Quote Originally Posted by mille162
My big question is, does the onscreen menu go through the HDMI output? Looking at Denon's website and viewing a rear pic of the model, it says "HDMI monitor out". What's really confusing me is there's also a "monitor out" for a SVideo, Composite plug, and a "monitor out" (both 1 and 2) component plugs. Will all of these give the OSM or just one of them?
Don't know for sure, but the monitor out that you select should carry the OSD...most I've seen do, sometimes you just have to program the receiver to know which out you are using.

Price is about the same between the two and my DVD and HD box both have HDMI and component outputs. If the HDMI monitor out will give me my onscreen menu, I'd rather have the 3806 and use the HDMI cables instead of the component cables to connect them (correct me if I'm wrong, but the HDMI cables are supposed to be slightly better then running component, correct?). I've got to get new cables either way...
HDMI cables aren't better than component. They weren't made as a replacement, just an alternative. For 1080i or lower (and my understanding is even 1080p in the future) component video is fine. You shouldn't notice an improvement in picture quality.

The benefit to HDMI, if your DVD and HD box both support it, is that you can eliminate a whole crap load of messy cables behind your gear with 1 sweet HDMI cable. On my DVD player, for example, I have the 3 component video cables, an optical cable, and 5.1 multi-channel output cables running to my receiver. 10 cables altogether right there replaced by one HDMI.

Be careful with your HD box though. For whatever reason, a lot of networks and boxes aren't supporting HDMI yet. What's worse, many are reporting sub-par results with the standard def and analog stations through the HDMI cables. Not exactly an "upgrade".

There's no question the 3806 is a bit more "future proof" at this point, and that reason alone might be enough to go that way.