I purchased the components for my first real home theater starting in April of 2002, starting with a TV and DVD player. It started with just an S-video cable, and using the TV's speakers. After I moved into my current apartment, I purchased the rest of my equipment.
The central video component of any home theater starts with the display. On a very tight budget, and meeting current needs, I purchased a Sony KV-27FS13 27" tube television set.
The second most important video component is the DVD player. Again on a tight budget, I selected the Sony DVP-NS400D. This is connected to my TV via a 2 meter Monster Cable Monster Video 2 component video cable. The audio output of the DVD player is connected to the receiver with a Monster Cable ILS100 2 meter fiber-optic cable.
A third necessary component for be was a good old fashioned VCR. I still have a lot of content on tape that I would like to transfer to a computer someday, but that's still someday. I went with the Sony SLV-N99.
The single most important piece of any home theater is the A/V receiver. I let the guy at Best Buy talk me into a Yamaha HTR-5550 (yes, they make A/V equipment, and no, it doesn't sound like an old two-stroke...). If I could do that part over again, I do believe I'd have myself a slightly more expensive Denon receiver. Other than the display not lighting up at times (which really isn't that bad of a thing when you want it dark for watching movies) I guess I really can't complain about the thing.
As a big Phish fan, I have lots of music that is downloaded and burned onto CDs. I need somewhere to put them and play them, so I purchased a Sony CDP-CX355 300 disc changer. It's currently about 3/4 full. This is connected to the receiver with a Monster Cable ILS100 2 meter fiber-optic cable. One nice thing about this CD changer is that it has a PS/2 keyboard interface that allows you to program the CD text much more easily.
Another part that I still needed for some old audio was a tape deck. I didn't look around much for this because I knew whatever I got would be plenty good for playing some old cassettes. I went with the Sony TC-WE475 dual cassette deck. Nothing special here. I'll have to check on the cable that is doing the connecting as I don't recall what it is off the top of my head.
The speakers are a bit more fun. The are from the Northridge Series by JBL. This is the brand that a lot of theaters use, so it has to be good, right? Yep. I can't wait to get my own house and cut these puppies loose. The mains are a pair of JBL ND310II 3-Way, Dual 10-Inch Floorstanding Speaker and can be seen in the picture. The center channel is a JBL N-CenterII 2-Way, Dual 5-Inch Center Channel Speaker. The two surround speaker are a pair of JBL N24II 2-way, 4 inch bookshelf speakers on FSN24 speaker stands. The thunder of the system is a JBL PowerBass PB12 12", 250-Watt Down Firing Powered Subwoofer.
Another often overlooked part of a good home theater set up is the speaker wire. The five main speakers are connected to the receiver with Monster Cable XP Clear Jacket compact speaker cable. The two floorstanding speakers are connected with 15 ft. lengths. The center channel is connected with a 10 foot length, and the surrounds are both connected with 25 ft. lenghts of cable. The subwoofer also needs a good cable. The PB12 is connected with a 12 foot lenth of Monster Cable MB300 SW-12 subwoofer interconnect.
The whole setup was calibrated with the Avia Guide to Home Theater DVD. The sound levels were adjusted with the help of an analog display Sound Level Meter from Radio Shack. It works a heck of a lot better than my ears do.
For the enjoyment of television programming, I have Charter Communications digital cable. I regret to say they are an evil company, but one thing you've got to love about Madison is that the phone companies are even worse! (And I have to suffer with the 3 Mbps internet pipeline the give me also... *sigh*)
Another interesting aspect of the home theater setup that I needed to consider at the advice of my wise(guy) Uncle Terry was powering all this stuff I had bought. I knew plugging it all into the wass probably wasn't the best idea I ever had, so I went looking for the solution. The result was a TrippLite LC 1800 line conditioner. I can't say I've ever had any problems with power, but I've also never had a problem with any of the components plugged into it. I'm sold. These units will be a part of my future home theater endeavors as well.
So what does one do with a home theater? Start a good DVD collection I'd expect. That's just what I've set out to do. Some of my personal favorites include American Beauty, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, the Lord of the Rings trilogy (all the Special Extended Editions), Amelie and Miracle. You can find a link to the complete list here (once I finish that page).
Along those lines, this is also a wonderful setup for listening to music. I've already mentioned the abundance of Phish that I have. A complete list of music may sometime be available here. Two other music formats that deserve checking out are DVD-Audio and SACD. We'll see how much these formats catch on, as I'm still a couple years away from getting into something like that.
In the age where computers are beginning to be integrated into everything, one area the is still just beginning to be explored is the integration of the computer and its digital media content with that of the home theater. Who wants to look at digital pictures on a computer monitor, or a small printout when they could show up on your television? It would be good on my 27" set, but imagine on a plasma screen, or a projection screen! Not that anyone wants to look at pictures of me that big, but you get the idea. The possibility exists for streaming audio and video as well.
With this in mind, I've started looking for a solution. All I really want to be able to do is sit in my chair with my laptop and be able to control digital pictures being displayed on my TV. Solutions exist, but all rely a little too much on Windows for my taste. We'll give it some time and see what the industry can come up with. One intriguing current possibility is the DSM-320 from D-Link.
These are a few thoughts and ramblings about Home Theater 1.0. Someday when I buy a house, there will be a drastically upgraded Home Theater 2.0. That's still some years (and some amount of dollars) away, but promises to be a wonderful adventure.