Considering Voom, a little worried

[gawain]

After getting tired of the general lack of DirecTV content for HD, I dropped it for my local comcast service (more HD channels). Unfortunately, their DVR is not great, so again, I am looking (I have a nice DWIN system with a 9 foot screen that demands to be used. )

So Voom looks interesting, but I have some concerns:

1. Whether I can even get it. I understand the dish goes in a different spot than DirecTV, so that causes me some concern. I'm in Seattle, so I don't know what to look for and nobody I know has VOOM, so I cannot look at where their sat dish points to.

2. Are they going to be around in a year? I see lots of thoughts on this, and it is concerning.

3. Am I going to like it? I don't even know where to see it.

Anyway, any comments or suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks!

 

[VegasVoomer]

Welcome to the forum.
Your dish will probably face E/SE and low on the horizon.
No DVR yet.
Around in a year--???
Once you get it installed correctly you WILL like it.
I like it alot. I have no problems with it except I wish
the locals were on the sat instead of OTA but I still
get limited basic cable for locals so I really to care
about that. Luckly I had a half way decent installer.
He left the screws on the dish loose and I fixed
that myself and had two luckups after the recent
SW upgrade. My caller ID is working. As far as
I'm concerned Voom would be the best if they
had PPV. Even if it was just one channel other
than PB.

 

[Amphicar770]

I just signed up today after sitting on the fence contemplating many of the same issues.

Given the current promotion, I figured there is really zero risk. It is a pretty good service that will be great if they deliver the new channels and DVR promised for March. But even if they go dark, you are out a $1 dollar install fee. The 6 month commitment is also pretty minimal and if nothing else, you will have an OTA antenna installed.

If you are happy with VOOM you are contributing to supporting the underdog and maybe making them successful. If it does not meet expectations after six months your cable co will probably offer a great "dump the dish" win-back program.

I would definitely not buy the equipment but the I feel the lease is a no-risk proposition. Go for it!!

 

[gawain]

IF you hate it 3 months in, you're still supposed to pay the subscription fee, right, so you are out of more than a $1. I'm still investigating.

What's truly appalling is when I left DirecTV after, oh, 10 years of service, they did nothing to keep me. No credits, no "what can we do to keep you," nothing. And I was an HDTIvo using, full subscription + playboy paying customer. You'd think they would WANT to keep me.

 

[Amphicar770]

Well, sure. But the only reason I can see hating it that much is that you are completely dissatisfied with the program offerings. This is a question you should be able to answer for yourself BEFORE you ever sign up. Haveing read hundreds of posts, it seems that PQ is better (and certainly no worse) than anyone else. the non-DVR set top boxes appear to be about the same as everyone elses in terms of software bugs and flakiness.

Sat is at 61.5 so as long as you have a clear view from where your D* dish is mounted they should be able to use the same location. Use another spot if you think you might go back to D*, installation fee remains the same.

If VOOM goes boom and goes dark you would not need to continue paying for service. Thus, it seems that the questions which are most important can be answered before you invest your $1 and your risks are quite small.

 

[VegasVoomer]

DirecTV has so many thousands of people subscribing and un-subscribing every day that they no longer care if you un-sub. They know that in your place 10 others will sub so it doesnt matter.
And you wont hate voom. If they knew how to market their product they would be up there with the other 2. Then with that extra income they could work on some of the problems.

 

[jagouar]

voOm is a steal right now with the $1 installed deal for 3 HD receivers.... get on now

 

[SeattleVoomer1]

Hi "gawain",

Looks like most of your questions have been answered particularly about the $1 install-pretty hard to beat.

As far as reception there are quite a few posts about this on the "In Your Area" forum under, I think, "Seattle to Bellingham VOOMers" and under "Pacific Northwest VOOMers" as well as more info in the Portland VOOMers thread.

We live just west of White Center (4 blocks south of West Seattle) and while the satellite is low to the SE we have a clear weather sat signal of 98 out of 100-about as good as it gets anywhere in the U.S. With the new 24" we haven't gone below 95 in the past month. OTAs are great-we get all the local digital OTAs currently broadcasting using the VOOM Stealth antenna.

Try it, you'll like it or love it like we do although we only have an 8' screen.

Still watching HDTV under clear (rain promised!) Seattle skies, Gill

 

[Ti-maniac]

Gawain,
WRT your specific worries, these are not issuesu unless you cannot see the satellite.

The real things to worry about are covered elsewhere on this fourm.

 

[gawain]

Does the voom sat sit in the direction of the DirecTV one?

 

[DarrellP]

NO! It looks way low on the horizon in the East/SouthEast direction, so if you have any trees in that direction, you may be SOL.

 

[SeattleVoomer1]

However, you may be like us with trees to the East/SouthEast and receive VOOM with a sat signal quality of 98 under clear skies or the 92 we have in light rain with a 24" sat antenna at the moment.

Still watching HDTV in guess what in Seattle, Gill

 

[Darrell]

Voom Subscribers

After getting tired of the general lack of DirecTV content for HD, I dropped it for my local comcast service (more HD channels). Unfortunately, their DVR is not great, so again, I am looking (I have a nice DWIN system with a 9 foot screen that demands to be used. )

So Voom looks interesting, but I have some concerns:

1. Whether I can even get it. I understand the dish goes in a different spot than DirecTV, so that causes me some concern. I'm in Seattle, so I don't know what to look for and nobody I know has VOOM, so I cannot look at where their sat dish points to.

2. Are they going to be around in a year? I see lots of thoughts on this, and it is concerning.

3. Am I going to like it? I don't even know where to see it.

Anyway, any comments or suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks!

I have heard VOOM only has around 30,000 subscribers. If this is all they have after over 12 months of operation, how can they survive!

 

[SeattleVoomer1]

Hiya Darrell,

Just wondering what documented evidence you are using as the basis for your assessment of "30,000 subscribers?

Wondering while watching HDTV under a "Floor Warning" in Seattle, Gill

 

[David Dietzel]

Gawain:

The current offer VOOM is giving new subscribes is about as low risk an offer as you will ever find from any content provider.

I've had VOOM since mid-November 2004 and the PQ and service have been terrific.

Now they need to get a bug-free first generation DVR released in March as promised and offer it with a lease option (given their history, they likely will offer a lease option) and offer the network feeds over the dish, not the off-air antenna.

Don't hesitate to get VOOM.

 

[voomster2]

Hiya Darrell,

Just wondering what documented evidence you are using as the basis for your assessment of "30,000 subscribers?

Wondering while watching HDTV under a "Floor Warning" in Seattle, Gill

The last documented evidence I saw (although it has been awhile) showed VOOM with 26,000 subscribers.

SeattleVoomer1, do you think the number is significantly higher?

 

[jeslevine]

its the same with all the providers

IF you hate it 3 months in, you're still supposed to pay the subscription fee, right, so you are out of more than a $1. I'm still investigating.

What's truly appalling is when I left DirecTV after, oh, 10 years of service, they did nothing to keep me. No credits, no "what can we do to keep you," nothing. And I was an HDTIvo using, full subscription + playboy paying customer. You'd think they would WANT to keep me.

They are only looking for new customers

Dish did not deliver on their HD promise either, and so when the VOOM deal came, i.e. free installation and hardware, it was zero risk for me

1. I downgraded my dish service to avoid duplication
2. subscribed to voom on their 6 month contract deal

it is the only game in town that give HD content. If they don't make it, I still have dish.

 

[TheTimm]

I have heard VOOM only has around 30,000 subscribers. If this is all they have after over 12 months of operation, how can they survive!

Welcome aboard, Darrell . If your first post is any indication, it sure is nice to have another Voom-is-doomed glass-half-empty kinda guy around. Just what we need. . .

 

[trm17118]

gawain

Come on in, the water's fine. Voom has a pretty decent service and the current promotion removes all risk. If they don't make it, you're really not out anything.

Once you see all the HD content, you'll never go back. That and I don't mind helping out the underdog.

Win-win proposition all around. Go for it

 

[SeattleVoomer1]

voomster2, I only know what I've read on the boards about the number of subs but the last official notice of 26,000 by VOOM is pretty long in tooth by now and quite a few posters note it is taking time to get a CSR on the line again since the $1 install and many new VOOMers are posting on here on VOOM/Yahoo in the past month and a half.

So, I'd be guessing to say that it is more than 26,000 but the available "data" seems to indicate the right direction.

Still watching HDTV in light rain in Seattle, Gill