New BluRay, need surround sound set up, please help!

[bobjohnson]

Hello all, I'm new to this forum and new to home audio in general and need some help.

I currently have the following:

-Vizio 47 inch LCD 1080p HDTV
Costco - Vizio 47" 1080P LCD HDTV

- Sony BDP-BX1 Blu-Ray player
Sam's Club - Sony Blu-ray Disc™ Player .

- Cable company HD DVR/HD TV Package

- I also plan on purchasing a video game system in the future so the system needs to be able to accommodate additional components.

-My room is aprox 15x25, the couch is up against a wall so from what I understand 5.1 surround should be best because there is no room behind the couch to place rear speakers (but I wouldn't mind having a 7.1 receiver in case my room set up changes in the future).

My fiancé attempted to buy my a surround sound set up but I wasn't happy with it so I took it back. I am attempting to buy separate receiver/speakers but don't really understand all the ins and outs of the technology and need some help. My questions are as follows:

- What should I be looking for in an entry/mid level receiver to capture the full capabilities of both the blu-ray and the hd tv?

-Are there any features I should be sure to look for when building a surround sound system?

- In my research there has been a lot of talk about upscaling/hdmi cables/optical cables etc, does any of that matter? I currently use HDMI cables directly from the devices to my TV (there are 4 HDMI ports on the back of the TV)

If anyone can help me narrow down what features are a must have and what units I should consider it would be a huge help. Thank you so much for your help!

 

[Greg Hook]

Hello and welcome to our forums. You realise you won't ever have any money ever again don't you?

I'm guessing you are American, is that right from the links you posted?

As for your system, ideally you want an amplifier that can accept the HD sound formats via HDMI. So you would connect your blu-ray player via HDMI to the amp, then connect the amp via HDMI to the TV. Also if you have other items that use HDMI, you connect these also to your amp, then it would mean you just have the one cable from amp to TV.

The Onkyos are great amps, such as the 805,875,905 etc, but can you confirm if you are from the US as this probably limits the help I can give anyway.

 

[kingfats]

. I am attempting to buy separate receiver/speakers but don't really understand all the ins and outs of the technology and need some help. My questions are as follows:

- What should I be looking for in an entry/mid level receiver to capture the full capabilities of both the blu-ray and the hd tv?

-Are there any features I should be sure to look for when building a surround sound system?

- In my research there has been a lot of talk about upscaling/hdmi cables/optical cables etc, does any of that matter? I currently use HDMI cables directly from the devices to my TV (there are 4 HDMI ports on the back of the TV)

If anyone can help me narrow down what features are a must have and what units I should consider it would be a huge help. Thank you so much for your help!

Welcome to the forum.
If you don't mind me asking what would your budget be?
All the best.

 

[bobjohnson]

Thanks for the replies guys, and yes Greg, I am in America.

I don't really have a set limit on my budget but I know I won't really use all the features of a premier unit. I can justify spending between $300-$600 on the receiver. I don't need all the bells and whistles but I want to do my best to future-proof my receiver for a few years so I don't have to buy a new one as technology advances. I also want to get the most out of my blu-ray/television. I just found out that a friend of mine can get me speakers at cost so all I have to focus on at this point is the receiver. Let me know if any additional info helps. Thank you!