I have composite video connection from my DVD to the 1050 Video 1 In, and composite video from Monitor Out of 1050 to A/V-1 In of the TV. Should I run an S-Video cable from DVD to 1050 and another S-Video cable from 1050 to S-Video Input of the TV? Or should I just leave connections as they are and run an S-Video cable from the DVD to the TV? My TV cable runs directly into my Digital Cable Box that only has composite connections and then out to the 1050. Will connecting both S-Video connections improve my TV AND DVD performance?

My TV manual says: "If there is an accessory device plugged into the S-Video jack and one plugged into the Video In-1 jack, the video signal coming from the S-Video plug will be dominate when tuned to EXT 1 within the input control."

In your case, the S-Video input on your TV is the same as the composite input on your TV -- so you can't use both at the same time. That means that if you connect your DVD player to your TV with an S-Video cable, your VCR's video signal (on the composite input) will no longer get through.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

Thanks gonk!

How about an S-Video cable from the 1050 Monitor to the TV? Would it improve the TV picture when switched to Video-2 on the 1050?

The 1050's video switching does not include composite/S-Video conversion, so you would still run into the same problem (the VCR's composite output reaches the 1050's input and is switched to the composite monitor out only).

Here's a thought. If you have an s-video cable handy, try connecting your DVD player directly to the TV and spin a few discs. Keep a composite connection handy so that you can switch back and forth. If you see an improvement in quality, there are a possible "creative" solutions that I can think of to allow you to use the S-video input on your TV. (Specifically, back before I had my 1050 I used to connect my DVD player to my TV's s-video input and my VCR to the front video input on my TV, although you could also potentially use the TV's RF input to get video from the VCR to the TV.)

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

Gonk, my VCR is not hooked up to my 1050 - its only connections are to my DVD recorder/player. When I play a VHS tape it is fed from the VCR through the DVD to the TV. I don't play tapes anymore (except to record them to DVD), and will eventually relegate my VCR to the bedroom, so I am not concerned about it that much. I just want the best possible picture from my TV and DVD, both of which are switched through the 1050. Unfortunately, I don't have an S-Video cable to try (or I would have done so). I guess my question is whether an S-Video hookup will provide better picture quality for TV and DVD than composite? I have also read here and elsewhere that a more expensive S-Video cable will show significant improvement, while a cheaper one may not. So my dilemna is whether to initially invest in a quality cable or buy a cheap one and wonder if I could have done better???

Oh, that simplifies things greatly (forgot how the VCR was hooked up) -- in that case, I would definitely use S-video. If the only video source going to your TV is the DVD player/recorder, I'd recommend going directly from the DVD to the TV to keep the signal path as simple as possible.

Of course, after I typed that I remembered your digital cable box... I'd give my cable company a call and try to arrange for a digital cable box with S-video output -- they're charging you for the superior video quality, and then sticking you with composite video only. If you can pull that off, you could use the 1050's S-video switching and operate solely in the S-vid domain: VCR composite to DVD, DVD s-video to/from 1050, digital cable s-video to 1050, 1050 s-video monitor out to TV. While some people have had trouble with the 1050's s-video switching when using some DVD players, I used a Panasonic DVD player and a Scientific Atlanta digital cable box (Explorer 2000) with the 1050 without trouble.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

Thanks again gonk! I called the cable company and am trading my box for a newer one with S-Video (no charge). Let's see if I have this straight, I'll need 4 S-Video cables:
1) From cable box to 1050
2) From 1050 to TV
3) From 1050 Out to DVD In
4) From DVD Out to 1050 In

Correct?

Yep, that will do it.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review