FeatureIsNow

Does other units produces better picture quality than this RCA one? I'm currently using this unit and kind of wondering how other Set top boxes performs against RCA.

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panasonic 50"plasma
Denon 2800 II DVD player
Onkyo 797
Marantz 3channel AMP
Polk 7.1 speaker setup

ZeroDegreeK

From my experiences, all satellite receivers deliver the same quality of picture for regular satellite broadcasts. The only difference between them would be the menu systems and the features.

FeatureIsNow

so most receivers delivers pretty much same quality picture specially 1080i ?? so basically 450$ unit and 800$ unit produce same picture and its just difference between functions...huh?

__________________
panasonic 50"plasma
Denon 2800 II DVD player
Onkyo 797
Marantz 3channel AMP
Polk 7.1 speaker setup

kevinw

Some boxes are quicker at switching channels and also at locking on a weaker signal. Some have fewer errors due heat build up. Better construction-metal case vs plastic.... Is yours having problems or are you having electronicitis,,the need to buy something new even if you don't need it?

FeatureIsNow

cuz some people actually claims that their sony receiver produce better picture than my RCA unit. I don't mine little difference in functions as long as the picture is the same .

__________________
panasonic 50"plasma
Denon 2800 II DVD player
Onkyo 797
Marantz 3channel AMP
Polk 7.1 speaker setup

ZeroDegreeK

Most people see the 'Monster Cable Effect.' That is: if something is more expensive it must be better.

When my satellite receiver went down, I drove over to my Mom's house and crawled in the attic. I found a DirecTV receiver from the rookie year. It was almost as big as a microwave. Fired that baby up, and there was almost no difference in the picutre (aside from having to use a RF connection instead of S-video) Channel changes were glacial, but the picture looked good.

I have heard that the DirecTivo units might have an inferior picture, but I have one and it looks the same.

As for the 1080i signal. It looks equally good over the air, from cable (Time Warner), and off satellite. (I have all three). The higher quality receivers are nice because, as kevinw said, they change channels faster and lock on weak signals.

Chetley

The DTC-100 I bought a year ago has always been tempermental about what it will receive at any given time, but now I am wondering if it is breaking down. The digital sound output to the component audio outlets is dead. I can still get analog sound from those stations sending it. I have a pair of self-powered speakers receiving the output of the DTC-100. I am receiving my signal from a high antenna, aimed at Sutro tower.
Also, does anyone know why this receiver constantly drops stations from its memory. Why does it refuse to transmit an analog channel I have directly punched in, instead defaulting to its digital cousin (which now has no sound)?
Now that my TV viewing is back to my indefatigible 21 year old Sony, I'm considering the purchase of a reliable HD receiver. What receiver would I best choose, now?

kevinw

How is the ventilation for your STB. Heat overload often makes them loose memory. For OTA only the Samsung is highly touted. They do have a model with Direct capablity also. Take a look at Hughes for a decent replacement box. http://www.2000networks.com/

Chetley

Dear Kevinw,
I didn't think that ventilation could be a problem since the DTC-100 was mounted alone on a shelf of a TV cart below the big set and I did not put video cassettes or other stuff on top of it. But it was time, I noticed, to vacuum off everything since a light dust had accumulated. This time I gave the machine a good vaccuuming and when I lifted it to get dust underneath, I was shocked. An accumulation of dust, like a clogged storm drain, was lodged on the underside of my receiver.
Investigation revealed that the DTC-100 has a very quiet fan that runs as long as the receiver is plugged in. It sucks air in from the bottom and across the guts to vents in the side and top. The bottom perforations are, to my mind, a bad design because they are not large and numerous enough, and they are unknown to the user--until it's too late. The manual says nothing to alert the customer to the dust time-bomb ticking under his machine.
This receiver really should be a set-top-box, that is, one placed high above the floor, and still the user should remove dust in the vents underneath it every month or so.
As for my DTC-100, it began to work fine after I thoroughly cleaned it but went silent in a few minutes. If it is "cooked" (using the term of another DTC-100 owner who complained on the web) it could be that his machine succumbed from this cause, not lightning or power surges as he thought. Just bad heat-management design.
I beleive I will put money into a new receiver, by somebody other than RCA, rather than throw money into fixing this DTC-100. Thanks for the recommendation and the tip. How good is that new Zenith I'm reading about?