That's not entirely true, although it is true that the trusty SPDIF (coaxial or optical) connection can't carry the new formats due to bandwidth limitations. Here's the deal (with greater detail in my HDMI FAQ if you want it):

• If players decode the new formats to multichannel PCM (which should be the standard approach, although the early Blu-ray players are being a bit inconsistent about this), then HDMI v1.1 or v1.2 can carry the audio to a processor or receiver (assuming the processor or receiver supports HDMI v1.1 or higher).
• Once hardware with HDMI v1.3 arrives on the market, it will be possible for the original digital bitstream to be sent from the player to the processor or receiver.
• Backward compatible Dolby Digital or DTS signals can be provided by the players over SPDIF (coaxial or optical), depending on which format and which player. This is not the new formats, but it many cases it is still a nice step up from what we're used to with DVD's (high-bitrate DD and DTS that the DVD bit budgets have prevented us from having access to before).
• Assuming the player supports decoding of the formats (which is essential for you to hear the formats as long as we don't have HDMI v1.3) and the player has multichannel analog output, the millions of existing Dolby Digital/DTS receivers and processors that lack HDMI v1.1+ support but have a 5.1 or 7.1 analog input can still get the new audio formats. Granted that's not digital, but it's still a connection.

So far, only about three or four surround processors offer HDMI v1.1 inputs (meaning that the HDMI inputs can handle both audio and video), although it's more common in receivers. Those four processors are pretty pricey - the Anthem AVM50 runs around $4700, Arcam FMJ AV9 is $5500, the Anthem Statement D2 runs $6700, and the Lexicon MC-12HD is somewhere around $13000 I believe. Now that the HDMI spec has stopped changing (version 1.3 was finalized back in June or July), companies like Outlaw, Rotel, Parasound, and others can start developing products that incorporate HDMI, although the actual HDMI chips needed for that are apparently still being finalized and put into production. Most of the focus is on the HDMI v1.3 output chip needed for the PS3, so input chips needed by surround processors may not be as ready for inclusion in new products as some folks would like.