I am making the leap to HDTV, in time for the DTV transition. What should I get?

Question

I want a full Home theater system e.g. suround,LCD HDTV. And should I get Blu-Ray

I would like to keep it around $3000

Answer 1

We just purchased a samsung 40" hdtv, its awesome all you need to get with it is an HDMI cable, it plugs right into the back of the tv, this cable will bring out the high defininition.I would not get bluray, the future does not look good for it, get a upconversion dvd player.

Answer 2

Now keep in mind you want to remember the size of your room that you'll be putting the TV and sound system in. Too big a room and too small a TV and you'll be really disappointed. Too big a TV and too small a room and it'll fell like you're sitting right in front of the TV.

The size of the screen matters also with the viewing angle of the set. Like DLP sets the viewing angle is 160 - 170 degrees.

Keep in mind that with a 40" set you're optimum viewing distance is going to be about 5-8' away from the set. Meaning that you're going to need at least one dimension of your rooms to be at least 10'. Larger room, means larger set.

If you're considering Blu-Ray, get the PS3, it is a good Blu-Ray player, can be upgraded through firmware updates to the newest specifications, and also allows playing of games. It has upconversion of DVDs as well.

The only thing you might have some trouble with is the $3000 budget. The TV set alone could run you almost $2000, that leaves you with $1000 to spend on your sound and blu-ray. A good receiver with decent speakers, and sub could run you close to that $1000 mark. Then you're talking about another $500 for the blu-ray (PS3).