Maybe I am stupid......input welcome

[JaydeeD]

Ok, so I am not an HDTV Whiz like you guys, but I sure could use some input.

Starting at the beginning, I have been a C-Band lover for over a decade, (big dish) because it has the most available channels and also I can get east coast feeds of the networks (watch primetime shows at 5pm instead of 8) But not much HDTV available, and I would need an sidecar addon to my reciever and just hadn't taked the plunge yet.

Last february I saw a good deal on an Daewoo DSC34W70 at BestBuy (I thought it was a good deal) So i got one (its a 34 inch widesreen CRT HDTV ready) However I have had nothing but problems with it and Daewoo doesnt't care. Mostly they advertise it will accept a 480P input from a Progressive DVD player....and it doesn't. Anyway I have never had the opportunity to test the HDTV portion of the set....no signal available here in the wilds of eastern oregon. But in my opinion the set is crap and I am stuck with it. I read a post on another forum from someone with the same set and same problem, that the HDTV portion is gorgeous....so I am not too worried.

OK...on to VOOM.....I got a brochure and letter in the mail last week, never heard of them before, but they make a very attractive pitch, and I want SO SO bad to see some HDTV. So, I go to the website and click around for a few hours, and it sounds good, to me it just needs some more channels which hopefully they will get soon. So I take the plunge without doing any real world research (I AM stupid huh?) and order it. It is supposed to be installed this friday the 5th of december.

Anyway, only after ordering do I think to look past their website for customer comments, and I find you guys. and it seems like all I see are bad remarks, with not too much in the way of satisfied customers, so I probably screwed up....is anybody happy with it so far? did anyone have a relatively painless installation?

also an important question...this crappy TV of mine has a dedicated component HDTV input, will accept only 1080i, anything else and it says "out of range" on the screen....my question is when going from a HD channel to an SD channel on voom, will it take the SD channel and format it in 1080i, even though its not really HD, so I can use just the one input, or do I need to run a different cable to a standard video jack and change inputs on the tv everytime i watch SD? That would really suck

 

[glimmie]

The good news is that the pictuire quality is very good and yes your 1080i TV will be fine.

Now the bad news. Installations are a disaster. Read here and on AVS Forum.com.

Speculation: Can this service make it or is it another unity motion. Well it won't be the first time I wasted $1000 in this hobby!

I think you will be pleased with the servcie but it will be tough getting an installation on time and done right.

 

[Sean Mota]

JaydeeD,

do not fear my man! not everything is lost. VOOM has a great picture when it comes to Picture Quality (PQ). In your case SD might even look good with a 34 inches TV CRT HD.

First, depending on who you get to do the installation, it will either be painless or with a lot of headaches. One of the big problems is having the installer to show up with the equipment to your house. Once you are past that and you have the installer at your location with the equipment, you are in business. It should not take him too much time to do the installation (at most 2-3 hours).

Most people are happy with it right now but the novelty of the current HD channels will wear off if no new additions are made. So overall you will be happy with the system and there seems to be more HD channels coming down the line. There a few who had relative painless installations but other had to suffer. So, hang in there. After the installation you will see the benefits.

Regarding the component 1080i. The VOOM receiver can output to any native resolution (1080i, 720p, 480p, 780i). Before the download make sure the installer connects the component output of the receiver to the component input of your TV. Also, have an extra composite cable in hand, tell the installer to connect it to the composite output of the VOOM receiver and the input of your TV. There has been reports that the component output of the VOOM receiver does not display the download information. You will be able to see the download information through the composite. Once the system is installed you can disconnect the composite connection.

To set the VOOM receiver to output 1080i make sure to hit the red button on the right comparment. There are four light in front of the receiver the top line indicates 1080i, the second light 720p, the third light 480p and the fourth light 480i. When all lights light up the resolution is set to auto.

Here is the picture of this red button: VOOM RECEIVER FRONT PANEL

Your SD channels will upconvert to 1080i and you will have no problems watching these. Post again if you have questions. Look at thread called my installation that has a lot of pictures and comments. I can't call you a VOOMER yet but you are almost there. Welcome to the forum!!