What should I buy? I am looking for a blue ray-television-stereo {4 cd+},40"screen/4 spk/4+ cd, very confusing

Question

I have looked at components on their own, and I have looked at packages. Everyone seems to want to unload the HDTV, and I want Blue Ray since it is going to last. However, plasma or HD? speakers? stereo? Is it best to buy a package or will l save money by buying the parts individually. For example, the stereo one place, and the speakers another and the tv. screen another place and the Blue ray thingy another place??? Geesh, it is really confusing and very pricey. I would appreciate any technical information and really solid advice based on really solid knowledge.

Answer 1

Easy. Set a budget, go to your local store and tell them what you need.

Answer 2

Most home theater in a box setups aren't good. Buying the components separately lets you choose better quality and you'll be happier in the long run (it will actually cost you more but it's worth it). I prefer the picture on a plasma but you can't play games on them. Bluray players are great but you may want to buy a ps3 which is also a bluray player. To choose speakers, you just have to listen to a lot of different ones in the store. I have Klipsch which I love but some people find them too bright (too much high frequency). Try to listen to Klipsch, Boston Acoustics, Polk and Cambridge Soundworks (less expensive and very good for the $). As for receivers, Denon is my favorite but Yamaha is a close 2nd (and many people will flip that around and add Outlaw Audio in the mix).

I think the main things you want to think about are the best speakers you can afford with a middle of the line receiver. The CD player, and dvd (if you get a regular dvd player) can be less expensive ones. Good luck!

Answer 3

First of all, read some guides.  Get a general idea of what exactly all this stuff is.  Bestybuy.com has some pretty useful ones.  You don't need to become an HDTV technician overnight, but you should read up a bit...it's always important to be an educated consumer.  

The two breeds of HDTVs are Plasma and LCD.  LCD's for the most part have a sharper picture and Plasma's have smoother motion.  Plasma's are a tad cheaper at this point, but are at risk of burn-in (an image which stays in one place for a long time will remain on the screen).  I personally prefer LCD's.  I like Samsung and Sony for LCD's.  Video games and computers look better on them too.

Movies are still coming out on dvd and will be for a while so you can afford to wait on the blu-ray if you're not willing to spend so much at this point.  If you're a real HD freak (like me!) the Playstation 3 is actually one of the cheapest Blu-ray players out there.  It has excellent capabilities as a media center especially if you attach an additional hard drive....it can also get files from your computer via a wireless connection.  Of course, Sony makes a standalone blu-ray player if you're going for a straight-up blu-ray player.

Home theater in a box systems will not be of the same quality as ones with individually selected components...however they do make some pretty good ones.  Sony and Yamaha make good products in the $500-600 range.  If you're not really an audio nut and you want surround sound for the sake of having surround sound, then these systems are for you.  

Hope this has helped.  Message me if you have more questions.