Live and learn! Thanks for the information. It's always na relief to find that something unexpected (I've only had my surrounds for a few weeks) is "by design" not "a bug." As for my receiver, sadly, it does not automatically recognize PCM stereo signals sent from the universal player (as opposed to my now-disconnected ancient CD player), but switching to PCM or stereo (or PLII "music" mode) is a simple business.

Hey, sushi, love the totoro avatar. That's one of my family's favorite movies!