So I just received the 1050 and it looks great and sounds awesome. I am just a bit confused on my setup. Let me break down what I have and if someone could tell me the best way to hook it up, cool. I am kind of beginner so bear with me...thanks in advance!
Gear:
Outlaw 1050
Sony Flat screen 32"
Panasonic DVD/CD player
Toslink optical cable
S-video cable
2 floor speakers (more coming)

How I have it now is as follows:
The part that confuses me is the connection, obviously I want the best sound and picture the system can offer.

I have the Toslink optical cable connecting from the audio optical input of the dvd player to the 1050.

I have the S-video cable going from the dvd player to the 1050

I have the red/yellow/white cable going from the dvd to the tv.
Now my thought is that the S-video should be connecting the DVD to the TV directly...is this correct? Or is it good through the receiver and I just need another cord to go from receiver to TV? The thing is, I didn't think I needed to use the red, white, yellow cord that came with the dvd player?
Also, when I play a dvd, I have to put the volume on the 1050 at 50 something in order for good sound, this seems high, am I doing something wrong here as well? Thanks so much for any help here OUTLAWS!

You should run the Svideo to the 1050 from the DVD player, then run another Svideo from the 1050 to the TV. You do not need to connect the yellow composite lead, or the red and white audio leads to the TV. You might want to run the red and white audio leads from the OUTPUT of the TV to the INPUT of the 1050, so you can listen to TV broadcasts through your 1050.
You can run your Svideo direct to the TV, bypassing the 1050, but you will get no on-screen-display, which means you only have the front panel display for all your setup options.
As far as the volume goes, are you talking +50, or -50. Almost all new recievers/processors display volume on a DB scale, with negative numbers up to 0, then positive numbers. When properly calibrated with a sound level meter, 0 is approx THX reference level, or basically the sound level that sound tracks are mixed for. Yes I know the 1050 is not THX, but this is the basic idea.

I have my S-video directly into the TV with my audio outs from the DVD into the TV also. I then run my digital out into the 1050. This allows me to listen through the tv or the outlaw. You don't need to use the video cable that came with your dvd player. As far as I know the outlaw doesn't have on screen display so don't worry about losing it. As for the volume I usually run mine about 46-53db. Alot depends on your speakers sens.
Hope this helps

You are very correct about the OSD, I made the cardinal mistake of "assuming" it had one. In that case, if the DVD is your only Svideo source, run it right to the TV. You will get the best picture that way.

As with bruning1, I would recommend taking the S-Video directly from DVD to TV. If you had other video sources (satellite, digital cable, etc.), the 1050's video switching could be very useful, but with only one source the best bet for video quality is the shortest path.

Two thoughts on volume. One, DVD's traditionally are "quieter" than other sources. It is due to certain industry standards, which DVD actually adheres to better than VHS and others. Two, the volume control of the 1050 is not measured in dB. Unlike most receivers and pre/pros, it is a more linear scale. Where some receivers are at 80% of their power when the volume is half-way up, the 1050 is only at half power when halfway up. A volume setting in the 50's for DVD's is pretty reasonable. I used to go into the 60's sometimes when I used the 1050 without external amplification.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

I agree with the majority of replies on this one. Take your s-video direct to your TV. If you have multiple sources with s-video capability (like I do), you can try switching through the 1050. Unfortunately, you may run in to this problem (like I did) and have to make a choice. In the end, I opted to connect my DVD direct via s-video and ran everything else through the 1050 on composite. The only issue I have is I have to change the source at both the TV and the 1050 when I switch to/from DVD and that is just worth it for the picture I get.

And yes, 50 is not an unusual level for watching a DVD. I often find myself in that range (or more when the spouse is out!). I am certain it's due to the linear response (which I really enjoy) of the volume control.

Welcome to the family!

thanks for all your help everyone. you all are so kind! after all your responses I am going to just run the S-video from dvd to tv. thanks again so much everyone!

I'm not sure why noone has recommended using the red/green/blue connections if you're aiming for the ultimate picture. Does your Sony TV not have those connections???

[This message has been edited by synthfreek (edited July 08, 2002).]

He mentioned red/yellow/white in his post, which would be stereo audio and composite video. When I read that, I skipped over component video. You do have an excellent point, though, as a flat tube 32" Sony would most likely include component video. If your TV and DVD player both support it (and both of them probably do), component video would probably provide the best video quality. Eatingahotmeal, look for a video input on the TV (and output on the DVD) that has three RCA plugs together. A video cable like this (or three of Outlaw's PSC cables) would be necessary for a component connect. The 1050 does not include component video switching (and you wouldn't want component video switching anyway on anything in the 1050's price range -- the signal is very high bandwidth compared to composite or S-video).

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review