AND YOU GET IT ALL FOR ONLY 749.00

[Trindle]

Let me see if I have this right.
1) I have to babysit them to make sure my equipment is there and that they will show up for a confirmed app.

2)The box does a red push on component unless you use the DVI connector(by which the cord will cost me $200 because I need a 40ft one).

3)The sd channels have choppy audio on some and the PQ is not that great ? even worse than D* or E*

4) The Cinema channels run old movies that I have seen 10 times before and are most of the time not being shown in OTR.

5)There continues to be a mapping problem.

I have purchased the product and scheduled an install for Jan 15th 2004 after I close on my new house. but why with all of this would I stay with them. Come on guys it's not like Satellite or HD is a new technology that just emerged. It has been there for a few years now. Do ya think they could have gotten it more together before they released it ? I just don't know which way I will end up. Dish looks good to me but they have no HGTV. But they have Russian programming. Direct is to much on the monthly and soon will go up after the buy out I'm sure.


I really wish they would drop the music channels and the crappy cinema 10 down to one and just keep adding all the network hd channels as they come out. Not just make channels up to fill Satellite space.


NOW THAT WOULD BE HD DELIVERED !!!! And would kick D* and E* off the scope. Well at least for a while.

 

[Sean Mota]

Trindle,

Very good points. However, in my opinion, installations have improved. There's definitely room for improvement. I look at it this way. Let me evaluate the entire package which I am willing to wait until V* adds all HD channels. Once I see the entire package I will make a decision to keep it or to send it back. I am in it for the HD channels not the SD channels. If V* can convince me that they will have all HD channels as promised, it will make my decision very hard. It also depends what E* will do. If E* is not pro-active in adding more HD channels, I will reduce programming with them and shift some of that money to V*. I have a budget that I can work with. Who is going to get my $$$ will depend on who is willing to give me more HD (and I am not talking about the 21 exclusive channels!).

 

[Tampa8]

I'm not hearing great things overall about VOOM either, but;

1. HD has not been around for awhile, especially on satellite. Even the local stations broadcasting OTA still have some bugs to work out, such as sync problems and digital signal variances as you get further from the transmitter. (I don't mean just a weaker signal, it "bounces" especially VHF).

2. Dish has HGTV, unless you mean HD which I'm not sure is available.

3. I still say we are all expecting way too much from any of the providers including Cable. (which may soon have the lead in HD programming because they will have locals in HD) VOOM has the additional problem of being new. To broadcast in HD you have to record it or use cameras that are HD. This will take time.

 

[Trindle]

Sean- How are the sd channels really compared to D* or E*. I spoke wrong before on E* not having HGTV it was Oxygen that I couldn't find in their line up. Who in your opinion has the best sd PQ. I know it varies and they all use different compression rates. Over all though which service do you personally like being a programmer and all. And are the sd channels on Voom really bad?

 

[Sean Mota]

Trindle,

The SD channels are bad in both. I have given up watching SD channels. I rarely do although I pay for them. What SD channels I watch:

Sci-fi (looks like crap in E*). Since they drop farscape I have not watched Sci-fi.

Cartoon Networks (looks fine because it is cartoon and cartoon generally look ok. I watch it only for the adults cartoons, such as the family guy, futurama & most recently star wars. But I have diminished my interest since I am buying the seasons DVD for family guy and futurama.

Locals on E* are crappy...I usually switch to OTA to watch them.

On V* I saw no difference to E* with SD channels, except for the following:
(1) Starz-HD when not showing HD movies the SD feed is excellent.
(2) NFL Net HD: When showing the game of the week the SD shots and commercials are excellent. Notice that the regular NFL net channel (SD) I will give a little better PQ.
(3) I tried to watch Oxygen but I did not like how the SD fee looked (same as E*).

So my interest does not lie with a particular channel but what they are showing. I would go HD first and if there is something that interests me in an SD channel, I will watch but I will reduce the screen of my projection TV in order to watch it. Do not buy the system because of SD channels unless you want to be dissapointed by it. This is why I do not watch basketball games in any SD channel anymore. High action shots are filled with artifacts due to compression.

 

[Trindle]

So the millions of customers that are watching these channels are looking at pure crap on sd channels. Come on what about cable tv theirs look ok on analog. Nothing compares to HD anyway. I think V* E* D* need a better rating than this.