Okay, Spikester, sell me on why the Kenwood is better. By the way, I would chose the 5050 over the 5900 because I feel the performance differences don't justify the cost.

However, since nothing is etched in the proverbial stone, I'm asking your opinion because I really want to know it. Is the 5050 better than the Sony, and is the 5900 that much better?

As I understand, there are four differences:

1) Faroudja processing - I use a scaler, would it still benefit me?

2) Built-in surround decoding - definitely don't need

3) DVD-A playing - (Sony does SACD) - currently of little interest

4) ...I forgot the fourth one.

Check the specs at the link above for comparisons. Also, I can't say that price doesn't matter.

Danke,
Larry