811 installed yesterday. My initial impression

[shellbmb]

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.

 

[arachide]

shellbmb-

How does the OTA reception on the 811 compare to the Samsung? I have a SIR t-150 right now and have been thinking of switching to the 811.

 

[peid]

My OTA reception is great in HD with the 811, HOWEVER, I have nothing to compare to since this is my first experience with HD.

 

[jerryez]

The 811 (nor the 6000) does not get local OTA's in the program guide. Maybe someday, but it is not an 811 problem, just never has been.

 

[peid]

Of course, according to Dish, it will be fixed in the next software update.

Yep, I believe that!

 

[billben1]

I received my 811 a week ago and I am very pleased so far. The picture is great, I use a DVI cable, no problems with the sound. I did a scan for OTA locals and they all showed up in the Guide. It did not assign all the channels correctly but with the channel label feature I was able to assign the channel call letters. The guide does not show the current program only that it is a local digital channel. I had a motorola OTA receiver before this and the 811 is just as good if not better and a lot cheaper to purchase.



Bill

 

[shellbmb]

shellbmb-

How does the OTA reception on the 811 compare to the Samsung? I have a SIR t-150 right now and have been thinking of switching to the 811.

I can tell no appreciable difference in the picture quality and both were with a DVI cable. I do like the 811 better for 3 reasons:

1. Cost 400 vs. 200
2. The ability to "stretch" non-hd OTA signals. What I mean is I was able to get some shows (ie: friends) through the Samsung SIR-t351 but it did not fill my screen when using the DVI cable. And my TV could not fix it either. So I don't know if you call this SD broadcast through the networks digital feed, or what. But it was annoying. Not so with the 811.
3. The 811 is more versatile and user friendly. For instance to change stuff on the Samsung, you had to physically flip a switch on the back. With the 811 it is all menu based.

One thing I did notice the 811 does not have is a digital audio coaxial out. Not a problem if you use toslink, but it might be for some.

After I wrote this thread this morning, I went and turned on the 811 and it had to do a switch test. I don't know if that will continue or not. Does anyone think it is a problem if you just leave the receiver on? I know software upgrades are done when it is powered off. But even if you power it off, it is still running, no? Maybe leaving it on would keep it from losing the signal and having to do the test again. I don't know.

 

[shellbmb]

The 811 (nor the 6000) does not get local OTA's in the program guide. Maybe someday, but it is not an 811 problem, just never has been.

Not even if you subscribe to Dish locals?

 

[amnesiacv2]

Not even if you subscribe to Dish locals?

Dish locals DO show up in the program guide + have info.

However, I am currently looking at buying an indoor antenna and cancelling dish locals; the PQ is nothing short of abysmal. Compression artifacts galore, and blurry as hell. Plus, no HD locals.

 

[WeeJavaDude]

Shellbmb,

What size is your TV and how far are you sitting from it. With large TVs SD can suck. However remember getting OTA locals that upcast SD To HD will also have similar shortcomings. Better but it will not remove the problem.

There are a few things you can look into to help improve SD picture quality.

1) Check both Svideo and component SD PQ.
2) A power conditionar improved my SD PQ a lot. I was very suprised.
3) If you have an RPTV has it been calibrated?
4) How close are you to the TV and what size is it. This can improve PQ from your perspective. If you are sitting 6 feet away on a 60" TV you are going to see much more artifacts than 13' from a 60". Wierd but true.

SD on big sets can be bad, When I first got my GWII it was horriable and then after doing some GWII tweaks and getting the power conditionar the PQ is much better. Nothing to go WOW about but it is now watchable for sure. HD blows it away but I can watch something in SD and not throwup now. Hope this helps.

 

[ROLLTIDE]

I am currently looking at buying an indoor antenna
Why in the wide world of sports would you buy an indoor antenna ?

 

[WeeJavaDude]

I tried an Indoor antenna with my setup and it did not even come close to getting what my Channel Master gets. Unless you are really close and have good line of sight the transmitter, I don't think you will be too happy with the results. Try this website out to get info on what type of antenna you might need.

http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx

 

[MikeD-C05]

Shellbmb,

What size is your TV and how far are you sitting from it. With large TVs SD can suck. However remember getting OTA locals that upcast SD To HD will also have similar shortcomings. Better but it will not remove the problem.

There are a few things you can look into to help improve SD picture quality.

1) Check both Svideo and component SD PQ.
2) A power conditionar improved my SD PQ a lot. I was very suprised.
3) If you have an RPTV has it been calibrated?
4) How close are you to the TV and what size is it. This can improve PQ from your perspective. If you are sitting 6 feet away on a 60" TV you are going to see much more artifacts than 13' from a 60". Wierd but true.

SD on big sets can be bad, When I first got my GWII it was horriable and then after doing some GWII tweaks and getting the power conditionar the PQ is much better. Nothing to go WOW about but it is now watchable for sure. HD blows it away but I can watch something in SD and not throwup now. Hope this helps.

Please tell me what is a power conditioner and where did you get it. Details please.

 

[WeeJavaDude]

Power conditionar is like a surge protector on staroids from my understanding. Mine was a Monster. My take is that depending on your power source your mileage may vary. For me I got good results. I got a Monster (I know evil word) see link below.

http://www.monstercable.com/power/productPagePower.asp?pin=1317

Some people claim snake oil just like the cables, but for me it was a noticable improvement and I am happy with the purchase. There are other manufactures but this one was not too expensive and it looks nice in my cabinet.

 

[shellbmb]

Shellbmb,

What size is your TV and how far are you sitting from it. With large TVs SD can suck. However remember getting OTA locals that upcast SD To HD will also have similar shortcomings. Better but it will not remove the problem.

There are a few things you can look into to help improve SD picture quality.

1) Check both Svideo and component SD PQ.
2) A power conditionar improved my SD PQ a lot. I was very suprised.
3) If you have an RPTV has it been calibrated?
4) How close are you to the TV and what size is it. This can improve PQ from your perspective. If you are sitting 6 feet away on a 60" TV you are going to see much more artifacts than 13' from a 60". Wierd but true.

SD on big sets can be bad, When I first got my GWII it was horriable and then after doing some GWII tweaks and getting the power conditionar the PQ is much better. Nothing to go WOW about but it is now watchable for sure. HD blows it away but I can watch something in SD and not throwup now. Hope this helps.

I don't have a problem with the PQ of SD shows. My only beef was I couldn't "stretch" the SD signals that were upcast in HD. My TV won't allow stretching in the DVI input. But with the 811, it has that feature and my problem is solved. I actually think the 811 through the DVI port has a better picture than my 522 for regular channels. I guess it should since it is DVI vs. Svideo.

But I still can't get the program guide on the 811 for my locals. Could I have mapped them incorrectly? The guide shows my OTA locals, but does not appear to show my locals through the SAT. Any suggestions?