I'm not much up on 2 channel stereo. It sounds like you've got a good handle on it. Hopefully someone else can help with that.
I could probably help with DVD and receiver recommendations though. Need some info to make a solid recommendation:
What sort of video inputs do you have on your output?
What kind of output is it?
How much are you looking to spend?
Are you hardcore and will want to spend hours calibrating your speaker setup or would you like your gear to help you?
There are probably other questions, but this will help get us started.
As with most electronics, you'll want to take what "the internet" tells you with a grain of salt (for example I'll offer recommendations and I don't own anything..yet), but you're on the right track. You'll find as good a information here as you will at any store.
-Nick
