It appears that the 976 does solve my problem of being able to use my overhead projector for blurays or TIVO output but I still have some caveats as follows:
Will switching my long run HDMI cable that goes directly to my projector back to running the signal through the 976 lead to handshake problems (as I originally had) and
Is the 976 that much of an improvement over my Marantz 50005 to justify the $899 expense?
I should mention that I don't find a lot of reviews on the 976.
jefny