OK. I cheated a bit. Got in the Tosh A-35 and swapped out the Sony BDP-S500 for a Panasonic DMPBD30K. Have played some and the following are my initial impressions. Remember, no measurements, objective criteria, etc. - this is my and my family's completely subjective impressions of the Onkyo TX-SR-805 used as a pre-pro with my Outlaw 770 for HT (We do not use the system for pure audio much at all).

Both players send Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD-MA through HDMI bitstream. Nothing in DTS-HD MA yet to check out with the Tosh (played Batman Begins for Dolby TrueHD), but played Eragon this afternoon on the Panny. Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA confirmed on the front panel of the Onkyo during playback.

The Onkyo TX-SR-805 is connected to my Outlaw 770 via pre-outs. The Panny, the Tosh and my Cox HD cable box are connected via 1.3a HDMI cables through the Onkyo and another 1.3 HDMI to the Sony KDS-R60XBR1 display (1080i input/1080p display).

Used the Audyssey setup for calibration. Worked like a charm. Had to up the center output a few notches to accommodate wife with trouble hearing center channel (not b/c of the Onkyo - same with the 990 due to some hearing issues - nothing major - she is cute as hell so hearing issue not a deal breaker).

No lip-sync issues with either disk. Wife is my litmus test for my HT audio comparisons. She confirmed my initial subjective impressions. The soundstage is solid- the sound is "crisper" to our ears - no harshness in the high or mids - very clean, and the voices through the center channel are especially clean and understandable. Bass is deep and tight. Separation is wonderful as well.

The startup time on the Panny is extremely quick - not as fast as standard DVD but light years ahead of the Tosh and my previous Sony BD players.

Picture quality is as perfect as I have seen on my display. I do not let the Onkyo do any processing from any source. The cable looks like - well ... cable on standard sources. On the HD channels, the picture is stellar.

So far, I am both pleased and surprised by the Onkyo's performance in my setup. I was frankly prepared not to like it. The only reason I went out and bought the Onkyo is that I was able to pick it up for a song and a dance at Circuit City (yes, Circuit City) for $629.00 during their incredible 4 hour sale last Sunday that I happened to stumble upon by accident. My 990 has been a terrific part of my system. It is still a terrific unit and a great buy! However, if nothing else changes, the Onkyo has a home here.

It does run HOT - even with the amps not being actively utilized. However, it occupies the top shelf of one of my equipment racks and ventilation in not a problem. It is not so hot that it bothers me, just hot compared to the 990 after running for a while.

Hope this is at least mildly interesting to some as I know it is not a detailed report on spec performance, measured performance, etc.

In sum - so far - I like it a lot!

Mike