tonyc3742

I'm windowshopping a new sound system, and this is the one that's at the top of the list.
Yes, it's a HTiB, I'm on a budget.
It's the Onkyo HT780, assuming I can find it available anywhere.
I like the capability for 6.1 and 7.1 sound, although I only have a few things that have 6.1, and nothing that uses 7.1 yet. I also like the fact that it has component switching, right now I'm using a manual switchbox to switch between DVD and HD cable box.
Of course, an overriding question is, is now the right time to buy anything like this, what with HD/BluRay coming down the pike? My TV has HDMI input [not being used] and it may have DVI, I'm not sure. Of course, if/when I get a hd dvd player, it'll be the only thing using those, so I won't have to worry about switching signals.

Well, here's its specs, and I have no idea what these mean.

Power Output
2 channel driven: North American:
110 W + 110 W (8
Ω
, 1 kHz, FTC)
Dynamic Power 230 W + 230 W (3
Ω
,Front)
170 W + 170 W (4
Ω
,Front)
120 W + 120 W (8
Ω
,Front)
THD (Total Harmonic
Distortion) 0.08% (Power Rated)
Damping Factor 60 (Front,1kHz,8
Ω
)
Input Sensitivity and
Impedance 200 mV/ 47 k
Ω
(LINE)
Output Level and
Impedance 200 mV/ 470
Ω
(REC OUT)
Frequency Response 10 Hz–100 kHz/ +1 dB-3 dB (Direct
mode)
Tone Control ±10 dB, 50 Hz (BASS)
±10 dB, 20 kHz (TREBLE)
Signal to Noise Ratio 100 dB (LINE, IHF-A)
Speaker Impedance 8
Ω
–
Input Sensitivity/Output
Level and Impedance 1 Vp-p /75
Ω
(Component and S-Video Y)
0.7 Vp-p /75
Ω
(Component Pb/Cb,Pr/Cr)
0.28 Vp-p /75
Ω
(S-Video C)
1 Vp-p /75
Ω
(Composite)
Component Video
Frequency Response 5 Hz – 50 MHz

and the specific speakers:
subwoofer:
Type: Bass-reflex
Input
sensitivity/impedance: 330 mV / 100 k
Ω
Maximum output power: 230 W (Dynamic Power)
Frequency response: 25 Hz–150 Hz

front/center:
Type: 2 Way Bass-reflex
Impedance: 8
Ω
Maximum input power: 110 W
Output sound pressure
level:
86 dB/W/m
Frequency response: 55 Hz–50 kHz
Crossover frequency: 4.5 kHz

surrounds:
Type: 2 Way Bass Reflex
Impedance: 8
Ω
Maximum input power: 110 W
Output sound pressure
level:
82 dB/W/m
Frequency response: 60 Hz–20 kHz
Crossover frequency: 10 kHz

This will go in our living room, which is about 12 ft by 25 ft, the TV is in one of the corners.

I'm sorry for the long post, there's a lot of numbers and I don't really know which ones are 'important', and would appreciate any suggestion or advice as to 'stats' to look for.

BobDole42

For the money, it looks like a pretty good system. Accessories4less has refurbished units for 350 (new is 500 at crutchfield). $500 doesn't buy much when it is the budget for seven speakers, a sub and a receiver. But, I'm not going to advise you to up your budget from $500 to over a $1000, although that is what I normally do

As far as HD-DVD/blu-ray goes, the receiver has 5.1 ch inputs, so you would be able to get DTS-HD and Dolby HD, but only in 5.1. Still, for the money I'm surprised at all the features the receiver has.