Yep, your right about that. I am not exactly sure why they excluded that feature as opposed to the 980, but the 983 does convert SACD to PCM via HDMI and although I have never had any opportunity to compare the two(DSD vs.PCM), I have heard it said on a number of occasions the differences are inconsequential. You might want to check with Oppo technical support and ask. From my experience, they are very quick to respond to any questions about their product line.