Taking advantage of blu-ray?

Question

Okay, I was wondering how much a difference I would see with a $400 A/V receiver and a $2,000 receiver. Theres alienware and bose receivers that seem like they cost too much for what I want:

-1080p video

-HD Audio capabilities.

Is there a major difference or what is the main thing I should be looking for while looking for something to handle all my HD inputs?

Answer 1

I would stick with companies that have a history of excellent performance when choosing a surround receiver. The brands you mentioned aren't even in the top 20!

Look at Yamaha, PioneerElite, Marantz and Denon. They all have models that handle Dolby Digital HD and HD-DTS.  I think dollar for dollar, the Yamaha performs the best. They handle THX and UTI-R sound field arrangements very well. Since all DVDs use one or the other, your bases would be covered! Look at the RX-V1800 and the RX-V3800. They are both inbetween the two prices you mentioned.

Answer 2

You can get 1080p video with multiple HDMI inputs, full 1080p upconversion from any source wether it's composite, s-video or component and Dolby TrueHD as well as DTS HD Master audio on the Yamaha RX-V1800 which runs for about $1500 or so.

The cheaper receivers either don't have HDMI or they do have HDMI but do not decode the new Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master audio formats.