Hello everyone. By way of quick intro, my name is Mark and I am new to the Outlaw line. I've read the 1070 manual. Here's my setup and a few questions.

Model 1070
Ceiling mounted Toshiba TDP-MT8 DLP HD projector
Da-Lite 92" screen @ 10 ft from projector.
Cambridge Newton Center Channel Center Stage.
(Old) Realistic Mach-One L & R (15" woof, 2x6" midrange horn, piezo tweeter)
Klipsch small Surr L&R and Rear L&R
Mirage 100+W sub (Y connectored to)
MCM sub amp module 100W driving 2 bass drivers mounted under the 2 theatre seats.

>Samsung DVD w/up conversion HDMI, component and optical out to Video 3 optical 3(I noted that when DVI/HDMI the 1070 defaults to Vid 1?)

>Sci Atl 8000 HD Cable no DVI, just component out (no DVI on box)to Video 2 w/optical 2 assigned

>Pioneer Elite CD Changer optical 1

>Panasonic S-video tape to VCR in/out via s-vid and analog RCA's

>Sony Cassette tape to Aux (I think, not important now)

Video out to projector via Component cables (35' run) Haven't picked up a DVI cable as yet, projector uses an M-1 connector.

OK, sheesh, so everything seems to be working. As a beta tester for Uniden, I'm impressed with the Outlaw manual. Set up went fine.

Some things I've noticed and questions:
I cannot bring up the MENU when video 2 is selected. The menu comes up then goes right to attempting to display a picture, even with the cable box off. I assume this has something to do with ?polling?.

Is picking up a sound level meter worthwhile?

Will the 1070 select the optimal surround mode based upon detecting the input coding?

Do I have the Vid 1 2 3 optimally configured as described above? Suggestions?

Will a DVI Cable provide any noticeable improvement in a 35' run when playing DVD's over my current high quality component cables?

I guess that enough for now. My sincere thanks to all that take the time and effort to respond.

Mark Levine, D.C.
New Hartford, CT

First, I believe that the 1070 will only provide the menu on-screen for 480i sources (s-video, composite, and from some posts I've seen also 480i component such as non-progressive scan DVD players). Your HD cable box ought to be configured for something better than 480i (probably 720p, since that's likely closest to your projector's native resolution). That would explain some of your problem when the cable box is on, but doesn't seem to be the full answer. Maybe some 1070 owners can chime in here.

As for the sound meter, absolutely! It is a very useful tool for getting channel levels accurate, which can make a definite and positive impact. An analog Radio Shack meter is around $30, and well worth it.

The 1070 will detect the format of the incoming signal, which is of course part of the puzzle (and judging by the absence of comments, I'm guessing that the detection speed is improved from the Model 950). It should also remember what you prefer for certain formats (such as always using DTS+PLIIx for DTS 5.1 tracks if you have surround back speakers and want to use Pro Logic IIx to use them with DTS 5.1). I've seen some discussion here suggesting that it tends to default to PLIIx for some Dolby sources (such as Dolby 2.0), which most people would consider the optimal mode.

The one question that occurs to me on your video setup is one that you touch on later in your post - the Samsung is set up to use component rather than DVI/HDMI. If you were using a true DVI source and going to a DVI display, I'd worry a little about the distance involved - 35' exceeds the DVI spec, although there are a number of sources for cables that long which are reportedly able to carry the signal without trouble. The length limitation is not as great on HDMI (the HDMI FAQ mentions 15-meter runs being reasonable), and your source at least is HDMI. The 1070's DVI switching can act as a sort of "video-only HDMI" for switching purposes, so the length would probably not be a problem even if you elected to use the 1070's switching (which would also allow you to have a second HDMI video source down the road, such as a different cable box). Does the Samsung that you are using support upconversion on the component output? (Most upsampling players only allow it on DVI or HDMI output, but a couple have popped up from time to time that will do it over component.) If your player is typical and restricts you to 480p on the component output, the HDMI output could give you a better picture (and the improvement would be easier to detect on a 92" screen than in some other cases). Do use the DVI/HDMI switching, of course, you'd need to move the Samsung from Video3 to an input that has a DVI input (DVD or Video1).

The 1070 will always default to DPLIIx-C whenever you are using a source that is less than 5.1. I, and many others, have posted that this is rather irritating, but it seems to just be the way things are. The reasoning for this decision was so that you're making plenty of use of your surround speakers even when you're not using a surround source. My counter is that I'm a purist (e.g. the type who listens to the mono soundtrack if that's how the film was originally mixed) and when I'm listening to 2.0 sources I want the thing to stay in standard Dolby Digital without extra processing or stick with Stereo if it's an analog source. Normally this would only be a minor, but persistant hassle, but the ante is upped a bit with how it detects. Even turning auto-polling off if I pause a DVD it'll swap from Dolby Digital back to PLIIx, if I fast forward or go into a 2.0 menu screen the same thing happens. Sometimes when listening to CDs I find that the receiver won't even switch to ANY other surround format unless I change to a different CD and change it in which case it'll stick.

Basically it's something that you might not care about, but a fair number of us on the boards here dislike. I regard it as somewhere between a minor nuisance and a major nuisance. Otherwise if using a 5.1 Dolby Digital or DTS soundtrack, yes, the 1070 automagically configures itself to the proper format for decoding.