This thead has got me wondering... will the availability of BluRay players with internal processing of the new codecs impact sales of next-gen processors?

Frankly, IMHO something like the Panasonic BD50 is a real godsend. In my case, I'm pretty happy with my 970. And (at least as far as bass is concerned) I've even got EQ processing in the system via an SMS-1.

That starts to make me question the two biggest temptations to jump from the 970: (1) processing of the new codecs; and (2) room EQ. Granted, full frequency room EQ is a different animal than bass EQ, but who knows if I'm even going to like what EQ above 80Hz will do to the sound of my system? (which I've spent 2 years dialing in.) I've heard good things ABOUT Trinnov and Audessy, but I've never actually heard them in my system.

Makes me wonder why I would want to jump into another processor. Unless there are huge sonic improvements in the 2 channel domain on the 970's replacement, I could be content staying where I am for a while.

Any of you guys have similar reservations?