History suggests that there won't be "intro" pricing on the 997 - it will launch at $1399 and likely stay there for at least a year or so. You could think about buying a 990 now, getting the $200 discount on the 997, and then trying to sell the 990 for $500 to break even.

Having HDMI will give you a bit more future-proofing, certainly, but I still think that the 990 can be a pretty sweet foundation for a home theater system - and you can get it now, with the only wait being the time it will take to get from Outlaw's warehouse to your door.