You forgot to quote this: " :p "
I'm thinking that HDMI, messed up as it is by the HDMI Founders group's typical cadre of corporate morons in suits, still has a lot of advantages for stereo and stereo bass-managed systems going forward, since the capable and brilliant engineers behind it are making it possible for source material to advance.
Sure, it doesn't help the older stuff, which is already limited by the technology that produced it. Coax/toslink/whatever is sufficient for that, but why place the ceiling in the past?
I'm sitting here looking at my three-month old 27" iMac and wondering about the Thunderbolt interface that I don't have... well, something new will come to preamps soon, I bet, and if I could get an HDMI or Thunderbolt interface on it with a high quality DAC that allowed bass management, why I'd be in line to test it out. Even if it sold under $1000 and had a plain face. ;)