So much of the stuff in my house is from "unknown" brands (Outlaw in my den and dining room; OPPO in my den, dining room, and bedroom; AV123 X-series in the dining room; and even my Paradigm Reference speakers in the den) that I got used to that reaction a long time ago. About the only brands I have in use right now that the typical consumer will have heard of are Panasonic (VCR, DVD recorder, and Blu-ray), Toshiba (HD-DVD), and Zenith (HDTV). What I have found works well is letting folks see and hear the system - there are several folks who have bought gear similar to mine after a demonstration, and it was similar first-hand experience that contributed to some of my earlier purchases when I was getting started in home theater.