If you're looking for something interim while waiting for the 978, and you believe the wait will be relatively short, consider the Marantz SR5005, which the Outlaws have in stock again, but in "limited quantities."

$499
Audyssey MultEQ XT (but not XT32), Dyn EQ, Dyn Vol
HDMI 1.4a
Anchor Bay upscaler
7.1 pre-outs (if you want to use it as a pre-pro)
...etc...

I really don't want to spend even $500 for a stop-gap solution, else I'd jump on this.