Before I send my 990 in. I have had the problem with not being able to get my menu up on the screen of my samsung plasma. I have tried every connection,I think, and still no menu. I even had the Samsung service people in my home to check out the tv. No problem with the tv. The guys at Outlaw have said that they have never had a menu funciton not work. It could be that I am still not making the right connection. Could you describe a few different connection scenarios that I could try before I send this unit back. I have used the Svideo input on the front of the 990 as well as the back Svideo "monitor" input. Nothing works. I have used component and composite. the funny thing is I was using component when I first set it up and it worked, then one day it just stopped working. I feel like there is something I am not doing right. I have reset the system and even upgraed the firmware. Would a monster surge protector have anything to do with it? Probably not. Would the screen resolution of the tv have anything to do with it? I will try anything! Understand that I am no ectronic whiz. I can build the space shuttle from a good set of instructions, but I cannot trouble shoot the problems. I just wanted to try one more time with you guys before I send it in.
Thanks

Look at page 8 of the 990's manual. Look for Video Monitor Out and use either the composite (8) or S-Video (9) connection. Then make sure your television is on the correct input for said connection.

To run through all the scenarios, look at the image below and we'll go from left to right...

• Component: You can connect this output to the HDTV, but if the HDTV can't accept 480i on the component input then you will not see the 990's menu, transcoded composite video inputs, transcoded s-video inputs, or any 480i component video sources. Therefore, if you make this connection, set the HDTV to the appropriate component input, switch the 990 to a video input (DVD or Video1 through Video5), and don't get an onscreen menu when you press the MENU button to the right of the zero on the 990's remote, we should move on to our other two options...
• Composite: You can connect the composite monitor output to a composite video input on the display, but you will only get the onscreen menu and any composite or s-video inputs through this connection. If the component didn't work, you can try this one to see if there's an issue with 480i to your TV's component input. Make the connection (from the marked monitor output in the middle of the picture above to a composite input in the TV), switch the TV to that input, switch the 990 to a video input (let's use Video5 just to get one that should be clear of any higher video connections), and press the MENU button next to zero on the remote. Two things should have happened. First, the 990 should have popped up a little message when you changed inputs to Video5 (assuming you haven't disabled OSD on that input) saying "Video5" and a few other things. Second, the MENU command should pull up the on-screen menu.
• S-Video: For what we're doing, s-video and composite are going to be treated exactly the same way - and if one works, so should the other.

Cvinfig makes a good point at the end of his post. You need to make sure the TV is set up to actually use the inputs you are connecting to - if you've disabled the composite or s-video so you don't have to skip through them when changing inputs, you would need to re-enable them for this test at least.

Sorry, Gonk, I have tried all of the above. The tv displays a message that it is "searching or signal...no signal". Apparently no signal is coming from the 990.

While we're in "try it all" mode... Does it do the "no signal" thing all the time with all analog outputs (component, composite, and s-video)? Can you feed a composite video signal into one of the inputs (like the front input) and get something out from any of the monitor outputs?

check your component cables.. it's easy to mix up one of the three cables.

so you get video on your display thru the 990 just not the on screen menu?

Not to be a smart a$$, just that I did the same thing. I have a samsung plasma and it does show the "searching for signal" message until I push the button on the remote for the menu to come up. My first few times I pushed the wrong button on the remote (I think it's labeled "setup") until I figured out that was not how you bring up the menu. The menu was also set to shut off at something like 10 seconds, so while I turned my head and looked back I would be staring at the "searching for signal" message and wondering what the heck was going on. Just some thoughts since we are trying everything...

It does it all the time. I have HDMI cables to my dvd and HD cable box. At one point I had the Cble box hooked up with component cables and it worked fine. When I hook the same component cable to the Monitor inputs on the back of the 990 I get the "searching for signal" message. Last night I have tried composite as well as Svideo to the front and back of the 990 as well.

I am not sure what you mean. I watch tv through my cable box. I have not tried to hookup for instance a camcorder and watch it on the tv.

Well, I am pushing the right buttons, and believe me, my eyes are focused on the tv screen. This is just very frustrating. Outlaw has been trying to help, I just think they should send me a unit to use while they see what the problem is with this one.

"Can you feed a composite video signal into one of the inputs (like the front input) and get something out from any of the monitor outputs?"
Gonk, can you explain this in a little more detail.

My thought here is to make sure that the analog video switching is working at all. With your cable box and DVD player being your only sources and with both being DVI/HDMI, you aren't currently using any analog video switching.

Here's the process that occurs to me. Connect either the component or composite monitor output of the 990 to an input on the TV and switch to that input on the TV. Connect a composite video source to the 990 (a cheap VCR hooked up to the front panel would suffice, or even a video camera or digital still camera with a video output - just something that will create a video signal) and switch to that input on the 990. Actually, I'd probably recommend using composite video to the front input because I'm pretty sure the default configuration for that input is the composite input. Then see if you are getting video from the source to the TV. If you don't get anything, you might even try resetting the 990 in case the default video connection used by that input of the 990 was changed - a reset would change the Video5 input back to a default of "composite."

Another test would be to try connecting the composite video monitor output to a different (small would suffice here) TV to see if you can get the menu that way. I doubt that the problem lies there based on what you've done to now and the results you've seen, but while I'm tossing out ideas I may as well toss them all out.

Troubleshooting this stuff can be hugely frustrating, but one way or another Outlaw and the gunslingers around here can get you back in business.

do you have another TV besides your plasma one? If you do you may want to try hooking that one up and see if you get the on screen menu.

Miscanthus, please tell me how you have your cable box hook up? The cable box is hooked up to your plasma or to the 990 pre amp?

Then how is the 990 pre amp hooked up to your plasma TV? what kind of cables are you using for the video picture? HDMI/DVI or component or S-video?

The cable box is hooked directly to the tv via hdmi. The dvd player is hooked up directly to the tv via hdmi. Optical cables are used on both for the sound.

I will try these things this evening. I really appreciate you guys helping me.

[/QUOTE]The cable box is hooked directly to the tv via hdmi. The dvd player is hooked up directly to the tv via hdmi. Optical cables are used on both for the sound. [/QB][/QUOTE]

so you are bypassing the 990 all together then? Except for your optical audio. if you run your cable box and your DVD player right into your TV.. then you will not see the on screen display. unless you have a seperate connection from the 990 to your TV.

I think that's why you are not seeing the on screen display (OSD).

No, he's been running video cables from the 990 to the display specifically to get the OSD. There's something else going on here.

yes but is he switching inputs on his plasma to see the OSD?

Maybe I hooked my 990 up differently that other's. I have all my sources running into the 990.. then one component cable to the TV. then i just press the OSD button and the 990 does it's thing. i don't have to change inputs on my TV.

If he followed the instructions I posted above, he changed the input.

I also run my video through the 990, but not everybody does this. With only two HDMI sources, Miscanthus could use the DVI switching and leave the TV on a single HDMI input if he wanted to, but he'd still need at least a composite video cable for the 990's OSD.

Silly Newbie question: "OSD" is short for?

On Screen D?????

On Screen Display.

My dvd & dish receiver run into the 990 then out to my Samsung plasma via svideo (will be via dvi/hdmi Monday). I get OSD on all sources without changing any input on the tv remote.

At one point I also had a coax running (from the out to tv jack) on the dish receiver to one of the antenna inputs on the plasma. In this configuration I did not get the OSD for the dish source,
only the dvd source. I have no idea why.

My thought is the problem lies within a connection or source input at the Samsung. I may have missed it but has he tried running all sources thru the 990 then out? Are there any disadvantages of doing this?

You will get the 990's on screen display (both the little "pop-up" notes on the bottom of the screen for input changes and such and the main setup menu) for s-video and composite video inputs. Component video inputs will only get the setup menu OSD. DVI/HDMI sources will not get any OSD info from the 990, so leave that s-video cable in place between the 990 and your plasma.

When you had coax running from the disc receiver to the plasma, you were bypassing the 990 - as a result, the 990 had no way to add video data to the signal.

Miscanthus is in the position that you will be on Monday - both of his sources are DVI/HDMI, so there is no OSD data added by the 990. Even if he did route through the 990, he'd still need something separate (such as s-video) for the 990's setup menu.

Yes i'll keep the s-vid in place.
When I had the coax connected that was just an additional connection, s-vid from the dish was still ran into the 990. Did the coax override the s-vid?

I'm still confused why he can't run it all thru the 990 then s-vid to plasma for the OSD.

I hope I don't have the same problem.
Thanks

If you were using the s-video input, you would have had the OSD, but if you had switched to the coax then you would have lost the OSD. Since you OSD went away, I assumed that the plasma got switched to the coax input.

We're all confused why miscanthus can't get OSD via s-video, but it's a very isolated and currently unexplained situation and since you had the OSD working already I can't imagine you running into the same thing.

Hi there,

Been a while since I've been around. But I'll chime in here -- I had a very similar problem. The video coming from my 990 was flaky. I never switched through it, so the only reason I had it hooked up to the TV was for the OSD. I did component and S-video. I also used those same connections to another TV. It would come and go and "roll" on the screen like old-timey bad reception. Sometimes it would not work at all. I tried different cables. Always the same result.

Finally, Steve sent me another 990, and I never had another problem with the OSD at all. So I can tell you first hand that this kind of thing is possible. Hey, all types of problems and failures are *possible* with a machine like this.

Of course, now I have the intermittent background noise in "upsample" mode, but that's another story.

Gonk,
It has been a while, but I have been very busy and traveling. I am about to start this process again, tonight. I just hooked up a composite video cable to the 990 in the video monitor out and connected to the Samsung video input. I used the source button on the tv remote and got the tv to the video channel. I pressed the menu buton on the 990 and the menu button on the 990 remote. On the Samsung I get a "searching for signal" message and no menu. Samsung has serviced the tv and found no prextoblems.
Next:
Hooked up a component video the same way. No menu. Samsung is "searching for signal" BTW, this is how I hooked it up out of the box and it worked.
Next:
S vidieo, same song same dance.

Hmmmmm! Noticed below that Otto was having same problems and Outlaw sent him a new box.

If those tests didn't work, I'd recommend a call to Outlaw because the 990 seems to be the most likely culprit. They might suggest a system reset (holding down "SETUP" and "MENU" at the same time on the front panel) or some other trick to see if there's something odd going on with the software, but short of something like that it sounds like you'll need to get it swapped out.

Yea, thank for all your help. I have done the system reset thing.

Miscanthus,

My 2 cents, if you want the cleanest picture possible, run video from Cable box to TV and don't go to anything in-between if possible. Higher the connection points the higher the possibility of interference. If your doing it to get the OSD, run a line from the 990 to the TV using s-Video or something like that, and do a Picutre in Picture to see it.

I have not read all the thread and so you might have a good reason. I'm a nut and I want the best picture possible.

Good Luck...!