My head is spinning!

[jmillerdoc]

Hi,
I have been trying to figure out all of this new technology and my head is spinning!

I have recently entertained the idea of building a 7.1 surround system. I want to build my own amplifiers for this endeavour, in fact I already have a 2 channel and a 5 channel gainclone style amplifiers built. What I need now is the 7.1 surround decoder to mate with my homebrew amplifiers. There are too many options to choose from and I am not even sure i understand what most of them are or mean. I plan to buy a new Sony Z series 40" monitor.

What I need help with is the processor and the DVD/Bluray/SACD player.

I need a passive processor that will mate with my amps. I am looking for a descent priced one with all of the options one would generally need (whatever that means).

I also want a high quality disc player that will meet all of my video and audio needs.

Can anybody point me in the right direction?

Jeff