An audio/video entertainment center that has a large-screen TV and hi-fi system with three speakers in the front (left, right and center) and left and right speakers in the rear. Starting in the early 1990s, video inputs were added to stereo receivers, turning them into audio/video (A/V) receivers. Today, almost all home entertainment hardware vendors make A/V equipment for both listening and viewing (see A/V receiver).

Audio - Just As Important
A good sound system is as critical as the video display in a home theater setup. Realistic, high-fidelity sound greatly enhances movie watching, and in many homes, the audio is the more elaborate and costly part of the system. Although it might seem contrary, people have always been more sensitive to audio glitches than to video. Tests have proven that occasional interruptions in the sound stream of a movie are far more annoying to most people than blips in the video frames. See home theater in a box, soundbar, 5.1 channel, Dolby Digital, digital media server and audiophile.