I don't think I would characterize the situation as a downgrade, but more of a preference - which component does the work, and which sounds best to you. I think it all depends on the source material and how sensitive your ears may be. For movies, I use a Panasonic BD-55 with analog outs to the 990, and couldn't be happier letting the BD player do the 5.1 decoding. A direct HDMI connection BD to TV works for me because it's one less component to get involved with the HDMI handshake mess. Movies require less critical listening. For serious music, I use the Arcam CD73 Cd player analog connected to the 990 in Bypass mode to the Klipsch RF5 speakers. So, it really is personal as to what is most important to you, and specifically what sounds best to you. Thank you.