Am I Missing Something In This Package?

Hello All. First post to this fine site. Been a lurker for awhile reading and thought that I would post before I laid the cash on the counter.

I am looking at the following to purchase:

1) Panasonic TC-P58S1 Plasma. I am looking at this one because I can get the 58" for the same price of the 54" through my local hhgregg. I wanted Plasma because I find the darker colors and shadowing much better than any LCD that I can compare it with in the $1500 price range.

2) Panasonic BMP-BD80K at $190. I know that this is more than the 60K but I need the legacy (RCA) outputs because the 3rd item I am looking at. I also plan to eventually get a dongle for wireless connection to my network at some future date. However, until then, it will be cable from the D-Link to the Panny BD.

3) SLS Q-Line Gold home theather system. Can't beat the price at $399. This only has legacy inputs (no HDMI inputs) and I have other legacy items that I wan't to hook up to the surround sound system.

This entire set-up keeps me at the 2.1k range for the main components which was a hard sell for the wife as she is not a AV buff.

Here are the specifics of my room, etc...

1. How far away will you be from the display when watching it?

This will vary from 8 to 13 feet with the majority viewing at 10 to 13 feet.

2. What TV will it be replacing (i.e. 27" tube TV, etc)?

A very old 32in CRT.

3. What will you be watching on it?

Mostly TV (1/3) and movies (1/3) with about (2/5) sports. The remainder will be old legacy stuff like VCR tape(1/5).

4. Will a computer be connected to use the display as a monitor?

Not as a monitor except for the occasional Hulu download due to missed TV shows.

5. Will you be getting a Blu-ray player to watch movies and will you be getting any HD service from cable/sat, or will you just be watching SD programming, and upscaling SD DVD player?

Will get the Blu Ray as above and probably upgrade either my cable to HD or go to Dish. But fot the immediate future, I will be stuck with just standard cable for about 90 days.

6. Are you looking for the best in class display, the best bargain display, or best bang for the buck in the middle display?

Best bang for the buck in the 58" class with high marks for picture quality. Plasma.....

7. What is the room lighting situation? (i.e. can you control the lighting? Can you use light blocking blinds, etc to control it?)

Subdued lighting that can be controlled somewhat. I say somewhat because we have an open plan in our kitchen, LR, DR that does not allow the living room to be isolated from the other two rooms.

8. What is your budget range?

$2100K max for components but I do realize that I am going to have to spend about $100 more for cableing and a wall mount through Monoprice (best prices for these items that I can find so far). Also, I am looking at about another $120 in taxes.

9. Will people be watching at multiple viewing angles or just usually one person sitting directly in the center?

Multiple viewing angles with the majority in the 60 degree field directly in front of the TV. However, single viewer most of the time. At occasions, even some 120 degree field of viewing during sports activities.

10. When will most viewing be done on the display (i.e. Daytime or after sunset)?

After sunset except for the football games which are mostly during the day on Sat and Sun.

Given my budget, and from the research that I have done, I think that this is the best bang that I can get for the buck right not. I should also note that I checked out the LCD, LED, Plasma, Projections and I like the Plasma more that the others. I also like the Panny, not only for the price right now but for the quality of the picture and color saturation. In comparision with the Samsung and LG's, the Panny seems to have the most natural colors that I was able to compare. I turned on the Food Network (HD) and looked at the food that was being cooked (chicken) and found the Panny to most match the natural color of the chicken. Both the Samsung and LG's were more reddish and when I adjusted for color, it just did not come out right.

TIA for any guidance and input.

Steven

looks like the chicken has it!

Sounds like a good choice on everything but the HTiB system. You could get a REAL HT receiver that is not a proprietary design (along with non industry standard speakers that cannot be easily upgraded) for a few $$ more and go with the much cheaper BD60 during the holiday sales.

Here is an example of such REAL HT sound system for $409.00:

http://www.camerakings.com/ViewProduct.aspx?ID=10714142&l=Nextag

Sounds like a good choice on everything but the HTiB system. You could get a REAL HT receiver that is not a proprietary design (along with non industry standard speakers that cannot be easily upgraded) for a few $$ more and go with the much cheaper BD60 during the holiday sales.

Here is an example of such REAL HT sound system for $409.00:



When I check the link, it is for a Yamaha HT receiver. However, I do not see that it comes with speakers - so am I missing something or am I looking at another 2 to 3 hundred for some speakers as well?

While I would prefer the component route (most of my audio gear is 80's era Pioneer components) I just do not have the extra $$$ to go that route at this time. In the future, I do plan to upgrade the HT system to something more comparable with today's technology but that may be in a year or so. So based on the CNET (and others) reviews of the SLS Gold, I decided to pull money from the HT and put it more towards the Plasma TV. This way I get a bigger Plasma with a mid level HT system vs an slightly upped scale HT system with a lower sized/grade TV.

Thanks for the feedback. If I could find another HT (component) system with the speakers for around $400, I will surely look at it.

BTW, I purchased the TV and BD80K tonight. hhgreg dropped their $234 price tag of the 80K to $205 so for the extra few bucks, I decided to buy the 80K from them instead of online. With the price of shipping it turned out to be about the same. Also with hhgreg's 30 day price match plus 10% garantee, I expect that between now and X-Mas I will be getting some cash back on the 80K when it becomes available and goes on sale.