Receiver choice--need lots of A/V inputs, hopefully DTS-ES and/or Dolby EX (1 Viewer)

[DaveGTP]

All,
I am a home theater newbie. Or I should say, I was, until I started reading this board a few months ago. Now I feel like I know about 5% of what I need to know to not be a newbie . I try and offer my input on the message boards that I can help with (IE HTPC board).
I have been attempting to research a receiver purchase for quite a while. I thought about HTIBs, but from my PC-building experience, I know that when you guys say that you can do much better for the $$ doing it yourself, I believe you.
My first and hardest step is the A/V receiver. I have been doing quite a research on receivers. I have a rather large collection of video game systems, both vintage (NES, Atari) and new (PS2, Gamecube).
I need a lot of video inputs to handle all of the video sources. I currently have a s-video/composite switch that I use for video switching.
I have a 2-yr old or so 27" Zenith TV with one composite/s-video input (it won't let me plug in both at once, very annoying). I am hoping to upgrade to a 42" plasma HD in a few years when the prices get cheaper, so I am forward-looking (I would like to have HD quality composite video switching).
Ease of use is a plus, but I think I will end up getting a programmable HT remote some day anyway.
I seem to have settled on the Onkyo TX-SR600
It has 5 s-video inputs, 2 composite 60 Mhz inputs for switching. Also, DTS-ES and DD EX processing. I could wish for more video inputs, as the composite ones do me no good right now.
Any suggestions? I am concerned with, in this order:
1) S-video/composite inputs to one output
2) Looking forward to the future if I can
3) Sound support for LOTR EE DVDs (DTS-ES, DD EX)
This will be a tax-time purchase, but I will need to keep in the $500 area. The less money I spend on the receiver, the more that saves me for speakers. Any extra money is needed elsewhere, more responsibly !
If anyone can think of another suggestion, please let me know.
Thanks for reading my rather lengthy post!

 

[DanielSmi]

I'd say get something like the pioneer 811s, maybe you could get a denon 3802 or3803 online for about 600. Just for the record you would want 2component inputs with 60MHz bandwidth, not comosite no comany would waste their time with that because comosite goes now here near that high. Anyways, for HDTV switching you only need about 35MHz of bandwidth so you won't have signal degradation.

Daniel Smith

 

[Jeff_Fitz]

Dave:
This thread may be of interest to you.
Jeff

 

[Steve Adams]

I second the pioneer 811. also look at the kenwood 6070. that is a sweet receiver too for the money. thx select, 6 ch. all the goodies too. very nice.

 

[DaveGTP]

Oops, that was my typo when I said 60 mhz composite, it was supposed to be 50 mhz component switching...I'm checking out these other suggestions right now....thanks!

 

[DaveGTP]

Looking them over: I like the looks of the Pioneer VSX-D811S, but it does only have 4 a/v inputs. More a/v inputs would help out, but I could work something out still. I know that I have looked at the Kenwood VR-6070 before. It doesn't have HDTV component switching, which I am trying to do a few years of forward-looking here.
Anybody know any good receivers that you can label the inputs at least to some extent? I would really appreciate being able to label the inputs PS2, NES, etc...for ease of use with the g/f and all. I can see me telling her: Turn it to DVD to get the NES.
I was looking at the JVC RX-9010V, which has decent support, plenty of video inputs, component video switching, but I would need a pre amp to take advantage of all the surround sound. Of course, I probably couldn't afford all of the speakers at once anyway , so I guess that that isn't such a bad thing. It also seems to have the input labeling. However, I don't have a huge amount of faith in the JVC name...

 

[Mark.Louis]

DaveGTP - what makes you think that the 811s doesn't do HDTV switching? My understand was that is does...

 

[DaveGTP]

It does, but the Kenwood doesn't (that's the receiver I was referring to). The Pioneer does do it, but doesn't have quite enough video inputs for me. I think I will definitely put it in the running, though.