Help please

[joeadt]

I just got Dish with HD. Holy S**T, the HD pictures are great with the right content. HBO HD is no better than DVD if not worse. HDNET and DISCHD are great. Here's my question. ALL of the standard channels tend to be "muddy". I have a 60" grand vega from Sony, LCD rear projection. My cable picture looked much better. Should the coax from the dish go direct to the receiver? Does a wall plate effect the signal strength? I would think that this all digital picture would be better than cable!? 1 last ??, Can the dish feed go through a amp or signal booster like you could use for cable??

Thanks

 

[PSB]

The cable from the dish should run through a ground block Bonded to a suitable grounding point), if its not grounded it can affect the signal strength, if its not grounded its unsafe! There should also be a ground cable running from the ground block all the way up to the dish. So get them back out to do it to code or report them to the State and Dish. An amp is not the answer here, unless you have really low signal strength. Grounding may not be the answer to your problem but it MUST be done. Good Luck.

 

[GaryPen]

Joe - The signal strength from the dish does not affect picture quality. It will affect whether or not you receive a signal.

Unfortunately, much of the Dish SD channels look "muddy", as you say, especially on such a large screen. The local stations are usually the worst. It is due to the over-compression that Dish uses to fit so many channels into their satellite transponders. (DirecTV does this too.)Generally, the premium stations look a bit better, such as HBO, Showtime, etc.

You could try adjusting the settings on your TV, lowering the sharpness setting helps. Also, when you use the 811's screen format stretch on SD programs, the picture tends to get a little "soft". If you don't mind the black bars on your widescreen TV, use "normal" format with SD programming, and it will look crisper. Finally, I recommend using the OTA digital channels for local programming, instead of Dish locals. The difference is night and day.

 

[Seadoo]

The cable from the dish should run through a ground block Bonded to a suitable grounding point), if its not grounded it can affect the signal strength, if its not grounded its unsafe! There should also be a ground cable running from the ground block all the way up to the dish. So get them back out to do it to code or report them to the State and Dish. An amp is not the answer here, unless you have really low signal strength. Grounding may not be the answer to your problem but it MUST be done. Good Luck.

I had a twin legacy that I have replaced with quad pro. Question - The original two lines were grounded. I used them plus added two more to the quad. Do I have to ground the new two lines or is it sufficient to have dish grounded from original two lines?

 

[rcbridge]

What type of connection are you using inbetween the STB and the display?

 

[joeadt]

The only thing is a wall plate I bought from home depot. Otherwise I have a direct RG6 cable from the dish to the HD receiver.

 

[joeadt]

I am using a DVI connetor from the receiver to the display

 

[rcbridge]

I meant from the reciever to your display S, composite, or what?

 

[joeadt]

DVI connection

 

[rcbridge]

If you have an S cable handy just for experimentation try it to your display in a different input this should allow the video to be displayed without the up conversion process, nothing to lose by trying it!!

 

[Ken F]

Many cable systems offer better SD quality than Dish Network, as you've found. Some cable systems are also worse. Using an amp or signal booster will not improve the Dish Network picture.

As rcbridge suggested, you may want to try the s-video input directly to your TV for the SD channels. The upconversion on the 811 isn't particularly good, and your Sony may do a better job.

 

[SimpleSimon]

I had a twin legacy that I have replaced with quad pro. Question - The original two lines were grounded. I used them plus added two more to the quad. Do I have to ground the new two lines or is it sufficient to have dish grounded from original two lines?

Ground EVERY cable from the LNBs. If a switch is in the mix, and has a ground lug, it can be used in place of a separate grounding block.

 

[wkomorow]

Picture Quality

I have the same issue with the 6000 using composite output to my 53 inch Toshiba. DISCOVERY HD is incredible, so is Showtime and HBO when they show actual HD content, but the other channels are unwatchable. I also have a 510 receiver using the S video on the same TV, and the picture is fine (actually quite good). I imagine that the 811 comes with an S video connection but can not simultaneously output HD and SD. I would suggect the you try connection the S video connection and switch to SD mode for non-HD stations; I bet you will find a difference.

Walter

 

[tnsprin]

I have the same issue with the 6000 using composite output to my 53 inch Toshiba. DISCOVERY HD is incredible, so is Showtime and HBO when they show actual HD content, but the other channels are unwatchable. I also have a 510 receiver using the S video on the same TV, and the picture is fine (actually quite good). I imagine that the 811 comes with an S video connection but can not simultaneously output HD and SD. I would suggect the you try connection the S video connection and switch to SD mode for non-HD stations; I bet you will find a difference.

Walter

Why does anyone use composite. If possible go Component. No component, then try S-video.

 

[wkomorow]

Sorry I meant component

 

[tnsprin]

I generally find that leaving the set in HD using component is better then the SD output to s-video. Their are some channels that appear to be exceptions.

 

[joeadt]

thanks

Thanks for the help, The s connector looks much better. Bighter, sharper, clearer. The 811 sends signal simultaniously SD and HD. One hookup in Video 6 and another in HD Video 7.

Thanks again

 

[belawrence]

I imagine that the 811 comes with an S video connection but can not simultaneously output HD and SD.

Mine does.