I am getting my first HD HT system delivered this weekend and am starting to look at my audio options. I am very much a novice and have been trying to get a gameplan together from reading other posts. Here are my devices:

Mitsubishi HD1000U Projector
Elite 120" Fixed Mount Screen
Charter Cable HDTV box
Sony Receiver - not sure of model, but 10 years old. Does not have the video feeds I would need for HD. Does support Surround Sound.
Sony DVD Player - 10 years old. My guess is it doesn't have the ability to convert to HD.

My questions are:

1) Short of buying a new receiver, is my only option to run the Cable box directly to my projector and run the audio through the receiver?

2) If I get a new DVD player would I be able to run the video through the cable box to the projector?

3) Am I correct that I could still run all of the audio through my receiver since it supports surround sound?

4) Is there any low-cost receiver you would suggest that doubles as a HD DVD player? That seems like it would solve my issues.

If I didn't give enough details please let me know. Also, if you think I should post in a different forum please let me know.

I appreciate any guidance with my set-up.

According to the specs on your projector, it has the following inputs: HDMI, DVI, and component. It has others but these are the only ones that really matter.

For video you can connect your Cable box to the projector using HDMI, and for audio connect the Cable box digital audio out to your receiver.

Assuming your DVD player has it, connect the component out from your DVD player to the projector's component inputs. Then connect your DVD player's digital audio out to your receiver.

The only reason you would need a new receiver is if your projector did not have a sufficient number of inputs or if you want the receiver to act as a central switch to control everything.

The above statements assume that your receiver has at least two digital inputs.