Sony announces four new HD-ready receivers {Engadget HD}

Mar 1st 2007 8:24PM If you go read the original Sony press release on Sony's web site, it (unlike this Engadget article) clearly states that the 710/810/910 support audio over HDMI. 510 - probably not, like some older Sony receivers that are pass-through only.

HDMI 1.3 is *not* necessary for sound/1080p video. It's needed for decoding some of the newer audio formats in the receiver, but that's not necessary if your Blu-ray/HD-DVD player has the decoders for those formats, you just decode in the player instead.