The role of the home theater receiver has changed over the years. In the past, the receiver only provided switching and processing of audio inputs and power to the speakers. With the increased role of video, home theater receivers now provide video switching and in many cases video processing and upscaling.

Depending on the specific home theater receiver, video connection options may include HDMI, Component Video, S-Video, or Composite Video. However, does this mean that you should connect all of your video source signals (such as VCR, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, and cable/satellite) to your home theater receiver?

The answer depends on the capabilities of your home theater receiver and how you want your home theater system to be organized. If you prefer, you can bypass the home theater receiver for routing video signals and instead connect the video signal source device directly to your TV or video projector. You can then make a second audio-only connection to your home theater receiver.

However, there are a number of practical reasons for routing both your video and audio signals through a home theater receiver. Here are a few of those reasons.