A few scant guidelines for choosing your home theater system:
1. HDTV may get all the glamour, but a real surround-sound system is what makes or breaks a theater.
2. Don't buy speakers in a hurry, even if you're only buying two for a stereo setup. Listen to them with your best or most impressive recordings.
3. Be realistic about matching loudspeakers to your room. If you've got tiny speakers in a big room, there's going to be a disparity.
4. "Home-theater-in-a-box" gimmicks with a receiver, player, and speakers built in are typically inferior. The electronics and player will be fine, but the speakers will more than likely suck.
Following any of these tips will help your system out. Trust me. And be sure to spend a proportionate amount for an HDTV and surround-system. The quality on both systems should match the resolution of your TV.
Find more in-depth tips and solutions at Audioholics.com.