Same here. DLBC works great (I have 3 subs) and is simple to use. This unit was very easy to set up and everything has just worked for me which is quite rare in my experience with HT stuff.
With 1.8 beta, USB audio support was added and I no longer use an external DAC. Roon certification is in progress which is an added bonus (no need for a tethered Roon core).
The Web UI is not very refined but functional. No OSD even for volume control which is very annoying since my unit is in a rack out of sight.
At $4K USD + $500 USD for DLBC, it gets quite expensive. I was torn between this and the Anthem units, but I feel like Dirac is a better long-term bet than ARC.
It does get expensive but relatively speaking it's a bargain. I've heard this a lot that it's expensive but in my mind it's the cheapest of anything in it's class even with the DLBC addon. Most of the competition is way more expensive and measures worse on the test bench in many ways as well. The key feature with the HTP-1 though is the software. Yes it could be more polished and so on but
it works and I'm sure that it will be more polished in time. Since it's a pure web interface I'm guessing it'll be a lot easier to expand than something with an OSD or those strange VNC solutions.
The way I keep track of volume is I have a web link on my iPhone home screen that takes me right into the HTP-1 interface so I just use my phone, which I always keep on me, to keep track of that sort of stuff.
I'm betting on Dirac as well, seems to have a lot more momentum than the competition and the software is constantly being improved. The fact that it's not tied to one AVR manufacturer is key and I think is the reason why it will probably do good in the long run. These sort of things are becoming so complex now that you almost need a dedicated company to keep it up to date with the times.