Wow, I had no idea home theatre Blu-Ray systems were that cheap. Hmmmm....

I would not order one online without seeing it in a store to make sure it has all the inputs/outputs you need to integrate with the rest of your system.

You don't need to see it to be sure it has the inputs and outputs, do you? You just need to read the specs.

I am in general averse to all-in-one systems. I think it's more freeing to be able to upgrade one piece without regard for the other. Starting off with a sound bar means you can later upgrade to a full system if you want the more complete experience.

You don't need to see it to be sure it has the inputs and outputs, do you? You just need to read the specs.

No, that's true. Amazon just doesn't always list them.

That's what product manuals are for.

The main Amazon product page on the blu-ray home theater system linked above has photos of the input/outputs, which is helpful. $300 price for the whole shebang really can't be beat and it sounds like quality is pretty sweet for the money, but I share ita's reservation about all-in-one systems. I'd have upgraded my DVD player to blu-ray player a while ago if my current system wasn't integrated.

How do people like their sound bars? Polk models seem to have the best reviews but they're also pretty pricey.

I have a Samsung sound bar. I'm no audiophile, but I really like it. I think much more would be lost on me.

Once ND is off his business conference call I will direct him here. He may have an answer or more insight/other options for you to consider.

Ooh, interesting convo. I will be reading along! I keep thinking about getting some sort of better sound for my TV than it has, and a new DVD player (my current one is the old TiVO). But not sure if I really want to get blu-ray. IS it seriously the wave of the future?

My dad loves his sound bar. I have a much fancier system, so I can't really speak to it personally.

If I were recommending something, I'd recommend this: [link] plus this: [link]

The Onkyo home theater systems are among the best, consistently, and have the advantage of including a true receiver, so you can upgrade components in it a la carte.

If that LG model is like my older one, it's extremely easy to stream videos over the network - I don't even use DLNA, the player has no problem simply connecting to my shared drive (an external hard drive connected directly to my router) and streaming off of that.

I've never been a huge fan on the Onkyo stuff. It is nicely built, but I don't like the overall character of the sound. I've been pretty consistently happy with Denon equipment and Klipsch or Boston Acoustics speakers, but those tend to come at a higher price point. In the bedroom we have a small Sony surround system that performs pretty well and then we use a Samsung Blu-Ray with it. I'll see if I can track down the Sony information. At the time it was the only compact system that actually came with multiple HDMI inputs which meant that it was a sole qualifier for use in our bedroom. There had to be a way to get the XBox, TivoHD, and Blu-Ray all through it and to the TV and I didn't have room for a massive system in there.

In the living room I have a train wreck mess of audio gear that I want to replace at some point. It's a reasonable Sony receiver, which ended up being chosen because it was the only one that wasn't stupid amounts of money that actually had 4 HDMI inputs. The speakers are cheap Yamaha that are left over from an old surround system.