Home Theater

	Sony 36" WEGA FD Trinitron w/2 - tuner PIP, Component video inputs, 2 S-video, 15Wx2 side-firing spkrs. Weight: ~240 lbs MSRP: $1,899 My Cost: $960	Television - The most important single component of your home theater system. This item will usually make or break your system, so when shopping, budget about 35% of your money on this piece. Look for picture clarity, number and type of inputs, and of course, the biggest TV you can get for your budget. Don't worry about the audio section, you won't be using them.
	Sony DVP650D 5-disc DVD changer w/component video outputs, Dobly Digital Decoding & fiber optics output MSRP: $699 My Cost: $425 Sony STR-DB830 Dolby Digital Receiver w/100Wx5, Dual sub output, digital EQ, pre-amp outputs, fiber inputs. MSRP: $699 My Cost: $404	DVD player - The source of your program should be a DVD player or DSS satellite or some other digital format to maintain the highest quality of playback. Your system is only as good as its source, so if you have a mono analog VHS, that's what you'll be watching. Also, for best quality, use component video inputs/outputs (~500 lines density). S-Video is ~400 lines and RCA is ~250 lines. The lower the line density, the grainer the picture. Most TV handle up to 500 lines. Amplifier - The receiver takes your audio from your source and decodes into 5.1 channels of sound: Left, Right, Center, Left Surround, Right Surround, and Bass/Subwoofer output. For Home Theater, always get a Dolby Digital receiver so, that you can decode digital sound from any source. Also, expensive receivers uses a high-flow, high-current amplifier while cheaper ones uses a low-current amplifier. So, a receiver costing $299 w/100Wx5 is NOT the same as one costing $799 w/100Wx5. There is a difference, but it depends on how much you want to spend and also on your speakers.
	Infinity BU-2 12" 120W powered subwoofer. Ported enclosure, downward-firing. MSRP: $549 My Cost: $384 Polk Audio Speakers: Main - RT55i w/1" tweeter, 6.5" woofer, PowerPort MSRP: $620 pr My Cost: $400 pr Center - CS400i w/1" tweeter, dual 6.5" woofers MSRP: $399 My Cost: $250 Surrounds: f/x300i w/(2) 1" tweeter, 5.25" woofer, PowerPort. MSRP: $399 pr My Cost: $150 pr	Speakers - The speakers of your system is what differentiates your DVD movies from your regular TV shows. The sounds that are recorded within the DVD movies can only be properly reproduced using quality speakers. The use of a powered subwoofer is a MUST. Without it, your home theater just sounds like loud TV speakers. The subwoofer produces the bass that will make you feel the movie. One thing to remember is that your front three speakers HAVE to be voice-matched which means that they use the same tweeters and hopefully, same size woofers. I found out that if you don't, your center channel speaker sounds weaker than your fronts which would force you to turn up your system for dialogues and turn it down for action scenes. But every speaker maker is different, so use your ears to determine what's good for your particular room.