Great write up and always nice to get a sneak peek at Axiom's newest upcoming gear. That EP800 looks like a beast!
The comment about discussing predictions for future A/V trends got me thinking though. My personal prediction is that the future "big thing" will not more, but rather: less.
What I mean is, I really do not think that more surround channels or higher resolution will be the next popular trend. I really do think the next "big thing" is all about distribution on a more massive scale. The next "milestone" needs to be a new distribution method - likely based on the internet, but far more advanced and widespread than the infrustructure that is currently in use.
I just foresee the elimination of the idea of the computer, television, telephone and videogame systems as seperate devices. Rather, all content will simply be available to all devices, scaled on the fly to optimally fit the display's size and capabilities and ultimately meaning that you no longer need to connect devices to one another in order to migrate data from one platform to another (ie. connecting an iPhone to a computer to transfer files). Rather, all devices will access the same data source, with all content streaming - two-way - to whatever device you are using at that moment.
And for that reason, the efficiency of packing, transmitting and storing data will become paramount. All of that is less condusive to the idea of higher resolutions and more channels of audio. I actually rather think that what we have now with Blu-ray is the highest resolution and audio quality we will ever see and hear. While the old debate of quality vs. quantity may rage on for Audioholics, my own thinking is that both quality and quantity take a back seat to ubiquity.
The order of importance I foresee in the future is: ubiquity, then quantity, then quality.
