"As good as 2006 was, the outlook for 2007 is even better. There are new products in the pipeline, and you’ll be hearing more about them throughout the year, as we get closer to their introduction dates. The first of these announcements will come next month when we introduce our first products in a category that is totally new for the Outlaws. At this point we’ll simply say that the new product will dramatically improve the performance of your home theater or music systems."

Hmmmmmm... Speakers? from Atlantic Technology?

I have two guesses:

1) A power conditioner. Applicable to the "performance" of a home theater or music system.

2) Some kind of active eq system, similar to the SMS-1, but covering the entire frequency spectrum. That's another product that would apply to the "performance" of a home theater or music system.

Of course, it could just be a clock.

I was wondering about that one myself - it does sound like it might very well be a new product category, and one on the audio side of the theater (since it is also tied to music systems).

I'd like to see the Outlaw's get into the media/music server business. The current offerings that I'm aware of (Cambridge Audio 640H and Fireball servers) are very pricey. It would be nice to have a music server that matched the look of the RR2150 for instance. I know their January announcement is a music + ht offering, however I'm hoping it will show up later in 2007.

I know this wouldn't be a new product category, but something I would love to see in the future (not too soon though, I just bought my 1070) would be a preamp or receiver with a USB2.0 or firewire input, like the RR2150, except for 5.1 (preferably 7.1, but maybe that isn't enough bandwidth?) channels, so that my computer would just see it as a sound card. As of now, there is absolutely no digital method of getting 5.1 from a PC to a receiver without re-encoding the audio into Dolby Digital or DTS. In other words, my computer would decode my WMA 5.1 or MP3 or FLAC files, which gives 5.1 channels of PCM type audio, from what I understand. Then, that PCM audio would just go directly to the receiver for multichannel playback. This would also allow for DVD-A and games to be played in surround at full quality, and would work in the future for HD-DVD and Blu-ray, since the computer would do all the decoding work. It would just be one digital connection from the PC to the receiver so that I can use the receiver's DACs instead, and so I could use one cable, etc. DTS/DD passthrough wouldn't be necessary either, since the PC would just decode the DTS or DD and use a digital stream directly from that, for no quality loss.

I guess in the future, HDMI will do what I want, but I don't really see any PC sound cards allowing for output through HDMI videocards anytime soon. A USB solution that would just be seen as a soundcard would be far superior in my opinion.

I would love to see a HDMI/AV Switch...
(3 or 4) HDMI w/ 7.1 analog audio for each, remote controlled. This switch would be fully HDMI 1.3 compliant. I would also love to see this for about $200.

JHoff80,

Is this the type of product you're talking about?

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Revolution71-main.html

That link is a PCI card for a computer. Not exactly what I was talking about. I was talking about a 3 or 4 port switch (Like http://catalog.belkin.com/PureAV_detail.process?Merchant_Id=&Product_Id=281816 ), but with the additon of 7.1 Analog Audio switching for each port also. This would allow someone to wire in a HD-DVD player, a SACD/DVD-A DVD Player and a Blu-Ray player all over HDMI for the video and also wire in the multichannel audio into say a Outlaw 970 Pre-Amp.

Not even close. That is an analog output for each of those channels. I want a receiver or preamp that has a USB or firewire input where the surround information would be transmitted digitally and uncompressed; the SP/DIF outputs on all PC soundcards can only pass along 2 channel PCM or Dolby Digital or DTS soundtracks. There are some new soundcards on the market that will convert the surround audio into a Dolby Digital or DTS stream for playback on a receiver, but that compresses the audio. I want something that will use a digital signal, with all of the surround information, but uncompressed. HDMI is a solution, but there aren't any HDMI soundcards, and of course, having a 1070, I don't have an HDmI input anyway.

While not a prognostication, I'm hoping that Outlaw offers acoustical room treatments. Room treatments--which are next on my purchase list--would make a significant improvement for my musical and theater sound.

Rob

I think it would be very wise to get an HDMI 1.3 pre-amp to market that supports ALL of the features of Blu-Ray and HD-DVD, plus:

The DSP engines should be real number crunchers to allow full 8 channel, 24/192 resolution post-processing (as well as tone/EQ control, channel delay/trim, bass management, Audyssey, etc.) support with no downconversion and no audible effect on sound quality. That will take some serious horsepower!

Allow Dolby ProLogic IIx post-processing for all 5.0/5.1 formats including full 24/192 resolution LPCM and DTS/DTS-HD.

Professional digital audio clocking system from Apogee for jitter free performance.

High end Audyssey auto calibration up to and including 8 channel, 24/192 resolution LPCM with additional auto calibration support for subwoofers, an area that the Audyessey calibration software is not, in and of itself, particularly good at. Allow after-auto calibration adjustments to the settings for further tweaking to taste. A weakness of some manufacturer implementations of Audyssey.

Top end components, plus the best 24/192 Wolfsen or EM Lab ADC's & DAC's with full support for DSD decoding.

Full, direct DSD bitstream decoding for SACD's via HDMI.

At least five HDMI 1.3 inputs. Two HDMI 1.3 outputs for dual monitors.

Full internal 1920x1080p/24 and 1920x1080p/60 video conversion and selectable pass through modes for each input. Full 1920x1080p on screen over-lay menu support (so, you don't lose HDMI handshaking every time you bring up the on screen menu).

Silicon Optix's best Realta HQV/Teranex video processing chip with full motion adaptive, reverse telecine support for superior 1080i to 1080p/24 or 1080p/60 conversion (user's choice dependant upon their display's capabilities), and superior 480i/480p/720p to 1080p up-conversion as well.

Full on-board support for HDMI 1.3 Deep Color and A/V synch capabilities.

I'd pay up to $2,500 for such a direct-to-consumer pro-grade processor. I'm sure it can be done.

I think that's a good list of options, but the $2,500 price seems impossible - the video processing alone (at the level we're talking about here, at least) would probably account for $1,000 all by itself.

I'd call it inevitable that an HDMI v1.3 processor will be offered by Outlaw, most likely within the next 12 to 18 months. I think it goes without saying, though, that the January announcement will not be related to HDMI v1.3 - it's too soon for them to have gotten anywhere close to production, and an HDMI v1.3 processor is likely to appear much like the 990 did.

Hello Folks, I hope the outlaws come up with something like the Gefen Home theater scaler. The price rage and value seems to be in-line with the outlaw ways. i think this is more in-line with what is being discussed hear. An affordalebe video scaller would be great from the outlaws.

Have fun

http://www.gefen.com/kvm/product.jsp?prod_id=4174

Gonk,

It's economy of scale. The Realta in bulk probably isn't that expensive as a chip goes (and if they had a pre-packaged HDMI 1.3 video/audio input board from a quality third party OEM vendor--as some companies do--without having to pay for R&D on their own it would lessen the costs; I bet Outlaw could work up a deal with Silicon Optix and Silicon Image to do the design for the digital input/output board for them to save on R&D as they have with Crystal semi-conductors, etc.). That's the reason for the HQV chip to lower the cost vs. performance of having basic Teranex pro-grade processing in consumer products.

Outlaw has done a lot with their 990 at the just over $1,000 price point (even giving us 8 channel balanced outputs). Add another $1,000 to $1,500 and they could do a whole lot more I'd imagine.

They could drop a lot of the antiquated analog audio/video connections (except a 5.1 analog input or two and component video) to lower the costs and put the money saved elsewhere. Drop the radio too.

One thing nobody has mentioned is the next logical step...a DVD player. Of this would also play CD's and various other formats. I would not be surprised if it was an Oppo in Outlaw clothing. This seems like the most logical step forward. Now you can get all your electronics online from your favorite supplier.

Tim

This announcement should be soon. It is Jan21 and if I do remember the Outlaws like Sunday announcements. Maybe we need the Patriots to lose so they can concentrate on business? (joking).

Side note: Maybe the next Outlaw Processor will look something like the new Sherwood Receiver announced at CES?? (without the amps and with Balanced Outputs)

Regards,

Charlie

maybe it will be something similar to the svs audyssey eq.

Re: “Drop the radio too.”
On weekend afternoons, such as when reading, I often want background music and am more interested in convenience instead of specific content. So I turn on the FM tuner of my Outlaw.

It would come close to a “deal kill” for me if the radio would be dropped in future products.

I’d much prefer it be enhanced with HD radio - that would be a product differentiator.

I like Dan H's suggestion. The 990 and Anthem AVM30 have been favorably compared. How about an updated 990 (995?) that compares with the AVM50 at the same price ratio as the 990/AVM30? That would be a hot seller!

Oh, I think we can count on eventually getting a processor that will fill the 990's spot in their line-up but with at least HDMI v1.3 - and I definitely agree that including at least some nice video scaling solution would be a great, cool touch. I doubt, however, that we'll see that announced this month - it's going to take until later this year at the earliest for outfits like Outlaw to get HDMI v1.3 product to market (I suspect more like early 2008, but that's a SWAG that includes some padding for development delays).

And for that matter, this announcement is to be about a new product category for Outlaw - so surround processors (of which Outlaw has had three, not counting two surround receivers as well) is probably not what we'll be hearing about this month.

I agree a new processor with a scaler and HDMI 1.3 probably is some time out in the future. Maybe some type of equalization product or (reaching here) an alliance with a speaker manufacturer is more likely. Regardless, it is fun to speculate.

Here's my guess, Since Outlaw worked with HSU to design the LFMs and now HSU has a center and satelite speakers, maybe Outlaw is coming out with a set of speakers based on HSU's 2way setup.

there's only a few days left in the month...come on Outlaw, the anticipation is driving me nuts!

Frankly I think building a video scaler into a Model 990 successor is a bad idea. Most Outlaw videophiles already have a scaler they're happy with--why add to the complexity and price of a "Model 999"?

Sherwood announced a new reciever at CES

http://www.audioholics.com/ces/CESprocessors/SherwoodR972.php

I imagine the P-965 and the 990's days are numbered. Due out 8/07

But not this month, I suspect ... I definitely agree that a processor similar to the 972 is inevitable (although considering the comments posted at Secrets about the number of HDMI inputs seen on the R972 being revised, I doubt that the August target is going to be at all easy to meet)..

If you head over here , you'll find the answer to sb-avnut's original question.