Although I initially wanted to get the 997 because of Trinnov, I have come to the realization that it is likely way overkill for what many of us need for our room correction and isn't now going to be a factor in any upgrade to my system. If your listening space is like most, it is already pretty good and could get better by small physical adjustments to the equipment or the room. If for some reason you need to make your back left speaker sound like the right front speaker then Trinnov will likely be a good thing. I primarily thought the ability to save different setups was interesting for those times you are not sitting in the sweet spot.

Yes, the unintended consequence of HDMI is making it hard for anyone to keep up. Small companies are likely to be able to bring out a new device much less often and it will hurt them severely if not done right. Although we would like the 978 to hit the streets late last year or sooner, Outlaw has to get it right or it could really be the last thing they ever develop.