The first decision is deciding what you are actually hooking up.
The standard for small rooms; includes front, center, and two surround speakers, plus one subwoofer. how to buy a receiver
Ensure there are enough for every device (TV, PlayStation, Apple TV) plus one or two spares for future gadgets. The first decision is deciding what you are
If you have a 4K or 8K TV, your receiver must be HDMI 2.1 compliant to pass those high-resolution signals through without losing quality. and two surround speakers
A "channel" represents one speaker. The more channels, the more immersive the sound.
Essential if you plan to connect a turntable without a separate preamp.