So what's your take on the Dish 6000? (1 Viewer)

[CRyan]

Well, I finally got my 6000 system for a really good price as a current subscriber. The reason I finally took the plunge.
So what's up with the DOS looking Guide? I had a Dishplayer and the menu for the 6000 is a travesty in comparison. I mean I don't even get a small picture of the show for the channel I am on when in the guide. Is anything regarding the look of the software going to be updated?
Also, what do you think about non-HD content with the Dish 6000 when output through the RGB or component outs? Do most of you watch it this way or swtich to SD on the satelite and use S-video?
I still have the Dishplayer 7200 and am not sure if I want to keep it. I loved pause and recording with it. I don't need the other receiver on another TV so it is hooked up to the same TV as the 6000 for the moment. I guess I might sell it, but I hate that since I have Personal TV free for the next 2 years. Ugh... Decisions...
This is one reason I was asking about the quality of the 6000 on SD material. I figured if the 6000 is no better at SD output than my Dishplayer, I would keep my Dishplayer and use it for all the regular stuff.
Thanks for any input,
C. Ryan

 

[Chris S]

I had a DirecTV system for awhile before I got the 6000 and I was fairly disappointed in the menu too, but the reason I bought it was to watch HDTV for which it does an excellent job. I hope that Dish does redo the menu to make them a bit more esthetically pleasing. I personally like having the SD content revert back to s-video since I currently don't have a VCR with component video in/out and since there are no HD-VCRs currently in production. Thanks, Chris
------------------
Home Theater: http://www.ig-88.net

 

[Ken Winders]

I just got my 6000 last week and am very pleased with the SD programming being upconverted to 720P. I have a 65" Panasonic that I chose for several reasons, one of them was I planned on getting the dish 6000 for its 720P capability. The edges are far better than the internal doubler of this set. I have an Iscan Pro coming so I'll know soon how this will compare with the s-video.
------------------
Ken Winders

 

[John Tillman]

I think the 6000 is a cutting edge breakthrough product that delivers in spades.
Been watching for about a year coupled with an Elite 610. Not trying to be a wise guy but, I didn't buy it for the guide. My unit pulls in 4 Dish HD channels, half a dozen local OTA HD channels and three cable HD channels.
Dish has given us a premo product for $500 bucks... Anything else that comes down the line is gravy.

 

[CRyan]

Well, I did buy the guide right along with the rest of it. It sucks. Digital cable boxes have better ones. Not having the video viewable and audio audible within the guide is horrible IMHO. I simply expected to have something at least comparable to my older 7200 system which rocked in comparison. The hardware may be cutting-edge, however, the software dates back to the early 90's. But I digress.
Here is a list of problems that need to be adressed. I grabbed these off another forum. Some of these problems will eventually be changed with new software, but good grief, you would think they would have most of the bugs worked out before getting it out to the masses.
1. Resets during channel mapping changes
2. Subchannel with no audio or video
3. Maximum of about 25 OTA channels (analog and digital) can be added
4. Invoking guide and it starts with the wrong channel highlighted
5. Inability to access OTA without satellite signal
6. Power reset while changing channels
7. Power reset on low signal strength
8. 4:3 content appears window-boxed on 4:3 sets
9. 4:3 in 16:9 box cannot be zoomed & cropped to fit a 4:3 set
10. Garbage at the top of the screen in both SD and HD modes
11. 480i should be output through the component outputs when in SD mode
12. Stroboscopic green flashes when it first syncs up to a 720p signal for 1080i output
13. Missing channel guide information for HD channels
14. Scan feature not implemented
15. Audio synchronization problems
16. Magenta bar below 16:9 raster that shows up on 4:3 sets that do raster squeeze
Anyway Ken,
In what mode is the 6000 upconverting SD content? Simply watching SD material in HD mode through the component inputs? I must say that in many cases, the 6000 does have a better image quality on my 55" Mits than the 7200. However, in some instances the MPEG artifacting is unbearable. Looks like a lot of blocks in some scenes. Maybe I do not have something set-up properly for the correct upconversion. Any help in this matter would be appreciated. I know that they Panny is capable of 720P whereas my Mits. is not. So does that mean that the Mits. is taking it all the way up to 1080i and, therefore, introducing quite a bit of artifacting? I guess that would make sense.
Also, I have noticed that the S-video output with the 6000 seems very green. With the video callibrated to Avia, it deffinately has a greenish tint when compared to component.
C. Ryan

 

[Gregory Scott Bass]

Hi C. Ryan, I have noticed th audi synch problem on only one program I have watched so far, is there a known cause for this? I would assume it has to do with the production of the program itself instead of a transmit problem because soon as programming changed the problem disappeared. anyone know? You are right about these issues but I have read that 90% of these will be fixed in the next software upgrade, just part of life with early adopters, we went through this with the first wave of dvd players too.

 

[CRyan]

I am new to HD, so I am still trying to learn everything I can online. Since the audio synch problem has been seen on all HD channels, people are pretty sure the problem lies either with the 6000 or the transmission.
I am sure that most of the problems will be fixed. However, they have had a lot of time to get those fixes out. I am ready to see a new version number pop up on my system info screen. It is rumored to be soon, but I have no idea.
C. Ryan