Is the Menu screen from the 990 visible on the TV with DVI or just with the Component out cables. I currently have my sytem hooked up to components and would like to move to the DVI platform. Will I lose the 990 setup screen on my TV?

The DVI output will not pass the menu OSD and will also not pass any analog video inputs (composite, s-video, or component). If you move all of your source components to DVI such that you can disconnect the component monitor output, you'll want to run at least a composite video cable for the 990's OSD.

Is there anyway this can be revised by Outlaw on this unit? I am taking it that it is what it is and not just a firmware upgrade at a later date. forgive my dumb question but this is my first seperates set up.
Thanks,

It's not a dumb question. Video switching gets complex in a hurry, and newcomers to all of this can easily get lost in the maze. The 990's DVI switching is limited by hardware on what it can do - adding the ability to transcode analog video to digital for use with the DVI output (the only way to get either the OSD menu or the analog inputs routed to the DVI output) while maintaining the DVI signal quality and the unit's HDCP-compliance would be a costly bit of added hardware.

Thanks for the help! Looks like I'll run the cable:)

This is a different problem but maybe it involves video switching. My 990 is connected to both a Scientific Atlanta cable box and a Panasonic plasma TV with component cables, and there is also a direct S-video cable between the SA cable box and the Panasonic. The component video picture from the 990 to the TV is fine, but the picture direct from the SA box via S-video cable is in black and white! Any suggestions?

Black and white with s-video typically means a loose or damaged s-video cable - you're only getting half of the signal (hence the lack of color). Check your connections, and if they're all solid then you may want to check your s-video cable itself.

Thanks, gonk - the S-video cable turned out to have a broken pin. Alas, this was one of those Outlaw sent me a year ago for contributing to tsunami relief. I probably busted the pin while struggling to connect it in a hard-to-reach place at the back of my cable box. On my shelf rig I can turn it about 90 degrees but no farther, so connection changes are a real hassle.

Right now I have a regular 75 ohm coax video cable between the SA cable box and the Panasonic plasma TV. Works fine. Thanks again.

On topic question. I just bought a 990/7125 combo and it should show up today. I currently have an HDMI and component run to my PJ. So i'm OK w/ the OSD via component. Question is if I hook up an S-video or composite source, the 990 won't send it over the component line will it? I know my Denon did this but not sure on the 990. I'm off to download the manual now too, i'm sure it'll answer my question.

The 990 will transcode composite and s-video to component, so you're fine.

Wait. If I run a dopey composite video cable or S-video cable to my projector, will it send a OSD signal to my projector if I'm using the DVI input? Right now not only can't I use the menu, but I can't see the volume and Dolby/dts systems on screen. As much as I love the outlaw, this is a bad design. If my old reciever and my sub $200.00 oppo dvd player can do it, my Outlaw 990 should be able as well. It would be worth the extra $ to have this.

The volume and other "pop-up" info only works with inputs that use composite or s-video. Those pop-ups will persist when the composite and s-video inputs are transcoded to component.

Your old receiver was probably also able to pop data like that up onto the composite and s-video inputs, but it's basically unheard of for data like that to be overlayed onto component inputs (I can't think of any surround processor that will do it, although someone out there may know of one).

john is right that the Oppo Digital DVD player does output the player's menu information over the DVI output. The lack of OSD availability on the 990 is just an inconvenience that you just have to a work around by running an S-video (or composite) line to the display. Problem is that when the display switches to show the 990 OSD menu your video picture will disappear (and then return when the menu is cancelled). Perhaps Outlaw engineers can figure out how Oppo does this and if it's software driven, then maybe we can see this as a sweet firmware upgrade? -Don

Alas, I think it's safe to say that will not be possible. The Oppo can provide an OSD over DVI because it is a video player - complete with a nice array of video chips that can not only handle the math but can do so without breaking HDCP compliance on the output (an absolute essential for a DVI/HDMI switcher). The 990's digital video switching (the DVI portion) is pure switching, similar to the component video switching on the previous generation of processors (that generation lacked not only OSD on component but transcoding from s-video or composite to component). The 990 just wasn't built to do this - the cost required would be significant (my SWAG from another recent thread was $100 just to get the OSD), which is a lot of money to get OSD over the DVI output when you already have it on every other monitor output (composite, s-video, and component).