Home Theater Essentials for Less

Recently a friend of mine asked me just what he would need to put together the ultimate home theater system for a reasonable price. Understanding that he didn't want to break the bank or take out a second mortgage on the house to create a great entertainment centerpiece, I gave him the basic essentials and a cool home theater system discount to get him started.

Here's the advice I gave him:

• Step one is getting your hands on a quality HDTV. Plasma or LCD, depending on your personal preference, will do. In my opinion, you want to look for a model that is 1080p and at least 50-52" in size.

• Next up, you will need a quality receiver. You'll want to purchase a Blu-ray player or HD cable box that has a high-def AV source. If you want to go a different route, you can buy a standard DVD player with upscaling capabilities. Upscaling allows the DVD to generate 1080p quality images out of your standard DVDs, i.e.; audio and video on your regular DVDs are made compatible your high-def screen and surround sound speakers.

• No system is complete without the addition of top-of-the-line speakers that will take the sound experience of your home entertainment time to a whole new level. Generally you want a 5.1 channel setup that contains multi-directional front speakers, center channel speakers and a dual driver subwoofer.

• As mentioned before, a Blu-Ray player or HD-DVD player is an essential component to your audio/visual experience. If you also happen to be a fan of gaming, then the Sony PS3 fills both the need for Next Gen gaming and stellar Blu-Ray performance. Check out our Sony coupons for this great deal where you can save $100 on PS3 systems.

To save some time and money, I suggest not trying to purchase all of these parts separately. With the exception of the HDTV and DVD players, which you generally have to buy on their own, you can find many home theater units for a reasonable price both online and off-line. Crutchfield and Electronics Expo are just two sites offering deep savings on home theater and audio equipment.

The Sony Bravia 5.1 Channel (see pic above) 1000W is a great home theater system that comes with an Apple iPod dock, full mode DVD/CD player, Dolby Digital, 4 satellite speakers, a sub-woofer, center speaker, digital inputs and HDMI support. Another great buy at an affordable price is the Yamaha Soundbar, which offers great surround sound quality audio and 1080i upscaling, while taking up minimal space in your living room or den.

Later this week I'll be posting some more info on this topic on my Twitter page @SavingsGCapes. Be sure to look out for some cool home theater deal links there as well.

Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any questions or just want to add your two cents to the mix!