So how much would we expect to invest in something that does do HDMI switching—any recommendations for a particular model? What brand offers the best value?
(coming back to add that the DVD audio setup—it’s a Samsung BD-P1500—offers PCM, Bitstream re-encode, and Bitstream audiophile as choices. Of course it doesn’t say “if you have an optical connection, push this button!” hahaha!)
You don’t have to spend much more, certainly you can do it under $500.
I’m not really brand conscious, and don’t have alot of specific experience with a bunch of different models. Others may be better suited to answer this question.
If I were in your shoes (and I kinda am, I have an older A/V receiver [like your RCA] that is “making do” with my system that has an HD TV [projector, actually] and now I’ve added a BluRay this Xmas, along with a Wii), I would do some research, and CNET isn’t a bad place to start. Here they list a number of recommendations in the sub-$500 range (notice the Denon AVR-1909 on the list), and that list is probably a good starting point. Then notice they list at least 50 different A/V receivers under their Home Audio AV Receiver Reviews section.
There you might notice a receiver like the JVC RX-D702B. Read that review and you will get the sense that everything is a trade-off. They love this unit, but point out that it gives off a lot of heat, and they criticize the complexity of the remote and the setup process. But for the same power and capability, you could spend much more money. It has a cool feature that it includes USB dongle that you plug into your computer and wirelessly stream MP3s from your computer to the receiver.
Depending on your current needs, you should also consider that you might want to add some other components down the road (a game system, an HD camcorder, etc). A little spare capacity never hurts.
Pick a few models that look like they might work, and fit your budget, and then, GIYF (sorry, I had to). Read some of the various user reviews and trouble reports posted all over the place. See if you see any themes developing that might cause you pause. And if you don’t, those models should stay on your short list. From there, consider the best pricing you can find and make a decision.
Full disclosure, though, I’m not finding all the features that I want in a “reasonably priced” AV receiver (under $1K). So I’m “making do” for awhile and wait for the prices to come down a bit. My older non-HDMI receiver provides sufficient digital inputs and digital processing (like DTS - as does your RCA). Most of the more advanced capabilities of these A/V receivers (like TrueHD audio) are for the future. The downside is that I have to keep an extra remote around, and push more buttons to switch from TV to BluRay, but I’m OK with that for now. So I just don’t run my HDMI videos sources through the receiver, just the digital audio.
Only you, and manthous, can make those decisions for yourselves.
As for the BluRay setup, that is surprising to me. My BluRay had an option for “audio priority” where HDMI, Optical, and Coaxial were the choices. Oh well. You should choose “Bitstream Re-encode” as the option.
If you are still not getting audio from the receiver, I’m a bit stumped. Just for a test, you might try unplugging the HDMI cable from the BluRay to the receiver, and running it straight to the TV (so you can see the menus), and try again. It may be that the Samsung is “auto-configuring” the audio based on the capabilities of the receiver (which is, as we have established, minimal to insufficient). If that still doesn’t work, you may want to remove the HDMI cable altogether, and temporarily run the video from the Samsung to the TV using just the yellow RCA jacks on composite cable. If that is the only scenarios that gets you digital audio, then you have found out that those two models (The Samsung and the Denon) simply aren’t compatible.