Not going to happen. It's been tried by others, but doesn't seem to work. Problem is you have chipsets that support a lot of these features and it would be too difficult to do.

Why? It's not going to improve the sound. Compressed audio doesn't have the information needed to make it high definition.

This would just come along with HDMI 1.4a
Are you referring to Audyssey XT Pro and Color Calibrations?
ouch!
agreed, essential

How many?

What are the odds on an update Thursday since the latest deadline is/was June 30?

Greater than zero, but not much greater....

There have been modular processors before. None have succeeded in the marketplace, few have ever received new daughter boards after their initial release, and all have been more expensive than their non-modular competitors. It simply isn't smart for a company to do, even if it does appeal to consumers who want to be able to "customize" a piece of hardware to suit personal tastes. The quirks of mass production mean that it is simply cheaper to get some features you won't use. And as discussed before (repeatedly), a multichannel second zone is cost prohibitive because it requires duplicating all the most expensive parts of the processor for each secondary zone. It's easier (and cheaper) to just buy a second surround processor or receiver for the other multichannel zone.


What does this even mean? If a source originates as lossy audio, nothing a processor can do will revert to the lossless source that was used to create it. At the same time, as soon as a lossy source is decoded, it is in PCM format. What are you going to "up-convert" that raw audio signal to?


They are planning to include HDMI v1.4 support at launch, which means they'll have 3D support from the outset. At this point, no matter how much I get frustrated with HDMI's endless progression, releasing today with anything other than HDMI v1.4 with 3D video pass-through support is not really an option. Offering it as a future upgrade would be a step back, and an unwise one at that.


Building in HDMI switching with multiple simultaneously-active outputs is crazy, plain and simple. HDMI wasn't built for it, the cost would be significant, and most users simply have no use for it. There may be one user out of a thousand (if that many) who has a valid reason to want to do it, and that user is faced with the unenviable task of wrestling with HDMI's inherent restrictions in order to make it work. The rest of us are better off sticking with the scheme Outlaw's already planned for the Model 978 (and that Onkyo, Denon, Marantz, and others have also been using): two outputs, with one active at a time.


Huh? Do you mean upgrading my TV to an LED-backlit LCD? I like my existing LCD and don't plan to change until it fails or something appreciably better comes along. Right now nothing tempts me. Gzubeck was talking about upgrading from his seven-year-old RPTV to something newer, not me - and I think his decision to stick with what he has is perfectly reasonable. Not sure why buying in bulk would help either of us any, though...

For now I think I will stick with the component connections. I like the Aspect ratio correction that puts a black mat around the available space on my 4X3 Hitachi. I don't have a widescreen Hitachi so there are very light grey bars on the top and bottom for the 1080i signal. When it comes in 480p using the entire screen I get to use the Bluray player's optional aspect correction. Thanks anyway for the info because it could be useful down the road if I need an HDMI to component output to my Hitachi TV with a new preamp or receiver. The Picture quality is still very good (better than DVD) with 480p output sitting 8 feet away from the screen. The biggest improvement is by far the Lossless DTS signal the bluray puts out. The 970 sounds a notch better when an improved signal is sent to the 970 preamp. I wonder at what bitrate the 970 decodes the Bluray DTS signal cause whatever its doing it sounds very life like (not cool or warm sounding).

I had a 4x3 Zenith HDTV for a number of years. It was a direct-view set, not RPTV, but was actually a very nice display. My sister-in-law has it now, and it still works well after over seven years of service.


The only way to output lossless DTS from a player into the 970 is via multichannel analog. If you're using optical or coaxial, you are actually getting lossy DTS - but typically at the highest possible bit rate offered by DTS. These high-bitrate DD and DTS tracks really do a pretty good job, even if they aren't truly lossless, and the 970's decoding is then fed into the good DAC and analog section, which certainly helps.

Can we get an update?

Whoo hoo! Luddites unite!!

I've got 8 year old DLP projector (720p) and a $80 dollar bluray player (which has a great bluray and DVD picture, BTW).

"Pretty good job" is an understatement IMO. I couldn't tell the difference between it and the the lossless audio and its one of the reasons I returned the Oppo BDP-83 and instead opted for a cheap commmodity bluray player sans analog outs. I think its a little known fact that the "true spec" (but still lossy) DD and DTS typically available on Bluray over "legacy" digital connections (coaxial/optical) is a significant upgrade over the standard DVD lossy audio.

Why I'll continue to wait for the 978:

1 - I'm using a Pioneer SC-05 as a pre/pro to my B&K Ref. 200.7, so I'm in no hurry.

2 - Outlaw isn't stupid. In the $1500 - $2000 price range, already available are the Marantz & Onkyo/Integra units. By all accounts both are terrific performers. Outlaw has to know they have to come up with something really special to compete with these two; or else the 978 may be dead out of the gate. After about $2000, the price of pre/pros seems to skyrocket. Outlaw has promised state of the art DACS & flawless operation - if they pull this off I think they will have a true giant slayer.

3 - I am aware that unless you base your pre/pro off of an existing AVR chassis, it takes time to dial it in. Bryston's new unit (will list for $9500) was first announced late in 2008. It still is not for sale. On another forum someone from Bryston said they had been waiting for 3 months for Dolby/DTS approvals.