SONOS PLAYBASE $699
All-in-one speaker for your television

Sonos is the gold standard for multiroom audio. And now it has introduced a one-piece TV speaker unit called the Playbase.

The Playbase is a combination soundbar and subwoofer all in a small enclosure designed to sit under and support your TV (up to 77 pounds).

Of course, this means people with their TV mounted on the wall will find it difficult to use the Playbase, which has to sit on a flat surface.

The Playbase is designed to play simply the sound from your TV. It requires your TV to have an optical audio output. A power cable and the audio cable (which are included) are all you need to get the Playbase up and running.

The setup is done with a smartphone app and is painless.

You don't need any other Sonos speakers in your home to use the Playbase, but if you do have an existing Sonos system, you'll be joining it.

The beauty of the Playbase is that it works as a TV sound system when you're watching TV, but it works like another Sonos room speaker when you're not watching TV.

You will be connecting the Playbase to your internet, either wirelessly or through an Ethernet cable. The Playbase does not use HDMI and is not designed to be used with a home theater receiver.

The setup will also walk you through getting your TV's remote to control the volume on the Playbase.

One minor annoyance: When I changed my television's configuration to disable the internal speakers, every time I adjusted the sound on the Playbase, my television displayed a small dialogue that said, "Speakers Off."

DALLAS MORNING NEWS

YUGGLER FREE
An app for kid-friendly activities near you

Parents, need an extra hand entertaining the kids? With your Yuggler iPhone app you can build a list of fun things to do at your destination that puts the kids' interests first.

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You click on icons to sort the type of activity you want and sign in with Facebook, Twitter or an e-mail address.

LOS ANGELES TIMES