Help me put together a complete system

[alex530]

Hello, I am looking to build a complete home theater system from scratch. I have done quite a bit of research and came up with some parts that I think would work for my budget and needs. I would like your feedback on my choices and any areas where I could do better or save some money. The system will mainly be used for DVD's, but also for some listening to music. It will be going into a decent sized living room. I will eventually be hooking up a HD receiver from a satellite company. I want to use the best possible cables (HDMI) whenever possible. My total budget is about $2500. Here's what I have came up with:

TV:
Panasonic Viera TH-42PX80U 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV
$850

Speakers:
The Speaker Company HT-600 - P Series 5.1
$320

Blu-Ray DVD player:
PS3
$400

Receiver:
Onkyo TX-SR705 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver
$520

All-in-one remote:
Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote
$190

HDMI cables/speaker wire/subwoofer cable:
generic brand
~$100

Total:
$2380

Here are a couple specific questions:
1) How many HDMI cables do I need?

2) Is this difficult to hook up myself?

3) Is it necessary to calibrate the speakers or TV?

Any comments are appreciated, thanks.

 

[bandphan]

id look at better speakers to start, down grade the avr, upgrade the sub... Like this

svs package $999

Yamaha 663 $399
Panny 42 $850
bluray $400
interconnects $150

2798 add a remote later, the improvement in sound would be tremendous foe the difference in cost

2 hdmi cables 1in 1out
yes calibrate both the tv and the stereo
As for hooking it up, will the wiring be inwall?

 

[jcPanny]

HT systems

id look at better speakers to start, down grade the avr, upgrade the sub... Like this

svs package $999

Yamaha 663 $399
Panny 42 $850
bluray $400
interconnects $150

2798 add a remote later, the improvement in sound would be tremendous foe the difference in cost

2 hdmi cables 1in 1out
yes calibrate both the tv and the stereo
As for hooking it up, will the wiring be inwall?

I was going to sugest a very similar configuration, spend $1k for a quality 5.1 speaker system. Hold off on the BluRay if necessary to get some good speakers.
Check out monoprice for your cables:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/department.asp?c_id=109
Here is a less expensive remote option that includes RF:
http://www.amazon.com/RFS200-PowerPak-Bundle-MasterControl-PowerBlaster/dp/B000FL9E6U/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1214324798&sr=8-1

 

[Davemcc]

Check out monoprice for your cables:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/department.asp?c_id=109

Good call. From your ~$100 budget for cables, you will save close to $100. And Monoprice cables are good quality, far far better than what the price would suggest.