Originally Posted by AaronM

There are a few advantages. For me, I appreciate not having to switch my TV to different inputs every time I change to a different component.

If I put a Blu-ray disk in, the receiver kicks into BD mode and outputs to the TV.

If I plug in my Macbook Pro then I select Video 1 (which maps separate audio & video inputs into one output) and sends the signal to the TV.

Change the receiver to Ruko and it sends to the TV.

All through a single HDMI cable.

Some receivers also offer upscaling and other features as well.