About the Voom Channels, Seriously

[sprintcarcrazy]

Would I still watch Voom stuff if not in HD, probably very little, but that's the same as with other channels, NBC, ABC, CBS, etc. The only thing I watch in SD, is Smallville, because we can't get it in HD.

We now rent movies, only if we can get them in HD or on the premium movie HD's. So your question is really not a good question. Watching SD on one of our 7 HDTV, just takes away alot of the viewing factor/wow factor. Kinda like going to the movie theatre and coming home to watch the same thing on a 13 in tube TV, not the same at all.

And quit trying to knock the voom stuff, we watch the major networks, ABC, NBC, CBS and CW, Fox the most, then the rest and that includes several of the Voom channels, FOOD HD, HGTV, etc. Prime time new season is usually reserved for the big Network shows.

 

[RandallA]

I didn't know Canada was a third world country. I guess you learn something new every day.

 

[cosmo_kramer]

Subsets of the VOOM 15 are available in third world countries like Canada.

I don't see Canada here:
Countries of the Third World

but, I do see it here:
Countries of the First World

 

[Ronnie-]

I'm shocked!!

Um, that's actually one of the most ridiculous questions I've seen here. First, no one ever said it being in HD wasn't one of the reasons to watch the channels. Second, Voom was purposely created as a 24/7 commercial-free HD network. Why would they even consider SD?
I'm sure the executives at Rainbow Media appreciate your concern. :up

why are u shocked?

and actually whether or not the HD part matters was in the spirit of the original question.

I understand it was created as a HD only network, you are still not understanding the original or my follow up question.
Would it have been as appealing if it were in SD. is the content good enough to survive on its own.
Not a bash abainst voom. an honest question. One that no one seems to be able to answer without getting defensive, which in and of itself tells me volumes about what you think

 

[Ronnie-]

Would I still watch Voom stuff if not in HD, probably very little, but that's the same as with other channels, NBC, ABC, CBS, etc. The only thing I watch in SD, is Smallville, because we can't get it in HD.

We now rent movies, only if we can get them in HD or on the premium movie HD's. So your question is really not a good question. Watching SD on one of our 7 HDTV, just takes away alot of the viewing factor/wow factor. Kinda like going to the movie theatre and coming home to watch the same thing on a 13 in tube TV, not the same at all.

And quit trying to knock the voom stuff, we watch the major networks, ABC, NBC, CBS and CW, Fox the most, then the rest and that includes several of the Voom channels, FOOD HD, HGTV, etc. Prime time new season is usually reserved for the big Network shows.

who is knocking voom??
You answered the question in your first comment. thank you

 

[Ronnie-]

HD isn't just clear SD in the same way that color TV is not jsut black and white TV in color. It is a slightly different medium, and Voom takes advantage of it.

Being in HD is a big deal, but it is not THE deal. I don't watch TV for the color or the sound or the HD, but all of these things allow for better programming.

How does it being in HD have any effect on the actual programming? Not saying it sucks in any way, seen it a few times, not enough to actually say whether its any good or not. thats the question before the court.

 

[navychop]

I love visiting Canada.

 

[kb7oeb]

I lost voom when the $5 voom pack was eliminated. HDNews filled a gap for me but now that I have three local HD news stations I haven't missed it. Now the only channel I miss at all is Rave but not all that much.

 

[treiher]

The point behind the question that I see is the VOOM channels exist only because they are in HD. Those networks may have never survived based on content alone if they were in SD, so once the industry is flooded with the more mainstream HD channels, will anyone even care about the VOOM channels anymore? Perhaps not, but I think the underlying question is . . .

Given the current capacity limitations E* has, if you could replace the VOOM channels with the more mainstream HD channels D* has that E* does not carry yet, would you prefer that?

To that question, If I didn't believe E* would add capacity and as a Dish subscriber I would always have limited HD choices, I would answer YES! Kill the VOOM channels and give me more of the other HD content which is available now. Don't get me wrong, I like the VOOM channels, but they are kind of hit and miss. FILMF and MNSTR seem to catch my attention more than the others. GAMEP and ANIMA are two I can say I never watch, but I am sure that there are others who like them. The others like EQUTR, RUSH, RAVE, etc. I will watch some, but not that much. But here's the thing, if I can have all the maintstream content D* has today, plus what they will continue to add AND keep the VOOM channels, I would!

And the end of all this, say within a year or two, will be E* and D* with pretty much the same HD content, just like they are today with SD content. But E* will have VOOM as well.

If I had to choose between VOOM and perhaps SCI-FI, TWC, FOXNWS, more Showtime, HBO, and Cinemax in HD, and so on, I would choose to give up the VOOM. But if I can have all that and the VOOM, I think VOOM is worth it, which is eventually where we will end up with E* anyway.

The latest push from D* will accelerate this.

 

[FlyingJ]

I don't see Canada here:
Countries of the Third World

but, I do see it here:
Countries of the First World

 

[Islandguy43]

It's interesting to me how much Voom envy occurs on the part of some D* subscribers. For some reason, they enjoy bashing some 24/7 HD channels that apparently don't have any content they would enjoy, while at the same time defending some HD listed channels with only a percentage of actual HD.

I just don't get it....

I couldn't have said it any better myself

 

[Islandguy43]

Subsets of the VOOM 15 are available in third world countries like Canada.

Well that third world country you are referring to has had more HD on their Birds (BellexpressVu and Starchoice) than D* has ever had. Furthermore, TSN alone will carry more NHL games in HD than D* will this year even with their new birds. Add HNIC-HD,Rogers Sportsnet HD and the NHL Network HD to mix and do the math.

 

[Sapient]

To Sapient and 8bits. Your answers are interesting. Childish, defensive, but none the less interesting. New to HD, give me a break. For your information, I have no Voom envy what so ever. Do I wish D* had it? Sure, why not. I would like to see what it is all about, have more options etc.... Your defensive answers though, seem to tell me the whole story. You guys couldn't take a simple premise and answer a question like adults. The question once again was....if the Voom channels were in SD would you still be watching them. I have stated that HD or SD doesn't seem to be a deal breaker for me to watch something. And I never watch something because it is on in HD, if I wasn't planning on watching it anyway. So your paranoid. This wasn't posted in the war zone because that wasn't the purpose of it. So I now have a better understanding. Not of my original question but of the fact that some of us can't have a discussion on these types of things. The defense mechanism kicks in, the I have this so it has to be good kicks in and everyones IQ goes down a couple of notches. Congratulations.

Not defensive. Irritated at the trolling. AS you well know, this question has been talked to death. Look at your thread title. The "seriously" shows you know, but don't accept, the answer to your question. Note too that even after a heck of a lot of us have answered your question right here in this thread, you STILL claim to not know what our answers are.

If your interest was really in what we think of Voom programming, you would have accepted what we have said over and over again, and you would have bothered to read our answers to you in this thread.

Seriously.

 

[Sapient]

How does it being in HD have any effect on the actual programming? Not saying it sucks in any way, seen it a few times, not enough to actually say whether its any good or not. thats the question before the court.

The medium is different, and as such the people who use it use it differently. More attention is paid to detail, for example. Shows are shot in wide screen, for another. And when it comes to broadcasting movies, what you get on your TV is closer to what was intended for the theater.

Consider how stretchovision is different than HD, and you will understand how HD changes the way shows are made.

 

[Sapient]

TFILMF and MNSTR seem to catch my attention more than the others. GAMEP and ANIMA are two I can say I never watch, but I am sure that there are others who like them. The others like EQUTR, RUSH, RAVE, etc. I will watch some, but not that much. But here's the thing, if I can have all the maintstream content D* has today, plus what they will continue to add AND keep the VOOM channels, I would!

The thing is, given any random subset of the channels a person gets and a random subset of channels s/he doesn't, there will almost always be some that person would like to change out. I would gladly change Rush for SciFi HD. But I would gladly trade Food HD for SciFI HD too. Does that mean that Voom, or non-Voom on E* is bad? No. I wouldn't trade Rave for CartoonNetwork HD. Voom, like any subset of the channels we get, has somethings I like and some things I don't.

 

[Ronnie-]

The medium is different, and as such the people who use it use it differently. More attention is paid to detail, for example. Shows are shot in wide screen, for another. And when it comes to broadcasting movies, what you get on your TV is closer to what was intended for the theater.

Consider how stretchovision is different than HD, and you will understand how HD changes the way shows are made.

I completely understand the appeal of broadcasting in HD. No question things are enhanced VISUALLY over what we would see otherwise. But actual CONTENT is just as important. A high def picture of a rotting pile of trash(NOT TALKING ABOUT VOOM) wouldnt hold my attention long at all.
So yes, HD changes the way shows are made, but it really doesnt enhance the content of the show, and thats what i was curious about in regards to voom.

 

[Sapient]

I completely understand the appeal of broadcasting in HD. No question things are enhanced VISUALLY over what we would see otherwise. But actual CONTENT is just as important. A high def picture of a rotting pile of trash(NOT TALKING ABOUT VOOM) wouldnt hold my attention long at all.
So yes, HD changes the way shows are made, but it really doesnt enhance the content of the show, and thats what i was curious about in regards to voom.

Again, I disagree. Nature shows, for example, can focus on things in HD that they can not in SD. A wide aspect ratio allows for very different kinds of shots, which can have a real impact on content.

Take, for example, Laurence of Arabia. Because it was filmed for a wide screen, it allowed for shots with two characters separated by an expanse of sand. Shots like that were designed to show us something about the relationship between those characters, and they just don't work in a 4:3 aspect ratio. The medium of a production allows for certain methods of presenting an artistic vision or information.

Showing a movie in HD wide screen rather than SD full screen is not just a difference in picture clarity. It changes the content and quality of the film.

 

[8bitbytes]

To Sapient and 8bits. Your answers are interesting. Childish, defensive, but none the less interesting. New to HD, give me a break. For your information, I have no Voom envy what so ever. Do I wish D* had it? Sure, why not. I would like to see what it is all about, have more options etc.... Your defensive answers though, seem to tell me the whole story. You guys couldn't take a simple premise and answer a question like adults. The question once again was....if the Voom channels were in SD would you still be watching them. I have stated that HD or SD doesn't seem to be a deal breaker for me to watch something. And I never watch something because it is on in HD, if I wasn't planning on watching it anyway. So your paranoid. This wasn't posted in the war zone because that wasn't the purpose of it. So I now have a better understanding. Not of my original question but of the fact that some of us can't have a discussion on these types of things. The defense mechanism kicks in, the I have this so it has to be good kicks in and everyones IQ goes down a couple of notches. Congratulations.

Yeah right...

Your question has no purpose other than to denegrate Voom, which seems to be popular right now.

If you really wanted to "understand" then you would ask a more generic question like, "Who watches the SD channels for those that have HD simulcasts" or something along those lines. Then you could fan that out to cover premiums and channels that don't have an SD counterpart and include Voom in that survey.

How did you determine that everyone's IQ dropped? Because you didn't like the responses? Please document your authority to make such armchair determinations and provide a CV to back up your authority.

 

[Sean Mota]

This whole thread is so bogus that I after reading 8 pages I failed to understand why anyone would watch SD content on an HDTV. I do not waste my lamp life of my rear projection on SD content.

Rule# 1 Any SD content is not welcome on HDTV.
Rule#2 In order to consider any programming it has to be in HD.
Rule#3 this thread is not worth the effort

 

[Ronnie-]

Again, I disagree. Nature shows, for example, can focus on things in HD that they can not in SD. A wide aspect ratio allows for very different kinds of shots, which can have a real impact on content.

Take, for example, Laurence of Arabia. Because it was filmed for a wide screen, it allowed for shots with two characters separated by an expanse of sand. Shots like that were designed to show us something about the relationship between those characters, and they just don't work in a 4:3 aspect ratio. The medium of a production allows for certain methods of presenting an artistic vision or information.

Showing a movie in HD wide screen rather than SD full screen is not just a difference in picture clarity. It changes the content and quality of the film.

Visual quality of the content, yes i agree. The ability of the content to hold your attention though i see as two totally different things. If a show sucks, it sucks IMO. It may be a better, prettier shade of suckiness(is that a word? lol)since it is in HD, but it still generally wouldnt make me want to watch it anymore now that the WOW factor is not as strong when it comes to HD as it once was