OT: Surround Sound+TV?

[MikeVic]

I'm looking to get a new TV, and also want surround sound for when I play video games or watch movies. I know next to nothing about this sort of stuff, since I've never really looked into it. Could someone point me in the right direction as to what exactlly I need? What a good setup is? I highly doubt those $300 packages of surround sound with a DVD player are a lot better than the sound I get from my current TV... but I could be wrong?

Thanks.

[Cringer]

I would also be interested in what people say to this. I have been looking at surround sound for a while now. I am close to just deciding on getting a reciever and a subwoofer, thinking this may work fine for me to add my current speakers to. My house (which i just got in August) has two speakers set into the wall opposite the TV, which if i hook up coul be used as the rear speakers. Then i figured i could just use my two large home stereo speakers for up front, and then either buy a center speaker or use something else i might have laying around for that. On the other side of this is that i'm wondering if a complete system would just end up sounding better, since everything is made to go together? I don't need the DVD player, i have one of those. I really want to get something pretty nice set up yet at the cheapest way i can do it. I have my 53" tv that i got when i got the same time i got the house, and want some nice sound to go with it.

[hukarez]

I'm thinking if you want the surround sound bit...you'll probably want to take advantage of your system's digital output line. As far as receivers go and all that jazz, right now I've got a Harmon Kardon system setup, sub included. A set of Polk audio wall speakers are set in the ceiling above, but I'm still have speakers from my old home theater system from back in the day (Bose) hooked up as my main speakers and center speaker. (Those satellites and all).

I think the cheaper route to take is to buy one of those 5.1 video game surround speaker things, if that's what you're interested in. I don't know many of my friends who've taken that route though.