Is the HTPC your only video source? I ask because if there were other sources, you'd be contending with additional video signals that probably wouldn't offer VGA as a choice. If you did have other video sources and were considering using the 990's video switching, then VGA would become a thorn in your side for other reasons - at which point the 990's setup menu becomes very secondary.

Assuming the HTPC's VGA output is the only video source going to your projector, you might consider a small TV or monitor of some sort that you could locate next to the 990 and connect via composite video for the sole purpose of getting access to the setup menus. Some folks around here have used 5" CRT TV\'s picked up from Radio Shack for very little money, while others have sprung for small LCD\'s that look a good bit slicker.