We won't likely see another TV format for 10+ years. It took HD at least 20 years to catch on, and even though nearly every product you buy today supports it, I still see most consumers playing back non-HD content. While I'm a techie, none of my friends are - and none of them knows even how to set up an HD source properly. I can't count how many times I've had to fix incorrect aspect ratios on their systems - I can't watch anything on a TV unless it's in the correct aspect.

So there's a solid reason for not worrying about formats that won't be around for a while. But, IMO, there's also reason to dump older technologies. IMO having a phono stage makes absolutely no sense at all on this kind of product. If someone is serious about phono, then they're better served with a dedicated phono and 100% pure analog pre-amp.

While the 978's backplane looks a lot cleaner than many other products in this segment, there's still room for simplification. Just make sure the balanced connections remain. I can't imagine spending any amount of money on a pre-pro that didn't have balanced connections, so I'm glad to see the Outlaws have included them with the 978.