Ok so after being adventurous, slightly bored and answering the call of the audiophile in me, I decided to call Sony about the PS3 and HD sound debate to get an official answer.  There have been many opinions on forums as to whether or not the PS3 reproduces this sound, the true high def sound, since it can't send the info via Bitrate but decodes the information in the system itself and outputs it as Linear PCM via HDMI 1.3 cables.  As a result, many people have questioned if getting a PS3 is worth it since it may not be able to reproduce HD audio accurately and the sound you actually hear may be standard Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS 5.1 instead.  Well, the official answer from Sony Customer Service is that if you have the HDMI 1.3 cables and a receiver that has the HD audio seal of approval, the sound you hear from the receiver through the best speakers you'll ever hear (i.e. Aperion) is Dolby TrueHD or DTS Master Audio, whichever you choose!  So is keeping the PS3 an option a good idea when deciding on which blu-ray player to go with?  You betcha

Right you are! The PS3 is doing the decoding and sending it over PCM. I love my PS3!

My PS3 has not disappointed me yet...even though I am still utilizing compressed audio tracks (dd. dts).  I can't wait to upgrade to a receiver that has HDMI so that I can experience uncompressed audio.    Any suggestions on receivers?

As long as you have the PS3 set to output via PCM and your AVR has HDMI with a 1.1 spec that passes audio, you can get Pre-Decoded Multichannel PCM signals passed.  There has been may debates on whether you hear the difference between the standard dolby digital/DTS audio tracks from DVD's and the new uncompressed tracks (DD+, TRUEHD, DTS MASTER, etc..).  I have heard both and have to say there is a difference in the surround field.  The new uncompressed tracks create a larger sorround field and better sound positioning so you feel you are in the movie more.

I have tried Yamaha, Onkyo and Denon AVR's.  Yamaha i liked the least, Onkyo was in the middle and Denon was the best for me and my Aperions.  It's all a matter of taste I guess.

Anyways, there are so many options for AVR's it is almost impossible to recommend just one.  if you really want some good feedback why don't you tell us what size room you have and which Aperions you have?  Do you every plan on adding a seperate amp to your system?  How far do you sit away from your speakers and how loud do you like it :)  What is your budget?

If you want a safe bet, just pick up an Onkyo SR-805 or SR-806....

If you want to do some research here are A couple of options I would recommend looking at:  Onkyo:  SR-605/6, SR-705/6, SR-805/6 - Denon AVR-2308, AVR- 2808/7,AVR- 988/7 - All of these will pass Decoded PCM to your receiver via HDMI, meaning you will get the high def audio formats.  Yamaha RX-V663/883 - RX-V1800

Note: The new  Harmon Kardons are having issues especially with their HDMI connections synching to equipment.  I would hold off on one of those until they get it figured out.

Best of luck

Patrick:

Ok so after being adventurous, slightly bored and answering the call of the audiophile in me, I decided to call Sony about the PS3 and HD sound debate to get an official answer.  There have been many opinions on forums as to whether or not the PS3 reproduces this sound, the true high def sound, since it can't send the info via Bitrate but decodes the information in the system itself and outputs it as Linear PCM via HDMI 1.3 cables.  As a result, many people have questioned if getting a PS3 is worth it since it may not be able to reproduce HD audio accurately and the sound you actually hear may be standard Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS 5.1 instead.  Well, the official answer from Sony Customer Service is that if you have the HDMI 1.3 cables and a receiver that has the HD audio seal of approval, the sound you hear from the receiver through the best speakers you'll ever hear (i.e. Aperion) is Dolby TrueHD or DTS Master Audio, whichever you choose!  So is keeping the PS3 an option a good idea when deciding on which blu-ray player to go with?  You betcha

You can push the select button on your PS3 remote to see what your getting, upper right hand corner.   

Provided you have your PS3 set to send PCM to your reciever and your receiver has HDMI audio passthrough.