component- and composite-video out, s-video out, analogue (aux) input and line out.

Check the full Yamaha DVX-1000 review.