Hello, i am new to the home theater scene, so be gentle :-D. First i'd like to start off with what i currently own. I just bought indianapolis.craigslist.org/ele/1136621717.html, it is a 5.1 surround sound system without the receiver. I have 5 speakers and one sub woofer. The main thing about this thread is where can i find an extremely cheap receiver, or what i am trying to find basically just a dvd player that i can hook everything up with. Most surround sound system i see come with a dvd receiver and i have been having a tough time finding one. I basically want to hook everything up to my 720p HDTV as cheap as possible. Another concern i have is do i HAVE to have an authentic receiver and not just a dvd receiver to play my xbox 360 through it so i can have surround sound? Please give me some kind of help, thank you!

Those speakers appear to orphaned from a full blown all in one HTIB Panasonic system usually found in places such as Best Buy. Hence, the trouble of trying to find its mate- the DVD receiver that normally comes with the speakers. DVD receivers are 'rarely' sold as individual items, let alone as a brand like Panasonic. Brands like Panasonic, LG, and Samsung basically just make HTIB systems only, where you get everything, the all in one dvd player/ surround receiver unit and the proprietary speakers designed for it. As for your speakers you got from Craigslist, they maybe of proprietary design (funny looking connectors, subwoofer not powered or is powered and has a wacky plug) and maybe difficult to use a standard AVR which I would normally reccommend. As far as those AVRS are concerned, you can find bargains on them at Accessories 4 less.com. Marantz is a good example. But before you decide to embark on that. Try posting about those Panasonics on the HTIB threads to get even more definitive answers, I personally do not care for HTIBs let alone all in one DVD receivers, but understand if you are looking for a very affordable option here.