There seems to be plenty of misunderstanding about Rotel's ability to handle these audio codecs due to the employment of HDMI 1.1 chipsets in our RSX-1058 surround receiver and RSP-1069 pre/processor. It is important to note that both Dolby and DTS recommend that the HD audio decoding be done in the HD disc player, which also provides access to other options such as additional Internet-streamed content for the movie being played. Once decoded by the player, the high resolution audio signal is output via multi-channel LPCM to HDMI input provided on the RSX-1058 and RSP-1069. Not all players support internal decoding, so you should confirm this on your particular unit. There is no loss of quality to have the decoding handled in the source player vs. decoding it in the surround receiver or processor.

Yes, all zones can have basic control of tuner to change preset stations, tune up or down or switch bands, regardless of whether or not the tuner is also being used in the main zone.

It is not necessary to have an internet connection to use the built in FM tuner, front USB or Aux input of the RDG-1520 or RT-09. However, all other inputs do require a working internet connection. Do note that while the FM tuner does not draw its signal from the internet, it is a part of the internet radio module therefore will not start if one of the USB dongles is not physically connected to the unit.