Just to confirm musicman's reply, the transcoding that receivers do from a lesser format to a better one is a convenience feature only; if a feed doesn't originate as, say, a component signal, no amount of transcoding (or upconversion) from composite or S-video will change it into one. Transcoding just simplifies cable runs. The upconversion w/video processing that receivers are beginnng to include cannot upgrade an originating format to a superior one either, but it can interpolate pixels to fill a particular screen just like a TV or upconverting DVD player does. Performance will vary.