I'm new to the HT market, so please forgive my amateurish questions. I've been reading this forum for months now, but I have to admit a lot of the highly technical aspects are way above my head right now. I guess it won't all make sense until I get my hands dirty.

Anyway, I'm seriously considering pulling the trigger on a 990/7500 combo. I will be using a Dish Network ViP722 HD-DVR and also currently own a Samsung BD-P1400 Blu-ray disk player. Here's what I'm planning to buy:

Outlaw 990/7500 combo
(2) Outlaw LFM-1 EX
Velodyne SMS-1
Axiom M80 v2 (mains)
Axiom VP150 v2 (center)
Axiom QS8 v2 (surrounds)
Epson Home Cinema 1080 UB

Essentially I want to make sure I'll be able to hook all of the above up to the 990 for maximum sound and video pleasure. What kind of cables will I need and how will I hook it all up (in particular, the HD-DVR and the Blu-ray)? Any assistance you could provide would be most appreciated. Thanks.

As much as I love my 990/7700 combo if I were in your shoes at this time I would wait. The 990 cannot give you the full audio experience from the new HD formats. It does not support HDMI and in order to get the "maximum sound and video pleasure" you will need that. Be patient and by the end of the year it looks like Outlaw may have a new pre/pro out. I know I will upgrade when it becomes available.

For hookups, I'd use HDMI direct out of the disk players into the Epson, assuming it has the required number of inputs.

Either coax or optical digital cables (one per unit) will do for the audio. Speaker cables to taste and you'll need a couple subwoofer cables of appropriate length depending on where you put them. 5 XLR M/F cables to connect the two Outlaw units as well as a 1/8 inch mono cable for the power amp trigger.

The DVR can probably use component video, as it won't be 1080P.

You should probably add a Harmony or Pronto remote to the system as it makes enjoying the system much easier.

thank you for your replay mzpro5. I would love to wait for the 990 replacement, but I don't think I can. You see, I currently have my wife's blessing and I don't know how long this window of opportunity will last. If I don't buy something now, my HT system might turn into a new kitchen by the time the new 990 comes out

I'm leaning more to buying the 990 now to take advantage of the $200 credit for the upgrade later. I will likely sell the 990 when the new model comes out, so I'll be, as gonk said it in a previous post, "renting" the 990 for a short period of time. Assuming, of course, that someone will still want to buy the old 990 after the replacement comes out.

Perhaps "maximum sound and video pleasure" was a bit extreme. Will I still get HD quality video and will I still get surround sound? Aside from the ease of hook up, can you tell me what HDMI would add? Would picture quality and sound be better with HDMI?

Thanks again for your help.

Thanks for the input mahansm. A universal remote will be key, I agree. I'm thinking of the Harmony 880 or the new Harmony One.

In that case go with the 990/7500. If you do the hookup as manhasm suggested you will have the best video and very good to great audio, just not the full range of the new audio formats. I don't think you'd have any problem at all selling the 990 and if the wife has given her blessing go for it. I just don't think things will look/sound the same on a new kitchen range.

Regarding a remote, I am a big fan of the Home theater Universal remotes having had an MX-500, MX-700 and currently an MX-850. I think they are the best and easy to program.

If your blue ray player has 5.1 analog out, you could let the player do the decoding for the new hd audio formats and then send it to the 990. That way you could have a direct hdmi connection to you video source. Sounds like a good set up, Brian.

I think that's a safe assumption - Model 950's still sell pretty well on the used market, and it's been discontinued for almost three years.
My wife has said more than once that our old URC MX-500 universal was the best upgrade we ever made, and the MX-700 that we moved to several years ago is even more popular with her. Investing in a good third-party universal that fits your needs is always a smart move.

Thanks to all of your good advice I just pulled the trigger

I just ordered the 990/7500, 2xLFM-1 EX, SMS-1, and a set of balanced cables. Can't wait! Now, I just have to finish the room.

Hope my wife knows what she's gotten herself into. Well, as they say, "it's sometimes easier to seek forgiveness than permission." Thanks again for your help, and you WILL be hearing from me again for assistance in hooking all this stuff up. Now to order the speakers....

Bring it on, Fredneck - that should be a fun system!