I would assume that HDMI inputs would allow for audio input at the processor. I was not under the impression that it would provide digital audio for DVD-A and SACD, however - the standard agreed to by the DVD Forum for DVD-A was IEEE-1394 (and it's still far too rarely supported by hardware due to encryption issues that were handled separately from the Forum's acceptance of 1394). Unless there's been a change there, HDMI still wouldn't get rid of those six analog cables for universal players - and if there has been a change, you have to find a universal player that supports it.

Here's my take on DVI and HDMI, for what it's worth. DVI arrived on the scene first and has a very large installed base among existing HDTV's. It is also more common on sources like HD cable boxes, not to mention the upconverting DVD players that first appeared using DVI only. Because of these issues, getting DVI support will benefit the largest number of people. HDMI was a format without available hardware little more than a year ago, and it's only been in the last nine months or so that we've seen HDMI really showing up in hardware. We are moving toward an environment where we will need HDMI switching, but DVI switching is more likely to be useful today. The ideal case is a digital video switching section that accepts multiple DVI and multiple HDMI inputs (including audio on the HDMI) and provides monitor outputs of all of those digital inputs via either DVI or HDMI. The only way to get that today is Denon's latest super-flagship receiver, complete with $6000 price tag. For products that have been in the development pipeline for a couple years, DVI switching is a logical choice that will offer a lot of people exactly what they need.