Looks like Outlaw is getting close to some sort of release...they must have heeded the requests to add HDMI...wonder what else is up their sleeves? Whatever it is, I'm sure the new pre/pro will be great.

:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Hi getech,

I wish that were the case, but it is not. Yes, we are working on a new processor, as is everyone else in the high performance area, but it is still a long way off. The 990 will still be with us for quite some time. Even Gonk's guess is optimistic

Peter, I stand corrected! I love my 990, it satisfies all my current requirements and it sounds better than any other processor I've heard, in otherwords...no hurry.

Good luck in your development of the next gen....

Forgive my ignorance. I'm trying to figure out what will the addition of hdmi 1.3 do for me. I feed my Oppo and Sony 955 hdmi video out to inputs on my TV.
The audio doesn't go to the TV. Will the audio signal carried by 1.3 provide any improvement over the audio now via DD 5.1 or dts?

Confusion caused by HDMI versions does not classify as ignorance, nfaguys. Most of the nitty-gritty details are touched on at least briefly in my HDMI FAQ , but put simply HDMI v1.3 is only of benefit over v1.1 if you have a burning desire to decode the three new HD audio formats in your receiver instead of your Blu-ray or HD-DVD player, and v1.1 is only a benefit over coaxial/optical if you are looking to send those three new HD formats or DVD-Audio from your player to your receiver digitally instead of as multichannel analog. HDMI v1.1 could actually be handy - the OPPO 981 could send multichannel PCM from DVD-Audio and SACD to your processor over the HDMI cable instead of half a dozen analog cables. The reason that Outlaw and many other companies elected to wait before adopting v1.1 is simple consumer pressure: too many people have heard of v1.3 and been led to believe that it is the only HDMI version to have.

That ignores those of us with PS3s as our blu ray player. No multichannel analog. If Outlaw had an HDMI solution today, I'd buy it to upgrade my 950. As it is, I'll be waiting awhile until something a little cheaper than an AVM40 is available (and that has no issues with 1080p signals).

BB

My thanks to both.
The issue/question is clarified.

The PS3 as a Blu-ray player is a prime example of that one case where HDMI v1.1 offers benefit over multichannel analog - the Toshiba HD-A2 also falls into that category. The 990 simply came too soon for HDMI support, but give it a year (maybe less) and there should be some alternatives to the AVM40.

HDMI 1.3 has other benefits worth waiting for: extra video bandwidth to a minimum of 2560x1600, automatic lip-sync, and an improved CEC (control) channel (which allows components to talk to/control one another, ie put a disc in your PS3 and it could turn on and properly switch a preamp and TV that are connected to it).

HDMI 1.3 has features that deserve serious consideration and care, as their implementation in the next Outlaw unit must not only bear out the life of the model (several years, most likely), but also deliver a superior feature set for the price to satisfy their customers. Considering that the software that drives HDMI upgraditis (HD discs) sells at about 1% the rate of DVDs, it's not a market that benefits Outlaw rushing into.

True, but the extra video bandwidth can't be used by anything yet, the automatic lip sync only works if the entire signal path is HDMI v1.3, and the CEC channel also only comes into play with v1.3. All of which comes back around to reinforce your point: best to try to get it right than to try to get it first (although getting it right for features that can't be used because other hardware doesn't exist yet will be difficult).