Any suggestions for a HTIB on a $500.00 budget?

I've been doing similar digging around and asking for help on various forums and through pro retailers/custom shops around the city. The general consensus is, HTIB's are not worth their physical weight. Their too limiting performance wise, and offer little upgradability and reliability.

So I'd say do what I'm doing, just turn it down a notch.

Go peacemeal slowly and get something decent. I'm personally choosing an Onkyo reciever because of the price/value ratio (which is stupidly high) and am also looking at some Energy speaker setups... both recomended by folks on this website. I'll probably be spending $700 when all is said and done, and I will bet getting more for my money than the $1000 Samsung HTIB I was looking at before I found this site.

I have to agree with Luke. You're not going to find too many people on these forums that like these types of htib's. While both the Sony systems might sound "adequate", especially for their price, they are pretty light-weight systems. They look good on paper but you get what you pay for.
 
It would be pretty hard to come up with a receiver, BluRay player, 5 decent speakers and a subwoofer for $500 but $6-700 is feasible. Start with an Onkyo 507 $300), add the Energy Take 5 five satillite speaker system off ebay ($190) add a  sub from PartsExpress.com ($100) and a Walmart BR player ($100).

Even though this setup is more expensive than the Sony's, the sound quality alone makes it worth the price.

If $500 is a firm budget then he might just have to go with one of those Sony's. But if there's a little wiggle room or he's willing to take the time to save up a bit more money then he'd be better off in the long run.


If those Sony's have a digital input like coax or optical, and the cable box has a like output then that would be as good as the hdmi connection for audio. They're both digital. That's another reason why these htib's aren't very popular. Limited connections and less flexability to add other components like PS3's, etc. And if one part breaks the whole thing is a loss. And the speakers are pretty bad. I could go on and on....

Onkyo speaker/receiver packages like the 6200 aren't bad because they are seperate components bundled together but you would have to buy a BluRay player to go with it so the cost is much higher.

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I think either of these two systems would be excellent for your friend.  Unfortunately, I can not relate good experience with Sony HTIB offerings; my brother got one of their "dream" systems a few years ago and the complicated disc changer failed.  Other than that single failure, it's been great.  Of the two systems you've referenced, the Sony BDV-E300 appears to be much more substantial.  Also, the BDV-E300 has an HDMI output, which I would recommend using!!!!!  You can get a cheap HDMI cable at www.cablesforless.com or www.monoprice.com or many other places.

If your friend is getting HDTV service from over-the-air, cable, or satellite, he will be able to get the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio into the BDV-E300 using a digital connection, either optical or coaxial.  The video connection from the cable box (or sattelite box or OTA reciever or even the reciever built into the TV) will remain unchanged.

These small systems are fantastic, they take very little space and don't require a rack full of electronics.  The performance is nowhere near that of a "full size" system, the kind most of us here at the "home theater forum" use, but for what they are, the performance is great.  Another brother of mine has a dedicated room with an HD DLP projector, and he uses a bargain basement Panasonic HTIB system; it's pretty amazing what these little units can deliver!

If he wants to keep it simple, then HTIB is the way to go.  Personally I would recommend that he hold out and build a dedicated system that he can upgrade pieces as he chooses....most folks that get the HT bug end up not satisfied with what they initially purchase.  As far as the Sonys go in the HTIB department, I wouldn't recommend them....I've seen at least two that have failed (one to an internal short, another where the rear speakers quit).  I've seen good results with an Onkyo system as well as a cheaper Panasonic unit currently relegated to duty in my bonus room.