I am debating between which of these three Onkyo AVR's to buy, however almost every online site that sells these (Amazon, Crutchfield, etc.) has at least 4-5 absolutely horrible reviews, relating almost exclusively to issues with video processing on these units.  Has anyone on here who uses either a 606, 706 or 806 experienced any negative effects of the video processing, whether it be the "blue dots" or something else?  I am wondering if these problems are caused simply by incomplete or improper setup of the AVRs on the part of their owners, or if there is an issue with quality control at Onkyo, and a large percentage of their receivers on the market are actually faulty. 

Also, I already have almost all HD sources anyways (blu-ray player, HD dvr box, xbox 360), so I have little use for any fancy upconversion features.  My Sony BDP-S350 already claims to upconvert non-HD signals on its own.  I just want smooth clean power and the ability to pass the video signal right through the receiver.  Is there any way to just pass the video through unadulterated while simultaneously allowing the reciever to handle the audio?  I am very worried now that if I buy one of these I will be wasting money on a receiver that will quickly become a burden instead of a benefit.  Let me know all of your experiences with these Onkyo units and how you find they perform using your sources that are already HD.

I read the same kinds of things you read, and was scared enough not to get one, and to jump up to the 876, which had a different video processor.  For what it's worth, I'm VERY happy with that decision.  No issues to speak of.

That said, if you don't need the upconversion, it doesn't sound like you'll have an issue.  For the 4 or 5 people (as you said) that vocally have major issues, there's 100 that love those receivers.  

I purchased a 706 last week. I have HDMI output from my satellite box, HDMI output from my DVD Player(low cost samsung 720p,1080i), and component output from my Xbox 360. I've had no issues at all with the output. Everything is output through HDMI. My Samnsung TV only has one HDMI input so this was the primary reason for getting a new receive and I"m very happy with this aspect of the receiver. You can set the receiver into "Pure Audio or Direct" modes which are suppose to pass the video single through with no processing. If there is any funny stuff going on I have not seen it. The Xbox component output is converted to HDMI with no problem as well. 

I replaced a Maranz SR-7000 that I've had for 8 years and loved, but it was time to eliminate the video switching and with Circuit City going out of business I picked up the last Onkyo 706 for 40% off($479) so it was a pretty good deal. Now that said, the Maranz produced better bass response than I've managed to get from the Onkyo thus far. I have the AperionAudio 532's and S-8 sub, but I've had no issues with the video.

R.