Home theater technology moves so quickly that it is hard to keep up with all of the new gear. Nonetheless, here's my stab at some components currently available that I'm familiar with and think offer a great value.
HT speakers:Paradigm and Revel are two companies that offer similar approaches to HT sound (though Revel is more upscale). Each company offers several lines of complete sets HT speakers, all matched and all with high-quality, 3-way center channels. If you seek a really good system at reasonable prices, take a look at Revel's Concerta series. The sweet spot in Paradigm's line-up is their Reference series, which run about the same as Revel's Concerta speakers.
Subwoofer:SVS is a well-known U.S. company that also designs and manufactures speakers and sells directly to consumers over the Internet. They have models for almost every budget, and they are accurate and powerful. Hsu subs also offer great performance at a reasonable cost. For ultimate performance, the JLAudio Gotham offers about the best bass performance for under $5,000.
HT electronics: For a taste of high-end sound you can't go wrong with Anthem. In particular, their AVM 30/40/50 preprocessors are very good performers. I'm somewhat less impressed with their power amps. If you want to really go first class, Anthem's Statement series offers true state-of-the-art equipment at comparable prices. Integra offers a somewhat less expensive alternative to Anthem but with similar quality. They offer a full range of separates and hi-end home theater receivers. For those on a budget, you just can't go wrong with Outlaw Audio. They offer direct-to-consumer marketing of high quality gear at ridiculously low prices. Emotiva is another Internet-direct reseller of good HT electronics for very low prices. If you prefer a single box solution, Denon, Onkyo, and Marantz offer a line of HT receivers are hard to beat. They sound great and, unlike a lot of competitors, their implementation of HDMI video and sound seems bulletproof.
DVD player: I've looked at a lot of DVD players. My favorite currently-available lost cost ($299) unit is the Oppo DV-983H . It's Anchor Bay deinterlacing and solid core video performance provides a stunning 480p image. Perhaps the best standard DVD player on the market is the Marantz DV9600, and at $2000 it should be good. However, a better solution at about the same cost would be to get an inexpensive DVD player as a transport and then feed the digital signal to an external video processor, such as the DVDO Edge.
Blu-ray player: However, with the advent of high-definition players, buying a standard definition DVD player really doesn't make a lot of sense. The Samsung BD-P2500 Blu-ray player is a state-of-the-art standard definition DVD player in addition to providing eye-popping HD images and sound. Another great choice is the Panasonic DMP-BD35K or DMP-BD55K. Both are reasonably priced and offer excellent DVD playback as well as stellar Blu-ray performance. Marantz and Denon have released similar state-of-the-art Blu-ray/DVD players that will offer the best performance available if you can afford it.
Displays: This is a complicated question because of the variety of display types. But here's my take on the best currently available at a reasonable price in each of several categories:
Direct View CRT: Sony XRB (if you can find one!)
Digital Rear Projection: Samsung DLP (lamp-based), Mitsubishi Diamond DLP
1080P Digital Front Projection: Sharp XV-Z20000 (DLP), Marantz VP-15S1/VP-11S2 (DLP), JVC RS20 (LCoS), Sony VPL-VW70/200 (LCoS), Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 6500UB (LCD)
Digital Flat Panel: Plasmas by Panasonic, Samsung, and Pioneer. LCDs by Samsung and Sony.
