If you run the video through the 950, it does have to be turned on to allow you to watch any of those sources. It is also true that the shortest signal path is the best, but some form of video switching is often difficult to avoid as you increase the number of sources involved and the 950's switching is very clean.

I use the video switching for two reasons. One: multiple sources, single input on the TV. My TV has a single s-video input, but I have s-video outputs from digital cable, DVD player, S-VHS VCR, and DVD recorder. If I didn't use the 950's switching, I would have to switch to composite or RF connections for all but one of those sources. Two: ease of use. We can switch from cable to DVD with a single selection on the remote, which I appreciate somewhat but my wife really likes. Some people might also like having the 950's on-screen display, which is available on the composite and s-video monitor outputs.

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