New dish 811/1000 quality questions

[keeler]

Hey guys!!
I've recently moved from DTV to Dishnad hope ya'll can help me out some!
First my info:
Dish 1000 - (this was the installers first install of this dish)
Zip Code - 76502 ( Online says 204 deg AZ, 46 deg EL, and 121 deg SK; and
I've verified EL and SK as marked on the dish)
811 reciever - level P330 software
Phillips 37PF7320a 37"LCD HDTV w/ on-board tuner

My problem is that the PQ seems MUCH worse on Dish than it did with the "Other" guy!! I would say that even Dishes HD channels are just a TAD better than what I got from DTV!! The pic is grainy and looks kinda like the old OpenGL drivers that ya used to see on PC games like Quake (I know!! - wierd comparison!) But backround images and color variations are rather blotchy instead of blending in.

I went thru the Sat pointer in set up today, and got the following:

Transponder 110 119 129
01 72 0 -
02 125 81 -
03 79 0 -
04 0 80 61
05 73 106 68
06 0 78 82
07 73 107 74
08 111 80 59
09 67 0 87
10 117 78 81
11 73 90 -
12 72 82 80
13 69 89 0
14 70 74 67
15 69 89 80
16 72 82 61
17 73 88 79
18 70 80 66
19 74 98 75
20 20 78 59
21 81 90 68


These readings seems rather low to me especially when I was getting 95-97 with the other guys! I called Cust support tonight, and for the most part the guy was jerk!! He kept tryin to blame it on my TV, or internal wiring, but that it COULDN'T be the install that was done last week!! I read him off some of my readings, and he said that all that was fine! In the end, he finally agreed to send a tech out next week, but said that it may turn out to be billable!

I REALLY would appreciate your input on this!! It just seems that I made a BIG mistake when I moved from the other guys!!

Thanx!!
Rick

 

[Liquidforce88]

Ok Signals are a bit low but that won't cause poor PQ.

What output setting is the 811 set on. You will have to go into the menu and hit 6-1-9 to check the setting. See if it is set on 1080i or 480P.

 

[Tom Bombadil]

Those are low readings, if I am reading them correctly. For example

Transponder Your-110 My-110 (also taken from an 811)
01 72 99
03 79 115
05 73 95
07 73 93
09 67 95

And so forth

That said, a picture received and locked at 70 should look just as good as a picture received and locked at a strength of 100. The primary difference between these two readings will be that the "70" system will lose its lock more frequently when it rains or snows.

The picture quality from the 811 to a HDTV set will vary depending upon what connection you use. On my set, I get the best SD picture when using the s-video connection, next best is component, and the worst is via DVI-HDMI. The DVI to HDMI connection is noticably blurrier than the other two. Most people have reported that their 811 HD images are also better via the component connection than DVI-HDMI.

 

[mdonnelly]

Ok Signals are a bit low but that won't cause poor PQ.

What output setting is the 811 set on. You will have to go into the menu and hit 6-1-9 to check the setting. See if it is set on 1080i or 480P.

Do the above first. A lot of installers leave the 811 on the default 480p setting.

If that doesn't work, make sure that you're actually looking at the HD input on your set. Disconnect the s-video and composite cables from the 811. If the picture goes away, you were on an SD input.

 

[keeler]

Thanx guys!!
I've had the OP setting on all three; currently at 1080I. Ya ARE right about the HDMI Tom!! I went ahead and hooked one port up with component and was able to compare PQ with that of the HDMI.. it DID clean up some! I've yet to try the S-video hook as I thought it would degrade the PQ further, or defeat the purpose of the HD system as it does with progressive scan.

The weather has been pretty clear here in Central Texas, so I don't know if those readings are gonna haunt me or not.

So do ya'll think I should just blow the service call off in that the readings are in the "acceptable" range??

I guess the initial dealings I've had with these folks so far may have left me with a bit of a chip on my shoulder for them, but I DO want to be objective!!

Thanx!!

 

[wobbie]

I would go ahead with the service call, you do have a warranty still if you just got connected. Although they say the signal strengths are "acceptable" they more than likely can be "much more acceptable" The installer could have very easily took another 5 minutes to fine tune the dish and got your signal strengths to the "much more acceptable" level. If they suggest that the signal was okay, tell them your signal would drop out every once in a while. My signals are in the low to mid 100's and I very seldom lose my signal - maybe twice a year during tornado season here in Nebraska

 

[Tom Bombadil]

Using the s-video connection will seriously degrade your HD channels, don't use it for that. But if you are watching SD, then compare it vs component to see which you like better. Don't even try to watch SD via DVI-HDMI, whatever the 811 is doing to SD before sending it out the DVI port is very nasty.

I agree with going ahead with service call. No way would I want my readings to be in the 60s and 70s. I installed my own dish and kept tweaking it until I got very solid signal strengths. Tightened down the bolts and haven't had to re-align since then. I think I replaced my D300 with a D500 about 4 years ago. I've read several reports of sloppy "professional" installations. I'm a rank amateur and found it to be quite easy to align my dish properly.