I wonder if DVD-A support is/was tied up with a planned HD-DVD player with smartlink/MHR (HD-DVD rather than Blu-Ray based on the collaboration between Meridian and Microsoft that leaked last year). This is entirely supposition on my part, but if DVD-A has been indeed dropped why do all the processors still have smartlink? If this is correct, the recent Warner decision of course will have thrown a reasonably sizable spanner into the works.

This scenario could also explain the complete lack of communication from Meridian regarding the apparent dropping of DVD-A.