I'm pretty well versed in HT terminology and uses and stuff, but I'm by no means an expert at it. However, I've had one question that I should probably know, but I just don't. BTW, I have a Denon ...

You have the decoder either before or in the preamp. If it is before you will need to run an all analog connection after that so you will need a lot of interconnects = expensive, even at $15 a pop for ...