ill say it again, perhaps more clearly this time. hdmi is nothing without the ability to pass audio. that is what it was intended to become, one cable that did it all digitally. i think that will happen. how is firewire possibly the answer when it is clearly going to be superceded by hdmi? i can understand your argument for hdmi over dvi, but never firewire over dvi. i.link is a sony term, nobody likes sony! IEEE 1394 if you prefer that over firewire, though its all the same and just a higher speed usb. if you are gonna complain that the 990 had dvi, make your complaint that it doesnt have hdmi not firewire. though i am not at all surprised that they didnt do hdmi because it is not proven YET. who wants to make a product for something that is going to happen, that could possibly not work with that final product due to changes in its development. dvi is established, and while, like anything, it will be bettered, it is the most practical choice today.