I ordered a 50PZ800 last week and now I'm thinking about what to do for a surround sound setup.

Everybody in this forum was a HUGE help in my TV search and you guys were basically my #1 source of information. I've gotten so I feel pretty comfortable with my purchase and also think in many cases I knew as much or more than many of the salesman I talked to.

Anyways, now I'm trying to decide on a sound setup and just looking for some clues on what to generally look for. Basically, I don't need the best of the best....I'm pretty much all about the best value for the money and I'm hoping to spend around $500 or so if possible.

I really would like some sort of wireless setup for the back speakers.

I think my biggest problem might be deciding what type of receiver I need. Seems like most of these setups come with a DVD player of some sort...which may or may not upscale. And I really don't need another DVD player (unless it was a DVD recorder).

I have a PS3 that I plan to use for blu-ray and to upscale DVD's. And I was planning to leave my "old" DVD/VCR combo hooked up on component inputs.

So I really just want to add some sort of receiver and some speakers to my setup and really want a wireless front to back system. Don't really care if the receiver plays DVD's/CD's....I just want some good sound.

Not sure if I should look at a Panny setup...is their an advantage with the "Viera" stuff? Do I need to make sure the receiver had HDMI inputs or do they all have these days? Or is there something else you'd recommend I check out.

Just looking for a few thoughts on what to start with and maybe what people have found works well for them if you are running similar stuff that I'll be using. I'm a novice at all this stuff, but I still like to feel I'm buying the right thing and getting the most for my money.

THANKS

A $500 budget will be tough unless you are willing to go to the used market, especially if you need wireless rear speakers. Also, a lot of those Home Theater in a Box (HTIB) setups are limited in how many inputs you have available, unless they come with a true receiver.

If you really want the best sound from your PS3 you will want an HDMI receiver, and it is not safe to assume that any new receiver will have it. And a lot of budget receivers from the past couple of years that have HDMI inputs do NOT accept audio over HDMI, so it defeats the purpose.

Given that you aren't going high-end, the value of HDMI audio from PS3 may be questionable, as you might not be able to hear the difference anyway between plain DD and hi-res audio.

I would migrate over to the speaker and receiver forums, since this is a little off topic for the plasma forum, but hold onto your wallet! Pretty soon those guys will have you dropping $1200 on a Denon 3808ci and another two grand on speakers! :D

But, if your needs are simple, I highly recommend the used market. A 2 or 3-year-old receiver will sound just as good, you just won't have the full HDMI functionality... but to get really useful HDMI functionality these days you have to spend $400 minimum (Onkyo TX-SR605, a used Denon 2807, etc.).

I would recommend finding a solid receiver and then getting some decent speakers used off your local craigslist. Then, figure out what you like or don't and build from there. If you start with a cheap HTIB from the start, you will be limiting your input options and future upgrade-ability.

Start by listing every component that needs to feed audio to the receiver. Since the 800U has plenty of inputs, you don't really need fancy video switching unless you want to simplify hookup (i.e. if you are wall mounting and don't want to run 5 different cable sets in the wall). Then, you will start to have a sense of what options you need.

I've looked long and hard to find an acceptable surround system with wireless rears for 500 or so. Such a set up just isn't viable right now. I've become very excited about the new Sony sound bar, the CT-100 though. It isn't true surround, but everyone who has reviewed it here and elsewhere seems very pleased with it. It retails for only $300. It doesn't come with a true receiver, but it does come with a subwoofer, and it has three HDMI connections. It is really seems to be the perfect solution for my needs. I didn't need a DVD player anyway as I plan on using a PS3. Many here have paired the two and love it. I believe the remote for the CT-100 will control the PS3 as well.

I'll check out that Sony Ct-100 to see what that's all about.

The only things I'm planning to run through a receiver are a PS3 and my "regular" DVD/VCR combo player that we have. And not sure if the HDTV cable box needs to run through it or not. That's about all I need going through it.

Not sure how many HDMI inputs I would need on the receiver...assuming one for the ps3, one for the cable box and maybe one for the TV? Or can everything run to just the TV with only the TV being hooked to the receiver? My old DVD/VCR combo would probably only have component hookup.

Really appreciate the help.

Really don't want to spend a fortune....I'm not out to have an amazing top of the line setup....but I don't want a "walmart special" setup either :) I've put a bit of money into the TV and PS3 so don't want to get too skimpy on the sound.

Looks like I could get the Onkyo TX-SR605 for around $375 shipped on Ebay....so maybe I'll just pick that up.

Are you able to just add a wireless front to back speaker setup to that receiver or does it have to be wired?

You may have to give up the dream of wireless rears for now. You can either buy them separately or as part of a setup, but frankly a lot of them just suck and the good ones aren't cheap.

If you want to save money, and don't have the ability to run wires in an inconspicuous way, you can just forgo the surrounds for now and go with a 3.1 setup or even just a stereo setup. The best value is found by prowling the used market, but you should probably do a lot of research before you jump so you know what you are getting. If you want to keep things simple, get a HTIB with a full receiver. Or, you could do as enkidu suggested and go with one of those "fake surround" soundbars. If you aren't super picky they would probably work fine.

As to wiring through the receiver -- the receiver controls the audio, so you want all audio going into it. Whether the video goes in depends on your setup and the receiver. Since you only have three video sources (PS3, cable box, DVD) you could just go video direct to TV and audio direct to receiver... but then you are losing HDMI audio from Blu Rays on the PS3.

So if I were in your position, I would find a decent mid-level HDMI receiver off eBay. Like I said, do your research -- be careful when a receiver or HTIB is advertised with HDMI, as if it doesn't do AUDIO over HDMI it is basically useless for your purposes (watch out for the "HDMI video passthrough" label). I think the Onkyo TX-SR674 is a great value right now, it has HDMI and unlike the 605 it converts all video inputs to HDMI output so you only have to connect one cable to the TV. A used Denon 2807/987 or 2307/887 could do the trick to. Start reading some reviews of receivers, checking out the audio forums, and do some research and see what will suit your needs.