Budget-Friendly Home Theater Gear

While Home Theater-related products certainly abound, some at astronomical price points, there's no need to break the bank with each purchase as a vast array of cable and equipment management solutions are available at every price point – many of which thankfully solve some really annoying problems.

Consider these cost-effective Home Theater solutions:

Universal Remote: $216

A universal remote control will allow the lucky owner to relax to the fullest extent and focus on you and your guests instead of the equipment. The Logitech Harmony 880 is one advanced universal remote that can control all entertainment systems with the touch of a button. It's optimized for complicated HDTV and PVR systems to help you set-up difficult configurations. For example, the interactive color display lets you quickly choose a 16:9 ratio for movies and HDTV, or the standard 4:3 ratio for basic television programming.

PowerSquid Home Theater Surge Protector: $62.95

The PowerSquid Home Theater Surge Protector is one of the most sophisticated and effective power appliances around. The numerous added features offer supreme surge protection for you home theater, computer, or general electrical equipment. The enhanced reach, flexibility, and room for adapter plugs make the PowerSquid easier to use than traditional strips. This premium edition comes equipped with a fail-safe circuit and alarm to provide superior protection in the event of a lightning strike or severe power surge.

Video Projection Screens: From $465

VU-EASY's economical video projection screen offers outstanding quality and value. It features an ultra flat viewing surface and fabric secured to the frame with Velcro, which assures a permanently tensioned screen. The extruded aluminum frame is powder coated matte black for durability, and all brackets are included. Custom sizes available.

Surface Raceways: From $2.99

Non metallic wiring management systems such as surface raceways are a functional, affordable, attractive solution for wire enclosure applications. Surface raceways can include a full complement of accessories such as pre-applied adhesive backing, fittings, inside and outside corners so your wire management systems can be 100% customized. All parts are made of strong, durable, lightweight, UL 94-VO compliant PVC that is also paintable to match perfectly walls, ceilings and even baseboards.

Label Printers: From $7.99

These nifty gadgets take the frustration and guesswork out of that Home Theater cable and wiring octopus down below. Perhaps the most versatile gadget on earth, with dozens of makes and models to choose from, label printers can be a life saver. The DYMO RhinoPRO 3000 Printer is an affordable portable label printer that was specifically designed for residential use, with exclusive "Hot Keys" providing easy, one-touch labeling of many common functions including cable wraps and flags, fixed lengths, distribution panels, vertical labels and much more.

Home Theater Slide Out Racks & Shelving Systems: From $16.11

Middle Atlantic's REB rotating sliding base - starting at $142.02 - allows you to gain simple and easy access to the rear panels, connections, and cables of all your home theater electronic components in small cabinets and entertainment centers. You can slide and rotate the base to the left or the right and it will stop at 60° to prevent any strain on the cables. The rotating sliding base comes complete with cable management accessories to organize wires and eliminate cable clutter behind the cabinet. Self-adhesive Velcro feet are also included to prevent movement of your equipment when pulling out or rotating the base. A locking mechanism stops any accidental movement of components. Available in 14" or 18" depth to allow for a wide variety of component depths and cabinetry.

Monster Video 1 Component Video Cable: $39.95

Offers improved performance for the best possible picture. MV1CV features a dual foil and high-purity, high density braided copper shielding to reject interference. A low-density structured foam dielectric ensures low-loss video signal transfer.

Security Lock Boxes: From $68.47

Rackmount Lockboxes from Middle Atlantic will keep frequently used gear and spare parts exactly where they need it. No need to waste time scurrying to different locations to pick up essential gear and parts. It's right there under lock and key. Each model has a useful depth of 9".

1.3a Certified / ATC Certified HDMI Cables: From $6.99

HDMI 1.3a adds six benefits to the HDMI line of cables. The most obvious and easiest to understand is higher data transfer speed. HDMI 1.3a increases the data transfer speed of your system to 340MHz (10.2 Gbps). This 24k gold plated cable is a perfect match for your high definition television (HDTV), Blu-ray player, Sony Playstation 3, Xbox 360, satellite dish, or cable box.

By Christina Hansen
Christina Hansen is a Product Specialist at CableOrganizer.com – a leading eTailer of cable, wire and equipment management solutions. She may be reached through the company’s Web site located at http://CableOrganizer.com.