My 811 was installed yesterday after being rescheduled from 12/29. Overall very happy with it, so far. I don't have dim picture problems at least with a DVI connection and the Dolby Digital seems to be working fine if I have it set on DD/PCM. The shows that have DD come in that way and the ones that don't just come out in stereo. I haven't figured out the guide yet and how it maps my OTA HD locals and my dish local package. Right now I have no programming guide for my locals on the 811. Is that a common problem?
I did notice yesterday on the CBS AFC championship game, that the picture was better if I had the 811 set on 1080i rather than 720p. The 720p mode made vertical lines look fuzzy. Don't know if CBS is 1080i or why that works better.
But in comparison to the Samsung t351 OTA HD tuner I was using until this one arrived, I see no compromise with the 811. Actually the 811 will allow me to do something the Samsung would not. On non-HD programming coming through the tuner, it would not allow me to "stretch" the picture through my DVI port. Nor would my Samsung DLP TV. So when I was watching Friends through the tuner it would have bars on the side. But now the 811 has its own stretch mode and fixes that.
Another bonus was that the 811 remote will control the UHF portion, tuner 2, of my 522 receiver. So now I have the extra remote I have been looking for to overcome the 522 not having the "single" mode activated yet. I just use the IR 522 remote to control the 811, and a universal remote to control tuner 1 of the 522. Now I can record two things on the DVR from one TV and watch a third feed through the 811 without having to run upstairs and grab remote #2.
The only downside to all of this is my wife is about to kill me since she has to re-learn how to use all this stuff. Thank God for macro buttons.
I did notice yesterday on the CBS AFC championship game, that the picture was better if I had the 811 set on 1080i rather than 720p. The 720p mode made vertical lines look fuzzy. Don't know if CBS is 1080i or why that works better.
But in comparison to the Samsung t351 OTA HD tuner I was using until this one arrived, I see no compromise with the 811. Actually the 811 will allow me to do something the Samsung would not. On non-HD programming coming through the tuner, it would not allow me to "stretch" the picture through my DVI port. Nor would my Samsung DLP TV. So when I was watching Friends through the tuner it would have bars on the side. But now the 811 has its own stretch mode and fixes that.
Another bonus was that the 811 remote will control the UHF portion, tuner 2, of my 522 receiver. So now I have the extra remote I have been looking for to overcome the 522 not having the "single" mode activated yet. I just use the IR 522 remote to control the 811, and a universal remote to control tuner 1 of the 522. Now I can record two things on the DVR from one TV and watch a third feed through the 811 without having to run upstairs and grab remote #2.
The only downside to all of this is my wife is about to kill me since she has to re-learn how to use all this stuff. Thank God for macro buttons.