Does Outlaw have any thoughts about producing a version of the 975 that has 7.1 analog inputs?

We can't say for sure at this time... but we can certainly hope:)

If your playback device has a better DAC than the 975, you can probably afford a better processor. Just sayin...

I understand what you are saying. I guess I have a unique situation. My sound system is primarily for music with home theater being an add on. For video streaming or OTA than any processor with Dolby and DTS would fill the bill and spending thousands more than the 975 is not necessary. For music the primary inputs are vinyl and surround SACD's. All that is needed for that is an analog inut that has a pass thru with no digital processing. Again no need to spend thousands more than the 975 to get a "switcher". If the 975 had pass thru analog 7.1 inputs, than this would be the perfect unit. And yes I do believe that the OPPO SACD player has a better DAC than the 975.

Ah...so you've got an analog source or a higher end DVD player with quality DAC (I agree about the quality of the Oppo DAC vs the cirrus logic DSP in the 975). Have you thought about picking up a used 990? People are selling them for $200-300 and that would fit the bill nicely. My old 990 + a 755 amp was absolutely luscious for 2 channel stereo. Otherwise, there's plenty of choices out there in the same price range as the 975 that support 7.1 analog inputs.

It's true that any number of older processors would fill the bill, I considered a 990 at one point, and I am using an older Macintosh processor for digital decoding. Unfortunately it does not have analog inputs. The problem is as many of the streaming videos adapt the latest dolby and DTS codecs the older machines can not handle them. They are stepped down at best or not passed at all at worst. That is where a processor with the latest decoding and an anaolg input for not a lot more than the 975 would be a good match. I considered the Emotiva, which does have the required inputs, but Emotiva's quality issues continue to worry me. I own outlaw equipment (ICBM and 2200 amp for the subwoofer) and the quality is quite good especially considering the price.
BTW thanks for the input.