Your description of the messed-up picture sounds like something I saw when I played a new DVD after re-connecting my Pioneer player. Turns out I'd mis-connected the component cables to the 990. I know you checked your connections but when you had a problem you were using two sets of component video cables (I think) and when you skipped the CE Labs amp you apparently only needed one set, and got a good picture. In such a case I'd suspect one of the cables in the set you didn't use the second time.