Sometimes, with all the televisions readily available out there, we forget that a good picture is only half the story of a prime home theater setup. We forget that sound is just as important, and that’s where home theater systems come in. These all in one packages give us at least an approximation of the kind of sound we’d like in our home theater, and though some purists will say these are largely insufficient, many so called “home theater in a box” systems offer just what you need. The Sony BDV-E580 is a fine example of one of these.

The Sony BDV-E580 home theater system is a 5.1 channel, thousand watt home theater system with four satellite  speakers, a center channel speaker, a subwoofer and a Blu-ray player included. You’ll also get 3D capability (once you’ve added all the extra necessary components), onboard wi-fi capability with streaming applications (so that you can get access to the huge array of online content there is to be had out there, from places like Pandora and Netflix, not to mention YouTube.), an iPhone / iPod dock, two HDMI ports, a USB port, and the ability to control it via an iPhone app (there’s also an Android app that will do the job).

I’m very encouraged by this system because it’s a very nice overall package. It’s going to meet today’s needs–with its Blu-ray and DVD capabilities–but also tackle those of tomorrow as well with its streaming capabilities. I love it when a system can handle more than one application, and this is one of those. Even better, the sound is pretty solid coming out of this thing, and should do a nice job of putting extra loud and rumble back in your home theater experience.

The price isn’t even, strictly speaking, terrible–three different places are selling these at right around five hundred bucks, so you won’t have to take out a mortgage to improve your home viewing.

The Sony BDV-E580 may not be the best system you’ll get, but considering how well it takes care of your needs today and tomorrow both? It’ll certainly be one to consider.