Dish Model 6000U Receiver

[PONCH]

Can somebody let me know if this would be a good investment, and a few things I need to know about it. I would buy it used at a maximum price of $195.00 off of Craigs list.

Thanks in advance,

me

 

[noremac]

Just say NO!!!!

The 6000 is totally obselete and a five year old clunker. Unless you have ulterior motives (hacking), you should avoid.

The 811 can also be purchased for around $200, and is the logical choice.

 

[PONCH]

noremac,

Thanks for the info. It seemed a little obsolete for the price. I'll keep my eyes out for the 811. I think I read somewhere that the 6000 needed hardware upgrades to get expanded HD content. Even Dish has no lit on this unit anymore.

Thanks again,

me

 

[T2k]

Of course it's working fine and the reason behind its still high price that 6000, unlike the 811, can be modified to have firewire ouput, providing HD connection for recording to your PC or JVC DVHS deck.

So after all I'd say 811 for the same price would be utterly stupid because it doesn't even give you the option for this future 'mod' - shortly: 811 for $200 is absolutely the illogical choice.

 

[T2k]

I think I read somewhere that the 6000 needed hardware upgrades to get expanded HD content. Even Dish has no lit on this unit anymore.

Thanks again,

me

I just bought a shrink-wrapped 6000U w/ 8PSK, 8VSB, DishPro adapter, remote etc with full warranty for $230 from eBay.

I'm getting a Dish dual LNB dish and a SW44 switch ($50-60 total) and I'll hook these up with my former Voom dual LNB dish and I'll receive all the HD channels for $20 and I'll still enjoy my multiroom Voom OTA HD setup for news and such.

When I sold my "uber" HD VCR - capable to record in 1080i from ANY analog 1080i sources - and still no sign of MPEG4, I may will do this firewire upgrade and archive everything to my computers (PC and G5) or even buy a DVHS deck for tape-based archiving.

 

[noremac]

Well, I suppose if you are looking to setup a retro-fit, rigged-up HD recording scheme, the 6000 might just be the ticket! Congrats on being adventurous.

But if you aren't interested in recording, the 6000 is a pure dog. It's as slow as a 1982 Atari, can barely keep 1 hr of guide info, no pic-in-pic guide, no close captioning, comes with a noisy always-on cooling fan, a weak RF remote, ....

 

[keith]

Public service announcement - the 6000's dropped in price when Dish moved the HD channels to nagra2 encoding, which hasn't been hacked yet. If the hackers break nagra2, Dish 6000's will zoom up in price again. I was using a friends 6000 last year while waiting for the 811 crushed black fix, but couldn't afford to buy it at the time because they were fetching $400+ on ebay. A loaded 6000 for around $200 is pretty good. It's a solid box. I happened to like the VGA output and connected the 6000 to a 19" computer monitor.

If you don't care about the return potential, the 811 beats the 6000 in just about every way and I'd buy the 811. Not too far down the road, mpeg4 will make both obsolete.

 

[Cyclone]

I sold off my 6000 on eBay (about $400 ) a few months ago. It had a great Picture, but really was too slow to live with. Not to mention the old DOS 3.3 like Graphics software. I wouldn't pay more than $75 for one now.

 

[Bradtothebone]

I kept my 6000 when I got my 921. I use it for a couple of things: 1) To view a second OTA channel while recording another on the 921, and 2) to feed "HD" channels at SD resolution via a modulator. This enables us to watch, say, a football game in the main theater and in the bar with the sound synchronized.

I figure it will be worth more to me at MPEG-4 time in trade than I can realistically get for it now, plus, I'm still using it!

Brad

 

[PONCH]

I found my 811 yesterday for $125.00. I picked it up and activated it. I don't have any need to record to a PC or otherwise. My plan is to upgrade with a compatible unit when they go to MPEG 4, then I plan on having DVR capabilities. I will let the seller know of the potential for his device and he may want to keep it after all.

I just wanted to get my Voom channels back, and have quality programming once again.

Thanks for all your support,

me