Based on this page , I would not expect an HD tuner. Also, based on some posts by Peter Tribeman earlier this year and the product page, the 997 isn't expected to ship with Pro Logic IIz. There appears to be interest inside Outlaw in adding it via a firmware update later, in which case several of us in the forum have assumed that it would require re-tasking the rear surround outputs. (The hardware itself is designed to be 7.1, not 9.1, and changing that now would be a poor decision.) As for the last question, we have been told to expect the 997 to look basically the same as the 990. That means there won't be as many buttons on the front panel as on the front of the R-972.