To echo what JMS and Kevin have said, a model generation removed from the leading edge is a great saver. As I often need to do for myself, I’ll offer a few other bits of ‘fire retardant’ for the burning desire to have the latest and greatest.

One, even if you buy the Best-For-Now model, a year from now, you will no longer have the latest and greatest.

Two, even if you could reproduce the latest formats electronically, it can take a one, two or even three years before there is significant source material available with what is being advanced in electronics now. Consider waiting until the source material is on the market and the electronics are a good deal less?

Three, if there are multiple choices of format being advanced on the market, and later one comes to dominance with one other still available, why pay for more than you need now? By the time a format comes to dominate, the electronics for that format usually become cheaper.

Four, a piece of equipment is not really outdated, in the sense of usefulness, until it can no longer meet your requirements.

While I wouldn’t buy something now that I’ll have to replace in less than a year or two, I don’t need “bleeding edge” equipment either.