rtt2 said:
Correct, Voom was forced to launch early. Im sure Dolan would have prefferred to launch later with a full slate of carriage agreements in place.
CNET.com: Death of Voom: we just weren't ready
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Correct, Voom was forced to launch early. Im sure Dolan would have prefferred to launch later with a full slate of carriage agreements in place.
I don't know how hard it really is to get HDTV when it's offered, really. My mom has HDTV over cable with a HD-DVR. It's hooked up through a set of component video cables. Just like digital cable, except it uses component instead of composite or coax. How hard is that really? She's no technology expert, but managed to call her cable company up and tell them she wanted the HDTV package with DVR. It really was that simple. With competent installers, there's no reason anyone with an HD set can't watch HDTV. It's not difficult to hook up, it's just that so little has been available until recently. As far as OTA, one can buy an OTA HD tuner at wal-mart for $150. You hook your antenna to it just like you would to your TV, something people have been doing for years. Not too challenging really....
Once people see actual HDTV it doesn't take much to convince them. Heck, my mom even says she watches mostly HD material now because the quality is so much better. I would think her opinion is pretty average, pretty mainstream.
Once people see actual HDTV it doesn't take much to convince them. Heck, my mom even says she watches mostly HD material now because the quality is so much better. I would think her opinion is pretty average, pretty mainstream.
ChrisDuncan said:
I think I will stick with my original premise. People see hdtv all the time at places like BB and CC and they can see that it looks better, but if they are not in the market for a new tv and are satisfied with the programming they now have, then I cannot see them just shelling out hundreds of dollars for hdtv. If you could see the difference side by side in your home, that would make a difference because in the stores hdtv is highlighted mostly on the high end displays like the plasmas. Smaller hdtv displays get lost near the glitzy ones. But mostly, does your average person who is trying to make ends meet have hundreds of dollars to shell out for hdtv just for the hell of it if they do not feel the need for one? Also, it's nice to watch the quality of hd, but what about content? There are still hundreds of old programs and movies out there that are not hd. Are people out there just going to not watch them anymore because they are not hd? I don't think so.
Yeah, it still comes down to making the content available, and with Voom gone it looks like we'll have to hope for cable to lead the way for the time being.
As far as old programs and movies, they look great (at least old movies) when shown in HD, so that shouldn't be a problem. It's just getting HD transfers made of the material. I guess shows filmed on videotape aren't going to look great in HD, but old movies definitely do.
What's great about cable helping HD become accepted is that they don't usually require you to buy equipment like Dish and Directv do, so people are more likely to try it when they buy a new TV.
I think it's still the snowball effect, and it's just now starting to pick up steam and get bigger. Voom's demise is definitely a setback, but I still expect to see more content by the end of 2006. If Directv actually tries to do something besides HD-LIL with their new satellites, and if Dish could pick up the Voom originals in some for or other when they get Rainbow 1 maybe the outlook will change. With cable, of course, it just depends if you live in a good area and have a decent provider. Some of them are really decent.
TV prices continue to fall. When I bought my first HDTV, a 65" Toshiba, it was $3,500. I've seen 65" CRT HDTVs for around $1,800 recently. I remember seeing a 65" HDTV for $6,500 a couple years before I bought mine. It was a CRT also.
We're also starting to see smaller, affordable tube HDTVs now, even at places like Wal-mart. So at least things are progressing somewhat.
As far as old programs and movies, they look great (at least old movies) when shown in HD, so that shouldn't be a problem. It's just getting HD transfers made of the material. I guess shows filmed on videotape aren't going to look great in HD, but old movies definitely do.
What's great about cable helping HD become accepted is that they don't usually require you to buy equipment like Dish and Directv do, so people are more likely to try it when they buy a new TV.
I think it's still the snowball effect, and it's just now starting to pick up steam and get bigger. Voom's demise is definitely a setback, but I still expect to see more content by the end of 2006. If Directv actually tries to do something besides HD-LIL with their new satellites, and if Dish could pick up the Voom originals in some for or other when they get Rainbow 1 maybe the outlook will change. With cable, of course, it just depends if you live in a good area and have a decent provider. Some of them are really decent.
TV prices continue to fall. When I bought my first HDTV, a 65" Toshiba, it was $3,500. I've seen 65" CRT HDTVs for around $1,800 recently. I remember seeing a 65" HDTV for $6,500 a couple years before I bought mine. It was a CRT also.
We're also starting to see smaller, affordable tube HDTVs now, even at places like Wal-mart. So at least things are progressing somewhat.
Fortunately E* was able to use their transponders via STA until Rainbow1 finally got in the air. The FCC allowed E* customers to benefit from the space. The only real blocking going on was allowing any new carrier from entering the marketplace on those licenses.rtt2 said:
Voom almost became a never launched service. It was forunate that they made the real expenditures of designing and launching a satellite. It was the only thing that extended their life before launch for so long. In the end it was the tell tale of the service. Hard to get on the air and hard to keep on the air.
JL
If...
I guess I can sum it up by saying, if someone has to do something differently than they are now, they are MUCH less likely to change just to get HD. For most people, a great pic is a nice to have, not a need to have.
Now, one of the great things Voom was offering was making it a lot easier to allow us to receive HD. Forgetting the problems with Installs, Inc. many of us experienced for a minute and the plan was a good idea. However, they were still asking people to change what they're comfortable with. Most people just aren't gonna do it.
The biggest problem with all of this is the failure won't encourage anyone to start offering more HD anytime soon. They'll all point to Voom and say, "See, they gave you HD and nobody wanted it. Why should we spend our money on providing HD if nobody wants it?" I fear that's going to be the attitude from many of these companies now.
The Rickster
This is true if, and I stress IF they're in a situation like this. Every cable company isn't offering HD services yet (although most major areas are) and they're not all that easy to get going. However, there are still the questions of, "Why are those black bars still there on CBS?" Or, "This doesn't look as good as it did in the store when I bought the TV." There are many other HD-related questions as well.
I guess I can sum it up by saying, if someone has to do something differently than they are now, they are MUCH less likely to change just to get HD. For most people, a great pic is a nice to have, not a need to have.
Now, one of the great things Voom was offering was making it a lot easier to allow us to receive HD. Forgetting the problems with Installs, Inc. many of us experienced for a minute and the plan was a good idea. However, they were still asking people to change what they're comfortable with. Most people just aren't gonna do it.
The biggest problem with all of this is the failure won't encourage anyone to start offering more HD anytime soon. They'll all point to Voom and say, "See, they gave you HD and nobody wanted it. Why should we spend our money on providing HD if nobody wants it?" I fear that's going to be the attitude from many of these companies now.
The Rickster
I mostly agree with you. I consider myself relatively tech savvy (been working with computers for 13 years, have setup hometheater systems for family and friends etc) and when you first hear about HD, it is confusing. HD ready, HD capable, HD tuner included (or not), HD decoder, etc. ("You mean if I but this $xxx tv, I still have to buy a separate tuner/decoder and then an antenna?") I think that companies like Walmart selling all-inclusive HD sets with tuner included etc. will help the adoption process of the technology. It takes out confusing steps for the average Joe. Also, I wish that articles like the one that appears in CNET would stop pricing an entry-level HDTV at $700+. It just isn't true. 2 years ago, I was seeing HD sets for $450-$500 and we just purchased one over Christmas for $349. We had several choices in the $349-$500 range. Do we own the latest plasma set, no but we have a fantastic picture in both HD and SD. If more people realized that they could upgrade their existing SD tv's at for a more reasonable price, I think that HD would become mainstream.
VOOM was brought down by C. Dolan's mismanagement. At no time during VOOM's life did the number of HDTV's in the US decline yet VOOM's subscriber numbers did decline at one point. Launching later would not have helped because they did not know how to run the company. They did not know to train installers for the OTA. They did not know how to supervise the installers. They did not know how to run a billing system. They did not know how to market their service. They did not know how to test software before releasing it to subscribers.
Quote "That is the kicker. Had Voom launched today it would have found a much larger audience. In 2003 I still did not own an HD set. Today I have three of them although having Voom is what compelled me to buy the third."
You are right, funny how they are closing down when really they should be just getting started. Maybe its tied into the doubling of subs in that short amount of time. Mr. Dolan definetetly had a vision but his glasses fell off...
You are right, funny how they are closing down when really they should be just getting started. Maybe its tied into the doubling of subs in that short amount of time. Mr. Dolan definetetly had a vision but his glasses fell off...
jnardone said:
We were the beta testers. Remember the early days of their programming? HUGE improvements there. Remember the early days of at least one lock-up per day and multiple trips to your house to replace boxes and fix bugs? I must admit, they had come a LONG way in a year as far as box stability as well.
It did not make sense to have a strong marketing plan in the early days, because if they created a lot of demand, then they wouldn't be able to handle all of the service calls and complaints. If they had a lot of complaints, then word would spread even faster that the service was not worth the hassle. By the time they got their act together, it was too late.
You nailed it. People don't take change well, that is human nature. HDTV just by its very nature, is still not ready for the masses to except.GadgetRick said:
All they lacked was the DVR! So many in this forum were always opposed to adding SD content. I was not for the simple fact that the masses would not switch to VOOM without the basic programming they were used to. It almost caused me not to switch! Finally they added the last of what I considered the basic channels. The only barrier I saw in me convincing my friends and family was the loss of a VERY convenient feature they all now have...Digital Video Recording. Had VOOM had that with the programming they just added...there is no question they would have began to see a major increase in subscribers. I alone would have gotten them 7 immediately...sounds small but so does interest before it's compounded!! ALL they lacked was the DVR...pitty!!! MARK CUBAN....where are you with your deep pockets...save us!!! Give me back Dirk in HD...without HD I can hardly see little Avery on the bench ;o)!!!
I'm the same way. I knew of 5 people I could have referred immediately using the refer-a-friend program. Yeah, that's only a few, but multiply that by several thousand doing the same thing and the numbers start to add up.
Maybe...
Maybe it was....
Bad Installers
Bad Billing System
Bad Customer Service
Bad Hardware
Bad OTA expectations
No DVR
I know a lot of this started to get fixed in the end but, because of the reasons above Voom could not even keep its existing customers. I wished Voom would of made it. But after using the service for 4+ months I am no way surprised it shut down. And if we were all “Beta” testers Voom never told me
Maybe it was....
Bad Installers
Bad Billing System
Bad Customer Service
Bad Hardware
Bad OTA expectations
No DVR
I know a lot of this started to get fixed in the end but, because of the reasons above Voom could not even keep its existing customers. I wished Voom would of made it. But after using the service for 4+ months I am no way surprised it shut down. And if we were all “Beta” testers Voom never told me
alton987 said:
Fixed in the end is right, i was installed on Nov 26th and had problem after problem until i was finally fixed on march 22, i was actually a happy customer for almost16 days LOL but just about everyone had to wonder if Voom could actually make it, i wanted to see Voom survive but cant say i was surprised with this outcome.
Go with a front projector!
True, true... There are LCD front projectors (decent ones!) selling for 3k and under now. But how many consumers are aware of that? Even someone in the market for a new HD set, willing to spend 2-3k wouldn't normally consider this option.
ChrisDuncan said:
True, true... There are LCD front projectors (decent ones!) selling for 3k and under now. But how many consumers are aware of that? Even someone in the market for a new HD set, willing to spend 2-3k wouldn't normally consider this option.
jnardone said:
...A cheap equipment rental plan from the get go would have picked up some more subscribers. That's the ONLY reason I didn't sign up sooner. I didn't want to shell $1000 dollars or more to fulfill my three monitors.
The thing that keeps coming back in my mind is the number of people who tried Voom and left. Many of them would have been those who MADE the high dollar commitment to buy and install receivers - people who wouldn't mind dropping a few $k on a HD monitor. For the first year Voom marketed to those willing to spend $k on televisions and equipment - spend a few thousand dollars and we will sell you a signal. And people who made the investment still left.
Meanwhile other DBS companies are offering $999 startup packages that include the TV and monitor and a near nothing price for the service. (Yes, the monitor isn't the best and the service isn't "39 HD" Voom - but it remains a price within budget.)
JL
Meanwhile other DBS companies are offering $999 startup packages that include the TV and monitor and a near nothing price for the service. (Yes, the monitor isn't the best and the service isn't "39 HD" Voom - but it remains a price within budget.)
JL
Not True
I had 2 Voom Receivers and the VA VAVoom service. Great installs, Great programming, Great customer service, NaDA to complain about, except it is gone. PS the price for equipment and service was fine. DAMM I wil miss it.
I had 2 Voom Receivers and the VA VAVoom service. Great installs, Great programming, Great customer service, NaDA to complain about, except it is gone. PS the price for equipment and service was fine. DAMM I wil miss it.
GripperDon said:I had 2 Voom Receivers and the VA VAVoom service. Great installs, Great programming, Great customer service, NaDA to complain about, except it is gone. PS the price for equipment and service was fine. DAMM I wil miss it.
Yeah, you don't realize how good of a deal it was. I was only paying $50 for 26 HD channles + OTA HD.
At regular prices, you can't touch that. Oh well...
Still going to miss Monsters HD the most. Even though I have Comcast now, I'll keep Voom thru the end of the month for the Voom21 channels, TNT-HD and UHD.
-John
