If I'm reading your list right, you have no surround processor or receiver at present and little or no HD gear in the mix. Is that correct?

There are four game consoles (one with optical audio output, two that can do component video, and two that can only do composite or s-video). There is a VCR (composite and stereo analog audio) and a cable box (non-HD, so s-video and optical/coaxial digital outputs are possible but not guaranteed). There are also three DVD players. That adds up to nine sources, although you could potentially consolidate down to seven if you reduced it to a single DVD player. It's a large system that is very video-centric (no pure audio sources). I'll take a shot at setting up this system with a Model 990 and minimal outboard switching (one switch, to be exact) assuming for the moment that the component video switching might be of value:

DVD: DVD player (Component-DVD for video and optical1 for audio)
Video1: Cable box (Component-Vid1 for video and coaxial1 for audio)
Video2: Switch1 (composite video and stereo analog audio)
Video3: VCR (composite video and stereo analog audio)
Video4: PS2 (Component-Vid2 for video and optical2 for audio)
Video5: spare
7.1 Direct: spare composite connection that could be used with the 7.1 Direct analog input

Switch1 Input1: XBox
Switch1 Input2: N64
Switch1 Input3: SNES

If the TV doesn't offer better than s-video or composite video inputs, all three component connections can be replaced with composite connections and the system still works as described. Likewise, the cable box can use stereo analog audio if there's no coaxial or optical digital output.

I'm going to make a possibly harsh prediction: the Model 998 may not have an input selection that is well suited to non-HD systems that employ numerous legacy video sources. To be competitive in the market today, it will need to be geared toward HD video and the sources that most often accompany HDTV - a good number of HDMI connections and some component video, with composite video and s-video being secondary. That is what drives today's surround processor market, and it reflects the systems that are most likely to end up with a $1000+ surround processor in the mix. On the bright side, the used market offers a wealth of really good older gear that can serve non-HD systems like that very, very well. Looking just at Outlaw, there's the Model 990 and the Model 950 (both of which have five or six composite/s-video inputs). There are also products from Anthem, Rotel, NAD, and others that have a wealth of analog audio inputs and healthy support for composite or s-video sources.


I've found two great tools for dealing with AC adapters. One is the PowerSquid. Another is a very short extension cord (even shorter than this one), although I can't find a source for a shorter one right now. Both let you put a bunch of AC adapters onto a single power strip without having to throw away half the outlets.