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View Full Version : Awesome install experience today!!


Jumbo Jet
02-28-07, 12:47 PM
After reading so many posts about dead Hr-20's and dopey installers I was more than nervous about my install today. I had the appointment for 8 -12 this morning and tech showed up at 9 am. So far so good. Driving a D* van but working for Mastec just outside Orlando. Invited him in, he assesed the situation and said the relocation of the Tivo in the livingroom to the bedroom wasnt on his work order, even though I had called 4 times in the last two weeks to confirm my order was correct. He said it wouldnt be a problem but he explained to me about their last company meeting how alot of techs were really upset that the companies cant get their work orders right and how that effects their whole day when they have to do work that isnt on the list. So take that into consideration next time your tech is running late, it probably wasnt his fault.

The guy was super nice and took down the old dual LNB and put up the new 5 LNB on the roof. What a size difference! He was considerate enough to let me know that the dish was going to look awful in the same location so we should move it back closer to the rear of the house. I said no problem and away he went.

I had pulled my own dual RG6 last week to the living room for the new HR20 so he really didnt have too much wiring to do inside. While he was on the roof I pulled the power cables and HDMI thru the entertainment center for him to save him some time.

He got done with the mounting of the dish and set the azimuth and angle and got a 97 on the signal meter!! I was stoked! Then he came in and set up the bedroom Tivo and sure enough the signal strenght on the box read 97-98. Set up the HR20 in the livingroom, called to activate it then tested the signal and......98! He let it do its downloads while he cleaned up the yard and loaded up the van. Then he came back in and set up my remotes for me. showed me the basics of the HR20 and a few tips. He set it to "native" format so the box always shows the correct resolution.

HR20 review: Ok, so far so good. A little different than Tivo, but we'll adjust. Both tuners work perfectly and all the cables I needed were in the box, including an HDMI and componet cables. The picture on standard def isnt perfect but who's is? He showed me Discovery HD and American Chopper was on. Looked amazing and you could see every nut and bolt on the bikes! Although I think OTA looks a little crisper, but it could also be the source of the camera too. We see that alot here as CBS HD local news on OTA looks like crap compared to ABC HD OTA news. Alot of that could be the source. The super bowl in HD OTA on CBS looked insane.

So for all the reviews slamming D* installs I thought it might be a nice change for people to read a good one. Dont be discouraged, more people will post a negative experience than positive ones. So for what its worth, I couldnt be happier with the professionalism of the tech, the punctuality, and overall niceness of the guy.......two thumbs up!

Mark

Steve Robertson
02-28-07, 02:40 PM
Congrats you are a lucky one. I actually have a guy coming on Saturday who was at my house before and is very good. I requested his company to send him back and I assume it will be him. I have so great ones in the past and just miserable ones as well.

directvfreak
03-01-07, 05:03 AM
I would turn native off, but what ever you like.
I causes problems and slow channel changes sometimes.

Jumbo Jet
03-01-07, 05:07 AM
I would turn native off, but what ever you like.
I causes problems and slow channel changes sometimes.

I noticed the slower channel changes, but we dont mind it. The installer said it keeps me from having to set the correct resolution myself.

Is there a hidden secret to toning down the giant circle of lights in the center of the box?

Steve Robertson
03-01-07, 06:49 AM
I noticed the slower channel changes, but we dont mind it. The installer said it keeps me from having to set the correct resolution myself.

Is there a hidden secret to toning down the giant circle of lights in the center of the box?


I have read that people put tape over them

RAD
03-01-07, 06:52 AM
I noticed the slower channel changes, but we dont mind it. The installer said it keeps me from having to set the correct resolution myself.

Is there a hidden secret to toning down the giant circle of lights in the center of the box?

You don't need to keep changing the resolution yourself. Just set the HR20's resolution to match the resolution of your TV and the HR20 will up or downconvert the picture for you. Depending on if your TV or HR20 does this conversion better your picture might look a little worst or better but IMHO it's better then the lag while the HR20 and the TV need to resync on resolution changes.

Spanky_Partain
03-01-07, 07:23 AM
I noticed the slower channel changes, but we dont mind it. The installer said it keeps me from having to set the correct resolution myself.

Is there a hidden secret to toning down the giant circle of lights in the center of the box?

Yes, you can dim them or turn them off. On the front panel, press the left arrow in the circle of lights, then press the right arrow until you get the birghtness you desire or until off.

Here is a link that will give you a guide of all the tips and tricks.
http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=72648

Enjoy
Spanky

Jumbo Jet
03-01-07, 03:09 PM
You don't need to keep changing the resolution yourself. Just set the HR20's resolution to match the resolution of your TV and the HR20 will up or downconvert the picture for you. Depending on if your TV or HR20 does this conversion better your picture might look a little worst or better but IMHO it's better then the lag while the HR20 and the TV need to resync on resolution changes.

How would I go about this? Do I take "native" off?

RAD
03-01-07, 04:03 PM
How would I go about this? Do I take "native" off?

Turn native off then enable only the native resolution of your set, such as 720p or 1080i.