I think it's economical. The highly regarded BenQ HT2050/W1110 I use isn't more expensive than the TVs I see in many homes. Sure, there's the audio system, but

I think it's economical. The highly regarded BenQ HT2050/W1110 I use isn't more expensive than the TVs I see in many homes. Sure, there's the audio system, but at least in my case and as a music lover that area was covered regardless of the home theater aspect. What I'm trying to say is that you probably don't need to start with nothing - if you have a large TV and/or decent audio system you can build and improve from there.