OK, I got my 1st taste of HD last weekend, then watched MNF and it was AWESOME!! I'm using a PJ on a 94" so you can image that my SD TV thru Dish is pretty bad. Of course I didn't realize HOW bad to I could switch back and forth between HD>
The problem is I bought a Voom box off eBay and it came with a powered Winegard antenna. It works awesome. Not a single drop out or pixal problem during the entire football game. However, no matter what I do I cannot get the Voom box to lock onto my Fox affiliate despite having a strong signal (I have been getting some great help in the OTA thread) but nothing I do can get it so I watch Fox in HD.
Soooo...just got off the phone with Dish. They offered to lease me a 811 for $5.00 per month, free HD programing for 6 months and NO OBLIGATION to keep the HD programing and $100.00 to install. I'm seriously thinking about taking it. I'm pissed they won't mail it to me to install myself, but still working on that part.
But I have been reading where some (many?) have had trouble with the 811. In particular with the Winegard antenna I would really like to keep (I mounted on the ridge been in my attic and get between 89 and 99 on all major channels). Plus one HD channel I want is in VHF and this antenna is picking up both UHF and VHF with no problems. I also would like to keep it as it came with the Voom box so I wouldn't feel my money was totally thrown away on eBay.
I'm in the Dallas flat lands, 30 miles from the towers, all of which are on the same hill in the same direction. Right now I'm running the 311 (SD Tuner) thru a stand alone Tivo. I understand that the 811 outputs both components and S-video at the same time, so I could still out put SD (via s-video) to the Tivo and the HD (via components) to my HT Receiver (it has component switching) which right now works well with the Voom/311/Tivo combo.
So should I just grab the 811 from Dish? $5.00 per month is what I'm paying now for the SD box that I will move to another room and use, so really no more money. But for quality is it the right move? Any other suggestions? I really don't want to spend $300-$400 on a HD STB till I see what all happens with MPEG4.
Sorry for the long post,
The problem is I bought a Voom box off eBay and it came with a powered Winegard antenna. It works awesome. Not a single drop out or pixal problem during the entire football game. However, no matter what I do I cannot get the Voom box to lock onto my Fox affiliate despite having a strong signal (I have been getting some great help in the OTA thread) but nothing I do can get it so I watch Fox in HD.
Soooo...just got off the phone with Dish. They offered to lease me a 811 for $5.00 per month, free HD programing for 6 months and NO OBLIGATION to keep the HD programing and $100.00 to install. I'm seriously thinking about taking it. I'm pissed they won't mail it to me to install myself, but still working on that part.
But I have been reading where some (many?) have had trouble with the 811. In particular with the Winegard antenna I would really like to keep (I mounted on the ridge been in my attic and get between 89 and 99 on all major channels). Plus one HD channel I want is in VHF and this antenna is picking up both UHF and VHF with no problems. I also would like to keep it as it came with the Voom box so I wouldn't feel my money was totally thrown away on eBay.
I'm in the Dallas flat lands, 30 miles from the towers, all of which are on the same hill in the same direction. Right now I'm running the 311 (SD Tuner) thru a stand alone Tivo. I understand that the 811 outputs both components and S-video at the same time, so I could still out put SD (via s-video) to the Tivo and the HD (via components) to my HT Receiver (it has component switching) which right now works well with the Voom/311/Tivo combo.
So should I just grab the 811 from Dish? $5.00 per month is what I'm paying now for the SD box that I will move to another room and use, so really no more money. But for quality is it the right move? Any other suggestions? I really don't want to spend $300-$400 on a HD STB till I see what all happens with MPEG4.
Sorry for the long post,