I wouldn't anticipate HDMI v1.3 processors from anybody (Outlaw, Anthem, Rotel, Arcam, or any other surround processor maker) before July at the earliest - probably closer to October, maybe even year-end. The chips needed to design such beasts are still squeaky-new. Whatever's coming this month will certainly not be a surround processor.

HDMI has made a real mess of things, but the reality is that while it can lend some nice things to a surround processor it isn't as critical a resource as it might first seem. DVD, CD, cable/satellite, and every game console except the PS3 wil work just as well with component video or DVI switching as with HDMI v1.1+.

Worst case scenario: you find yourself desperately wanting an HDMI v1.3 surround processor, but you don't want to wait system-less while such a beast appears. You can get a 990, use it and enjoy it for a year, and then sell it for a significant chunk of what you paid for it (I got $525 for my 950 in 2005, just after they were discontinued at $700, and mine was three years old) to help finance the purchase of an HDMI v1.3 processor once they are on the market.