Newbie to home theater...Help

Yes....a surround preamp-processor combination or an AV receiver will provide audio and video switching, decoding of movies (Dolby Digital, DTS, etc....). I'd suggest a subwoofer to fill out the low frequency track playback from the receiver for audio and for movie playback.

Hi Jake- If you are going to use it just for TV and movies, an AV receiver should fill the bill just fine. IMO, the visual information very much overwhelms the auditory in most cases, so that audio quality (aside from digital processing) is not that important. Most of all, you want to check the inputs and outputs on your TV and video sources (cable box, disk player). It can get a bit complicated if you are mixing "legacy" devices with current product because the interfaces have changed rapidly. OTOH, if you can decode, process and switch properly w an older AV receiver you can get a real deal on one now.

Thanks guys for both of your help and insight!