Is anyone using the 811 with an analog TV?

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JimMcC

SatelliteGuys Pro
Original poster
Apr 4, 2004
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Is there any advantage to using the 811 with an analog TV, and with OTA antenna, or should I use the 301 with the analog TV, and OTA antenna? Thanks.
 
I know it sounds crazy but i just switched out two 301s for 811s on the lease deal and only one of the 811s is hooked up to an HDTY. the 301s were cutting out at least once a day and since the 811 was only going to cost me 5 dollars a month like the 301 additional receiver did i went with the 811 and not only did the 811 not cut out but the colors and pitcure seem much improved. i dont spend a lot of time with the 811 on the non HDTV but when i do it does seem like a much better picture than the 301s. plus i am picking up all my local digital channels as opposed to whatever it was that dish is giving me for locals. the digital locals over the antenna usually look better than the dish locals but never worse.
 
Count me in this camp since Dec 03 - hooked up to 35" mitsubitshi direct view analog. I love getting the local OTA digitals. They can come in handy when the analogs have local stuff on during prime time rather than the network programs - the digitals will usually still have the network stuff!

I also love having guide data for local channels without having to pay for local channels via satellite.

Downconverted HD stuff via svideo USUALLY looks really good (especially dramas, comedies, etc). But I have had issues from DAY ONE of live sports having strange issues with this setup. Football, for example - the yard line markes tend to shimmer (both 1080i and 720p source material). With basketball, same sort of thing - the lines making up the lane kind of strobe/shimmer with slight movement.

But one of these days I'll join the HD club - just have other priorities now.
 
Well

I have not had the joy of this yet... My 51 Philly is getting serviced Sat. and will be taken away from he much beloved home.... Then a junkie 32 inch sanyo will be connected hey it atleast has svid yeeehaaaa... I let you know what is look like...
 
I've got a 921 DVR and a Hisense (USDigital) receiver, both hooked up to my analog TVs (no HDTVs here yet). The not-so-compressed digital locals have excellent picture quality, and HD broadcasts are usually downconverted well by the receivers (my experiences match those of KyDave above). My signature below, and home theater area describe my setup in more detail.
 
811

So what do I set the 811's resolution to in the menu, 480i ? I've never used the 811 with an analog TV before. Thanks.
 
811 reply

JimMcC said:
Is there any advantage to using the 811 with an analog TV, and with OTA antenna, or should I use the 301 with the analog TV, and OTA antenna? Thanks.
Using an 811 with an analog tv is kind of usless and a waste of $10 per month in programming. If you are going to buy an HDTV in the near future then you can use the 811, but make sure that you leave it in 480I mode. You can in-turn, use the RCA jacks into a VCR and mirror it back to another room. This will not increase the picture quality in the 2nd room but it will enable you to save $5.00 per month if you don't mind the same picture on 2 tv's. I do recommend that if you are going to get an 811 that you also get an HDTV capable off air antenna. Do not diplex that antenna as in some cases this reduces the signal strength. Instead make sure that there is a home run from the antenna to the back of the receiver. If you mirror the 811 it does have an RF remote so you can change channels from the other room.
 
JimMcC said:
So what do I set the 811's resolution to in the menu, 480i ? I've never used the 811 with an analog TV before. Thanks.

Doesn't matter, those setting are for DVI/component outs. Svideo will be 480i automatically.
 
satremedy said:
Using an 811 with an analog tv is kind of usless and a waste of $10 per month in programming.
I don't know about others, but I don't subscribe to their HD pak. Yes, that would be a waste. But simply using it to pick up the digital locals, which are almost universally better picture quality (and occasionally include DD5.1 audio) than the E* LIL ones, is not a waste in my opinion. I know in many cases you're required to subscribe to the HD pak when you get an 811 or 921, but that's not true in every case.
 
Along with being able to watch all of the HD pak channels on all of or at least two of your TVs! I pay $10 bucks a month (on contract, will cancel when year is up in about a month!) to watch these channels on one TV, if I had another 811 I could watch them on another TV! HD is better on a HDTV, but it isn't like you can't watch those channels on a SD set!

You don't have to adjust any of the HDTV settings, S-Video or composite are 480i only!!!!
 
True that composite and s-video are 480i only, but does the 811 output thru composite and s-vid when its in HD mode??? the 921 and the 6000 do not....

Jon
 
The SD outputs (S-Video, composite, RF) are disabled in HD mode (when the HD outputs are actually sending HD video). All outputs are enabled in "safe" mode which is what you would have to use to share the receiver via a VCR as suggested above. But I personally would never limit an actual HDTV that way since the HD outputs are effectively only sending SD video. Whenever I buy an HDTV, my 921 will be put in "unsafe" mode (my old Windows joke). :D
 
TuxCoder said:
The SD outputs (S-Video, composite, RF) are disabled in HD mode (when the HD outputs are actually sending HD video).

You must be talking about the 921 only? The 811 outputs simultaneous HD and SD. And SD, by the way, is actually NTSC (525i), not really 480i, though the latter is a close approximation of the visible screen area in NTSC less the VBI.
 
811

I'm still confused. I will be hooking up the 811 to an analog Tv with component inputs, also OTA antenna. Don't I have to choose 480i in 811's menu? I hope the 811's manual explains this. I already have the 811, and I don't have the HD package. Thanks.
 
The 811 will output HD and simultaneously downconvert for the S-Video and composite outputs. Either or both can be hooked up. As stated above...
tonyp56 said:
You don't have to adjust any of the HDTV settings, S-Video or composite are 480i only!!!!
 
JimMcC said:
Once again, I'm going to use component, NOT S-video or composite.
Maybe you should explain what kind of input your "analog" TV is capable of handling. I have an "analog" RPTV that accepts 1080i component.
 
If your TV will accept a 480P, 720P or 1080i signal on the component input, then you can use the component output on the 811. If your TV will only accept a 480i signal on the component input, then you can not use the component output on the 811 since it will not do 480i.
 
So say if I use S-Video, will 811 give 16:9 content or 4:3 content which is chopped to fit? I have Sony rear LCD projector that is cable of 16:9, a little better than most analog TV.
 

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