anthem is going to have an upgrade this summer (at an undetermined cost and about 3 weeks away from home for the equipment) that will upgrade the avm-30 with 1394 and hdmi (plus video transcoding, component video switching for zone 2, and perhaps the inclusion of a video scaler, depending on cost).

at this point, my choice is between the 990 and the avm-30. i am on the 990 waiting list, and will probably put it in my system and see if it meets my needs. if so, i'll keep it -- if not, i'll return it and get the avm-30. outlaw's return policy makes for "no-mistake" shopping!