Would anybody be able to recommend a good home theater system for under 500 bucks? Any particular brand I should look for or stay away from?

 

stay away from the cheap 299 sony ones with receiver, got one, that thing sucked more than a prostitute.

 

What kind of tv do you have? If you have a fairly new tv with hdmi 1.3 inputs, you might not find a home theater-in-a-box (HTiB) that would do your tv justice. On the other hand, if your tv is older and you're not concerned about having the best picture quality it can display, you can probably find something that will last you a couple of years, but remember, you get what you pay for. The components used in sub $500 HTiB aren't very good. You may want to check Craigslist for a good, used home theater.

 

I just picked up 42" toshiba 1080P LCD a couple of weeks ago. I am using an HDMI input for my PS3 but I am unsure if it is 1.3.

 

What's the model number? Usually searching the tv specs on Toshiba's website will tell you if your tv has hdmi 1.3 inputs. In most cases, 1.3 isn't necessary, it's just the lastest version of hdmi, which your ps3 supports. If you want to watch cable/satellite, then switch to your ps3 to watch a bluray or dvd movie, having a receiver that accepts multiple hdmi inputs (and upconverts any non-hdmi signals to a single hdmi output) will allow you to switch between components without having to switch video sources on your tv.

 

Looks like it is version 1.3. I would definently like to switch between components through a receiver.

 

Go to www.avsforum.com. Go to the HTIB section. There is a sticky of HTIB's that accept HDMI audio. I believe for that price range the Samsung A720 and some Sony HTIB's are what you are looking at. I have a Sony CT100 that was $220 on sale and I personally love it contrary to what some clueless Moderators think.




























J/K csmeance

 

My brother is looking for a $500 system as well. He's seriously considering these components:
- Polk RM6750 5.1 speaker system ($199)
- Onkyo TX-SR505 7.1 Receiver ($190)
- adding another ($100) for an upconverting DVD player.

Note that the SR505 doesn't decode audio from the HDMI input, it only switches HDMI. You need to run seperate audio cables into the 7.1 multichannel input.

 

That was my opinion of it, the thing had no volume unless it was near max...

 

i'm thinking of getting this system to hook to my plasma and PS3. the Onkyo HT-S5100

http://www.circuitcity.com:80/ccd/pr...&catOid=-13325

 

Even though I have one HTIB's suck compared to full built out systems. Most of the time you gotta pay to play.

 

i would recommend onkyo from circuit city