Oppo 83 and Denon 2700 AVR compatability questions

I recently added a slightly used Oppo 83 to my system which includes a Denon 2700 receiver.

1. Because the Denon doesn't decode 7.1 audio am I correct that I need to pass the audio signal via the 7.1 inputs?

2. If I'm using the the 7.1 analog inputs as my blu ray audio do I need to select the EXT. In as my audio source?

3. I was an early adopter to the HDTV technology. My TV does not like a HDMI input from a video source (even when passed through the AVR). One of big reasons I got the Oppo is because it can pass 1080i through it's component outputs which is what my native resolution is anyway. Another reason is that I thought it was an universal player. However, upon setup I soon realized that it doen't do DVD-A. I still have a Denon 2900 Universal player but don't see anyway to incorporate the player in the system since the 7.1 analog inputs are already being used by the Oppo. Is there any way around this problem, short of possibly getting a new receiver? I have quite a few DVD-A's that I enjoy.

Thanks,

Dan