If I run the optical out of a DVD/CD player to a good receiver is there any reason to buy anything other than a cheap DVD player since all the audio decoding is done in the receiver? This is just a question about sound quality not picture quality.

Sound wise, it should work just fine.

There shouldn't be a problem with that, but don't go too cheap. You want the player to last and be reliable.

And, you want to gert one that provides quality video. You certainly don't need a DVD/CD player that decodes Dolby or DTS, though (assuming that your receiver does).

Life expectancy of the player.

I had a Toshiba SD-1800 die after 15 months with about 20 hours on the transport.

Goes to show how many movies I watch.

Bren R.