I am purchasing my first LCD HDTV and need to know a few things. I am going to get the TV through Best Buy, but they are directing me to some expensive accessories that they say are necessary for the TV to operate correctly. I have done searches and found cheaper cords/cables etc. else where. Should I stick with purchasing all the accessories through Best Buy at a cost of over $200 or go with a cheaper brand? This is for a Samsung 1080p 40" HDTV, with the Samsung Blu-ray home theater system.

All the cables you need to connect the home theater system to the TV will come with the home theater system. It may not come with an hdmi cable (assuming the home theater system is hd?) so you could buy this separately, but you should definitely shop around for cables, there is no need to buy what best buy suggest. There are reviews and price comparisons for cables and accessories so check them out before you buy. A quick Google search will direct you to reviews. What other accessories is Best Buy suggesting?

Because I am getting a Samsung 820W 5.1 CH Blu-Ray Home theater system... this is what they say I need:
4' HDMI Cable= $59.99
4' Toslink Optical Cable= $29.99
Home Theater Power Center = $79.99
TV screen cleaning kit= $19.99
The TV that I bought was the Samsung 40" LCD Full HDTV #LN40A550... seems that it is a good price on the TV since they had a special that basically gave me a $200 discount on the TV. So the price was $999.00 Reduced to $799.00. The Home Theater system was on sale from $799.00 to $599.00. I got 3 years no financing (which I always end up paying off way early) Also... What do you feel about the necessity of Service Plans. I purchased one for the TV for $149.00 and one for the Home Theater System for $79.00. Do you think these are necessary? They also gave me a choice to have it delivered for free... or setup for free, and I chose for them to set it up for me. Overall, the total was $2100.00 for everything.
Any input would help... feel free to give me your honest opinion. :)
Thanks!

If you are able to set it up yourself ask for a free service plan, I bought TV from best buy 4 months ago and they did that for me.

Also 59.99 for one 4 foot hdmi cable is very expensive, try costco, that's where I got mine for about 49.99 for an 8 foot one (needed a longer one to run inside the wall when hanging the TV

Thanks... I may just go to Costco tonight.

Hello again,

Since you are getting a Blu Ray system, you will need an hdmi cable. You will need to know the distance that the main box of your home theater system will be from your TV to determine the length of HDMI cable you need.

There are so many HDMI cables out there to choose from and I certainly wouldn't spend 59.99 on one. Have a look in costco as suggested and see if you can get a special offer. A 4' cable should only set you back about $40.

The sound will travel through the HDMI cable so you won't need an optical cable. This is basically a luxury, and since the HDMI cable is HD you get excellent quality sound through that.

The power system is again a luxury. It is basically a surge protected extension lead which will protect your equipment from electrical power surges. You will be able to find cheaper alternatives. I would still go for a surge protected extension lead but you shouldn't have to pay 79.99 for it. You should be able to get a decent one for less than half that price.

The screen cleaning kit will be useful as it should come with a solution to clean your TV and a special cloth which will be non abrasive and lint free. Check costco again first before splashing out with best buy. Don't feel forced to buy all those things with best buy just because they say so. Shop around for a bargain!

Personally I set everything up myself. However if you don't feel comfortable with this, get them to do it. Again, as suggested, see if they will do the service plan for free and install the system yourself (or get a friend to help). The service plan is really only personal preference. If you have the money, go for it as it will protect you for as long as the service agreement states. Nothing should go wrong with your system BUT if it does, the repair bills are usually huge or you will need to buy new equipment! Basically, if you have the money, get the service plan!

Hope this helps

YOU HAVE BEEN SO HELPFUL! THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR INPUT AND ADVICE!
I will be checking out the other alternatives that you suggested, and will be taking a trip to Costco.

Again... Thank you!:)

Not a problem, I'm here to help!

I would appreciate it if you were to rate my answer so that others can see that I have been helpful!

Thank you.