iLIVE IT818B Home Theater System
iLive IT818B 5.1 Channel Home Theater Sound Bar w/ iPod Dock

I bought this iLive IT818B to provide a central entertainment system in our bedroom centered around our iPod touche (my wife and I both have one). I wanted to be able to run video from the iPod to a large screen Visio HDTV, to get great sound for our iPod music collections, and to tie in other entertainment peripherals like a DVD, Blue Ray, etc. I am extremely pleased with the results. The movies from the iPod go through the iLive IT8181B on composite video, the built in DVD hooks in through to the HDTV on the DVI connection (which either of the two component video imputs would also output through the iLive to the Visio) and they all use the high fidelity 5.1 sound system in the iLive which is very, very good. The sound system has a center, two rear, two front and two woofer speakers. The sound is very good and we are very happy with it, whether coming from our iPod, the DVD, or other peripherals attached to the unit. Much better than the sound on the Viso, and as good as many higher end systems, particularly when you use the various options in the iLive for equalization and sound enrichment. The remote on the iLive is good and controls most iPod functions, the DVD functions, and the iLive fiunctions as well. For the iPod, be aware, the remote cannot get back to the iPod touch main screen to switch between music and video...you will have to do that on the iPod itself, which can be done while it sits in the dock of the iLive. The unit is very stylish too...with a great footprint sitting below our wide screen HDTV on a lower level of our entertainment center. It's about 37" wide, is black, and matches very well our Visio HDTV both in color and in total width. If you can afford $250 dollars or so, this device will allow you to create a very good entertainment system centered around your iPod.
 
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I purchased the iLive IT818B speaker bar to compliment an on-wall flat screen TV that I had just purchased and installed in the bedroom. The new 37” flat screen offered disappointing sound that was not completely unexpected, so improving the sound and having the added bonus of the incorporated DVD player and iPod player on the IT818B was a big plus and allowed me to eliminate a “boombox” style iPod player that took up space and was an eye-sore on my dresser. Installing the IT818B was straightforward. Two brackets are supplied to mount to studs in the wall. Large rubber spacers in a variety of sizes for more challenging installation are included as well but not necessary. A completely flush mount is possible. The unit is heavy, so studded support is necessary. I wanted the TV to mate up to the speaker bar for a uniform appearance with the flat-screen, so care to mount everything “just so” was necessary. I found I had to install the smaller set of spacers to allow a channel to route wires inconspicuously behind the unit to the TV. When installed the unit looks like it was mated to the TV. It looks really nice, and sits almost identically the same depth as the wall mounted LCD flat screen. Unless you know what you are looking at you can’t tell they aren’t made for one another. There are plenty of input/outputs of just about every type you could need including one HDMI out. They should be adequate for most users needs for the application this product is intended for. Unfortunately, the HDMI, as well as the component video output are only used for the units own DVD player. iPods, external game and other devices must be hooked up using S-Video or Composite Video only. It would make far more sense and be more convenient, let alone much higher Video quality if the unit transferred all the source outputs through the HDMI. Really, that’s what HDMI is there for. So it was necessary to run a low quality RCA or S-Video connection for my Video iPod and game console instead of a digital signal. The results were noticeable. Another minor downside to the cabling is they have all connections at the bottom of the unit. This works well should you have the unit sitting in front of a TV set on a table (with supplied stand), but does not work as well when mounting to the wall underneath the TV as I did. I thought about turning the unit upside down when mounting so all the connections would be directed into the TV, and this would work with the way they have the bracket installed on the back of the unit, but standing back you could tell the unit was upside down. So I plan to buy a few 90’s for the cables so they make a quick exit away from the bottom. A little tucking here and there and the wires and connectors disappear fairly well. The sound bar houses a 5.1 speaker array that is a huge improvement over the pathetic sound you get out of the smaller flat screens. But I must say the sound is not as good as the Altec Lansing “boombox” my iPod was previously docked in. I would describe the sound as good but not excellent, full but not rich. It does a good job with volume. I can’t imagine ever needing more than the unit produces. The base is adequate, but again not as good as the boombox. I used the supplied sub-out jack and hooked up an unused subwoofer I had and it really helped bring movies to a new level. There is an audible hum with the unit sits idle. Not noticeable when music or audio is going, but there nonetheless. The unit has a very cool motorized iPod dock that is perfect for the way the sound-bar is meant to be used. The tray hides away when not in use. The biggest disappointment I had with the unit is the function control and the display. The front of the iPod tray is a LCD display that acts as about the only interface as to what you are doing. First, the display is way too small and is difficult to read unless you are within a few feet of the unit. Secondly, none of the display data, nor none of the iPod display data is feed into any of the outputs. So you have to be close enough to look and read the iPod, as well as the LCD display. They absolutely should have this information output for the TV screen so you can tell what’s going on without making a trip each time over to look at the tiny display or iPod screen. And the last negative point with the controls, is that while the unit comes with a very complete and full feature remote that controls just about everything, it is necessary to cycle through the 8 inputs to get the one you are after. The remote with all it’s great features and controls should be able to direct access some of the most common functions, and that is direct access to at least 3 or 4 of the most common inputs – iPod, DVD, FM, Aux. Hammering the “function” button 7 times to jump around is a pain. Overall this unit is an outstanding value. Remember, this unit does several things. It’s an iPod dock, a Dvd player with 1080 upscaling, it makes your anemic sounding flat screen TV sound truly good. It’s an all-in-one solution, there are no wires to run, and it looks fantastic mated up with a black Flat-screen LCD TV. It is not a $1000 home theater system with 5 dedicated speakers and a subwoofer. Don’t expect it to sound like one. It is the perfect solution for your bedroom or den. It’s not meant to be a home theater. Although, when I was in college, this would have rocked my dorm room.
 
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