For the record I am also generally optimistic about the new processor but I was also in the same frame of mind for the 3 that were cancelled. FWIW, I am not in the market for a new processor as I don't think Atmos or DTS-x will be the game changer advertised. I didn't buy into 3D either. I built my theater room with the ability to adopt one of the object oriented codecs if they become mainstream enough. I believe PeterT probably has the necessary smarts to get this thing to market but WHEN? Another Xmas season is going by with all the attendant "Black" days and still nothing. At the very least they should throw us a bone for planning purposes. I really believe the decision to have DTS-x is likely delaying release. The big boys saw fit to make their processors firmware upgradable for DTS-X vice hardcoding it in. When it was first announced it was a big deal to have both products included. That really made it unique and worth what would likely be a bigger pricetag. But now the market has adjusted and even lightweight processors are including both for around $600. If it had come out on time at the end of the second quarter of this year it would have made a splash but now I am afraid it is likely to be just another piece of gear that is catering to a very small amount of source material. For me I will stick with my 990 for music and my Onkyo for movies.

I tend to agree with what you say about throwing us a bone. I had (and still have) the 950, but HDMI switching became an issue. When the 978 was cancelled, I bought a Marantz SR5005 from Outlaw to buy some time. I was very excited about the news of the new processor and have hung in as long as I could. Personally I think the object based codecs have a chance of making a big splash in the dedicated home theater environment. I hope I end up being right. I'm spending my money betting on it. I didn't think that about 3D or even 4K at this point. To your point of offering firmware updates later, I've purchased the Marantz AV7702 mkII which is HDCD 2.2 compliant and there should be a firmware update for DTS-X in the future. I just became frustrated with the lack of information from Outlaw and have a good history with Marantz receivers. By the way, a new projector I have on the way has 3D. Not a selling point to me, but maybe it'll be a nice novelty. With the grandkids? :-)

I have a feeling that with the number of respectful, thoughtful posts in this thread (and the number of bail-outs) that Peter will soon have an update, good or bad, for us.

Hank, I hope you're right. I am about to pull the trigger on a pre/pro purchase and its not an Outlaw. The 975 just isn't what I'm looking for right now. Maybe as a second system but not as my primary. Right now I'm wrestling between getting an XMC-1 for the short term and then getting the new Anthem AV-60 when it becomes available. The XMC-1 would then move to my Audio only room and the Anthem would be in the HT. Or maybe I just wait for the Anthem AV-60 and decide what to do in the Audio only room. But either way as it stands now Outlaw isn't in the picture. Why? Because I have no idea what they have coming.

It would sure be nice to have an update on what is coming, even if they don't announce a timeline, just the current feature set would be interesting.

The biggest difference between things like 3D video and Atmos / DTS:X is that the video comes with some nasty downsides. Sitting in your viewing room, whether it is a dedicated home theater or just a comfy chair with a flat panel, with a pair of active shutter or even inferior passive polarized glasses makes you look like a dork. You are not going to want to do that unless the experience is so mind boggling that it blows away "regular" viewing. Sadly, unless you invested in a projector that had world beating output / resolution or a flat panel that could be tuned for both eye melting brightness AND crisp blacks, 3D had some major negatives.

With the object-oriented codecs that are the heart of DTS:X and Atmos all the good stuff about multi-channel GETS BETTER and the only "negative" is how many drivers / amps you need to run, which to most of us that like AV hardware is not a negative, but an opportunity

I have heard several demo systems with Atmos and it truly does enhance the "immersive" effects as well making for a considerably larger "apparent sound stage". It generally also has better "localization cues" for things ranging from on-screen action, outside of frame effects / conversation and even main channel dialogue. With high quality drivers (one of the local shops has a Focal system that probably costs more than most Porsches) the improvement with 9.4.2 setup over a similarly costly 7.1 (which already blows away 98% of what not-so-skilled home owners fall for) is pretty remarkable. I also know from experience with prior AT / Outlaw and similar products that with a quality pre-pro, well built but not stratospheric speakers and careful setup an affordable-to-mortals surround installation can be practically indistinguishable from the high dollar stuff.

So yeah, I am eager to see some good news...

mdrconsult, I sure wish I had an audio only room! :-) It would be totally different from my 'media room'.

renov8r,
I really liked your post. I believe in a home viewing environment, you're not going to look any more dorky than when people sat in the theater to see Avatar, so I'm okay with that part. Now whether it can actually deliver at home (besides novelty for the grand kids), I don't know yet. 3D isn't and don't think will ever be a selling point for me when looking at any type of display. 4K's not either yet, but a possible chance it might be in the future.

I've actually only heard Atmos in a single demo room with a 5.1.2 setup, but was really impressed with the placing of sounds. They seemed to sometimes float(?) between the main and back surround speakers. I run 7.1 with multiple subs, so I'll be running a 7.2.4. As far as the placing of the ceiling speakers I am still battling myself since I have two rows of seating. I think your statement about correct placement is key. With a fairly long (22ft) room, I believe they can make a big difference. I don't think I would ever (famous last words) go for more than 7.2.4 but, I like your statement 'all the good stuff about multi-channel GETS BETTER and the only "negative" is how many drivers / amps you need to run, which to most of us that like AV hardware is not a negative, but an opportunity' ;-)

Not to get too far afield, but if you get a chance to see a really high end 4K projector you should. I have seen several of the Sony units now. They have come down in price but are still a large investment.

That said, the thing that people kind of forget when they complain about the lack of 4K native content (and I have seen some of that too, via Sony's weird round server thingy...) is that up-scaling has MASSIVELY improved. To the point where I honestly did some back-to-back viewing of plain old DVDs and then BluRay and even broadcast / cable / satellite and was BLOWN AWAY with how well suited upscaling is to a 4K projector. Today's built-in upscaling devices have a whole lot more CPU power behind them and much smarter algorithms so there are NO nasty artifacts / color smearing. It is doing much more than old fashioned "line doublers" ; the units are extracting / interpolating extra data to drive the additional pixel elements seamlessly. If you watch something like live sports (which tends to not be compressed for obvious reasons) you can do frame comparisons and you'll see that while it cannot create detail that is not there (say like making fans in the 50th row completely detailed) what is does do quite well is enhance ALL the picture elements to such a degree that you are so impressed you don't really care about insane levels of detail -- you get much enhanced foreground elements / edge control, better color fidelity across the whole image, impossibly fine grain edge to edge and very very pleasing / natural motion.

And there really are no downsides -- it is not all like the bad processing that some cheap sets still use to get higher artificial frame rates. It does not alter the response time or unnaturally reshape quick moving objects. Obviously this takes LOTS of CPU power, but if you see the smarts that are packed into game consoles / high end video cards this sort of processor is obviously this kind of thing is no longer as costly as it once was.

Do I want native 4K content? Of course! It will give the kind of reproduction on large home projectors (and the biggest flat displays...) that previously ONLY happened in the nicest 70mm type theaters. Highest level of true detail, finest control over color space, best native contrast ratio all will be as intended by the content creator, BUT as the 'engines' that drive the displays are VASTLY improved the lack of native content is not as big a deal...

I'm currently watching a NHL game via 1080i cable on a plasma panel with "only" 768 vertical lines and it looks terrific. With normal vision at typical seating distances higher resolutions don't really matter so the move to 4K seems a lot like a marketing to me. I felt the same way about 3D but I must admit I have seen a couple of movies in 3D that I thought benefited from the technology. I can wear the dorky glasses in the privacy of my home. As noted above what has improved along with the screen resolution is video processing and color/black levels. These advances have me considering a new display regardless of resolution. The ability of the new Outlaw pre/pro to upscale to the higher resolution of a new display or just get out of the way of the bluray player or display is important to me. I think I'm like a lot of folks who have 5.1 or 7.1 systems where Atmos etc are not practical. I think those advances in audio are terrific but I'd hate to see them delaying Outlaw's new pre/pro. Other pre/pros provide an update via software and maybe Outlaw can do that for the new audio formats to get their upcoming pre/pro out to anxious customers.

A plug-in card that contains the new DTS and Dolby immersive codecs would be an interesting concept. Buy the new pre/pro in the near future and then IF you want to invest in additional amps and speakers for the new codecs, buy the plug-in daughter card when it becomes available. What was the old high-end pre/pre that was designed for plug-in upgrades - Theta? Outlaw could do it for a reasonable price. I won't be going Atmos or X in the near future, but would like to have top end audio in a new pre/pro without the cost of the codecs/processing built in.

Theta's "upgrade path" hardly seems "cost effective" -- $7000 "trade in program"?? http://hometheaterreview.com/theta-digital-announces-two-new-casablanca-prepros/

OTOH NAD has a modular design in their pre-processors and receivers that seems cost effective, at least as means of keeping the units useful for folks who need / want 4K video -- $199 looks like a solid value http://hometheaterreview.com/nad-announces-4k-ready-mdc-program/ (Peter Tribeman's experience with NAD really is very impressive -- almost four decades ago his leadership stands out as a high water mark in what can be acomplished by a firm infused with deep engineering talent -- http://www.tonepublications.com/old-school/nad-3020-integrated-amplifier/)

In tangentially related news, ATI, another long term 'friend' of Outlaw is jumping on the Auros bandwagon -- http://hometheaterreview.com/ati-to-support-auro-3d-audio-format/ I don't follow the Auro stuff as closely, but it seems like they are aiming at the "crazy high end" -- http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/What-s-Up-with-3D-Immersive-Sound.shtml http://www.twice.com/harmans-jbl-synthesis-systems-upgraded/58955

Might it be that Peter's elves are working overtime to incorporate all three immersive audio formats???