A good AV receiver (audio-video receiver) is the very foundation of every great home theater as it processes video and audio signals from many different sources and forwards them to both your TV (or projector) and speakers. As a source, you may use DVD, HDD or multimedia players, and what’s more, top end receivers can be connected to your home network, enabling you to play content directly from your computer. Receivers should therefore have a sufficient amount of analog and, more importantly, digital (audio and video) inputs and outputs, which would allow you to switch between the devices (sources) with ease. Last but not least, receivers can also convert the received signals into another type of signal (e.g. audio optical signal into an electrical one), or further process them (e.g. turning a composite video input into a component one or stereo sound into surround 5.1 or 7.1 sound).
It's important to take time to select the right AV receiver seeing as it’s the heart of your home theater. In addition to a sufficient amount of inputs and outputs, it should also be compatible with all common audio decoders such as Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic and DTS. It should also handle HDTV signals and support automatic calibration using a microphone, which will help set up the sound. Opt for high-performance amplifiers as they deliver more quality and undistorted sound at high volume. AV receivers also generally feature built-in FM tuners (radio receivers).
