Is there anyone out there now that can predict what the future will be and design a processor to allow all future devices to be connected to it? Not being an audio engineer I would seriously question anyone that claimed they could do this. The mother of invention usually dictates what is around the corner as far as new devices. 10 years ago did anyone foresee the conversion of music to a file format that would allow its use with an amplifier and large speakers stored on a device with no moving parts and smaller than a credit card. Companies tend to shy away from investing significant capital in R&D until they think they have a market to sell it in. The Outlaws did future proof the 990 to a great extent simply by providing video 5 and the USB input. Both of those inputs are long established connections with very few interconnect problems. Not so for the much ballyhooed HDMI and its handshake requirements which vainly try to slow down piracy (think spitting in the ocean). Only in the last year has HDMI approached anything like a standard format. Before that its inability to transmit the most basic of audio signals doomed it to mistrust among most of the people who wanted it most. How many people have HD DVDs which will become essentially 8 track players in a few years. Anyone own a Betamax deck out there that can attest to its high quality and nothing to play on it.

The decision to go with DVI vs worthless HDMI was a very good choice by the people responsible for developing and bringing to market one of the best dollar value processors out there. If the 997 skipped HDMI for similar reasons, it would still be as good a value as the rest of the industry because there are currently no media for the new codecs and HDMI is no better than analog with DVI.

I am sure Outlaw will face the future just like the rest of us and hope it can stave off its competitors by providing the best value equipment out there.