Long time, no see, John! The reason you can't see any OSD on a DVI source is actually related to the way the 990 (and nearly every other receiver or processor with DVI/HDMI switching) handles switching a digital video signal - the signal is a pure pass-through switch, with no manipulation of the signal (and thus no OSD and no video transcoding). It would have been a significant cost increase to attempt to include video conversion from analog to digital, assuming it could have been done at all without either degrading the signal or (worse yet) breaking HDCP compliance. It's unfortunate, but it's also almost completely unavoidable (and Outlaw does make mention of it in the manual - the first spot I found was on page 9, when they first identify the DVI connections and include the statement that "Analog video sources and on-screen menus do not appear on the DVI output.")

As for the component outputs, we have a different set of issues there, but once again we have to take into account the logistics of dealing with very large, complex data streams. The component inputs are designed to support HD resolutions, so it is reasonable to expect 1080i or 720p signals to pass through the switching. There are two common ways to deal with providing on-screen data with signals of this magnitude: do nothing (no on-screen data of any sort), or replace the incoming signal with a blank screen behind the standard menu interface. One approach leaves the user completely deprived of OSD menu data, while the other (which Outlaw used) still gives you access to the main menu. Both allow the processor or receiver to provide HD switching without attempting to superimpose data onto the HD source (and thereby degrading the signal, unless the product includes an array of expensive video processing gear that should be able to overlay the data without harming the picture quality).

The composite and s-video inputs get both the main menu OSD and an optional status OSD "pop-up". This is because they can superimpose data onto these video sources without messing up the picture quality. Because of the way the video switching signal path works, those sources retain the OSD overlays (both main menu and pop-up) when transcoded to component video output.

What I would recommend (and what I do with my 990) is to run both a DVI/HDMI cable (whichever your display needs) and a component cable from the 990 to the display. This will allow you to switch to the component input and get access to the main menu (you'll need to switch to a video input that uses a composite, s-video, or component video input - if the active source uses a DVI input, the component output will be inactive).