What the word on those surround sound speaker bars?
 

I want to do a little audio with my DLP, what the opinion of the sound bars that supposedly do the surround thing with out satallite speakers?

Polk makes one
http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/pro...stall_HSP.jpeg
The Polk SurroundBar is a remarkably easy way to enhance your movies, music, and TV shows with three-dimensional sound. This single speaker uses patented surround sound technology to deliver room-filling, wraparound audio without the need for rear speakers. The décor-friendly SurroundBar works with any home theater receiver, and its elegant design matches today's popular flat-panel TVs.

You can wall-mount the SurroundBar right below your TV, or use the supplied cradle to place this video-shielded speaker on your equipment stand or on top of a big-screen television. Setup is simple thanks to the included 25-foot cable with color-coded wires for all five channels.

For full home theater impact, pair the SurroundBar with a Polk powered subwoofer.
Details:
» video-shielded
» acoustic suspension
» frequency response 100-20,000 Hz (-3dB)
» handles up to 125 watts
» sensitivity 89 dB
» 8-ohm impedance
» SDA™ Surround technology delivers 360º wraparound sound from just one speaker
» Dynamic Balance® drivers are laser-tested to help identify and eliminate resonance points for cleaner sound
» three 3/4" Dynamic Balance dome tweeters
» seven 3-1/2" Dynamic Balance woofers
» five sets of 5-way binding posts
» extruded aluminum cabinet virtually eliminates sound-muddying resonance
» anti-diffraction grille for open, spacious imaging
» bracket included for easy wall-mounting
» cradle included
» 25-foot, 10-connector, color-coded speaker wire included
» optional UL-rated speaker cables recommended for in-wall runs
» black finish
» 42-5/8"W x 4-5/8"H x 5-1/8"D
» warranty: 5 years

Probably better then what ever is in your TV, but far from "good". Physics prevents speakers from being too small, its just one of those hurdles that has yet to be over come with out HUGE negative side effects.

Not as good as a full system. Decent solution if you don't want to run wires to the back of the room. If you're looking for stellar surround sound you need to get separate speakers.

loooks tiite

I wonder how it hooks up...does it use one channel of a reciever....or two?

Depends on the speaker.

One model
https://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/pr...0B-o_term.jpeg

Another model
https://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/pr...KB-o_term.jpeg

check out the Yamaha YSP-1

I'm pretty sure it is better than the polk one

It is. I've installed the YSP-1 and YSP-1000/1100 on several occasions. The only polk speaker bar I have installed was nothing more then speakers that hooks up to a receiver. The YSP-1 IS your receiver. If you get one, definitely get a subwoofer to go with it. They will get very loud, and they work ok. Definitely not the same as a full on surround sound system, but a decent solution for those oddly built homes that you just cannot run wires in. When you set it up using the microphone, you will feel like there are speakers around you while it sends it's test tones. It is actually kind of an eery feeling. You think your head is messing with you.

These are some crappy pics taken with a crappy camera of a YSP1 install from a while back:

http://www.mostlycrafts.com/workpics/ysp1.jpg
http://www.mostlycrafts.com/workpics/ysp2.jpg
http://www.mostlycrafts.com/workpics/ysp3.jpg

Okay??? So it looks like its self powered??? There are only RCA in/ouputs...no speaker inputs?????

why would you need speaker inputs, it IS the receiver and speaker as 2001AudiS4 said.

you feed in your audio signal, say from your DVD player or Xbox, and it takes care of the rest.

I thought you'd have to hook up a reciever to it...atleast thats what it seemed like in the Polk one!

The simpler the better!

I did install a Polk one a week or two ago. It did have speaker inputs to connect to a receiver. It did not have any circuitry of it's own, like the Yamaha does. To put it bluntly, it sucked ass!!!! The tv speaker sounded better then the sound bar.

From what I've been reading, the Yamaha one is the best one to get.

Yeah, so far from my experience, the Yamaha one is the best. If you don't love how the surround sound aspect of it sounds, at least it is a decent stereo. It really does get pretty loud and coupled with a sub sounds very good.