I just got my Pioneer 45A AND the 950 came today. The HDTV will have to wait while I recover from wallet-shock. In the Pioneer manual it says I may have to input to the 950 the same way I want to output to my old tv. IOW, if the inputs to my tv are s-video, I may have to run s-video from the 45A to the 950, not component inputs. The manual did say some receivers (sic) will do the "conversion." Will the 950 do this conversion?

Jay

The 950 will not upconvert video signals to component.

The Denon 5803 and Pioneer Elite 49TX receivers will upconvert from s-video or composite to component, but those are the only ones on my pre/pro chart and I'd be wary of the performance of it. If your TV has a component input, you will definitely want to use the DVD player's component output.

The Pioneer's manual may also be referring to the fact that many receivers and pre/pros will not convert between composite and s-video. The 950 does support it, but it is not the 950's strong suit -- at one point, they actually removed it. The best approach is to use the same connection all the way through. If your TV has an s-video input but not component, I'd recommend using s-video, and I would keep it s-video all the way.

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

[This message has been edited by gonk (edited February 12, 2003).]

Thank you for the (disappointing) information. I'm saving my shekels for a nice 36" Sony Wega 16x9...

Jay

I'm not impressed with the throughput quality of video switching on the 950. It's just fine for the day to day viewing on my relatively inexpensive 27-inch TV; but it compromises the picture quality in a way that is easily visible on my LCD front projector.

The 950's video circuit is satisfactory for casual use; but I WOULD NOT use it as a switcher to a large screen front or rear projection system.

[This message has been edited by boblinds (edited February 13, 2003).]