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Best Sat Receiver (1 Viewer)

EdQ

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What should I look for in a good receiver?
I would like HD, DD 5.1 and OTA. Is there anything else I should look for? Price is not an issue, I just want to get a unit that has everything.
 

Dave Moritz

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Good Question Ed I would love to know what the best HD Sat reciever is as well. I would like to update and upgrade my basic Dish Network set up.
 

EricN

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Dave, I have the Dish 6000 with both the OTA module as well as the add-on for Discovery HD. It is a great unit. I have it hooked up to a Sony VW10HT Projector modified with the SMART II upgrade from Steve Smallcombe. The Sat HD is beautiful. Sometimes I can watch Discovery HD regardless of what is showing:D
A few weeks ago our local CBS affiliate broadcast the Georgia-Georgia Tech game in HD as a local HD broadcast. The 6000's OTA picked it up beautifully. 94" of HD college football in my theater! You could count the blades of grass on the field.
Using the 6000 with a non-HD TV also can produce great 480i pictures. We have used the 6000 with our 5 year old 36" Mits tube and even though it cannot handle the HD scan rate, it is still the best SD picture that tube has ever produced.
Good luck with your decisions. You'll love the 6000.
BTW, the 921 HD recorder Dish receiver looks to be between 6 and 9 months away.....:emoji_thumbsup:
 

Dave Moritz

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What did you pay for the Dish 6000? and does it have a digital out for DD?

Also I am wanting to upgrade my Toshiba 31" tv to a projection unit what did the Sony VW10HT Projector cost you? And did the upgrade make a big difference? Just wondering what the upgrade did for performance?

Thanks Eric

Happy New Year
 

Robert_J

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Dave,
As a former 6000 owner, yes there is an optical connector for DD.

EdQ,
You didn't mention the DBS service provider and everyone has steered you towards Dish Network. DirecTV has a lot more options with receivers. Some of the most recent models from Samsung and Zenith (I think) have DVI connectors. All DirecTV models have OTA tuners built in where Dish's HD6000, it is optional.

Hardware isn't the only thing to look at. Dish has Discovery HD (available with the optional 8PSK module)for a few dollars a month. DirecTV has HD Net for free. With Dish you need two dishes for all of the programming and DirecTV, you need one. Do you have a clear line of sight towards the sats? Are you adding any other sat receivers to your system? Just some things to think about.

-Robert
 

EdQ

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I am looking into DirecTV.
I don't think my TV has DVI. How can I tell??
Yes I have a clear light of sight. And will add at least one extra receiver.
 

Dave Moritz

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My brother used to have Direct TV satalite and I used to have Dish Network. I was very happy with Dish Network but I would have not problem switching to Direct TV. I need to look at the complete channel listing on what is available on ether one. We have Charter Communication here and I have no desire to get digital cable for any reason, it SUCKS here! I have a clear line of site and never had reception prolems even during rain storms. OTA tuners? Sorry I am really working on learing all this stuff. Not sure I would want Samsung or especially Zenith. It is hard to think of Samsung making something beyond low level electronics. And Zenith IMHO is like one of the worst in relibility and they have never impressed my. I have known several people who had Zenith TV's and all of them had nothing but problems. My father bought a Zenith big screen and he had problems as well. I kinda laugh at the self proclaimed leader of HDTV, rofl. This is just my exsperience with the company thats all.

How much did the Dish HD6000 retail for ? And does anyone know what the equivlent would run on a Direct TV HD system?

Happy New Year
 

Robert_J

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Not sure I would want Samsung or especially Zenith. It is hard to think of Samsung making something beyond low level electronics. And Zenith IMHO is like one of the worst in relibility and they have never impressed my.
Samsung is getting very good reviews over at AVS Forums. Zenith is the OEM for the new Sony HD receivers.

-Robert
 

EricN

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Dish Depot is probably the best on-line DISH retailer. You can get a fully outfitted 6000 receiver for about $600 with the OTA. The latest 6000's have the 8SPK module included to receive Discovery HD. You need 2 dishes for DISH with HD. One is the DISH 500 elliptical that receive both the 110 and 119 Sat's. The second dish recieves the sat at 61.5. That one carries Discovery HD, Showtime HD and HBO HD. Locally the Tampa Bay are has 5 stations broadcasting in digital so I have 8 HD signals plus the DISH netowrk HD Demo channel.
I would LOVE HDNET:emoji_thumbsup: Too bad it is only on DirecTV.
As far as the projector goes. the best on-line price I have seen for the current Sony model (VW12HT) is about $4500. Plus you need a screen to get the best out of any projector. The wall is not sufficient. A Stewart Greyhawk in a fixed size would run about $1000. The difference is about like going from your living room to a theater except no cell phones or people talking behind you :D
This is an awesome upgrade for any home theater.
 

JohnMW

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Ed, I have been using my Hughes E86 DirecTV w/ Terk 3 LNB oval dish (101, 110, 119) for roughly one year now, and I have been very impressed with the unit.

The unit has component outputs and a toslink for the audio, in addition to the typical composite inputs/outputs.
 

Herman S

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Dave,

I have the Samsung SIR TS-160, which is a Directv and OTA HD tuner. I looked at other receivers including the new Sony model and the Hughes. I found the Samsung to be the best. I am using the coaxial digital audio and component video outputs. So far, I am very pleased with the product.

Like you, I had some preconceived notions about Samsung. However, I feel that they are trying to change their reputation by putting out new high quality products. In addition, I talked to a very trusted source at my local home theater store and he agreed with my opinion. He also added that the new Sony box is really a Zenith box. Don't ask me why or how. The best local deal I found was at Best Buy for $599, plus they sold me their four year warranty for only $20. It normally sold for about $80. The manager took the discount off the tuner. I recently saw it on sale at Best Buy for $579, however, the store I went to was all sold out.

I would definitely take a look at the Samsung.
 

EdQ

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Thanks for the info guys. I'll check into them.

Any feedback on the Mits RD5? One of my friends have one, seems like a good unit.
 

Dave Moritz

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Thanks for the info Herman

One of the things that really stuck in my head about Samsung. Is the HD or digital Samsung big screen I saw about 1-2 years ago. The picture was terible and the picture broke up alot. Just had the left channel on my amp die on me so I might be putting of a dish for a while? But will keep the Samsung in mind when shopping for a hd dish.
 

Mike I

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When it comes to HD satellite receivers, there really is no best...They will all do the job very well...There are not a lot to pick from right now as many manufacturers are introducing new ones with DVI or E 1394 interface..Decide which satellite provider is best for you than choose a HD receiver based on what features work better for you..
 

BruceSpielbauer

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>>> And Zenith IMHO is like one of the worst in relibility and they have never impressed my. I have known several people who had Zenith TV's and all of them had nothing but problems. My father bought a Zenith big screen and he had problems as well. I kinda laugh at the self proclaimed leader of HDTV, rofl. This is just my exsperience with the company thats all.

Samsung
Zenith / Sony (they are really basically the same box)
Hughes E85 / Mitsubishi / Toshiba (again, the same box)

The Samsung is a favorite for those who record off of satellite, since it is the only one which outputs standard def and high def simultaneously.

The Zenith and Sony are favorites among those who are concerned with picture quality, over the air reception, integration of over the air and DirectTV and even Cable TV. Also, great stretch modes. Tuner is fast, issues with last year's models regarding format switching are now gone.

The Hughes, Mits, and Toshiba unit is the "tried and tested" solid performer. The only major complain seems to be overheating -- it can run hot, causing resets, so ventilate it. Many use a fan. The price is going to be the best, by far, for this unit, mostly because it has been around. Expect to pay only $450 to $500.

By the way, I own the Zenith, after reading two reviewers who both called it the "best DirectTV HDTV set top box" they had reviewed, and both claimed to have tried them all. I am extremely happy with mine. If I had a serious need to record from sat, though, I might find it a pain to remember to hit the remote button to change formats, first. Other than that, it is a great unit.

None are perfect. All three units are good ones.

-Bruce in Chi-Town
 

Kenny C

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I have the Zenith 520 for about a month and i am actually sending it back to Zenith to get it fixed. So far I have been disappointed with it. The unit has a habit of rebooting itself or locking up. When it was working watch HDNET was great.

The good thing is Zenith is cross shipping me a new one. Hopefully this will work out better for me.
 

Brian L

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The Samsung is a favorite for those who record off of satellite, since it is the only one which outputs standard def and high def simultaneously.
A must for me, but has anyone used this with a Tivo?

I know Tivo won't do HD, but with the Samsung sending a simultaneous 480I, that is once less hurdle to integrating it into my rig.

But (there always seems to be a BUT), can the Tivo change the channels on the Samsung via the IR blaster?

Before you say Yes, the question I have is really whether Tivo can select the Digital channels (or if it even lists them).

I suspect the answer is No, which will kill the thought of getting this in my rig. The key to using this or any other HD sat box with a Tivo (or Replay) is if the PVR includes the HD channels in the guide (knowing full well it gets them via an SD connection).

My Tivo does list HD net and HBO HD in the guide (I think), but when it comes to Digital locals, which the Samsung tunes via its internal tuner, I think there is a hole in the guide.

Another issue is that, of the HD boxes I have seen, the digital channels are selected in a different format. Local channel Seven's digital channel is 7.1, for example (at least in my city).

I have an e-mail in to Tivo on the subject, but expect either no answer, or an answer that indicates that they have NFI what I am talking about.

BGL
 

EdQ

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Thanks Bruce, that will make my decision easier.
Now should I use the same info on a Non-HD receiver? I am now thinking about getting one for the bedroom.
 

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