i have been turned on now to sound as my tv hunt is done i've been looking at Sony STRDG820 my question is i see that it doesnt have the analog to digital up conversion but arent we going to digital in feb? am i on the right track here with this reciever i'm not looking to spend crazy money, any corrections, opinions and threads are greatly appreciated thanks

What is your concern?
Are you using OTA, cable or satellite as your source?
If you are using OTA (over the air) signals you will use your TV or an external box to decode the signals, you simply take the audio outs of the TV or box and feed your receiver.

my concern is between the sony 820 and 920 do i need the up conversion now that we are switching to digital? im running cable i'd rather not spend the extra for the 920 if i dont need to

You do not need the upconversion because of the change from analog to digital for over the air broadcasts. Neither of the Sony receivers has a tuner so this has no connection at all to the analog to digital conversion. Even if you were to switch to over the air the Sony receivers could not be used for TV tuners.

Are you using OTA only?
If not which video sources are you using?

Regardless of which source you have the change from analog to digital will have no affect on you, if you want to upconvert your video sources through the receiver get the 920 if not save your money and go for the 820!!