First, if you haven't done so already I would recommend downloading the SL-9000 manual - it is an excellent supplement to the 950\'s manual as far as what the remote is capable of. If the remote isn't accepting the number, make sure that you are trying to put the family of codes associated with the device on the remote (ie: if you are trying to learn a DVD player code, the remote will only accept it on the DVD button unless you take an extra step).

As far as the speaker calibration, I'd try resetting it (see page 45 of the manual for instructions on this process). If that doesn't resolve the left/right channel test tones, you might want to ask Outlaw about it.

The 950's video switching is not addressable. The DVD component input is passed to the component monitor output when the DVD input is selected, and the Video 1 component input (also called "SAT" on the remote) is passed to the component monitor output when Video1 is selected. Does that help?