I have gotten everything to work - the VCR, DVD/CD player, CTV etc but now there's a problem. I have hooked up all the audio signals into the 1050 but not the video signals. For example, the DVD player has an S-video connector that I've linked to the S-video connector on the TV. The video signals from the VCR are going to the TV via the CTV cable.

The problem is that while everything works, I need to switch the audio source using the Outlaw remote, and switch the video source using the other remotes. Pain in the butt!

I have purchased an MX-500 Home Theater remote that I want to use to control everything with least amount of effort.

How can I accomplish this? Also, is there any advantage to plugging in video sources into the 1050? Or, is this the only way I can switch both audio/video sources simultaneously?

PLEASE ADVISE!

You should be able to use the 1050 as your video switcher as long as you're not using HD.

Be aware I have found issues with the svideo switcher, so if you're going to use it be sure to try it prior to your 30 day deadline.

I connected all of my equipment the same way, audio via the 1050 and video directly to the TV.

I have a Pronto TSU-2000 that I have programmed to do all of the switching for me, makes life much simpler. You should be able to accomplish the same thing with the MX-500 as far as I understand.

Larry

Quite a few connection options, but also a few questions.
Are you using a cable box ?
If yes, What types of output connections does it have ?

Some connection options.
Does the 1050's remote operate most of your TV ?
The input select button for the TV could be on some strange button and you can simply use the 1050 remote to select the audio source and then change the remote's mode to select the TV's input source / If the remote works with the TV - volume - channel - etc. pretty good chance the TV's input select is on some other key
After you have programed a device into the remote some of the 1050's remote buttons at the bottom have other functions when you switch the mode of the remote, just have to try them all to see if you can find the correct one.

The most basic cable boxes only have the CoAx (screw on) connector. In this case connect the cable box to your VCR via the CoAx and leave the VCR on the correct channel 3/4.
Use the cable box to select channels.
You then run the VCR's A/V outputs ( AUDIO red-white / VIDEO-yellow ) from the VCR in to the 1050's VCR A/V inputs. ( red-white-yellow )
You connect the 1050's video out (yellow) to your TV's Video input. (yellow)
You still have to change video input on the TV for VCR and DVD.

If you have a cable box with the RCA type A/V outputs ( red-white-yellow ) you can run these into the A/V inputs ( red-white-yellow ) on the VCR.
You then connect the VCR's A/V outputs ( red-white-yellow ) to the 1050's VCR AV inputs. ( red-white-yellow )
Connect the 1050's video out (yellow) to the TV's video in (yellow).
You set the VCR to the A/V video input and change the channel on the cable box.
You still have to change video input on the TV for VCR and DVD.


No box -
Connect the CoAx cable to the VCR.
You then connect the VCR's A/V (R-W-Y) outputs to the 1050's VCR inputs.
You then run the 1050's video out (Y) to the video in (Y) on the TV.
you still have to change video input on the TV for VCR and DVD.


IMHO best solution for switching audio - video sources on a TV's with out using the component video inputs.
(Red-Green-Blue RCA plugs in a group)

Want to stop switching inputs on the TV ?
You might consider a S-VHS VCR which uses a S-video connection like your DVD. Even though many cable boxes will not have a S-video output type plug you should still be able to connect the cable box to the S-VHS VCR in the same way (CoAx or RCA-A/V R-W-Y cables)
Most S-VHS VCR's will have two A/V input sets one set with the yellow video and one set with S-Video.
If the cable box has S-video output plug use a S-video cable in place of the yellow video to connect the cable box to the VCR's A/V inputs
You then use the Red-White audio and S-video out from the S-VCR substituting the S-video for the yellow video cable to bring the S-VHS VCR-CableTV A/V signals in to the 1050's VCR S-video and audio inputs.

You would also have to bring the DVD's Audio R-W or optical cable and S-video into the 1050's DVD inputs.
Best audio option for the DVD is probably the optical cable in place of the R-W RCA's for the DD-DTS signals, When you select DVD on the 1050 you toggle through the digital input select on the 1050, once you have selectd-assaigned the correct digital input for the DVD input on the 1050 you can just leave it there, when you select DVD the S-video is passed through and the digital audio input is played
You would then use the S-Video out from the 1050 to connect to the TV. In this case you would just leave the TV set to the S-Video input. When you switch between the S-VHS VCR and the DVD you would always have S-video coming through the 1050.

I will be adding a S-VHS VCR at some time to help simplify my video switching setup.
These connections also work with DSS which is just like having a cable box in the setup(S-video)

Humm, Hope you can follow this.
Probably easier to just draw a simple diagram.
It's not to difficult if you just take your time.

[This message has been edited by Steve_C (edited January 16, 2003).]

Along these lines I have a follow-up question:

I used the digital optical output on my DVD player and hooked it up to the 1050 Optical 1 in. Then I connected S-video "monitor out" from the 1050 to my TV (video 1). I hear sound from my speakers when on "DVD" setting but get no picture on the TV. I cycle through the video inputs on the TV just to make sure but no picture. The 1050 manual is kind of skimpy on actual connections. Am I hooking things up correctly? The S-video connection from the 1050 to the TV should be through "monitor out," right?

Alan to make it easy to figure out, just remember the direction you want the signal to travel. Since you want the video to travel FROM the 1050 TO the TV, then you need to plug into the TV's Input somewhere. The Monitor Out to me would mean the TV's is outputting its signal to another monitor.

Pull out the TV's owners manual and you will see how to connect the 1050 to the TV properly.

Larry

I guess I should clarify. When I say "monitor out" I am only referring to the "monitor out" on the back of the 1050. The main question I guess I had is:

If I want to make an S-video connection from the 1050 to the TV (27" Sony XBR with S-video inputs), would the connection coming out of the 1050 be through the monitor out? I can't think of another route if I want a signal from the DVD which is attached to the 1050 via an optical cable. Yet I get no picture with that connection, just sound.

Did you also connect a S-video cable between the S-video out on the DVD player and the S-video DVD input on the 1050 ?
There is a group of S-video inputs on the 1050, The correct one should be labeled DVD. When you select DVD on the 1050 it connects this S-video input to the S-Video output. (Monitor out) The optical cable from the DVD only carries the audo signals.

Alan -- the optical digital output carries sound only, no video. You also need to connect the S-Video output of the DVD player to the DVD S-Video input on the 1050.

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Steve_C,
Thanks for the comprehensive reply

I have a new MX-500 Home Theater remote that I'll be using to control everything. Audio/Video switching shouldn't be a problem as I'll be programming several macros into the remote. So that's all good!

As for the connections, I have a cable box with audio-video-out connectors, and I have a few questions about this:

1. What's the VCR got to do with connecting the Cable TV feed into the TV? Why do we plug the coax from the cable box to the VCR, and then from the VCR to the TV?
Right now, I've connected the coax coming into the house, into the CATV box, and then from the CATV box to the TV. I tried connecting the cable box's audio-out into the 1050 but the sound is somehow better when I connect the TV's audio-out into the 1050.

2. Is there any advantage at all to feeding the VIDEO feeds into the 1050? I wouldn't think so. Right now, all my audio inputs are coming into the 1050 and all video is going directly to the TV. For example, I have the DVD player's S-video cable connected directly from the DVD player to the TV, but I have the DVD player's audio wires connected to the 1050.

3. I have the VCR's audio also going into the 1050 but the audio is very weak. I tried calling Outlaw folks and they told me to look into fixed-versus-variable audio signals. My VCR has only ONE audio-out connection and there's no fixed-variable setting in the Options Menu. What else should I be looking into? Perhaps the audio cable is bad....

Thanks a ton!