Hello Grimster...
I have the Panny 10A and enjoy Dolby TrueHD, etc. for 5.1 and don't mess with trying to get a 'forced' 7.1 out of the mix. Good 5.1 beats artificial 6/7.1 anyday for sound quality and the 990 is a champ!
Of course, the Panny 10A has 7.1 analog outputs and I can't suggest this for a 990 mate strongly enough. I have tried 'real' 7.1 on the "Ultimate Avengers" blu-ray and it is indeed a hoot! The movie is 7.1 pcm and the pcm tracks on hi-def are just as good if not better than their coded brethren. "Dr. Strange" comes out in next week in 7.1 and there are more discs coming out this fall. "The Descent" is mixed in 6.1 and the 6.1 discs I've tried are no slouch either. I don't feel any rush to get hdmi audio with the 990 in play. Such is the beauty of having dual 7.1 in/out devices in tandem. Someone will have to break a rock over my head to convince to give up uncompressed pcm....and since a great deal, if not the majority of blu discs offer pcm...I'm a keeping 'her'!
BTW....Integra has released their 7.1 hdmi pre-pro @ 1600 bucks approx last week. The war has begunz!!! I get to demo it, though I will not buy it(my a/v installer friend offered it to me for the weekend when it gets here). I am patient and will wait for Outlaws offering in the future and see if I actually need it when that time comes.
One more thing: Hi Gonk and all salooners! Hope the beer is cold!