home theater system

[steve3p0]

for the past few years, i've been getting along with my 19 inch GE mono television. (i'm sure many of you cringe as you read that.)

i'm thinking especially with the holidays coming up, now is as good a time as any to upgrade to a bigger set and possibly set up a home theater system so that i can experience more through surround sound... etc. i imagine i should be able to find some good deals with holiday sales and id really like to set up a quality system. but... i have no clue as to where to start.

most of you are into dvd's and maybe also into the home theater experience so i'm hoping for some advice. i'd really appreciate hearing about the kind of set up you have, good or bad experiences in regard to brand or store, what you would recommend or recommend staying away from and basically anything that you think would be of help to me.

i'm looking to spend around $500 - 1000. (too much ? , not enough ? )
i don't really want the most expensive and greatest super high-end set up. i would just like a nice quality system that ill still be happy with 5- 10 years from now. i'd appreciate any help.

thanks in advance.

[Exhaust Port]

I would look into a 32"-36" TV to start. The "old" tube sets are falling quickly in price so you can get a pretty big screen cheaply. I would also recommend going to the Electronics store looking for the out of box sales (i.e. floor models) which will knock a couple hundred bucks off the price. 5 years ago I got a 36" set for $350 at Best Buy by buying the floor model.

DVD players are pretty cheap now as well and some pretty good models can be had for a little over $125.

Those 2 things can bring movies to life even without the surround sound. Since your looking to spend only $1000 I would recommend just getting those 2 things and maybe pocketing the rest of the money until you can take the next step.

The Next Step: surround sound!

There are 2 key components; reciever and speakers. Of the 2, more money should be spent on great speakers. The best reciever in the world sounds like crap with $100 speakers. Speakers can set you back $500 alone with a fairly decent receiver costing $350.

Don't short change yourself by trying to buy all the components of a good home theater at once. A TV and DVD player would bring the most satisfaction. To get that 10+ year sound system will cost $800-1000 so get that later.

Last bit of advice is to look to Consumer Reports to help you money go further when making your choice in TV and DVD player.