New to HO

You may want to post this topic on an HO forum.  Most people on the O gauge forum are not interested in HO trains.  I know I'm not. 

Walthers is good and so is Atlas, bachman, I don't know any more given their current owners, Athern made great kits, mounta (or something like that in spelling) are reputable. Walthers website is a good place to start.

As for DCC I remember something about digitracks. DCC systems are pretty stand now so most manufactures work with others.

I went to O finding it more affordable oddly enough.

"I saw two rail forum and didnt see any HO forum so I assumed this was it.'

   There's a lot of good HO equipment made these days , and like O scale you can't just pick out one manufacturer and expect to get the best for your needs. I'd suggest the Model railroad hobbyist forum for a broad range of HO topics and experience....DaveB

Also, try the HO Forum here:

http://atlasrescueforum.proboards.com/

Hi NFG

I am thinking of switching from O scale to HO scale because of the lower cost and ability to do more in a small space and the DCC capabilities.

Do you have command control in O scale now?  What are you looking for from DCC?

Any recommendations on what the best brands are for DCC engines with sound and tracks?

MTH HO locomotives have Protosound 3 and run on conventional DC (make sure you get a power pack that has the recommended 16 volts if you run conventionally) DCS and DCC.  You can run MTH HO locomotives with the same TIU and remote that are used for O gauge trains.

Atlas and Athearn also make excellent locomotives equipped with "sound decoders".  (That is HO speak for sound and command control.)  The Athearn Genesis line is their premier line for detail and sound quality.

Atlas and Walthers are the leading HO track suppliers.

Also what do I need to run DCC?

You need a power supply, command station and you will probably want a wireless remote.  Tony's Train Exchange is probably the best place on the web for comparing DCC products.

http://tonystrains.com/

Do i need a separate remote for each engine?

Heavens no.  No more than you do with DCS or Legacy.

Have you been modeling in 2 rail or 3 rail O?  If you are going from 3 rail to HO and want large steam or electrics there may not me much savings in curve diameter.