I tend to be of a similar mind on audio electronics as Altec. I am not a frequent buyer. But to take this one step further, it would seem that the market would be ripe for an HDMI switcher/decoder box, akin to the old AC-3 adapters. This is the main piece of the pre/pro that is really being improved for many HT enthusiasts. Those that are interested in sophisticated video processing are probably getting stand-alone video processors anyway. Include multiple (4?) HDMI inputs, one HDCP pass-through HDMI output, decoders for all the new sound modes including multichannel PCM for SACD and DVD-A, and a 7.1 analog output. Your current pre/pro handles everything else already. It would basically be 25% or less of the guts of the new Outlaw processor. You could then use your existing 990, or your pricey Lexicon, Anthem, Krell, or whatever, for many years to come. If they can manufacture and sell something equivalent to the new Integra/Onkyo processor for $1400, they should be able to take a quarter of the components of a pre/pro and sell it for say $500-600.

My $0.02 is that Blu-ray (and universal) players, as well as TVs themselves, already do video upscaling -- admittedly some better than others. This is changing too fast to want to buy a new pre/pro every year. Even if you buy today's top video processing pre/pro, a $300 Blu-ray player will probably do better video processing by 2010. If "the decoder/switcher box" is kept to sound only and video pass through, it would keep the cost down but the potential market could be huge.

Outlaw did something similar already in repackaging their multichannel receiver as the 970 by taking out the amps.