Soundbar shoppers: Consider these 10 essential features

Snapping up a feature-packed soundbar makes for the easiest way to boost your TV's crappy sound. We've rounded up 10 key things to look for when shopping for your next soundbar, from support for immersive 3D audio formats (like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X) and multi-room audio to a center channel and a night mode. Granted, it's tough to find a specific soundbar with all the features we've ticked off (and those that do come with price tags north of $1,500), but we'll give you an idea of the functionality you should expect to see in a soundbar at a given price point. If you don't want to wake your housemates while taking in a late-night movie, a soundbar with a night mode is essential. By compressing the dynamic range of the audio, a night mode allows you to turn the volume up high enough to hear the action without worrying about sudden, room-shaking explosions or ear-popping gunshots.