Is the Yamaha RX-A1020 my only hope?

Yahama is the only AV receiver manufacturer to include S-Video out for a while now, so other than something used or last year's RX-A1010 which you may still be able to find, the RX-A1020 would be your only single box solution.

If you do go with the RX-A1020 (or RX-A1010) then I would suggest upgrading the quality of the analogue video cables you're using where possible. The receiver supports converting both composite and component video to S-Video, and component video is much better than composite.

You can connect your SNES using higher quality S-Video using either a SNES, Nintendo 64 or GameCube S-Video cable. If your Sony DVD player has component video outputs, I'd recommend using them. While S-Video cables are available for the Xbox and Wii, at this point component cables would be easier to find and maybe cheaper.

If your LaserDisc player only has an RF AC-3 digital audio output then no receiver manufactured in a long time is compatible with it. You'd need some sort of converter to get Dolby Digital audio from your LaserDiscs. If your LD player has SPDIF digital audio outputs (or no digital audio outputs at all) then you can hook it up directly to any new receiver you get.

No receiver is capable of converting HDMI to S-Video or any other analogue video format. You won't be able to connect sources using HDMI untill you get either the new TV or projector. The Wii doesn't support HDMI, neither does the original Xbox.

Does your magazine-loading Pioneer CD player really have a composite video output?

Oh, I forget to add there's a chance that your SNES might not be compatible with the RX-A1020/1010. Older consoles don't always worth with newer AV equipment, so make sure you can easily return the receiver if it you can't get it working. The same applies the new TV and projector you're thinking of buying.

I would get the 1010 and save yourself a couple hundred bucks over the 1020. The only feature missing on the 1010 is Airplay, but I never understood the appeal of Airplay when all these receivers support DLNA.

I just double checked and the RX-A1010 is actually a much better option than the RX-A1020 because Yamaha droppped analogue-to-analogue video conversion in the RX-A1020. Only the RX-A2020 and RX-A3020 have it in this year's models.

Worse, the on-screen display doesn't work over analogue video with the RX-A1020, so this would be a very bad choice to use with analogue-only TV. So your only real hope is the RX-A1010 or the RX-A2020.

Here is the description of Airplay (from Denon but it should be the same for all):

"Unleash your iTunes® music library with the world's first AirPlay enabled AV components from Denon. Now you can stream the sweet sound of your favorite songs directly from your iPod touch, iPhone or iPad* or from your iTunes library on your PC or Mac®. (please check apple.com for full compatibility list).

Using the Remote app on your iPhone®, iPadTM or iPod touch® and your wireless home network, you don't even need to be in the same room as the components or your computer to play, pause, skip, and stop the songs in your iTunes music library. You'll even see the iTunes music information, including your album art, track titles, and artist info on your Apple compatible device or your Denon AV system and/or receiver with video output."

I can do all of that with my Yamaha A3010 by using their app on my android phone or iPod. Unless there's something not in that description, I don't see any advantage of Airplay. Keep in mind that you can't show movies/pictures through Airplay on the receiver, only music.