I only use the 811 to watch OTA HDTV programs (I don’t subscribe to the HD package). I've got the input port that the 811's uses for the SDTV & HDTV inputs each tweaked to compensate for the dark picture via the SDTV output from the 811. The real pain to me is the program guide, or lack of, that drives me to also have my 501 hooked up to the TV. Those long delays to retrieve information on a system that advertises a ‘2-day program schedule’, is one of the main complaints I have.
I'm starting to question my purchase of the 811 for use as an HD tuner, because I'm paying a monthly receiver fee on a receiver that is a pain in the A*S to use to watch TV. If they fix the guide and OTA mapping problem as they keep promising, I would feel a whole lot more satisfied then I do today.