Even with all the goofy iterations of HDMI, it looks to me like the promise of HDMI is evident on the back panel of the 978. Comparing the back panels of the 990 and the 978 reveals rather striking differences. Gone is the column of S-Video and composite connections as well as their corresponding stereo inputs on the 990 replaced by a few, but adequate number, of these inputs (no S-Video) on the 978. Eliminating those connections freed up a lot of space.

I was a bit surprised by the lack of two things on the 978. There is no component video output or USB on the back panel. It wasn't all that long ago that flat panel TVs only had component inputs so some may miss that output on the 978. I imagine this has to do with the video processing in the 978. Lastly, I have a USB cable plugged in to my 990 for the occasions when I hook my laptop up to my HT for iTunes playback. It would be nice to not see the cable draped across the front of the 978. Regardless, I don't think these omissions are deal killers.