After finding a used Onkyo TX-SR702 on ebay, I've decided to sit on the sidelines and wait to see what Outlaw will do next. With HD video still not yet mainstream (I still don't YET have an HDTV, but that will change soon) everybody is still an early adoptor.

The war between bluray and hddvd isn't over yet, but it's getting interresting. I was thinking about getting the Oppdigital DV981HD player when I pop for a new tv, but now it appears that for only $20 more I can buy a hddvd player (that will ALSO upconvert dvd's to near HD and play CD's and maybe sacd's too). That would make the hddvd player a no-brainer, if bluray wins out, I'm only out $20 for the player. This assumes NOT buying any hddvd disks, just renting them.

Maybe by the time the hddvd-vs-bluray becomes less blurry the hdmi standard will too.
Outlaws' next prepro / receiver would have to include hdmi 1.3 switching and be able to use the hdmi inputs as audio sources. There should also be the option to NOT pass the audio to the monitor
hdmi output (why drive the monitor's speakers if you are using the home theatre speakers?).

I hope the phono input is kept (wouldn't be an outlaw if we didn't like analog 'nscd's err?).
(that's Not So Compact Disks btw). Maybe a few extra 'aux' inputs for those that want to add external stuff such as Squeezeboxes, HD or Sat radio tuners, multimedia computers, etc.
Also USB and Firewire connections to allow using the box as a 'sound card' for a computer to stream audio / video.
Also alow renaming inputs, and redirecting the front panel input to real panel jacks. Have to have the on screen display available on the hdmi output as well. Of course, implement all the new hd audio surround modes.