Posted: November 29, 2003
By: Anonymous


After calling dish tv bugging them for a decent price for thei 6000U they sent me one for 150.00 installed, and the installer thru in an extra dish for the 60 sat for one of my old lmb's (he had to upgrade my old 500 lmb's, included).

Component output
The hd reception is awsome but the line doubler blurs standard dtv (hint to 8-1-03 reviewer, use the asterisk button to full zoom to fill 9x16 screen, not setup)
S-video output (Both outputs are conected to TV at same time to appropriate inputs)

As the picture quality on 480i(see above) was inferior to the dishplayer and mitsubishi quality I switched to the s-video output. Broadcast quality was awful, internal interference causes ghosting and blotching, and other artifacts. Satalite staions were better but not as good as I was used to. The mitsubishi's linedoubler had met its match. I returned the unit, the replacement was the same. I can't watch Katie Courac anymore.
I agree with everything in the 4-11 review

note We are now recieving 4 types of input,1080i(HDTV),(the best) svideo and dvd about 480, broadcast about 330, vhs about 230 lines The picture you see is dependent one what resolution it was origanally shot in, how it was transmitted, (both of which can change show to show, and station to station) and how you choose to display the image. The 6000u allows you to seamlessly choose at your end, but the source(s) will cause differences in picture quality.

Posted: September 30, 2003
By: Anonymous


For those who've had some of the numerous potential problems with "receptions" (bad cabling, slight misalignment, failed LNBF's, etc), I wish to set the record straight:

The Dish6000 8VSB OTA card WILL decode OTA broadcasts without satellite signal.

I recently had a service outage due to hardware of my Dish500 HW. While it was out, the ONLY thing I could get was 61.5 and local OTA. During my MANY attempts to fix the problems (without and with new HW), I disabled 61.5 from the SW21, had nothing connected from 110/119, and sure enough, I had OTA from my already programmed HDTV local broadcast stations.

Despair not, you CAN get HDTV locally when the weather gets really really bad.

Oh, if you want a quieter 8VSB, install a resistor; it voids the warranty, and you have to keep it "open" to the air, but silence is golden. I've had mine tweaked for about 2 years and no problems yet.

Posted: September 04, 2003
By: Anonymous


Despite comments to the contrary, I just confirmed with Dish that you cannot use system to receive OTA (HDTV or analog) broadcasts if you loose the satellite signal.

Posted: August 01, 2003
By: Anonymous


I recently purchased an Echostar 6000 U and connected it to my Panasonic Display model PT50PHD4-U and encountered a terrible flickering problem. Initially, when the plasma and the 6000 U receiver are turned on, the signal is strong and there is NO flickering. After around 5-minutes, the display begins to flicker. The flickering continues for around 10-15 minutes then stops. So long as I do not turn off the display, the flickering will cease altogether. If I turn off the display, for what ever reason, then turn it back on, channel surf, the flickering will come back. It flickers on all channels. During the flickering, on the top right screen, I get from time to time a “NO SIGNAL” in yellow letters

The way I was able to resolve this flickering signal was by connecting my plasma to the 6000U via the 15 pin RGB connector and changing the HDTV setup in the menu from component to RGB.

I discovered that the 6000 U receiver is compatible with my Panasonic PT50PHD-4U via S-Video(Standard Definition) and RGB (High Definition) but NOT via the component mode. There is a conflict. I know this because when I connected a DVD Player to the plasma via Input 2 (Component) the plasma DID NOT flicker.

The 15 pin input on my Panasonic plasma is actually Input 3 (PC) and is intended for a personal computer tie-in. Input three has a single audio input whereas, Input 1 (S-Video) has a Left and Right audio input and Input 2 (Component) has a Left and Right input.

If it were not for the fact that I purchased a surround sound system that takes the audio signal from the 6000 U directly to my surround sound receiver / speakers, and the fact that I purchased a set of PANASONIC auxiliary speakers that mount on the side of the display (which, by the way does NOT work at the present time because the audio inputs on Input 1 (S-Video), Input 2 (Component), and Input 3 (PC) are split, I would <> have audio.

I realize that a person not having a surround sound system could purchase an RCA wye connector to tie the Plasma and the 6000 U together providing he purchased auxiliary speakers but we know that this is not the best way to obtain an optimum quality audio signal.

I am somewhat relieved that my flickering problem has been resolved ( I am crossing my fingers) but I am not 100% satisfied with my $500. investment (6000 U) receiver as it has taken away an input (Input 3) that I was planning to use in the future (Internet Access) via my PC. I much would have preferred linking my HD satelite receiver to the display via Component cable mode.

Aside from this, I encountered the following while using this setup:

HDSETUP

Analog Type = Off Air
Output = RGB
TV Type = 1080i
Asp Ratio = 16x9
Screen = Normal

• leaves a 5 ½ inch gap on the display on left and right side. (channel 9420 has a 3 inch gap on top and bottom)

When you change the Asp Ratio to 4x3 #1 you get a normal screen with a 5 ½ gap on left and right side of the display When you change the Asp Ratio to 4x3 #2 you get a Stretched Screen that fills the display but the picture looks stretched. (Some people like it that way, I suppose some don’t. I don’t like the fact that the 6000 U does not leave me with much options)

I ALSO NOTICE A DIFFERENCE IN THE QUALITY OF THE PICTURE IN SOME CHANNELS. IN SOME CHANNELS THE RGB CONNECTION IN INFERIOR TO THE COMPONENT QUALITY.

Posted: April 11, 2003
By: Anonymous


The Only HDTV STB box for Dish Network has great features, but is a little flakey.

The STB has an old and dated menu system software which looks like it was written on an Atari 800. You will not have Picture in the channel guide with this fine unit.

That aside, the 6000 really does have a great lineup of features. It can output at 1080i or 720p for the HDTV signals on either 15DB RGB or Component connectors. It can also output on non-HDTV (SD) connectors such as S-Video or Composite. These are great for connecting to a VCR (or a non-HDTV if you wasted money on a 6000 but don't have a HDTV capable set).

My favorite part of the 6000 is that if you purchase the Optional Over the Air (OTA) 8VSB adapter, it will seemlessly integrate your OTA Digital and OTA Analog channels into you channel guide along with the satellite channels.

This was really nice considering that I don't get all of channels that I am capable of via Dish's locals. The guide does not fully support PSIP so don't expect to see those great program guides for your OTA locals in the guide. OTA Analog NBC/CBS/ABC primetime are the only ones that will receive program guide treatment.

As far as being flakey. The 6000 will lose its guide information if you watch OTA channels for too long. When you press the Guide button, you will run the risk of getting a "reaquiring satellite" message. This often takes 45+ seconds to occur and during this time, you cannot escape/cancel/power off or perform any action until it acquires the sat. The 6000 infrequently has been know to reboot itself.

Last but not least on the bitch list, is the fan noise of the 6000 Optional OTA module 8VSB fan. You can hear it, its not that its terribly loud, but you can hear it. This is not a good bedroom unit if you like to sleep.

With all of those things out of the way, I really do like the 6000 and have no regrets in purchasing it. The two Exansion modules can be added quickly. The picture quality it great. Its one of the few STBs that you can use to scale the Aspect/Zoom/Stretch for DTV shows.

You can learn a lot more about the 6000 from its owners manual which you can find online at Dish Network's Support site.

The optional 8PSK module often goes on sale for those that already have a 6000 and need the module, most new 6000s include the module now. The 8PSK module is required for newer HDTV channels from Dish.

The 6000 like other DishTV receivers requires that a phone line be connected (but will work without it). If you have callerID, you can enable the 6000 to display the information on the TV screen when someone calls. You get to appreciate this real quick if you get Telemarkets calling during your favorite TV hours.

Summary: Very Capable Unit, Needs Better PSIP and Menu implementation.

This review was written in April of 2003. Dish is likely to release 4 new HDTV receivers by the end of the year. The 921 a HDTV PVR which is likely to be over $1000. A JVC 9000 which will also be PVR. The 211 a firewire unit designed for operation with Mitsubshi TVs. and the 811 which will likely be the 6000's replacement with comparable features.

Good Luck,
Cyclone