Hi. I can only use the svideo monitor output for my TV as my tv only accepts an svideo input. Should the 990 be able to convert DVI or component (or even composite video) signals to Svideo? I have tried this and had no luck. I am fairly sure I am setting it up all correctly. I was attempting this evening to use the svideo monitor output with a DVI input (DVI IN-1). I was using VIDEO-5, if that matters. I didnt see any picture.

Thanks, and sorry if this is a stupid question. I was hoping this unit would do this conversion, but perhaps I didnt read the fine print! If it does not convert to Svideo, what exactly can it convert to & from??!

No stupid questions in video switching - it gets pretty complex.

The 990 will convert from s-video and composite to component, and while I haven't tried it I believe it will convert between s-video and composite video (so that a composite source like a VCR would be passed to the s-video monitor output).

It will not convert at all between analog video (composite, s-video, and component) and digital video (DVI) - the video processing involved would be expensive if you wanted to preserve the transparency of the DVI switching (and expensive even if you were for some reason willing to accept signal degradation across DVI). It will also not convert from component down to s-video or composite. Component is a much higher bandwidth video signal and converting down to composite or s-video would involve throwing away a lot of data to produce a signal that the lesser formats could use. Including this sort of conversion would add cost, and I don't believe that it would give any better video quality than simply using an s-video connection from the source - it might even look worse.

Here's a follow on question re: video switching.

My Samsung TV has two component inputs:

One input is 480i/480p which I use for my DVD player.

The other is 480p/1080i input that I use for my HD Cable box.

I also run an S video cord from my PS2 into the TV.

I would like to run all three into the 990 and then into my set. Can I run them all (both components and the S video) into the 990 and from the 990 into the 480p/1080i component input in the TV?

I am setting the new system up this weekend and trying to avoid confusion on the video switching. Thanks.

It sounds like the 480p/1080i input will not support the 990's menus or any video that the 990 transcodes from the composite and s-video input because those sources are all 480i, but the 480i/480p input will not support the HD signal from your HD cable box. If the 480p/1080i would also support 480i (doubtful from the name, but it can't hurt to check), then you could connect the 990's monitor output to it and use that for all video switching.

If the PS2 and your DVD player both supported 480p output (your DVD player will if it is a progressive scan player, with nearly all new players are, but I haven't messed with the PS2 enough to know what output options it offers), you could connect all three devices' component outputs to the 990 and run the 990's monitor output to the 480p/1080i input on your TV. In that case, I would recommend running an s-video cable from the 990 to the TV for access to the menu when needed.

Gonk, thanks for the detailed reply. The advantage for me using dvi to svideo conversion would be that I can use my mac mini on my tv screen. I went out today and bought a dvi to svideo converter (an Apple part at $20) and it works pretty well.