Hi Tom,

970 and 990 owners have the same issue as you with needing to use 7.1 analog inputs for the latest audio formats in BD players. You might want to check those sections of this forum to see what other owners are using. The latest players from Panasonic and Sony seem to be popular. I recently purchased a 990 and am waiting for the release of the Oppo Digital BDP-83 to use with it.

Regards,
Bill