OK,
Time to splurge on a DVD player and surround sound system for the After Christmas Sales.  
What do you look for?  
300 watts?  600 watts?  Watts the difference?
Do I get a separate tuner?
Do I get one of those combo systems?
What is the difference between the panosonic and Sony.
\all advice wanted
HELP!

How much money do you want to spend?

What's your current video display? Does it support a component connection to the DVD?

How big is the room you are using for your home theatre?

There are a huge number of variables involved here.

I would like to keep it under six bills.  The TV is a S-Video Sony Trinitron 32" standard.  (To be upgraded later, so assume that the TV will be able to handle it.
The room size is variable (due to being military and moving a lot.)

Yeah, budget is a pretty important concern as well as room size and what the main use will be.  Don't get too caught up on wattage ratings.  I would much rather have a 70 watt per channel high current amp like a Harman/Kardon or Onkyo than a 100 watt Kenwood or Pioneer.

As for DVD players, there are a lot of good pretty cheap ones on the market now.  Do you have an HDTV?  Do you have DVI inputs? Do you want DVD audio or SACD?  There are lots of options out there, just need to figure out what you want.

A good resource is [url]www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/[/url], kinda like the AV version of this place.  When you are ready to buy and wish to do so online, I can highly recommend [url]www.onecall.com[/url].  They are kinda the ammoman of the AV crowd.  Great prices and service.  They have some pretty good amp/speaker packages as well.

Good luck in finding what you want.

OK, in your price range you might want to look at this: [url]http://ww1.onecall.com/PID_19801.htm[/url].  Just add a nice progressive scan DVD player for about a hundred bucks and you would be all set.

Thanks!
How would it compare to this?
Being a wimp, buying as a set seems to ensure the compatability between player and sound system.
[url]http://ww1.onecall.com/ProductDisplay.mpt?ProductID=19683[/url]

I've personally found the Sony speakers to sound a bit thin, but they should have that setup at the local AV store so you should go down and see if it sounds good to you.

Go visit a Best Buy store.  They will have complete setups for you to check out.  If you want to go really basic, get a video game sound system (2.1 surround) and a quality DVD player.  It will be more than you need in a barracks type situation.  I use one in my truck and have to turn it waaaaaaayyyyyy down when at a truck stop because it will rattle windows 6 trucks down.  It is not a true surround, but just a front setup.  If you have stereo speakers in your TV you can use the satellite speakers to drive the rear channels (depending on TV's processor)  

As for brands, Sony/RCA and a few others are actually manufactured by the same people.  It is like a ford and a lincoln.  Same product, different name badge.

don't get a combo dvd player/receiver. not as many inputs as a stand alone receiver and if one part craps out the whole thing has to be serviced/replaced

Ok, it seems like his question is answered;  I'll hijack.    What would be a good TV to by as a base for a system?   I have around 1500 to spend on one.

for a tube tv. I have a Sony Wega 36". I love the picture quality. cost me about $1,200 2 years ago.

Sony's have always done me well quality wise.  Hell my parents had a trinitron for 20 years.  I have one now.

The most bang for your buck right now is a widescreen, HDTV RPTV.  You can find Samsungs and such in the 42-46 inch range for under $1500.