G'day mateys! I am obviously a new member of HTS and am in the process of exploring its threads and tools. Fascinating to say the least! The diversity of subject-matter expertise in both the commercial and DIY fields, along with related support, is just staggering! I cannot wait to broaden my own knowledge in this hobby by learning what you all have to teach. If I am able to pass on anything I have learned I will be quick to do so, but there is already an impressive store of knowledge here, and for such a new site.
First, some personal information: Right off the bat, it is important for you to know that my name and nicknames for the Internet are pseudonyms. This is not an indication of my paranoia (per se), but a professional requirement. Otherwise what you see is what you get. I am in my mid thirties, married, and have an amazing son. I have been in the Canadian Army for twelve years, first as an NCO, then as an Officer. I am currently a Captain and have very recently left the operational side to take a very long (almost a year) career course, following which I will be posted as an instructor. I have managed to take this in stride (it has definitely required a huge mental shift), and actually have really come to appreciate the stability this gives me in order to dedicate myself to my family (no 1 priority).
I got "into" HT when I saw a friend’s HD TV. Wow, I was blown away, it was the new thing back then, but I knew I HAD to have one. I didn't fully appreciate the audio side until about a year later. I bought my Sony rear projection LCD and just hooked it into my existing HTiB set up, LUCKILY for me it went on the kaputz after my wife and I moved from our military housing into a new home. It kept going into protect mode, and so I went nuts on the google'ing to try to figure out what went wrong. The searches of course brought me to forums like this, after trolling those a bit, it was the dawn of a new era (not, I might add, to the pleasure of my wife). Well, there has been no looking back since then. I am already (secretly) planning a separate home theatre for our house, not attached. The property is on the suburbs, and about 2 acres (but still pretty close to the base I work at) so I have a few ideas for the unused portion (an in-ground pool and dedicated home-theatre). My wife knows about the pool, but I plan on springing the HT at a later date

. I got to admit, Sonnie's has given me a lot food for thought...
Right now I am into about 60% movies, and 40% music. My HK AVR 635 does a wonderful job at sound reproduction, and it has served me very well. I am currently exploring HDCDs and DVD-A music, but so far, my library is mostly up-sampled standard CDs. My DVD player is an upscaling to 1080i player, and having auditioned HD DVDs, I am sticking with what I have for now. I am always auditioning the new and exciting, but I find the diminishing returns from true HD to upscaled is not yet worth it. I am NOT a believer in magic cables or stupid little clocks to enhance my listening pleasure, and I trust my eyes and ears as to what looks and sounds good, over what reviewers and peers tell me. So I do not have cryogenically frozen cables, I have 50c per meter OFC (stranded) 12 AWG. I do not have "power conditioners" but I do I have surge protection. I write this just to let you know my frame of mind when it comes to eqpt advice and critiques.
I look forward to getting to know all of you, and learning as much from you (and sharing what meagre experience I have) as much as I can. Cheers!