Charles Dolan E-mail Response (4/4/05)

[MasterFX1]

This was posted at AlbanyHDTV.com a local HD forum that I am a moderator for.

http://albanyhdtv.proboards18.com/index.cgi?board=Voom&action=display&num=1112655954

-----Original Message-----
From: "Charles Dolan"
Sent: Monday, April 04, 2005 8:33 AM
To: "davidkennedy"
Cc: "Tom Dolan"
Subject: Re: VOOM

Mr Kennedy, thanks for your note. We do like the idea of syndicating Voom 21 and hope to do so shortly.

Charles Dolan

>>> "David Kennedy" 04/01/05 08:45PM >>>

Mr. Dolan,

I have read about the issues with VOOM and one thing I haven't heard anyone mentioning, is why not take VOOM and make it into a premium HD service and sell it to the cable and satellite companies? If VOOM becomes a premium service like HBO, Cinemax, etc... it wont need it's own satellite and it will operate at a lower cost. The demand for HD quality programming like VOOM 21 provides will make this a successful endeavor.

David Kennedy

 

[Voomin@720p]

I do not believe it.

 

[MarcelV]

Syndicating it to Cablevision perhaps......

 

[Spike]

I really Don't like that option at all, unless of course VOOM stays a Satellite service and sells it's programing to others as well. Now that I wouldn't mind. But to just become a HD content provider. Nahhhh, I don't like it.

 

[Bruce]

Well that will keep the Voom and Echostar rumors going and who is not mentioning that, it has talked about here to be a program provider since the trouble with Voom started,

 

[riffjim4069]

Syndicating VOOM21 makes perfect sense...if you have another Exclusive 21 waiting in the wings.

 

[dalos2004]

Who besides voom on the Rainbow 1 sat has the current bandwith to carry an additional 21 channels of hd. E* will if the fcc approves the sale but who wants anything to do with charlie and his lies...

 

[will0471]

I would highly highly highly doubt that this is an actual email from Mr. Dolan. Doesn't fit the email format even used by Cablevision...

I do think it's a good idea though. If the draw to VOOM in the first place is supposed to be HD content, but VOOM can't survive as an 3rd satellite provider contender, why NOT sell the HD content separately? Charge "x" amount per subscriber per month to E* and D* and anyone else who wants to provide HD-specific content and sit back and collect bucks every month.

Look at the CVC entities and what makes money... Rainbow Media Holdings and its programming assets. The Wiz lost money, Clearview loses money, The Garden loses money, Radio City Music Hall loses money. What assets have held and grown their value? Rainbow Media Holdings assets. Sold Bravo for how much? $1+ billion dollars?? What are all those assets, PROGRAMMING assets... sounds like a winning idea to me...

 

[madpoet]

Would suck for me, since I can't get any bird but the Rainbow sats.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

I have received emails from Mr Dolan before and the from line is wrong. So I can't say if it is valid or not.

I do however know that Mr Dolan has something he is working on that will insure VOOM lives on.

 

[Nosferatu1022]

I doubt the crediblity of that, as well.

Unless you can post the actual IP and routing address from the e-mail, it's nothing more than freud.

 

[Ilya]

Cc: "Tom Dolan" looks suspicious too...

 

[ptech]

I would have to agree with Scott and the rest of the gang here. That email does not demonstrate the least bit of professionalism as you would expect coming from a man like Mr. Dolan. Just signing his name alone without any additional signature information would be one of many flags thrown up here, but you all know that anyway.

 

[Nayl]

I have received emails from Mr Dolan before and the from line is wrong. So I can't say if it is valid or not.

I do however know that Mr Dolan has something he is working on that will insure VOOM lives on.

Well if it has anything to do with me switching over to Echostar it will live on without my money and I think alot of people feel the same way.

 

[Voomin@720p]

I'd go to E* and would even pay extra to keep the VOOM 21 along with the other HD's that VOOM has and E* does not.

 

[kfried001]

Who besides voom on the Rainbow 1 sat has the current bandwith to carry an additional 21 channels of hd. E* will if the fcc approves the sale but who wants anything to do with charlie and his lies...

You don't need the bandwidth for 21 channels
Cinema 10 becomes cinema 5/w monsters ( 5 channels)
Worldsport + Rush (1 Channel)
Rave (1 Channel)
Gallery+Auction (1 Channel)
Ultra+Equator (1 Chanel)
Drop the rest. 9 channels.

If E* buys it then they should add StarzHD,CinemaxHD,TMCHD,UHD,INHD1,INHD2

15 channels will give D* a run for it's money. Just a thought.

 

[Tvlman]

The idea that Charles Dolan is going to go with is VOOM21.....the 21 VOOM HD channels that would be a welcome addition to any cable company or satellite company. Instant HD to the tune of 21 channels. HOw it is going to be distributed is anyone's guess. Satellites aren't forever. Already optical fibers make it possible to distribute HDTV through existing phone lines.

 

[calikarim]

voom thru Adelphia

Adelphia is coast to coast, what about if Dolan is going to buy Adelphia and distriubute voom thru ADelphia, and Cablevision. I get Adelphia in Santa Monica. However, i favor voom via satellite, something about cable i don't trust. I never like the picture qualtiy via cable. Could that be why he is buying adelphia. Adelphia has strong prescence both coasts.

 

[voomworker1]

The idea that Charles Dolan is going to go with is VOOM21.....the 21 VOOM HD channels that would be a welcome addition to any cable company or satellite company. Instant HD to the tune of 21 channels. HOw it is going to be distributed is anyone's guess. Satellites aren't forever. Already optical fibers make it possible to distribute HDTV through existing phone lines.[/QUOT


There is a HUGE problem with cable, the overall bandwidth isn't capable of holding that many HD channels. Even if you have Fiber feeding into your house you still have a "copper" line going into your TV. The future of TV is satellite and satellite alone, unless everyone's house is wired with fiber instead of coax cable, and that is not going to happen. You can imagine the overall price you would have to pay to get that done. You can only fit a ceratin amount of stuff on coax (SD channels, HD channels, Internet, VoIP). So fiber doesn't mean sh*t unless you have it running throughout your house. Sorry to bust your bubble dude..

 

[LonghornXP]

The idea that Charles Dolan is going to go with is VOOM21.....the 21 VOOM HD channels that would be a welcome addition to any cable company or satellite company. Instant HD to the tune of 21 channels. HOw it is going to be distributed is anyone's guess. Satellites aren't forever. Already optical fibers make it possible to distribute HDTV through existing phone lines.[/QUOT


There is a HUGE problem with cable, the overall bandwidth isn't capable of holding that many HD channels. Even if you have Fiber feeding into your house you still have a "copper" line going into your TV. The future of TV is satellite and satellite alone, unless everyone's house is wired with fiber instead of coax cable, and that is not going to happen. You can imagine the overall price you would have to pay to get that done. You can only fit a ceratin amount of stuff on coax (SD channels, HD channels, Internet, VoIP). So fiber doesn't mean sh*t unless you have it running throughout your house. Sorry to bust your bubble dude..

I say your wrong because Verizon FTTP has more bandwidth than both cable and satellite. The FTTP rollouts cost money (about 1 to 1.5 grand per customer) which includes customers getting fiber to their house itself while using existing phone lines inside the house and using existing coax cables in the house for TV service. Unlike cable Verizon will not have every channel they offer going down the same cable. Verizon will be using a form of IPTV and QAM mix so that channels will be broadcast using QAM over their network but it would also use IPTV in that only one channel would be sent over the cable at a time and that is the channel that is tuned. Because only one channel will be piped down per room versus hundreds that means that Verizon can offer every channel available anywhere as long as they have enough encoders and satellites to receive the content. Now last time I checked its much harder to increase bandwidth than it is to get more encoders. They as in Verizon also don't have to over compress everything to add more channels because they still will only use the same amount of bandwidth per room no matter how many channels they offer.