Tweeterman,

Quite the list, but here we go with my opinions where applicable.

1. I can read the display from 12'
2. I don't have enough equipment to use all the digital inputs so the ones on the back of the 990 have been sufficient. IMO you can't tell the difference between coax and opitical anyway and they are assignable.
3. Outlaw equipment is pretty utilitarian looking and suits me fine. I very rarely use the buttons on the front of the 990 relegating that duty to my Harmony 880.
4. I use the balanced outputs on the 990 with success.
5. The 990 runs very cool. I've had it on for the last hour and the case is room temp in a well ventilated cabinet.
6. I haven't tested the phono yet.

I have had very good experiences with Outlaw. They took care of an issue I had with one of their products to my satisfaction and the 990 is a real gem.

FYI, before I got the 990 and a new beefy amp my system was used about 80/20 for movies and TV. After the 990 I'm about 60/40 music. I've said before that the 990 rekindled my enjoyment of music. The 990 is a very flexible unit (even now more than originally because of firmware upgrades) at a very attractive price. You can pick up 990 and an Outlaw 200w 5 or 7 channel amp for the price of the AVM 30 alone. The amp won't wear out and you can make upgrades to the processor in the future if you want for less cost.

Enjoy your search. Its all good!