A year or so ago, HDMI pass through and switching capabilities were only on the more expensive receivers. It's a feature that has trickled down into the cheaper receivers pretty quickly... I've even found one at less than 200 bucks. Sony's 5.1-Channel Receiver (STR-DG510) has it, and it's only $199. Now, this has no upconversion feature.. it's only a pass through.
For the most part, I try not to let video options sway me into one particular recommendation or another. The missing piece of the puzzle is your speakers. The receiver's primary job is to power them, and you'll want to make sure it's got the juice you need to run your speakers just right.
What kind of speakers do you have?
Mind Over Matt'er - Technology musings, opinion, and more straight from TechLore's head geek.
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Right now I'm down to:
- Onkyo TX-SR674S 7.1 Channel Up-Converting A/V Receiver ($400 on amazon) - if I decide to HDMI switch in the receiver
- Yamaha RX-V659 - AV receiver - 7.1 channel ($294.71 on amazon) - if I decide to HDMI switch on my TV (I have 2 HDMI outputs at this point and don't even have two HD sources yet)