mikeq,
I know what you are saying a about "drop in quality" and I do Agree a direct connection is the best.
I was worried about creating "Standing waves" due to mismatches in the cables impedance and the SCART box,
but I have done tests, by connecting the BNC to SCART directly into eg. DVD and by-passing the SCART switched box.
I found that it did NOT reduce the picture quality at all.
I think this is because I am using VERY high quality cables.
I also made my own test cable (BNC to SCART ) using broadcast quality cable and compared this with the CPC cable I am currently using, and again I can't see any difference.
I think once you get to a quality level of cable that can handle signal of 0-10mhz and good impedance and cross-talk, then you will not see any difference.
I had to buy a made-up cable because the one I made was not flexible enough.
If I convert the Component to VGA then I think you may see a drop in quality compared to using a passive SCART switching Box.
Again it all depends on the losses in the Video signal chain, thats why Dr John Sim uses the best possible materials in his convertor boxes.
Trust me, I tried a £15 SCART cable first and I could SEE the difference on the screen, this is because the display is HUGE and just like amplifiering the noise.
Best Regards,
Bluebear.