Help with new receiver

[Metalheadisme]

Well, it's about that time... I'm looking to upgrade my receiver for HDMI compatibility, and while I am tech savy, trying to do side-by-side comparisons and find out all the flaws and features has been rather daunting. I'm willing to spend around $600, but of course the cheaper the better.

Here's my setup:

Sony KDF-E42A10 TV
HK avr-135 receiver
HK 6.1 speakers (came in CP15 with avr-135)
PS3
Cable box w/ HDMI
XBOX that I use for emulation of all old school games (ya for mods)

I'll be looking to upgrade to a 1080p TV eventually (that one is 720p native), but I'm not sure if finding a receiver with 1080p upconversion is necessary as a good TV will do a better job of it perhaps. Maybe some advice here... And while I may not need upconversion to 1080p, I definitely would like ALL inputs to be output via the HDMI to the TV.

I would like HDMI 1.3a for the potential of using the new codecs, even though I realize the PS3 cannot bitstream them. It's good to be a little future-proof though.

I also would like PCM 7.1 capability. I know some receivers handle PCM 5.1, and I only have 6.1 speakers, but here's the hitch. For the time being, my room can really only have 6.1 speakers because of the setup. As far as I know, 7.1 receivers should be able to make proper use of 6.1 speakers with the 7.1 audio info, right?

3 HDMI inputs would also be nice, but not too necessary.

I love my HK, but it's time to move on. Thing has superb sound - especially for music. I looked at the latest HK models, and their features just don't do it for me, plus I've heard some issues with poor manufacturing. If HK has plans to come out with receivers with the features I'm looking for I'd be willing to wait (plus they look slick).

That being said, the brands I hear a lot about or know to have great sound quality seem to be HK, Denon, Yamaha, Onkyo, and Pioneer Elite. Sound quality matters the most to me, and I know this does not equate to rated power (like in the case of HK's).

Thanks a lot for any advice guys.