I love my Pioneer VSX-59TXi, I even went thru the hassle of upgrading all the DACs in it, but this Onkyo TX-NR1000 looks pretty sweet. It has all the input and outputs you’d expect from a flagship unit. The unit is THX Ultra 2 certified and plays back the major encoding formats like THX Surround EX, DTS 96/24 and Dolby Pro Logic IIx. The only flaw I see is the missing playback capability of Windows Media Audio 9 Professional encoded media. I do like that it features HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) inputs (2) and output which seems to be the standard input on all new HDTV displays. The unit is rated at 150 watts-per-channel, that should be plenty good for your dedicated screening room (you could always add external amps to the unit).
The TX-NR1000 is the first home theater receiver that also has serious upgrade potentional. The rear of the unit houses modules, so the idea is that if you need more inputs or outputs, or a new processing format is released, the unit can either be upgraded via firmware or a module can be swapped. I love the idea of this and hope they actually release upgrade modules for the unit at prices that make sense. The TX-NR1000 retails for around $4k and should be considered if you are in the flagship receiver market.