If you want to watch 3D TV at home, there are a few must-have pieces. You'll need a TV capable of displaying 3D video, and special 3D glasses for everyone watching. You'll also need a 3D video source, like a 3D Blu-ray player and 3D Blu-ray movie, as well as an HDMI cable to connect it to your system.
So where does a home theater receiver fit in? Well, if you plan on switching your 3D video sources through your receiver, you'll need one capable of passing those 3D video signals on to your TV.
Now, if you don't have a 3D-capable receiver, you could run 3D video signals directly to your TV via HDMI, and run an optical or coaxial digital audio cable to your receiver for surround sound. That's a less-than-ideal solution though.
Having a 3D-capable receiver in your 3D TV system gives you a couple of key benefits. First, you'll still be able to enjoy the convenience of running a single HDMI cable to your TV (as opposed to one from your receiver and one from your Blu-ray player). Second, you'll still be able to get the ultra-high-resolution soundtracks available on Blu-ray discs, like Dolby® TrueHD and DTS-HD™. (Those formats generally require an HDMI connection, so optical or coaxial digital won't cut it.)