HDTV Receivers

I am thinking of changing over from dishnetwork to direct- tv. Direct-tv has local channels in my market while dishnetwork does not. I currently have models 6000 and 5000. The 6000 is the main unit & I would like to get something with similar features to the two of them(albeit with a sharper HDTV picture). While the 6000 is fully featured, it does not integrate local & sat. channel like the 5000. I guess going forward that won't matter.

Main features...screen modes, 4.3, 16.9, zoom etc, favorite lists, easy conversion from HDTV to normal, etc.

I haven't found a good source for reviews or information (no easy consensus). The marketing materials don't adequately describe fearures & how they work. The stores I have looked at so far know very little about the various products. So far I have looked at the newest samsung as well as a sony and philips model. Unfortunately, there are very few reviews ....

Any suggestions/recommendations?

thank you, mac-ct