Ok, I bow to the information and drive I have seen on these posts. I am in the market for a a/v receiver. Had looked at, and was preparing to buy Elite 55 at 879 USD, but found out that the 56 has up conversion video and so does the cheaper Marantz 7400. If I am in the the 900 USD price range; what is video up conversion? why is it needed, it it worth an extra 2 bills for the 56 or will the 7400 be all that is needed? In this respect, given a 900 price range, what is the best receiver I have not looked at (this is a lot, that I have not looked at)? Thanks in advance
Simply put...video upconversion is when the receiver takes the composite or S-video input signals and upconverts them to component video. Theoretically this gives you a better picture and makes on screen displays easier to access without running extra cords.
De-interlacing, scaling and lines of resolution as well as default and bypass modes come into play which affect whether or not you will "actually" get a better picture.
Audioholics.com has information about this in various receiver reviews.
Whether or not it is worth the extra money depends on the receiver, the TV and the DVD player.
Personally the audio side is much more important to me, but maybe someone else can shed more light on this for you based on your specific request.
Thank you Bluestar. I landed on a Yamaha Z1 and Energy and Polk Audio Speakers. Picking it up tonight (NIB z1 for 1100 from an onsite store, thus no warrenty hastles) and looking forward to it.