"Futureproofing" my Receiver purchase questions.

[Zman2k2]

Okay, so since I've been on the board, I am quickly understanding that to enjoy the benefit of the new technology of BD discs and audio output, I need to upgrade. Looking at both what is out there currently, as well as what is upcoming in the months ahead, I am getting somewhat confused as to what I need to look for when it comes to a new A/V receiver. What I'm going to do is list what I think is necessary for a "future-proof" receiver, and then you can educate me on my research.

1- HDMI. This is necessary when it comes to the new audio outputs that the BD comes with (ie. DTS- HD MA and DDTruHD). But what about video processing? If your equipment puts out a 1080p signal, is video-processing necessary? Or would a video-pass-through be more what I'm looking for? Or is there a difference? Second, is the saying "the more, the merrier" true when it comes to the number of HDMI inputs that a receiver comes with? Currently I have 3 devices that are capable of HDMI output (BD player, XBox360 and HD-DVR cable box). Is getting a receiver with 4-or-more HDMI inputs going to benefit me, or will the quality suffer because of so many inputs?

2- 5.1 and 7.1. Most Blu-rays that are available now are 5.1 audio. Will we see a change in the near future with a move towards more 7.1 audio tracks? As I read now, the new codecs of DDTruHD and DTS-HD MA are all 5.1. Will there be a new codec capable of 7.1 or are these current ones capable of decoding 7.1 audio?

3- New codec decoding. Saving money is something that everyone likes to do. Is it even necessary to find a receiver that is capable of decoding the new codecs, or can a person save money on this and get one of the new 2.0 BD players with internal decoding and be happy with the quality that way? Or is having the receiver capable of doing the decoding better? This goes along with point 2, in that if 7.1 output is a new codec, wouldn't it be better to have to buy a new player for 7.1, versus a new receiver or will those codecs be capable of 7.1?

I know that brand and sound are all relative to the person doing the listening, but the features of the receivers are all pretty much the same when it comes down to point-for-point comparisons. Having some knowledge on which features are going to be around for a while and knowing which are necessary for the best possible experience will help out some new-to-the-experience people, like me, who go out shopping and won't get sucked-in to buying something we won't use or don't need.