I'll chime in on the Pioneer DV-563A DVD player. I recommended that model to a friend over some of the Sony's he was considering. He loves it and said the picture quality and feature list are much more than what he expected.

As far as receivers go, you might also consider Denon and Yamaha along with the H/K and Marantz. I think all are good brands that will give you solid, dependable performance.

Here are some features you should consider for your receiver:
a. the remote - don't under-estimate the importance of an ergonomic remote control.
b. Dolby Digital AND DTS.
c. 6 channel analog input for use with SACD and DVD-Audio.
d. Bass management (large / small speaker settings and crossover control for a subwoofer).

Hope this helps...