AusTexRocker,

The simple answer is yes I am connecting the BDP-83 stereo outputs to the 990's analog CD inputs. The more detailed answer involves my using a Logitech Harmony 880 universal remote. I have 3 different activities programed using the BDP-83 as a source. The first as mentioned above is called "Oppo-CD" and it is for 2-channel listening using the analog stereo outputs of the BDP-83 connected to the analog CD inputs. The second, "Oppo-SACD" uses the analog multi-channel outputs of the BDP-83 connected to the 7.1 (in my case 5.1) inputs on the 990. The third case. "Oppo-BD" is similar to the previous except it turns on my Mits. TV and switches to the appropriate HDMI input. Furthermore, since I have an SMS-1 in my system it also sets it correctly for the different listening modes. I have found these 3 setups to be very versatile and covers all the different modes I would use my BDP-83 for.

Your second question is a little more difficult to answer definitively. I generally will defer to Gonk's superior knowledge in all things AV. I think what he was saying is probably going to be true. Probably being the key word since I don't (nor anyone I know) have a 997 yet to make a more informed statement. However, I believe that Gonk's assumption is based on the belief that the 997 is going to have as good or better DACs than what the BDP-83 currently is using. That being said feeding the 997 a digital input via HDMI should produce as good or better sound. However, if it was comparable or even slightly less I would still consider going that route as there are some clear advantages of letting the processor do the DA conversion. For instance, I believe (but I am not certain)that the Trinnov processing will only be applied to digital inputs and since it is intended for multi-channel room equalization that means HDMI as the digital input source as the other methods would not have sufficient bandwidth. In addition, I think there will be a few more processor features that can only be applied to a digital input signal. Please note, I am saying " I believe" and "I think" because a) I don't have one yet and b) even though I have read the r-972 manual (which is really poorly written and basically useless) I don't recall any real technical information contained within it that would clarify these points.