HDTV service - How does Voom compare?

Hey folks,
Ive had direct tv for about 7 years now and a HDTV for about 2 years. I am now in the market to get HDTV service because of the low costs now associated with the equipment. I have looked into HD service from direct tv, dish and voom. I have found Voom to not only be the most cost effective, but also carry the largest lineup up of HD service. I have not spoken to anyone who has voom so I thought I would post here to see if anyone you know or yourself has this service and if you could tell me the pros and cons. How is the service, is it good, are there many outages, is the HD that much better....... RIght now you can get voom for $40/mo which includes most the major satellite channels and 20+ HD channels. You can also now rent the equipment instead of buying it at $10/mo. The HD equipment is expensive to start off with and if it goes bad, well, it just gets more expensive.
Thanks in advanced.

Oh and BTW, Philips 55" HDTVs are junk and so are their Progressive scan DVD players. Took me 18 months to get my TV replaced, and only got that done through my extended warranty contract. Philips would not replace my TV (had nothing but nightmares with their customer service), and my Philips DVD player is horrible.

DwArFlOrD

 

Here's a recent artical from the Post about VOOM. We're still trying to decide if we want to suck up two charges (VOOM & OpenBand).

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56842-2004Jul17.html

 

an amazing amount of information regarding HDTV and VOOM, Direct, Dish, cable HD etc. can be had at the AVS Forum. If you want opinions, there are plenty there

www.avsforum.com

then go to HDTV, and then either HDTV Programming, or HDTV Info and Reception

 

Well, I ordered the service and they came out to my house. I ended up sending them back w/no installation, heres what happened:
First thing they said was that they had to use a "40' ladder" to get to the top of my 20' house, and because of that they charge extra. I said if your ladder cant reach that high, its not my problem and to access the roof at a lower point (15' point) and then walk up. I got a shrug of "if you think so".
Next thing, they wanted to put up this dish that was like 3 1/2 FEET in diameter because of customer complaining of rain fade, they wanted to try out this new dish....no thanks, it looks like a flying saucer.
Then they wanted to put up this HUGE 4'x3' metal antenna on top of my home to reach local stations.....LOL! Thats not going to happen either. So they had this omni-directional anteanna that the installers have never seen nor installed before. No thanks, Id rather not be a guinea pig here.
It sounds like too many problems to me, and I didnt want my house looking like it was CBS Broadcasting with all the dishes and antennas all over it, so I told them I wasnt interested.
I just ordered from Dish, including their HD pak. I only have to have the one dish installed and its 18" in size, just like my direct TV. So im happier with that. Ill let you know how I like the HD programming......

DwArFlOrD

 

Sorry to see you pulled the plug on OTA HD. I have that antenna you seem to be talking about, a Channel Master 4228, and it's the best in the business, allowing me full access to over 42 channels of DTV and HTV programming from DC, Balt, Front Royal, Frederick and Annapolis.

The only way to get reliable CBS, NBC, FOX, ABC, WB and PBS HD signals in our area is via roof top OTA antenna. You will not get these with Dish, so by forgoing the proper OTA antenna, you are passing up a whole lot of HD programming.

OTA UHF antennas for terrestrial broadcast reception aren't pretty, no doubt, but to me, it's worth it to get free, bountiful DTV and HDTV. What many folks fail to realize is that what was once the worst way to get your TV signals is now the best. OTA signals have the highest levels of quality, least amount of compression and are unencrypted, allowing for easy time shifting, editing and archiving.

With the exception of news and some reality shows, we rarely watch standard-def programming any more.

Skins will look and sound great in 720P and DD 5.1 this fall!

 

sasha,

Did you get a rotator? I got my 4228 a few weeks ago, along with a CM7777 amp... it's in the attic right now, and it is only slightly better than my $12 radio Shack double-bowtie on the first floor.... I suppose it's time to climb the ladder and install it on the roof.... but i was wondering if you neede a rotator to get the baltimore stations.... It peeves me that non of the DC stations are 5.1

 

I can pull in Baltimore stations with my ChannelMaster but only if I point it north a little. A rotator would help (or lower gain antenna maybe) but I just keep it pointed to the DC stations. The antenna is too big to swing around much inside the attic.

I think the best station was still WHD if anyone remembers that one.

__________________________________________________________
Some software money can't buy. For everything else there's Micros~1

 

Yeah, my 4228 is on a CM rotor, installed by Fairfax Antenna. From my home in Cascades, I can't get the full complement of digital stations available to us without a rotor. I also have a fixed UHF and a fixed combo pointed towards the DC towers.

For those of you with attic antennas, be advised that your signals will be attenuated by about 50%. Unless your lot has a high elevation over adjacent terrain, your reception options will be limited at best.

As far as DD5.1, some DC stations have it. WRC-DT, WTTG-DT, WUSA-DT and WBDC-DT all have 5.1 encoders. WJLA-DT is the glaring exception. Last season, if you wanted to see "Karen Cisco", "NYPD Blue", "Alias" or MNF properly, you needed to point your antenna to WMAR-DT in Baltimore...

I'm told that WJLA-DT is planning to get with the program, but don't hold your breath. Their commitment to HD has been pretty pathetic in the past. WETA-DT has broadcast 5.1, but does not seem to do so lately. WMPT-DT does do 5.1 however.

 

It's interesting how reception differs from house to house. I'm not on a hill, but my line of site to DC is wide open. I have the CM4221 in my attic just hanging on a nail and get perfect reception from all the DC stations (no drops what so ever). I do not have a preamp or rotor either just a direct connection into the receiver. The antenna (and DC) are out the side of my house (ie, roof peak) and I have concrete fiber siding (not aluminium). I even get 2-1 (ABC-Balt) w/o issues most of the time.

I think reception is also very dependent on your receiver. Some just don't do well in fringe areas. I use the LG3510a which is a combo HDTV receiver and DVD player that upconverts DVDs to 720p or 1080i. Although I hate the unit with a passion (long story, different thread), the HD receiver is great. Openband will start feeding us OTA HD shortly, so I will be glad to get rid of my receiver and get cable/PVR boxes ...

My take on VOOM .. They have the most programming, but if you look at it ... its useless. I know someone who has demo'd it and said that they couldn't find anything of value on 95% of those 'voom' stations. I have not spent anytime with it personnally. Otherwise, they are offering the same thing as others and using OTA for locals (like other sat providers).

HD .. Its been a long wait!

 

I think most of the HD offerings today are crap. The local channles is what you want to watch, and you have to get that OTA. so I think Im better off doing OTA myself or waiting for adelphia to increase their HD offerings. I think they only offer HD for nbc and cbs. Fox and abc are where the NFL games are, so I need them to offer that too. But I called adelphia yesterday and they said they only offer HD for nbc and cbs right now. They are in negotiations for the other HD OTA stuff and the HD pack which includes HDnet, HD movies, ESPN HD and Discovery HD. I think once they get those, I may end up going back to adelphia because I cant have an antennae on the roof.

Has anyone had luck with those small antennaes for HD programming that sit on the top of your TV set? I think you can get those for like $40 or something from CC or BB.

DwArFlOrD

 

FWIW ... Adelphia is offering free installation of their HD cable box , which adds an additional $3.00 per box to your bill. Right now their HD offerings are small, as been said, CBS, NBC, Showtime & Starz, but they are not charging extra for them. I definitely see a difference when watching Leno on NBC.



Neil Z.
Resident since 1999

 

$40 rabbit ears? [)]

Don't bother with them. They won't work. If you don't want an antenna on top of your roof you'll be much better off with installing one inside your attic.

__________________________________________________________
Some software money can't buy. For everything else there's Micros~1

 

Why not? Why limit your HD options?

 

OK, but if that's the case, I don't see why you're posting about HDTV. Don't bother with it and have fun with standard-def, postage stamp video instead.

Funny though you seem to think it's c*ap without ever actually having it, without experiencing it firsthand. I have had OTA HD since pretty much the beginning and I happen to think that it is a gift from the heavens, extremely empowering and a whole new paradigm for TV. There is more good OTA HD stuff on than I have time to record or watch.

So I guess you're complaining that high quality OTA HD is broadcast freely to your home? Without any charge to you? Yeah, right, that sure stinks.....

 

My HD options are limited because a 4'x3' antennae on the top of my roof is not an option for me, this is why its limited. I think I stated that in the sentence your quoting.....[8D]

DwArFlOrD

 

You didnt read the statement correctly. The OFFERINGS are crap, not the HD....LOL! Id be all for the OTA HD, if it were not for the size of the antennae on the top of the house. I too would think it was sweet to have, free and crystal clear HD, but because of the antennae, its not an option for me. It doesnt meet my requirements.

Your reading a lot, but understanding nothing that im saying.....LOL. Try reading what I stated again. Your pretty defensive for something you misunderstood in the first place and was never directed towards you on a personal basis.


DwArFlOrD

 

Thx, thats about what I suspected. Otherwise it would have been too good to be true. No free lunches....[]

DwArFlOrD

 

Nothing personal intended, just trying to understand and maybe educate. I did read this thread, and still don't get your issues with the OTA antenna and don't understand about them "not meeting your requirements". How can they not meet your requirements if they get the job done? This of course assumes that you want the job done in the first place. Assuming you do:

1. Local broadcasters send out HD and DTV signals via 8VSB
2. Local consumers tap into this free pipeline via proper antenna setups based on their location in the overall broadcast contour area.

How does this fail to meet your requirements? Is it an issue of cost? If so, consider that a pro antenna install a very small percentage of what many folks spend on home theater equipment or indeed, on their annual cable or DBS programming bills.

 

The issue is that the antenna is too big and is to reside on my rooftop. My requirements that need to be met for OTA HD to be an option for me is to have an antenna that is small and does not have to be located on my rooftop. There is more to it than just "getting the job done" for me. This may meet your requirements, but it doesnt meet mine. You may have this huge 4'x3' antennae located on the top of your home and dont necessarily care about the exterior asthetics of your home, whereas for me, I may care more about how my home looks externally and what I have to look at everyday as opposed to having HD reception. So Id rather not have HD via OTA instead of looking at the antennae. This has absolutely nothing to do with cost, reception, or HD programming.
A bicycle gets the job done for getting to Herndon from ashburn, but it doesnt meet some people's requirements of speed and safety, thus a bicycle isnt used. Same thing applies for my situation. Just because the antennae can receive the signal and it works well, does not mean it fits my requirements.
Voom initially told me over the phone it would be a small 6" or so directional antenna that would be isntalled for OTA HD, so that also set my expectations differently.

I think I had stated what I didnt like about the OTA antennae in an earlier post as well ::

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DwArFlOrD