Just saw this service at Sears today. Here's what they advertise:
For $39.90/month plus the $749.99 for the equipment and installation, you get 28 HDTV channels right now with it soon ballooning to 39 HD channels. 21 HD channels are exclusives unavailable to other sattelite or cable providers such as HDCinema10, NewsbytesHD, Monsters, Rave, WorldSPORT, Animania, Ultra, MOOV, TreasureHD, Gallery, Epics and RushHD.
Sounds like the first service that specializes in HDTV that does include some regular stations, but their primary focus is HD.
Sony KP-46WT500
Kenwood VR-606
Kenwood KS-706HT
Kenwood SW-36HT
Samsung P721M
SA Explorer 3100/HD
134 DVDs
7 seperate remotes for everything!
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For $749.00 I would be afraid the company would fail and I'd be stuck with the equipment that had no other use. Any links to investigate further? What kind of financial backing do they have?
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You can check out their website at www.voom.com. I don't know anything else about the service as I just noticed it today. I took a big pamphlet at Sears to get what information I have.
Definitely worth checking out even with some valid concerns of yours.
Sony KP-46WT500
Kenwood VR-606
Kenwood KS-706HT
Kenwood SW-36HT
Samsung P721M
SA Explorer 3100/HD
134 DVDs
7 seperate remotes for everything!
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I just got the Voom in my store and I am not sure about the 1394 but I do know it has a DVI out. It looked like a USB on the back but I would have to double check. When it launches on Oct 15 you will only be able to get it at Sears. In January you will be able to get it at other retail locations. This is how its going to work. You will pay $50 at Sears then you will call them to pay for the rest($700)which includes off air equipment if you can get OTA HD. You will also get all the programing they offer (HBOs, Starz, INHD) until January 04. The $40 a month will also include I think 30 normal channels and one primium package plus the current 21 HD channels.
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>>It looked like a USB on the back but I would have to double check.
Hmm. Please check that as they do look alike.
As I just stated on the TIPS List...
If VOOM had a 1394 they would have my $750 NOW, TODAY, INSTALL IT BABY!!!!
Time shifting has to be one of the greatest flaws in this HDTV roll out! I am
sick and tired of having to watch this stuff live. This year my wife is doing
some stuff during week nights and I really, really need this capability for
HDTV to be of mutual benefit!
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No, I am not saying that. There is a DVI output, component and what looks to be a USB port. The USB port wouldn't make much sense. I will check on that for you and get back to you wendsday. They didn't even give me a card for the reciver yet so I can't go through the menus or the setup.
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Hate to wreck your dreams but from what I have read on other forums this unit is the exact same as the DSR 500 from motorola. It has ethernet, DVI and USB, but NO firewire.
I think if you search the web, you can find a spec sheet on this unit and see what I mean.
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I like the idea of help with OTA but I don't think I'll spend another $750 without some promise of time shifting....sorry VOOM.....gosh, and it sounded SO GOOD at first......
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1394 is another term for fire wire. Let's remember the issues that we had with a lot of us not knowing what D* referred to... let's do the same with 1394.
This message has been edited by mrquisp on Oct 13, 2003 2:35 PM
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Two days from VOOM launch and I went to Mankato this morning to check out the Sears anchor store in River Hills Mall. Guess what? No displays, no signs, no nothing. The guy knew nothing about the new VOOM service. Finally, said oh yeah, I think I got some pamphlet from them - which he found folded away in his notebook. Only one he had of course.....
I was hoping to answer the firewire question. As it turns out, I didn't get ANY answers.....duh.....
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I just finished reading the press release on VOOM and they speak of Mpeg2 compression to be followed by Mpeg4 compression. I have recently been watching INHD and INHD2 on digital cable and I am sure that is compressed. The picture I have been seeing on my digital cable seems very good to me. How will the mpeg2 (and mpeg4) compression compare to what is currently in use on digital cable (I currently have a Motorola dct5100 cable box)?
They speak of 21 "exclusive content" channels, where are they going to come up with that much HD content? How much of this content will be "free" or included in the subscription price? How much will be pay per view?
Still too many questions for me. I will be watching this forum and the VOOM website closely for anymore details.
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"Let's remember the issues that we had with a lot of us not knowing what D* referred to..."
I'd still like to know who came up with that. Direct & Dish both start with D. Talk about confusing to the uninitiated; and I STILL have to stop to think about what the heck D* stands for. Who the heck calls Dish 'Echostar'? Guess I have C* (Comcast); or is that Cablevision?
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''21 channels in HD'' what I think is that they will upconvert them to 720p or 1080i. To answer the other question about compresstion..every one does it except OTA. I was watching normal programming from NBC on Comcast which looked fine until they started to broadcast HD id NYPD Blue in HD. The picture looked like crap on the normal channel. All the colors were off to red then to green but when I switched to the HD channel of course it looked better. It is my personal opion that Comcast just doesn't have the bandwith to handle HD and that why they are deleting chanels every other day.
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"To answer the other question about compresstion..every one does it except OTA."
This is not true at all. HD streams are transmitted at 19.4 MB/s
The "big" cable companies just pass on what they receive, no compression. If you are noticing a difference between HD programming via OTA and cable, then the problem is your STB, internal tuner, or something else. It is not compression by the cable companies.
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you are incorrect.
I've done it once befoe, but have lost my interest in
wasting time proving myself correct on the internet.,
BUT.....
the MAJORITY of cable systems do in fact compress,
as do sat services (including VOOM).
I was able to locate one or two that did not,
or said they did not.....
and that is a VERY small percentage of available cable providers.
Most admit to their compression right on their web sites,
though of course hidden deep in the bowls.
I was VERY jealous to locate the few who didn't...
and of course they are nowhere near me!
Do what you want with my comments....
I just wanted to provide the info before people
started troubleshooting their STB's on your advice.
I have OTA which in fact IS uncompressed,
and it is SWEEET!
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rainbow dbs/voom sounds a little too good to be true. yes, parent cablevision has big bucks, but can they go up against well established directv and dish network. voom hardware and programming also is pricey. plus, best i can tell, there is no firewire output that can be plugged into a recording device such as my mitsubishi hd-vcr, which records perfect OTA programming from network affiliates in new orleans area.
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There are several other reasons why VOOM could succeed. The avsforum
receives lots of complaints about DirecTV and Dish customers who are unhappy
with the highly compressed HD signals that those companies provide. Many
are even more unhappy with the poor quality SD signals of D* and E* on large
HDTVs. The VOOM Engineer on the yahoo group site has indicated that they
will be providing higher quality SD transmissions than their competitors.
While there are areas in the Northwest where the satellite at 61.5 is hard
to get because it is low on the horizon and easily blocked by large trees or
buildings, there are areas on the East coast where the 119 satellite (some
D* HD and E* SD programming) is very difficult to receive and signal
strength is marginal on the 110 satellite while reception of the 101
satellite is fine (this affects me).
If you want to have a good UHF antenna for OTA HD on your roof, you are
probably going to pay $150 or more for the antenna and installation.
Customers at start up will also receive 3 months of free programming (worth
$300). It will be a long time. New model D* HD tuners are selling for $500
to $700. There will be a lot more HD to watch than D* or E* are offering.
The one drawback I see at the moment is that VOOM won't have an HD DVR box
available until June. When it is out, they will need to have a hard drive
at least as large as the 250 GB that D* and E* HD DVRs will have (Motorola's
current cable HD box/DVR has a puny 80 GB).
Eric
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