I was asked to post my experiances/findings on my STB vs the 811 when my STB arrived. It came yesterday and here are my initial findings.
Equipment:
TV- Hitachi 46F500 RPTV (great TV btw)
Dish 500/811 - into DVI port
LG LST-4200A - into YPB port (the 4200 is considered one of the best, if not the best)
OTA - Channel Master Antenna, outside with the Networks being about 40-45 miles away. (The PBS station is local)
Price: The 4200 STB runs from $260-349 depending on where you buy it. Not sure what the 811 runs. I paid $149 + 1 year HD Package. About the same price overall for me.
1: Setup: Both receivers are pretty much identical in setup and ease of use. You can scan or manually add/delete stations, set resolutions, has locking features, etc.
2. Picture Quality: The STB has a bit better picture. I compared them watching the Sox/Yanks game last night. The 811 looked faded compared to the STB. (I made sure the setups were identical) The 811 still has a good picture, just not quite as good as the STB.
3. OTA signal aquisition: The STB did pick up more analog stations but the DTV station list is the same. Note: I get the 49% on the ABC affiliate with the 811 and thought this might be the multipathing bug in the 811. The STB also saw the station but could not pull it in. So, the 811 is not to blame on this one.
4. Features: Apparently, the only local station that is outputting programming info is the PBS station. It shows up in the STB program guide but not in the 811. The STB has one feature the 811 does not. You can set the output to be the native of the station, ie, if they broadcast in 720P, it switches to 720P, or you can set it to stay at 1080i or whatever you want. It's a nice feature.
Conclusion: It comes down to programming. The STB is a better OTA receiver for analog and DTV, but, the 811 is not all bad either. (Assuming they do get the bugs worked out) I am still leaning towards dropping the HD Package once my contract is fulfilled, in about 2 months. The OTA stations will get better, offer more HD stuff and increase their signal in the months ahead. E* seems to be stuck on ESPN, HDNET, TBS and the premiums. Some are truely HD, others are upconverted SD. Not worth the $10 per month, IMHO. (Yeah, I know, Discovery is nice but most of the E* HD stations are getting repetative now in their programming and I really do not watch them much anymore)
Bottom line for me, since I can receive decent OTA broadcast signals and my viewing of the HD Package is decreasing, the STB is the way to go for me. I think the STB is superior to the 811 in pic quality and you don't have to fight the black screens, audio dropouts and such. Obviously, if you can't get OTA then the 811 is a no brainer. Plus, the STB can be moved easily to another location/tv, ie, I can move it to my father-in-laws house for Thanksgiving to watch the HD Football programs since that is where everyone will end up.
I have tried to be objective in this assessement and was not "gunning" for the 811. In fact, knowing what I know now, the 811 seems to hold it's own. The big issue is the bug fixes, will they be fixed and when. The STB is definately a viable option to getting an 811 if you can get OTA reception.
Equipment:
TV- Hitachi 46F500 RPTV (great TV btw)
Dish 500/811 - into DVI port
LG LST-4200A - into YPB port (the 4200 is considered one of the best, if not the best)
OTA - Channel Master Antenna, outside with the Networks being about 40-45 miles away. (The PBS station is local)
Price: The 4200 STB runs from $260-349 depending on where you buy it. Not sure what the 811 runs. I paid $149 + 1 year HD Package. About the same price overall for me.
1: Setup: Both receivers are pretty much identical in setup and ease of use. You can scan or manually add/delete stations, set resolutions, has locking features, etc.
2. Picture Quality: The STB has a bit better picture. I compared them watching the Sox/Yanks game last night. The 811 looked faded compared to the STB. (I made sure the setups were identical) The 811 still has a good picture, just not quite as good as the STB.
3. OTA signal aquisition: The STB did pick up more analog stations but the DTV station list is the same. Note: I get the 49% on the ABC affiliate with the 811 and thought this might be the multipathing bug in the 811. The STB also saw the station but could not pull it in. So, the 811 is not to blame on this one.
4. Features: Apparently, the only local station that is outputting programming info is the PBS station. It shows up in the STB program guide but not in the 811. The STB has one feature the 811 does not. You can set the output to be the native of the station, ie, if they broadcast in 720P, it switches to 720P, or you can set it to stay at 1080i or whatever you want. It's a nice feature.
Conclusion: It comes down to programming. The STB is a better OTA receiver for analog and DTV, but, the 811 is not all bad either. (Assuming they do get the bugs worked out) I am still leaning towards dropping the HD Package once my contract is fulfilled, in about 2 months. The OTA stations will get better, offer more HD stuff and increase their signal in the months ahead. E* seems to be stuck on ESPN, HDNET, TBS and the premiums. Some are truely HD, others are upconverted SD. Not worth the $10 per month, IMHO. (Yeah, I know, Discovery is nice but most of the E* HD stations are getting repetative now in their programming and I really do not watch them much anymore)
Bottom line for me, since I can receive decent OTA broadcast signals and my viewing of the HD Package is decreasing, the STB is the way to go for me. I think the STB is superior to the 811 in pic quality and you don't have to fight the black screens, audio dropouts and such. Obviously, if you can't get OTA then the 811 is a no brainer. Plus, the STB can be moved easily to another location/tv, ie, I can move it to my father-in-laws house for Thanksgiving to watch the HD Football programs since that is where everyone will end up.
I have tried to be objective in this assessement and was not "gunning" for the 811. In fact, knowing what I know now, the 811 seems to hold it's own. The big issue is the bug fixes, will they be fixed and when. The STB is definately a viable option to getting an 811 if you can get OTA reception.
