It's true that any number of older processors would fill the bill, I considered a 990 at one point, and I am using an older Macintosh processor for digital decoding. Unfortunately it does not have analog inputs. The problem is as many of the streaming videos adapt the latest dolby and DTS codecs the older machines can not handle them. They are stepped down at best or not passed at all at worst. That is where a processor with the latest decoding and an anaolg input for not a lot more than the 975 would be a good match. I considered the Emotiva, which does have the required inputs, but Emotiva's quality issues continue to worry me. I own outlaw equipment (ICBM and 2200 amp for the subwoofer) and the quality is quite good especially considering the price.
BTW thanks for the input.