There is a replacement planned for the 971. From what I've been able to learn about it, it'll replace the DVI output with an HDMI output and will add SACD support. The video processing will still be handled by the Faroudja chip (which the 970 lacks). For the s-video output, I suspect that either the 970 or 971 would work equally well for the moment (including support for DVD+R DL discs), while the 971 may be a better choice for your future LCD HDTV.