In an attempt to configure the 990 to allow for full-blown theater as well as "casual" TV viewing, I ran a set of analog stereo audio outputs from Record Out/AUX to a set of analog stereo inputs on the TV.

I got no signal with a DVD source connected via an optical digital audio input, even when listening to PCM as stereo audio.

I'm thinking that, perhaps, the analog stereo audio Record Out lines (AUX and TAPE) are only switched from the analog stereo audio input lines. However, page 36 of the manual, under "Recording a Source" suggests otherwise: "You can record from any input source ... The source audio signales appear at the Record Out/Tape and Video 1 Record Out audio jacks... Any digital source selected (except USB) automatically appears at the Coax Out and Opt Out jacks."

So, is [b]any[b] souce converted to the aforementioned analog audio output jacks and digital sources replicated on the digital audio jacks? Or, do digital sources go to digital outputs and analog sources go to analog outputs (arguably the easier switching task). And, what effect does the source audio selection have? If I connect analog AND digital audio from a DVD player, am I stuck with one or the other on the record outputs? (The manual DOES clearly state that zone two audio only comes from the analog audio inputs).

Or, was my use of Record Out/AUX misguided, and I should have just used Record Out/TAPE? I can find no mention of Record Out/AUX anywhere in the manual (though, the lack of an index does not help).

I can figure out the answers to these questions myself, of course, but I was wondering if anyone already knew.

I thought that I had at one time been able to get digital audio inputs to pass out through the record outputs (probably video1 rather than Aux or Tape). There should be no difference in how the Aux, Tape, and Video1 analog outputs behave, so I don't see any need to switch from Aux to Tape.

If you were to connect analog audio cables for the inputs that you want to have access to at the TV, then you could do some testing with both the record outputs and the zone 2 output to see which you prefer to use. I would expect (since the record outputs are supposed to get the active audio source, even when it's a digital input, and since I have a fuzzy memory of actually being able to do so) that the record outs get a downmixed copy of the digital input while the zone 2 would get the analog input, but that's just supposition on my part.

Two potentially silly questions... First, have you verified that the analog inputs on the TV are set up and hooked up correctly? Second, since you're not running the whole "theater" setup, what are you doing with the 990 and the amps? (Is the 990 turned on, as it obviously must be if you have gotten far enough to select an input? Is the 990 muted, even though in theory that wouldn't affect record outputs?)

Two answers:

1) Yes, the connections to the TV are there. Record Out/AUX works when the source is the tuner. It's easy to switch to Record Out/TAPE to test.

2) I've got it configured for small L+R, center (which does not exist), and sub. I haven't been able to configure it for small L+R and sub without a center, though I suspect that a stereo downmix would send center data to L and R.

O.K. I ran some tests, and the results were not encouraging.

1) When using a digital audio source (from a CD in a DVD player), there was no signal on the Record Out/AUX and Record Out/TAPE source. When using an analog audio source, there was signal on both outputs. This isn't surprising, though the manual does not make this clear -- it only notes that only analog audio gets switched to the zone two analog outputs.

2) There was variable audio output on the Zone 2 analog output, but no svideo output from a composite video source. There was composite video output. Again, this is not particularly surprising.

3) There was no analog audio or video (composite or svideo) on the Video 1 output. The manual says that video sources appear on both the svideo and composite Video 1 (recording) output. I would at least expect that a composite video source would appear on the Video 1 composite video output.

At this point it appears that my only option for a theater and casual output is to use the Zone 2 output for casual viewing via the TV: I get a two channel downmix. Unfortunately, I only get svideo output in Zone 2 from svideo input (I'm guessing) and composite output from composite sources -- I was hoping to use the Zone 1 component output, and the AUX, Video 1, or TAPE output, but, with SMALL L+R speakers, and Zone 1 active, low frequencies always get routed to the sub.

I am concerned that there is no Video 1 output at all, though. That does not strike me as correct.

Looking at the unit, I'm guessing there are back panel boards plugged into connectors on a mainboard. That makes it odd that all of Video 1 output should be dead: it would mean that that signal is dead on a bunch of back panel boards, which is unlikely.