I am already the owner of the fab ET9000 and just have a few questions regarding the 5000 as I am thinking of purchasing one for my parents.

They have no interest in recording so the ET9000 is overkill.

Can the 5000 use the 9000 plugins?
Can the 5000 use the 9000 skins (eg Glass)?
Does the 5000 have the same EPG?
Will the 5000 get the new ViX image?

My parents are quite technical (for their age! ) so after a brief tutorial I am sure they would be able to use it if the skin/epg is similar to my 9000.

Any other box I should consider as an alternative?

Thanks