Thank you all so much!
Very helpful information.
I must admit, as I look at receivers it is hard not to be attracted by some of the newer features, like streaming internet radio, picture upscaling, sound leveling & low volume optimization. Can anyone confirm the following things about these two features:
Internet Streaming - I would be most interested in streaming high quality internet radio.
Would it still be possible to stream internet radio using an external ipod-wifi dock connected to the receiver?? you can one of these up for about $100, which is MUCH less that the mark up for a 'network' receiver...
Upscaling - I would only be interested in this feature for 2 reasons - upscaling my Wii, and upscaling my HDMI connected DVR box. However,
am I right in saying that all upscaling results in a noticeable video lag?? this would totally defeat the purpose of upscaling a video game (controller response time issue) and would be pretty annoying when switching between HD & non-HD channels...
Sound Leveling - I absolutely cannot stand commercials blaring at me 10db louder than regular programs. I would gladly pay a couple of hundred bucks to make this a thing of the past, assuming it works well...
Can anyone confirm if this technology works? which provider does it best (dolby volume, THX volume, Audissy volume, etc)
low volume optimization - basically the same as above. As I will do the majority of my movie watching after my 9-month-old has gone to bed in the room behind my couch, it would be nice to be able to listen to a movie without constantly having to change the volume for dialogue/ music/explosion sequences...
Does this tech work? who does it the best?
I could probably do without networking (cheaper aftermarket solutions..), the upscaling sounds cool but I concerned about functionality drawbacks, however I would like to get the last two features as I know I would definitely use them a lot (assuming they work...)
any suggestions?
Again, a million thank yous


