how do you buy a home theater receiver?

[zcarm]

So I have a Harman Kardon HKTS home theater sound system and I am trying to get a receiver for it. I have extremely limited experience in audio hookups of any kind. My budget for a receiver is $85. The HKTS 20 that I have is 120w for each satellite and 200w for the sub (that has an amp of its own). I am looking for a good cheap receiver or preamp/amp combo thing (I read somewhere you don't necessarily need a receiver for preamp/amp). I am just wondering what kind of receiver I should be looking for. The only feature I need is for it to be able to power the speakers that are connected to my tv and that it has hdmi capabilities. I plan on hooking the speakers to my computer and displaying through my projector. Any help or education would be greatly appreciated.

 

[americanaudiophile]

A surround sound receiver contains a tuner, preamp-processor, and power amplifiers.
When you separate these out they usually are better quality, made in smaller quantities, and so start out much higher in price than receivers. The cheapest receivers are about $250. Even on sale that will be much higher than $85
Your budget doesn't allow for a new surround receiver so you will have to find something used. Don't worry about the power rating since the minimum for the satellites is 10 watts.
If you can give up the HDMI switching and use the TV digital audio output you will be able to use an older receiver without HDMI. These are usually cheaper used and sound just as good except with Bluray discs.

 

[zcarm]

Thanks for your response! I ended up winning a Pioneer VSR 524 K on ebay for $110. A little over budget but we will see how it works