help. need a guru.

i want to future proof my new home theatre, i know i'm on the right track with a pioneer elite reciever. i also know that 7.1 lossless uncompressed audio needs a dedicated hdmi cable without video in the signal. not a problem because my reciever can decode everything. the question i've been digging for, is can i get a compressed 7.1 losslesss like dts-ma in with 1080p video across a single hdmi out of a proper blu-ray player. ie: pioneer BDP-51FD

thank you in advance, i've been searching for hours.

nvm. gave you all the opportunity and a knowledgable best buy associate got me the answer first. the answer, i'm now bitstreaming 7.1 dts master hd audio and 1080p over a single hdmi. how? well, first ditch that p.o.s. sony bdp-s300..... virtually incapable of everything. second, buy the panasonic DMP-BD30K. great gui, lots of options for setup, fast loading ~20 seconds, and only lacks a lan port.

tech summary:
s/pdif maxes out at 5.1 channels
hdmi supports up to 7.1 compressed lossless audio with 1080p video
hdmi supports 7.1 uncompressed lossless audio without video

furthering the knowledge:
if the 5.1 lossless audio needed to be decoded by the player, could it be sent out with 1080p?

The BB employee may be knowledgable, but they weren't entirely correct. You can send 7.1 PCM and 1080p video simultaneously over HDMI.

actually that bit was my own personal knowledge. it must have been outdated. thanks for the correction.