I have a 2 year old Onkyo receiver with analog input as well as optical and coaxial.

My question is, will my receiver be capable of playing the hd audio at its fullest, or will it only sound good as optical and coxial?

I have the xbox 360 hd dvd player right now and wondering if I should keep it or wait for a real player.

Thank you.

If you use 5.1 input a stand alone player will do the sound decoding. Your reciever will just amplify the volume. It will be capable of playing the new formats to their fullest.

Just to be clear, that means your receiver's analog has the potential to sound better than optical. Depending on the disc, of course.

Thanks for the great news. I'll return the Xbox 360 HD DVD player and wait for a real player.

The Xbox 360 player's sounds clearer than most dvd players but not as dynamic.