Q I'm using a home-theater receiver without HDMI switching, so I do all the switching through the TV and send the audio to the receiver.
I have a Comcast box, TV and Blu-ray player connected to the receiver via optical cables through a mechanical optical switch. Since I use cable about 95 percent of the time, it's not that inconvenient.
I have a 5.1 speaker system using Polk speakers and have it properly set up using a sound-level meter and test tones. I'm happy with the sound.
But would a new receiver do a better job of decoding the audio as well as be more convenient to operate? Would I run into any problems using a 7.1 receiver with a 5.1 speaker system? Is there any loss of information?
A A receiver with HDMI switching will be much more convenient to operate.
You'll have only one connection from each component to the receiver and one connection from the receiver to the TV. You'll be able to switch sources using your remote control instead of using the manual switch.
The HDMI receiver will decode the high-definition audio formats from Blu-ray discs, which will provide a noticeable improvement in sound quality.
There is no loss of information using a 7.1 receiver with a 5.1 speaker system. In fact, if you get a 7.1-channel multi-zone receiver, you can use the unused two channels to drive speakers in another room via Zone 2 operation.
