In order to set up the 976, or even the 975, you do need an HDMI connection to the TV (Samsung), to view the setup menu, in order to set it up for three channel use and such. Why not take advantage of the HDMI-ARC to send the audio to the processor?
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Main HT <> 976 <> 7200 <> Ultra-X12 <> sapphire ST2 mkII RF/LF <> sapphire SC center
sapphire ST2 mkII SBR/SBL <> sapphire SS SR/SL <> Verizon/DVR <> Vizio M70Q7 <> Oppo UDP-203 <> Amazon 4k Fire TV