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Cables: When you're purchasing your new system, the salesperson is likely to make some bogus analogy about how you wouldn't put inferior oil into your brand-new luxury car. That's why you need to spend $20/foot for triple-shielded noise-canceling braided speaker wire and cables. That's utter nonsense. Poor cables won't destroy your system like bad oil would destroy an engine. They just won't allow it to live up to its potential.
Is there a difference between cable that costs between cable that cost 10c/ft. and $50/ft.? Yes and no. The cost difference applied over the entire system will reach hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of dollars. You would be much wiser to spend this extra money on better amplifiers and speakers; the difference will be far more pronounced. If you really want a brand name for your cables, stick to Original Monster Cable, which is really little more than the same oxygen-free 10-gauge wire that is available for pennies at Home Depot. As far as interconnect cables, use the ones that came in the box with your DVD player, they're just fine.
DVD Players/Televisions/etc-You probably have a DVD player and television that you are building your system around. If you are starting fresh, look for a DVD player with progressive scan output and a television with component video inputs. This setup utilizes three separate video cables resulting in the best quality. While many newer analog televisions have component video inputs, you will need a digital set to see the best results from your progressive scan DVD player and your HDTV tuner. Any DVD player in the $100 range should possess all of the features that you need, so don't bother with the units that cost considerably less or more.
