There is one significant advantage to running the devices direct to the TV. Most TVs these days remember settings on a per input basis so you can individually calibrate your sources for best picture quality.

Having a receiver then requires an extra remote so by then you are considering at a universal remote of some description. They really are worth it for WAF though. I can go away for work and my girlfriend doesn't have any issues while I'm gone. The help function fixes things if something gets out of sync.