OK, I sketched it out a bit, and I think I've got it all figured out. It will require one more video cable, and will mean that you'll need to use the 1050 for video switching. See what you think of this:

Connect the E30's Out1 to the Video1 input on the 1050. Connect the 1050's Video1 out to the E30's Line1 input. Connect the VCR's A/V output to the Line3 input of the E30 (as you are already doing). Connect the digital cable box to Video2 on the 1050. Then connect the TV's composite video input to the monitor output of the 1050. Basically, we've moved the digital cable box from the E30 to the 1050, hooked the E30 up like a VCR, and started using the 1050's video switching. Any time that the E30 is set to use Line1 as its input, it will record from the VCR loop output of the 1050 -- so selecting Line1 on the E30 and Video2 on the 1050 will let you record from the cable box. You can also leave the E30 on Lin3 and copy from the VCR while watching Video2 on the 1050; you can also hop over the Video1 to see how the recording is going.

By the way, how do you like the E30 so far?

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