Seems like it is going to be an issue of compatibility. Some say it can work with software updates so as a 1.3 system can understand the 3D portion of the signal. But not all the benefits of 1.4 can be acheived via an update to the software. It appears that it is going to be quite messy out there once this kicks off. I think that there will be several problems in getting older gear to work with the new 3D content when relying on buggy updates to the software. There is no standardization for how that is to be done with 1.3 divices so far as I know. So a manufacturer could use standard HDMI 1.3 specifications and use some other sort of processing for the 3D content. This could lead To a limited compatibility with other hardware from differing manufacturers. So for me it would appear to be a plus for the 998.