Upconverting Receivers still necessary?

If you have non-HDMI components to connect and you want to pass them to the TV via HDMI, then yes, you'll need an upconverting AVR. Note that in the Denon line, the 1912 (last year) or 1913 (current model) is the lowest model in their respective series that have this feature.

You're confusing "upconverting" with "upscaling" .... the former refers to converting analog --> HDMI (eg. composite video/component video to HDMI), a feature you don't appear to require if all your source devices connect with an HDMI cable, and the latter which refers to upscaling the resolution from a lower resolution (eg. 480i/p DVD) to 1080p/4k (depending on the video chip in the AVR). Whether the video chip in the AVR does a better job upscaling DVDs depends on whether the source (eg. Blu Ray player) or the TV itself can do a better job, although in most cases if the answer is yes, it's subtle at best (not night and day).

What is your max budget? What other features do you want? To see a comparison of the Denon line, review post #2 of the Denon AVR-XX13 Owner's thread linked in my sig. You can also likely get a great deal on one of last year's XX12 models on clearance.

I rely on my modestly priced Panasonic BD63 Blu Ray player to upconvert DVDs for viewing on my 60" Mitsubishi TV. Works a treat!

Yes, as a matter of fact it is considered one of the best upcoverting players available.

Check any local area Best Buy, HH Gregg, Fry's or other electronics stores in your area for clearance sales on last year's models. Either the 1612 or newer 1613 would likely serve you well. The BA speaker + Denon package is generally the lowest level model (1312 or 1513) neither of which has the Audyssey auto EQ program and therefore not recommended. The following bundle would be inside your budget from Electronics Expo (authorized Denon reseller) and offers 3D, Airplay, upconverting, and upscaling to 1080p ....

http://www.electronics-expo.com/Denon-AVR-1913-Channel-Networking-Receiv/dp/B009E7B1XA?field_availability=-1&field_browse=6261057011&field_product_site_launch_date_utc=-1y&id=Denon+AVR-1913+Channel+Networking+Receiv&ie=UTF8&refinementHistory=brandtextbin%2Csubjectbin%2Ccolor_map%2Cprice%2Csize_name%2Cspecial_features&searchNodeID=6261057011&searchPage=1&searchRank=salesrank&searchSize=12

Give them a call and see if they'll bundle either the 1613 or 1713 with those speakers if you want a lower price.

Not a problem at all as a 7.1 AVR can run as few as two speakers (ie. 2.0 setup). It also offers the capability of using 5.1 in the main zone, while also using another set of stereo speakers in Zone 2 (eg. patio, back deck, office, bedroom, etc.).

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1334369/the-official-denon-avr-xx12-model-owners-thread/0_100#user_M


Edit: I see they offer the same speaker package with the 1613 as well for about $120 less.

http://www.electronics-expo.com/Denon-AVR-1613-Channel-Through-Networking/dp/B009E7B06S?field_availability=-1&field_browse=6261057011&field_product_site_launch_date_utc=-1y&id=Denon+AVR-1613+Channel+Through+Networking&ie=UTF8&refinementHistory=brandtextbin%2Csubjectbin%2Ccolor_map%2Cprice%2Csize_name%2Cspecial_features&searchNodeID=6261057011&searchPage=1&searchRank=salesrank&searchSize=12
Edited by jdsmoothie - 1/1/13 at 8:34am

That would be the biggy ... ie. no Zone 2 with the 1613, and although no upconverting/upscaling as well, not features you really need. Both have basically the same networking sources (Airplay, Pandora, SiriusXm) except the 1913 added Spotify via a firmware update last Sep.

yep, with the xx13 models you can use Airplay in Zone 2 while watching something else in the main room.The 1913 should do the trick for you.

Yes, although note the Airplay source must first be selected in the main zone and Zone 2 and then another source can be selected in the main zone other than the Airplay source. Also note that the XX12 models do not have this capability, rather Airplay remains fixed on both main and Zone 2 (just in case you find a clearance deal on a XX12 model, although this issue can be alleviated by simply connecting an Apple TV ($99) to the XX12 model).

There are several of the authorized resellers that sell at a discount off MSRP .... Crutchfield is generally not one of them, however, they do offer a 60 day return period while Electronics Expo only offers a 15 day return period.

What stock wire? I don't think the MLT-1 comes with speaker wire.

Depending on cable lengths, hardware store/home improvement store low voltage 2-conductor cable in the 12-16 gauge range is the best thing for you.