Glad to hear the macro will get you on track, it's been a very convenient trick for me for several years now.

Interesting about your old Onkyo - it's a pretty slick approach to integrating a receiver into a system for basic TV viewing, but not something I've seen included in newer units. A processor like the 950 could certainly include something like that (a trigger assigned to a specific analog input), but the number of possible input configurations would probably limit the number of people who could use it. For example, if you use your TV's internal cable tuner, it's a great match - analog input, single source device to turn on. If your TV is an HDTV with an internal HD tuner, then you'll be connecting with a digital audio cable and the analog may not even be connected. If you have a satellite receiver or cable box, then you've got an extra device to deal with anyway.

I've got a co-worker who had a very traumatic time upgrading from a stereo pre-amp to a Rotel RSP-1068 last year. After it was all settled in, he observed that today's "simple" home theater is a very complex array of equipment, settings, options, and formats. Sometimes even a simple and elegant solution from an older setup can't make the transition. The trick is to try to find new solutions that work as well, and for those of us in the hobby to share those tricks with each other.