Thanks for this. It certainly looks very nice. I wish the Outlaws would state a date for release. After the problems around the 997 and the hit their credibility has taken, I think they owe it to us.

Rob

A specific release date is an unrealistic request for anyone. While I've never worked in electronics, I've worked in manufacturing long enough to know that projecting a quarter for release of a new product is about as close as anyone can come.

Yeah, I think the Outlaws have learned a hard lesson. My guess is we won't see much in the way of specific dates until the units have "gone gold" (if I may use a software development term here) and are either on the water, or in the warehouse.

One bit, twice shy... Sucks for people like me, hungry for information, but I don't blame them one bit.

I'm playing with a UMC-1 in the interim, so I'm patient. Though I am anxious to overcome some of its limitations, it meets a majority of my current needs. Still, I am looking for a good excuse to re-purpose the UMC-1/LPA-1 combination to the TV in the family room, so I can go with a more feature-complete processor in the theater, and possibly a 7200 for amplification...

Oh, and so I don't totally threadjack here, my feature requests are as follows:

• Network connectivity, with DLNA or similar capability to stream media from a server
• Firmware upgrade via USB stick - sorry guys, but I don't trust the network!
• Proper 1080p24 handling via passthrough.
• Video and Audio settings on a per-input basis (the global video setting is my biggest peeve with the UMC-1).
• Don't make Trinnov a black box - let me see (and please, let me tweak!) what it's doing.
• Oh, and please give us a killer processor/amp combo deal!

--Brett

I would like the 998 to decode a DSD bitstream.

That was mentioned in the announcement:

Requested features for Model 998, in no particular order of preference:


1. Back-lit Remote Control (see Oppo BDP-83 remote)

2. Panel display that is not only dimmable, but may be completely turned-off; this is a feature highly prized during movie watching (again, refer to the Oppo BDP-83)

3. No cooling fan! Design it to dissipate any heat with heat-sinks only.

4. Top-quality audio (it's all about the sound).

5. Top-quality video (it's almost all about the sound).

And features that don't need to be included:

a. Satellite radio.

b. 3D video. Get real, this always seems to come and go throughout the years, and I don't really feel like wearing a pair of glasses just to watch tv; my vision is just fine thank you.

c. Streaming audio and/or video.

d. Wireless connectivity.

e. Anything associated with gaming.

f. Any other fad that will disappear in the near future. Simply do audio and video processing without the gimmicks; I'd rather have the money going into the quality of the sound and video instead of useless "bells and whistles."

An additional feature request, which is not really a feature, but is of the utmost importance:

MADE IN U.S.A. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I posted a smaller version of this in the going going thread, but I fall in the camp of wanting the wireless network and streaming audio/video in the unit itself. After having purchased one Squeezebox, I really don't want to have to buy another to extend the functionality, especially when the new owner Logitech keeps reducing the quality of the DACs. I really don't want to have to keep buying separate devices that significantly duplicate the functionality that IMO should be built in the processor portion of a pre/pro. That just adds to the overall cost of the system and provides little or no benefit. This would enable us to buy devices like the Oppo BDP-80 as opposed the BDP-83 or SE.

A specific feature I would like to see included is some sort of embedded Linux system with a removable SD chip (full/mini/micro - I don't care) that drives a lot of the functionality through software. In conjunction with network connectivity and software/firmware refreshes, this seems like an excellent and relatively low-cost way to gain significant flexibility and future proofing for the entire system. The removable SD memory chip for memory would allow Outlaw to offer additional features in the future that were not possible with the memory the unit shipped with (e.g. the equalization feature not available on the 990).

Additionally, I would love to see two rear panel USB ports and possibly an eSATA connection.

Finally, please include Dolby Volume for those of us who watch commercial TV.

This all sounds really cool, but I still think (at least from where I sit) that it belongs in a separate chassis. Here's why:


Adding all of this functionality to a surround processor is adding cost to it. Embedded Linux system? That's basically a hacked-down PC that's tucked in there alongside the existing (non-Linux) audio and video processing. It's going to add a non-trivial cost to the Model 998 that many users don't want to spend. It also means that you are locked into whatever architecture and support the Model 998 is able to provide, and to upgrade it you'd need to either replace the whole thing or buy a standalone media client. If you want to have a single really good analog section, that shouldn't be a problem - the 998 can provide that for any media client with coaxial, optical, or HDMI output. Having it in a separate chassis lets people pick the product that they want and suits their needs.

That one's already in there, according to the announcement.