I stumbled upon this site while looking for new Home theatre Systems.I am not too much Hi-fi,but would like to set up a decent Hoem theatre system only for watching Movies as I am not too much into Music for the Home.I love watching movies.My Room Size is roughly 300 Sq feet.Plannign to Buy a LCD 40" and Dont know which Amp and which Speakers to buy.Not too pricey. Not too Cheap.In India the brands which are available are Sony,Yamaha,Onkyo,Harmon Kardon,Denon,Bose. Speakers you get B7W,Bose,JBL and some other brands.Bose is mighty expensive.I really dont know what to buy as I have no idea what really is good.I find BLU ray players expensive as of now,so I shall wait for them to become cheaper.As no rental companies in India offer Blu ray dvds,So as of now a simple Pioneer play I am considering.I am planning to connect the Amp to my DVD Player,PS2 and TV.Thats about it.Please do guide.
The best way to decide on these issues is to go out and "audition" the equipment. All of the brands you have mentioned might make you very happy (I would personally avoid Bose and Sony) but there isn't anyone that can tell you what will sound and feel the best to you but your ears and hands.
There is nothing more important in this process than going to a store to listen to the various brands to find out what sounds best to YOU (not the salesman).
The next consideration is if the controls, especially the remote make sense and feel right to you. If so, then you have found the answer to your questions.
Most of the brands you have mentioned are good. Check out the Onkyo and Denon receivers. I believe those are B&W speakers which are a fine brand with multiply price points.