Hi all,

I am going to be researching some Home Theater-in-a-box systems but wanted to get a jump start here by soliciting for some recommendations that you've all had practical experience with (good experience)?

Presently I have a JBL SCS500SAT surround speaker setup married to a Harman Kardon AVR 146 receiver. System works out fine except for the fact the AVR 146 does not process digital data through HDMI, it just "passes" through the data requiring me to have separate connections for audio and video. Here's where the problem lies.

We recently moved into a new home that has a wall mount above the fireplace and is wired in the wall with an HDMI cable, red/green/blue component wires in addition to two sets of analog red/white audio and yellow video. In my old place using an optical cable for the audio was no problem, but for this new setup it's not an option because of the placement of the hidden wiring that comes out of the wall from the TV mount. I cant run an optical to where I have a tower that will house my receive and a blu-ray DVD player (that I have NEVER used). So I am guessing that my only option is to find a receiver (or system-in-a-box that processes HDMI data so that I do not need separate audio/video connections?

Am I wrong in this thinking or correct? I am by no means an audiophile, nor remotely close to being an electronics guru. I actually do not like setting up all of this stuff myself.

Crutchfield is a great place to start but their HT products are basically separate components and are pricey. I was thinking just going Best Buy (which is where I bought my first system) to gather intelligence and see if I can snag something on Amazon Prime. I'm not looking to spend a fortune here, I've already done that in purchasing this house and then all of the stuff we've needed since. Budget is really no more than $400 if I can swing it, I'd like to sell my current setup to help offset the cost. I havent' even begun looking so I'm not even aware of what I am getting myself into price wise for a home theater system in a moderate budget. Maybe $400 isn't even in the same realm, I don't know.

Thanks for reading and for any information/recommendations you can provide!

Edit: I do not care about 3D just to be clear.

Justin