So...do you like the 921?

[toddjb]

I guess what I'm looking for is a thumbs-up or thumbs-down on the 921.
Should I purchase one as soon as it is available to me or wait?


I know...there is a ton of information in this forum but it is a little overwhelming :read: for the casual observer that just wants to know if he should buy one. (lots of bug reports, feature questions, etc.)

I'm not excited by the HDTV content currently offered by Dish, since I don't have any movie channels and don't qualify for my local CBS HDTV station. However, I am interested in the OTA HD recording capability and hopefully more HDTV offerings from Dish in the future.

So, anyone who is using the 921... :up: or :down: ?

Thanks!

[Mark Lamutt]

To me, the 921 is a big thumbs up, even with the current problems.

If you're looking for mainly OTA recording, wait a couple of weeks, and then ask your question again. Answers will be very different then.

[Earl Zuberbelt]

I guess what I'm looking for is a thumbs-up or thumbs-down on the 921.
Should I purchase one as soon as it is available to me or wait?


I know...there is a ton of information in this forum but it is a little overwhelming :read: for the casual observer that just wants to know if he should buy one. (lots of bug reports, feature questions, etc.)

I'm not excited by the HDTV content currently offered by Dish, since I don't have any movie channels and don't qualify for my local CBS HDTV station. However, I am interested in the OTA HD recording capability and hopefully more HDTV offerings from Dish in the future.

So, anyone who is using the 921... :up: or :down: ?

Just got word my 921 and monitor is a few days away and I anticipate no delays in the install. I'll look back here after my first few days with the system and let you know what I think.

Lot of DISH Knockers on this site, believe many claim to have this and that, and they really don't.

Based on experience with both 721 and 501 receivers, I hope the 921 will just be that much better a viewing experience!

We waited for the 921 because we simply have gotten so used to DVR features, and we're willing to pay the extra $$ for the feature in hi-def.

-Earl
Yankee born Southern bred

[Throwbot]

I guess what I'm looking for is a thumbs-up or thumbs-down on the 921.
Should I purchase one as soon as it is available to me or wait?


I know...there is a ton of information in this forum but it is a little overwhelming :read: for the casual observer that just wants to know if he should buy one. (lots of bug reports, feature questions, etc.)

I'm not excited by the HDTV content currently offered by Dish, since I don't have any movie channels and don't qualify for my local CBS HDTV station. However, I am interested in the OTA HD recording capability and hopefully more HDTV offerings from Dish in the future.

So, anyone who is using the 921... :up: or :down: ?

Thanks!
I definitely would steer clear and NOT buy one.
Not until after I have got mine that is.

[jcord51]

Come on, who you kidding! The Darn picture looks like viewing a window and gives you the opportunity of adding almost any new HD channel via OTA.

[jgoggan]

Just got word my 921 and monitor

Did you do the HDTV-in-a-box w/ upgrade to 921 deal by chance? If so, are you an existing subscriber? Or new?

The CES press release says that the deal applies to existing customers also, but I've been unable to find anywhere to buy it from as of yet as an existing subscriber (or even as a new subscriber for that matter -- the Dish WOW-HDTV people said they don't have any info about the 921 upgrade to the HDTV-in-a-box package)...

- John...

[Jim Parker]

Thumbs up for me. Yes there are bugs, but no show stoppers for me. Anchorage doesn't have OTA digital yet, so the biggest bug is not a problem for me. I really like the dual tuner, improved guide and a BIG thumbs up for HD. Not that many HD channels, but more will be added in the next 6 months. This is still the ground floor for HD, so it will get better.

[rudolpht]

Come on, who you kidding! The Darn picture looks like viewing a window and gives you the opportunity of adding almost any new HD channel via OTA.

I don't understand what this means. Adding any new OTA channel via OTA. Good concept, if OTA worked.

[Ronald K]

The 921/Dish Network provides a fabulous HD picture. The 921 may be the most advanced piece of Home Theater equipment ever released to the public.

I understand that anything this new and this sophisticated is going to have problems. I am here to help in any way that I can although the rest of you are 10 times more knowledgeable than I am.

My unit has every bug listed in this forum. I watch mostly OTA network shows and as a result my TV life over the past week that I have had the 921 has been one of the more frustrating in my life.

If there is one single issue that upsets me more than anything else it is not that the 921 has an incredible number of major bugs and should have not been released in its current form - no - it is because Dish is not being forth coming and giving us a daily update regarding the fix or fixes.

We are not little kids. We can handle the truth - even if it changes on a daily basis.

How long will it be before there is a chance that it will begin getting better. Be honest with me. If it is a few days from now fine. If it is a few weeks from now let me/us know and I will set up my Oval Dish/ antenna and DTC-100 until the 921 works better than it does.

Let us know. To keep silent is only pissing me off. Some are suggesting a release of the beta fix. The way I see it - the fact that I have a piece of equipment that is virtually worthless at this moment certainly gives me the impression that I am a beta tester anyway. Give me the latest version.

DISH ----Talk to us!

[mofiz]

i bought it mainly for the OTA shows and it has been a disaster so far. i had to reboot my expensive 921 atleast 10 times yesterday.

[MattG]

Despite the obvious OTA bugs the 921 is an excellent receiver. The ability to record 2 HD channels simultaneously while watching a 3rd recorded HD channel is pretty remarkable from a software/hardware standpoint. I've seen the OTA bug and the grey X screen of death several times but by simply not tuning to the weak HD feeds you can avoid the problem until the next firmware release. I held off on getting a 721 or a 521 and I have no regrets on waiting until the 921 came out.

[JBTcajun]

I have been waiting a long time! Had made up my mind get the 811, then started looking around and the 921 fits my bill. As stated before I am monetarily challenged.

Here is the plan and hope it is a good one.
Programing is approx 50.00/m
I'll add 25.00/m equipment purchase
75.00/m to savings

When the cost and the account meet I will be in the HD-watching-recording-finally happy camp.
As an added bonus my "TV expense" will go down 25.00 when the bullet is bit.


they said 811 was gonna cost but is if free already so maybe the wait will not be that much longer.

the new hd tivo might speed the falling costs

Anxious in the rural space!!!

[ibglowin]

After having a few days playing with mine I am more excited now than when I unboxed it and went through the install process. I have had a chnace to set some timers and record some HD both OTA and satellite. Unbelievable PQ.

Since I figured out (with the help of this board) that you don't need to reboot the 921 if the OTA craps out, just re-add the channel back in (30 sec process) and the 921 seems happy again I am able to see more and more that I am going to love this guy once he is all grown up!

[928gt]

921 gets 2 thunbs up from me.

I purchased mine for what it is, an HD SATELLITE Receiver and Recorder and it does that flawlessly (ok, the aspect modes for SD stuff is a little off at the moment).

Mine has been used daily and nightly for 9 straight days and NOT A SINGLE REBOOT OR GLITCH !!

Sure, if I want to make it reboot, I can waste my time and do all the things that everyone here knows will cause it, but I have better things to do with my life.

My 921 Views, Records and plays back everythng I ask it to without muss or fuss and the picture is GREAT !!

Sure it has OTA bugs, I personally could care less, I have had Sat locals for years and for $5.99 a month to not have to deal with old tech antennas and getting guide info is a no brainer for me. Besides where I live, if In had a 200 foot tower I might could get 1 digital channel, so OTA features are wasted processing for my 921.

Everyone has their personal needs and each location is different, but for me the 921 is TOPS, and when new features and small fixes are done it will be icing on top of the best cake I have ever had (trust me, I have had a LOT of cake :-)

Bottom line, If you want an HD Sat Receiver/Recorder, you are just wasting time in delaying your purchase and missing out on a great TV experience.

I like it so much I am searching for 921 #2 now, BTW for any of you guys that don't like your 921, if you hate it that much, sell it to me, I will buy it for $900 TODAY and Paypal or FedEx a cashiers check Immediately !!

Come on, if it is really that bad, DUMP IT for a $100 loss and SELL that "peice of crap"... TO ME !!

Dave

[fjerina]

I really like my 921 and will love it when the OTA bugs are fixed. If you want to record any satellite program then the DVR is fabulous. I love it. However, until the OTA bugs are fixed the only way for me to record OTA programs is to manually start it then stop it. I can live with that for awhile. I started the DVR for CBS before I left for a meeting to catch CSI and when I got home I had 3 hours of a recording, stopped it, then fast forwarded with the 300x speed to the start of CSI. The picture quality it superb. It's hard to believe it is a recording!!!

[mofiz]

i cant belive u guys will settle for half finished 921....it only takes 30 secs to scan the OTA ch??? in my dream....i wonder how many of us will buy a car and give thumbs up knowing power windows will work in few weeks but for now u can roll your windows manually. i am just disappointed plus all the good sitcoms are on network tvs.

[kstevens]

i cant belive u guys will settle for half finished 921....it only takes 30 secs to scan the OTA ch??? in my dream....i wonder how many of us will buy a car and give thumbs up knowing power windows will work in few weeks but for now u can roll your windows manually. i am just disappointed plus all the good sitcoms are on network tvs.

I believe this thread was about people that owned a 921 on how they like it, not those who can't get one so disses it when ever they get a chance.


Ken

[ibglowin]

i cant belive u guys will settle for half finished 921....it only takes 30 secs to scan the OTA ch??? in my dream....

Yes, thats all it takes.

Menu - go to add DTV screen

Bring up the signal strength meter, enter channel number.

Alow to lock, save and exit.

Your 921 (or at leat mine) is happy again and OTA is now functioning normal

Your 921 might only be half finished but mine is at least 90% finished. :D

Oh and my cup is half full, not half empty.

[mofiz]

well my money is hard earned so thats why i complained......i like your positive attitude though. and ken i do own one.

[jgoggan]

i cant belive u guys will settle for half finished 921....

I don't think anyone is "settling" for the current state of the 921. I didn't see anyone say "I'm thrilled with it as it is and plan to NOT accept any more firmware updates." There is a big difference between accepting the current state based on knowing that updates are coming -- and "settling" for it as-is.

i wonder how many of us will buy a car and give thumbs up knowing power windows will work in few weeks but for now u can roll your windows manually.

Lots of people would -- if that is what it took to get the faster car out there, for example. People are willing to overlook temporary issues in order to use the rest of the car until those issues are corrected. If the dealership said "I can give you the car today, but you'll have to manually roll your windows for three weeks before it is automatically fixed by Ford" -- well, I think lots of people wouldn't worry about it, would take the car now, and just not worry about the "power window feature" for a while.

- John...

[mofiz]

good point.

[toddjb]

Great "thumbs" feedback. Thanks! :)

It sounds pretty good. I think I'll take some of your advice and wait for your reviews after the next couple of releases. Right now my fiance will sit upstairs for an hour watching our old 501 display the "disk spinning up" message (not being able to pause or change channels) just to avoid walking downstairs to reset the receiver. So, with her being at least a 50% user...well, I think I should wait for a little more stability! :D Luckily our 508 rarely crashes.

Thanks again,

[928gt]

If the dealership said "I can give you the car today, but you'll have to manually roll your windows for three weeks before it is automatically fixed by Ford" -- well, I think lots of people wouldn't worry about it, would take the car now, and just not worry about the "power window feature" for a while.

Especially if it was a Ford GT40, if a dealer called and said I could get one today, but the windows won't work for a few months.... I would be on my way to pick it up at WARP SPEED..... !!!!!!

Dave

[mofiz]

my friend this isnt Ford GT40 some of us might think but I sure dont, I am just upset bc I dont know when they are going to fix this bug, was promised earlier of the month but that has come and gone. I sure miss my 721.

[kstevens]

my friend this isnt Ford GT40 some of us might think but I sure dont, I am just upset bc I dont know when they are going to fix this bug, was promised earlier of the month but that has come and gone. I sure miss my 721.

Dish never formally promised any fix at the beginning of the month. Everything I heard was rumor or second (third) hand information. If Dish thinks the upgrade software is not ready for prime time, then it must have some bad problems and I would rather that they hold off until the bugs are ironed out (or at least as much as then normally iron them out).


Ken

[tahoerob]

I too give THUMBS UP!
It is a great DUAL TUNER HDTV DVR RECEIVER. When the OTA issue is fixed (should be soon!?!?), then it will be worth every penny. It is still CHEAPER than a 811, 522\721, and a D-VHS or other HD recorder combined!!!! And you get one box & one remote to deal with!
I have more HD recorded now than I can watch!!!

[Mike Richardson]

Oh and my cup is half full, not half empty.

My cup has 50% contents :lol:

[Throwbot]

My cup has 50% contents :lol:
I'm an engineer , the cup is twice as big as it needs to be. :grin:

[MileHi]

i cant belive u guys will settle for half finished 921....it only takes 30 secs to scan the OTA ch??? in my dream....i wonder how many of us will buy a car and give thumbs up knowing power windows will work in few weeks but for now u can roll your windows manually. i am just disappointed plus all the good sitcoms are on network tvs.
I guess I'll have get my 921 once all the backorders are filled. OTA is not an issue since the location of my house would require a rather large antenna (that the neighbors would NOT like). I think you need to compare the 921 to computer technology or software rather that a car... And if you do that, then you will find that almosy ALL the newest S/W (and quite a bit of the H/W) is released with bugs galore... The 921 could be tested inhouse until the cows come home and they won't find half as many bugs as the average end-user will. So, if one doesn't want to be on the bleeding edge, then they should wait (like I am) until the product is inherently more stable.
So for all you folk that already have a 921... Hurry up and shake out all those bugs so I can get mine!!! :D

[Mark Lamutt]

MileHi - where do you live? If you're reasonably close to downtown, you might be surprised what you can pull in with a little indoor uhf antenna - pretty much everything except for KMGH.

[BobMurdoch]

Buy it now for the HD channels if you don't have an HD receiver but you do have an HD monitor.

The HD channels coming off the satellite from E* look amazing with none of the compression artifacts that the D* folks are suffering through.

The SD Channels look good BUT there are still some challenges with the aspect ratios (I switch to 4:3 #2 even though I have a 16:9 set when watching SD... it looks better for now)

If you have to have OTA, wait a bit until the next release. Yes, they are buggy right now, but most of the non-OTA problems are self healing as the unit reboots itself and normally resolves the problem (note: it is a long 5-7 minute bootup sometimes)

A couple of spontaneous reboots here.... otherwise it is stable enough for me for now.

[toddjb]

Mark, are you talking about HDTV stations or just standard OTA broadcasts? One of the HDTV things I have been procrastinating was the assumption that I'd need to install an external antenna to pull in anything significant. If I could get by with a set top or even an attic antenna, that would be nice. Just curious...

[kstevens]

Mark, are you talking about HDTV stations or just standard OTA broadcasts? One of the HDTV things I have been procrastinating was the assumption that I'd need to install an external antenna to pull in anything significant. If I could get by with a set top or even an attic antenna, that would be nice. Just curious...

Depends on your location. I have a terk dish mounted antenna and it pulls in all of my digital stations. I'm about 20 miles away from them (luckily they are located all in the same general direction).


Ken

[Mark Lamutt]

Toddjb -

My response was specific for Milehi because he also is here in Denver, and I'm very familiar with our HD situation here. Where you are in relation to the HD towers, what the terrain is like between you and the towers, and how much power they are transmitting all play a VERY BIG role in how easily or how much work you'll have to put in to receive the signals.

[ibglowin]

Has anyone else been using this trick? If your OTA tuner shows the black screen channel x.x /signal not found go into the add DTV menu add ANY station broadcasting in your area (even if its allready in your list, just re-add it) alow to lock, save it, hit cancel out of the next menu and viola, the channel you were trying to watch just a moment ago is now showing just fine. This is much faster than a full reboot and works everytime. You maybe able to change to another DTV channel or two but eventually it will happen again as we all know but this has worked everytime for me.

I can at least use the OTA tuner this way and I have recorded several OTA shows just fine (all manual start /stop of course)

I still like my 921!

[Jerry G]

Has anyone else been using this trick? If your OTA tuner shows the black screen channel x.x /signal not found go into the add DTV menu add ANY station broadcasting in your area (even if its allready in your list, just re-add it) alow to lock, save it, hit cancel out of the next menu and viola, the channel you were trying to watch just a moment ago is now showing just fine. This is much faster than a full reboot and works everytime. You maybe able to change to another DTV channel or two but eventually it will happen again as we all know but this has worked everytime for me.

I can at least use the OTA tuner this way and I have recorded several OTA shows just fine (all manual start /stop of course)

I still like my 921!

Good suggestion. When I've seen that screen, I've often been able to resurrect the channel by deleting it and then adding it again. I'll try your method the next time it occurs.

I've also been able to successfully record some OTA channels with a timer. I've just made sure the channel is able to be received prior to creating the timer and then I make sure I don't do anything else with OTA until after the recording.

I'll be so happy when the next software release makes all of this unnecessary.

[markcollins]

I've Had my 921 for a week now.I guess we paid the premium price and got all the bugs included!

[Frank Z]

I'd buy it again in a heartbeat!

[BobMurdoch]

If i'm gonna be cutting edge, I'm gonna get nicked once in a while. I DO get to show off to houseguests though. It's also fun making the A/V geeks at Best Buy and Circuit City jealous.

[Slordak]

After using the 921 for a couple weeks, my girlfriend has reached the conclusion that the 921 is a piece of junk and should probably be scrapped. She said something to the extent of how she was upset about why it couldn't "just work" like the previous receiver (a 508) did. She can't believe we 'upgraded' and paid $1000 to get a receiver that constantly crashes and generally doesn't work right.

I'm not quite ready to throw in the towel yet, but honestly, some sort of "Customer Loyalty" credit should be added to our bills for putting up with this.

[BobMurdoch]

New 921 receiver...... $1000
Broadband Subscription to defend against E* haters - $49 month.
Advil to chase away headache caused by D* subscribers who try to hijack a 921 thread by saying a DirecTivo coming in 6 months will be better - $6

Watching the Super Bowl in HD and rewinding to check the referee's boneheaded spotting of the ball and Janet's Lil Kim impression..... PRICELESS.

[rbaer]

I've only encountered three reboots so far and the picture is brilliant. The pros and cons are pretty well established. The pros are that it has a great HD picture, you can use the DVR functions while watching HD, and did I mention it has a great picture. I spend 90% of my time now watching programs in HD.

The cons are numerous but have yet to even be a minimal inconvienence. It has only rebooted on me three or four times and that is usually when switching between OTA HD signals and regular channels quickly.

I've also had some bizarre issues with the DVR recorder. One event didn't record (it was an accident and I stopped it immediately which messed it all up), but showed on the screen that it was recording and I couldn't get it out of the guide or to say that it had stopped recording even though there was nothing there. That went away after I left the recorded program list and returned. I also had one other incident where it refused to erase a program that I had just finished watching, but I eventually got it to work by leaving the program list and watching a normal channel for awhile and then returning and erasing.

The stretch modes are awful, don't understand what they are supposed to do other than truely distort the image. They don't really matter though as the modes on my Elite 510 work fine (though the component output is locked into full, but that is ok as I just have the s-video connected on a separate input for SD).

Overally, this is one of the greatest toys I've played with in awhile. Simply having the DVR options available during HD playback (thank you Janet), and the ability to record HD material is amazing to me. I've only had the 921 since Saturday (31st), and can't get enough of it (considered skipping work to play some more).

[beemer58]

Two thumbs up. Have mine about two weeks. Had some of the problems but I'll keep it. I don't have my xbr yet but even on my old Sony 27"crt there was a noticable difference in the pq from my old 4000 receiver. BTW for you whiners that can't find a 921, got mine on ebay.... there are dealers selling them there. There are 4 or 5 there now. Downside to that is you'll being paying more than $1000.00. Family loves the ota's integrated into the guide.

[SJ HART]

Thumbs up here! It was great "rewinding" the last part of half-time during the superbowl on my 65" HDTV! SJ

[pjboud]

I'm on the waiting list. No OTA issues in the mountains of VT. OTA isn't a possibility. One issue I would like some more input on: The quality of SD material that is upconverted to the HD output. On my 6000 I watch all SD in normal mode because it looks too "fuzzy" in HD mode. I've read in Mark's review that it looks much better with the 921. Anyone else care to comment? Not having to switch back and forth would be really nice.

[guruka]

I'm on the waiting list. No OTA issues in the mountains of VT. OTA isn't a possibility. One issue I would like some more input on: The quality of SD material that is upconverted to the HD output. On my 6000 I watch all SD in normal mode because it looks too "fuzzy" in HD mode. I've read in Mark's review that it looks much better with the 921. Anyone else care to comment? Not having to switch back and forth would be really nice.

The upconverted 480i looks very good. I usually watch it in 480p because my Hitachi 51" TV has a nice stretch mode, which of course is not available at 1080i. But the 1080i output from the 921 looks fine with the correct 4x3 AR as well.

Bottom line - I don't use the SD output at all. Just HD.

.....G

[tahoerob]

I'm on the waiting list. No OTA issues in the mountains of VT. OTA isn't a possibility. One issue I would like some more input on: The quality of SD material that is upconverted to the HD output. On my 6000 I watch all SD in normal mode because it looks too "fuzzy" in HD mode. I've read in Mark's review that it looks much better with the 921. Anyone else care to comment? Not having to switch back and forth would be really nice.

I agree with above. I had a 501 & a 6000 prior. I think on my Sony 50 in LCD RPTV, that the SD looks as good or even better. (My wife even thinks so!!!)
I watch the SD channels in HD mode( 1080i & 16*9 display mode). I do not even have an s-video hooked up now for SD. Of course the SD channels are thus shown in 4*3 aspect with side bars. It really is better than trying to stretch it with the TVs aspect modes. Also, when watching a movie or TV program that is in letterbox format in SD, the Zoom mode on the 921 does fill in the 16*9 screen nicely. I am watching the League of Ext. Gents via PPV. The PQ in Zoom is very good despite being SD.
Overall it does a good job with 480i to 1080i upconvert.

[SJ HART]

I had a 6000 and I really think the SD upconverted is much better on the 921. SJ

[dreamer]

Hey guys,

If a specific channel normally sends out shows in SD but some shows are sent out in HD (ie..on NBC the Tonight Shows, or on CBS...CSI,...or on ABC..Alias) will the 921 pick up these shows as HD programming and will the picture and AR automatically be displayed as such on a widescreen LCD TV ?

Or would they just stay in 4x3 SD format but have better quality than normal SD programming ?

Thanks !

[guruka]

Hey guys,

If a specific channel normally sends out shows in SD but some shows are sent out in HD (ie..on NBC the Tonight Shows, or on CBS...CSI,...or on ABC..Alias) will the 921 pick up these shows as HD programming and will the picture and AR automatically be displayed as such on a widescreen LCD TV ?

Or would they just stay in 4x3 SD format but have better quality than normal SD programming ?

Thanks !

Yah, the 921 autoswitches when the station switches. The TV may lose synch for a moment but then it resynch's and all is well. The AR is correct. You don't need to do anything.

.....G

[dreamer]

the 921 autoswitches when the station switches

Do you mean when a station switches between SD programming to HD prgming, and then back again after the HD prgm is over ?

[wcswett]

Do you mean when a station switches between SD programming to HD prgming, and then back again after the HD prgm is over ?

Whenever the station switches aspect ratio, including commercials, the 921 will continue to display whatever aspect ratio you have selected and it will continue to output whatever resolution signal (1080i, 720p, 480p or 480i) that you set it to output. My 921 is set-up to display 16:9 at 1080i. During the Superbowl the game was 16:9, some commercials were 16:9 (most movie trailers), some commercials were 4:3 with black sidebars (national feed), and some commercials were 4:3 with gray sidebars (WCBS-DT NY local feed).

--- WCS

[Bogney]

Yah, the 921 autoswitches when the station switches. The TV may lose synch for a moment but then it resynch's and all is well. To my knowledge, very few digital tv stations ever change their scanning rate. The station I work for stays at 1080i all the time. The only time I have seen it done was on WPIX in NYC in 2001. They were normally in 480P but switched to 1080i for the HD broadcast of Mets games. Since they returned to the air in 2003, WPIX has gone to 1080i all the time.

Are there stations in other cities that do change scan rates?

[guruka]

To my knowledge, very few digital tv stations ever change their scanning rate. The station I work for stays at 1080i all the time. The only time I have seen it done was on WPIX in NYC in 2001. They were normally in 480P but switched to 1080i for the HD broadcast of Mets games. Since they returned to the air in 2003, WPIX has gone to 1080i all the time.

Are there stations in other cities that do change scan rates?

No, not that I know of. CBSHD for example stays at 1080i, but sometimes when a 4x3 480i upconverted commercial ends and native 1080i programming resumes, even though the scan rate is the same, the switch causes momentary HSynch loss - maybe on the uplink side.

.....G (engineer at WBNS TV - the CBS affiliate in Columbus Ohio - for 10 years)

[guruka]

Do you mean when a station switches between SD programming to HD prgming, and then back again after the HD prgm is over ?

If you set AR to 16:9 and HD output to 1080i then switch channels between an HD station and an SD station, the 921 remembers the "Format" for each signal and the HD will show in "Normal" and for SD the 921 will switch to whatever you have it set for (e.g., Gray Bars).

If the station you are watching switches from 16x9 HD content to 4x3 content, their signal stays at 1080i and you'll see black bars on the sides when the 4x3 content is being broadcast. Since the station is doing the switching, sometimes you can see a quick Hsynch loss as they switch, but it's momentary.

.....G