jbelum

Good morning/afternoon,

looking to buy a new AVR for between $300-$600. I did some research on Pioneer VSX-1017TXH-K (user/expert forums and cnet.com....etc). ebay for about $350.....my issue with this is i keep reading about HDMI video passthrough only. No audio....??......i was told by a friend to run (standard DVD player) DVD/DirecTV/CD player through the receiver via HDMI and that way i only have 1 source going into my tv via HDMI. Does this mean i will not be able to hear sound through my TV speakers (TV: Pioneer PDP-5080HD) when using the Directv? That means i will always have to use my Cerwin Vega speakers ALL the time? right now i use my stereo while watching directv only when watching a movie or sports......now i see the newer model: Pioneer VSX-1018TXH-K. I don't really understand all those TrueHD/DTS-HD/THX/Dolby Pro Logic terms. If i'm understanding this right, it appears this model does both video AND audio (meaning i can watch directv and listen to the audio through my TV speaker). Am i right on that?........I was also looking at the Onkyo SR606 model. People through the forums appear split on which one to buy.........and i'm also having problems trying to find the VSX-1018TXH-K online. any idea??........is there a difference between the Pioneer VSX-1018TXH-K and VSX-1018AH-K??........i know this is kind of long........just want some good advice before i buy........thank you so much for your time,

rick