For what I have been reading online I am looking for a 3D AV Receiver, mid range $. Seems most in the $600-1000 range look better then sub $500.
Don't be afraid of an older unit with HDMI 1.3. See if your 3D Blu-Ray player can output separate HDMI signals for Audio and Video.
Some models I keep coming across are; Yamaha Aventage RX-A1010, Onkyo TX-NR709/809 (I have come across 809 a lot) and some Denon's. I still don't truly understand everything when reading and comparing different components.
You really don't need to. Try to go to the store and just play around with the remote controls and see which one you could live with at home without a headache. A LOT of specs on these things are superfluous. You could really strip a receiver down to HDMI, any decent DAC, a quality amp section (which isn't always the case), and a good auto-setup, and be perfectly happy with the results. Instead you'll get over 100 features you're not likely to ever use.
My only suggestion for specs are that they have true preamplifier outputs. That way if the amplifiers are insufficient for your needs, you can add in an external amplifier.
For what it's worth, I suggest a Marantz SR6006:
MARANTZ SR6006 Home theater receiver 3D-ready HDMI Air Play | Accessories4less
Speakers are another hurdle, I know even less in this subject as I have been reading on the receivers to understand what I can do.
Speakers, and the way they interact with the room, is around 95% of what we hear, and they can make a huge difference if you choose some poor ones.
Speakers not only have to sound good to your ears and look good to your eyes, but should be
accurate to the source (not just pleasant).
For this to be the case, they
1) Need flat frequency response within a 4 db window on the listening axis
2) Need to maintain flat frequency response at the loudest SPL peaks in the content in your room.
3) Need a smoothly tapering off-axis response so that they play
with, not
against the room
There's a lot that goes objectively into a loudspeaker, but the above three are probably the most important ones.
I do understand 2.1, 5.1, 7.1/7.2 etc with first number being speakers and the second being subs. From what I have read 7.2 would be my ideal max, at this time, but $ may restrict me to 5.1 with the possibility of growing to 7.1/7.2.
Technically there's no 7.2 as that implies discrete stereo subs, whereas receivers will output bass in mono, so 7.1 can have two, three, or four subs. THe goal of more subs is to achieve a much smoother frequency response in the room.
The first plan of action, is to
establish a budget for the stereo speakers. Whether you go 5.1 or not, your budget should not bend with respect to the front stereo pair, which seem to get 75% of content (More like 90% for me, as I removed my center speaker from the mix as I wasn't happy with it, so my stereo mains also act as a Phantom Center).
Don't be afraid of starting out with a simple 2.0 and then adding pieces are you go along and learn. There's no need to rush everything into one big purchase. Quality over quantity
Next you should realize that great subwoofers are expensive. Don't just get "the matching sub".
As for surrounds, remember they don't have to be nearly as high end as the stereo mains, because of the type of content that goes through them. They should however still be accurate speakers so you probably want to avoid gimmick "THX Dipole" style surrounds.
