First let me say what a wonderful site projectorcentral has been in my researching of equipment. Thank you. It has been a few years since I set up my Home Theater so its not the latest and greatest but it's been a joy for myself and family.

I have a NEC VT540 projector. When purchased it was one of the better rated projectors for entry level home theater. I have been pleased with it, no problems in over 3 years. I have a Denon 883 amp and have set it up with 3 JBL centers. It just really helped to get the dialogue heard having 3 centers. I have a Toshiba progressive scan dvd player and a Mitsubishi SVHS player. I also went with the higher end connector cords from the dvd and vcr to the projector, it really does make a difference. I also enclosed the projector in a small cabinet to protect it and also allow for a more completed look on a budget. Also JBL large fronts and surround rears. Plus have the center channel rears also. It does give a solid surround feel of sound having the rear center speakers. Then there is the KLH 12" subwoofer, a cheaper one but it does the job. The screen is a 96" diagonal Da-lite. It rolls up and covers up the doorwall when viewing so helps to block out light. I also have vinyl on the bottom of the screen to just blacken in the viewing area a bit more and frame the screen in. The room size is about 14x14 but has a tall ceiling a balcony looking over as you can see so I was able to set the screen higher but some sound does get lost in the high ceiling. I think that's why other centers were needed for dialogue.

All said and done the whole deal, projector, amp, dvd, speakers, screen again keep in mind it was over 3 years ago for about $5000 total. My advice - do the research, don't think you have to spend more to get more, and just have fun. My ultimate dream would be to do a complete basement theater, but having no basement - not an option.

Also get colored blinds, it really helps to darken a room and they are cheap and look good. Also added the corner lights that have remote control, kinda fun when the movies done to turn these dim lights on just like at the movies. Have fun.

Gregg