Current AVr is a Marantz SR7500 110watts by 7 with 7.1 analog outs.
Current source units:
Panasonic BD55 currently connected via analog to avr and hdmi to TV
toshiba HD-xa2 recently downgraded to dig coax to avr and HDMI to TV
both these units go thru an OPPO hdmi spliter.
Cable box is SA8300HD going into the AVR via dig coax and into the TV via hdmi
TV is samsung HLS56 dlp
I was perfectly content until i saw a link for a denon AVR on amazon for $549 I think it was the avr-898...so i started reading and now its like quicksand....the more you read the more you get confused and think i am better off staying with my current avr.
Most recent confusion comes into play when reading about HDMI repeater stuff. The Denons only claimed 2 hdmi 1.3a inputs, but i assume they are not repeating, and i don't even know if i need repeating.
And if i go with a switching AVR am i gaining "anything" over my current setup?
Analog signals are amplified when long runs are used, or buffered when sources are connected to a controller and distributed. Digital signals aren't amplitude dependent, so they go through a repeater which may/may not fix any errors present, using parity bits. Since digital is on/off pulses, if it's there, it can be repeated.
If you're using a universal type remote and have macros set up for turn-on, you'll need to wait almost 8 seconds after turn-on with last year's models before sending commands to the receiver. For instance, if you turn everything on, send input commands to the receiver at the very end of the macro. You may need to add delays, too.
To answer your original question, when it can't do what you need it to, doesn't sound good or is uneconomical to repair.