The cable companys all pretty much work the same.They recieve signals from satelite and then pass that signal through the cable.Most network and premium cable shows broadcast Dolby digital 5.1.Your reciever should de-code the signal and you should see the result on the display panel.When I used either basic cable or premium with a box and ran the l-r cables into my reciever the display would change with the station being watched,eg.mono-stereo-dolby prologic.To get Dolby digital you need a digital out on the box otherwise you will probably get pro-logic.My box has both optical and coax digital outs and outputs DD for all channels.I don't think the tv matters that much because of the limitation on the built in speakers,when you change channels about the only change might be the stereo indicator changing.If your box has a digital out by all means run it direct to the reciever and more than likely you will get digital on all channels,really nice if you get music channels through cable.I believe satelite also outputs all digital to.
Kind of a long winded reply but yes,using analog into the reciever makes you a lot more dependent on the original signal from the station and about all you can do is play with various sound fields on the reciever.BTW if your box is digital it should still work fine even if not HD.Look for a digital out.
