Just to keep James reminded of the 1394 port here is another interesting tidbit of information. Blatantly stolen from a post on AVS forum
on page 50 of this document:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-03-225A1.pdfquote:
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(4) Cable operators shall:
(i) Effective April 1, 2004, upon request of a customer,
replace any leased high definition set-top box, which does not
include a functional IEEE 1394 interface, with one that includes a
functional IEEE 1394 interface or upgrade the customer's set-top
box by download or other means to ensure that the IEEE 1394
interface is functional.
(ii) Effective July 1, 2005, include both a DVI or HDMI
interface and an IEEE 1394 interface on all high definition set-top
boxes acquired by a cable operator for distribution to customers.
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The Motorola 6200 STB outputs both HDTV video as well as audio over 1394 and is currently rolled out by comcast to its 20 million customers.
Not quite DVD-A or SACD but being able to hook up the cable box to your SP1.7+ would not be bad.
In any case 1394 is probably here to stay.
Cheers
Thomas
