Here's what he has...

CD Player
LaserDisk Player
DVD Player
VHS VCR
DSS dish system
Cable Box

He's a great doctor, but he's a "vidiot" so using a network of "A-B" switches will only confuse (and terrify) him. He really needs a receiver that can accept input from a CD player and about six or seven A/V devices. The amplifier could be separate or built-in. Doesn't really matter.

Just so you know...the room isn't that big...maybe 10' x 12' or so. He listens to a lot of opera.

As for the new system. Cost isn't so much an issue. He wants to be able to use the stuff without having to call someone and he wants it to sound great.

I'll impose a budget of $1,200 on the receiver.

Denon AVR-3802

Outlaw 1050

Both appear to be favorably reviewed "best bang for the buck" receivers. I'm considering both of these for my school's anime club AV equipment package.

Regards,

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Some of Yamaha's newer receivers are also pretty good. I had been dogging them on recommendations since they were dragging their feet on the incorporation of all DTS-ES modes. And Pioneer deserved some of the slams they got on the very misleading product literature for a number of their previous receiver offerings. Now they're finally changing.

I knew that Denon was going to figure into the equation -- but I've been out of home theatre for so long -- I didn't know which model(s) to look at.

Also...there are no dealers for quality home theatre products here...so I haven't had the opportunity to do any window-shopping lately. (Oh, poor me!)

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Sorry to hear about your bad experiences with doctors. This particular doctor is a personal friend of mine. I won't be billing him for my services and, likewise, he rarely bills me for his. I have warned him that he will have to pay for follow-up calls that arise out of his messing with the wiring or the EQ (as he's been known to do).

Thanks for recommending a product. I am finding links to all of them and he's already looked the Denon 3802 and the Outlaw. So far, we're both leaning towards something from Denon's line.

TO ALL YOU HOME THEATER EXPERTS...

I need an outboard Dolby Digital decoder. (It would be nice if it had dts too, but it isn't an absolute requirement.) It does not have to decode Dolby Digital Laserdiscs, but it's fine if it does. This will be used with DVD and D-VHS. This decoder needs to be able to decode Pro-Logic as well. The decoder MUST have it's own built in delay for all channels. I am not talking about surround speaker delay, I am talking about an overall delay of the entire sound. This is for use alongside a HTPC, which delays the video several frames. I need a decoder that will decode and then delay the audio's output to match the video. For this purpose I am not needing anything mega-expensive. Let's put a $500 cap on it.

Alternatively, if I absolutely HAVE to buy a receiver to get this, can anyone recommend a receiver with a quality decoder in it? Bear in mind the amplifier and switcher part of this will never be used, so that doesn't matter.

All home Dolby Digital decoders decode ProLogic as well. I haven't heard of any manufacturer having delays for all channels, but you might want to check out Lexicon's line of processors. But that's well above the $500 mark.

More than you need, but interesting none the less...

The Lexicon MC-1: Music and Cinema Processor has a delay of up to 60 milliseconds on all channels. It also decodes 7.1 in both DD & DTS. I have no idea what it's worth (it does a lot so it's probably not cheap) but you could contact a local dealer (listed on site), who knows...
http://www.lexicon.com/mc1/index.asp

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With prices of DD/DTS receivers dropping to prices under even $150, it is easy to see why outboard decoders have pretty much disappeared on the lower end of the market.