:D Come Monday, March is only 2 weeks away, so we can finally officially say "2 More Weeks till the DVR & more HD programming comes our way". :D Give or take 2 weeks, that is. ;)

They never said it would be out March 1st, just in March. :)

BTW I am hearing the DVR is coming along VERY nicely. :D

Hang in there good things are going to come. :)

It must drive you crazy to be hearing so many voices.....

:)

Well...Scott didn't say he was "Joan of Arc" but if he hears voices...I believe him.

They never said it would be out March 1st, just in March. :)

BTW I am hearing the DVR is coming along VERY nicely. :D

Hang in there good things are going to come. :)

I cant wait for the DVR....Im very happy that VOOM is still alive. Any more rumors on rental options for the DVR?

:D Come Monday, March is only 2 weeks away, so we can finally officially say "2 More Weeks till the DVR & more HD programming comes our way". :D Give or take 2 weeks, that is. ;)

I spoke with a CSR yesterday, who seemed fairly informed, that said Voom's new sat will be launched next month.

But when I asked for any new info on the DVR she said it is looking more like mid-year rather than March. She said increased memory for the HD content is to blame. It was unclear if she meant HDD space or System memory.

Not surprising. But with the news on Dolan's VOOM buyout, I'm much happier than I've been since Jan. 20th. I'm just glad I won't have to switch to D* or E* for HD content.

Umm, there is now new sat to be launched in the next month... They are leasing space on AMC-6 that already exisits......

As others have said...CSR's are not a reliable source and often mix up various facts and come up with a new one out of left field. The new satellites are just being designed and the first is not ready for launch for a long time if ever. Most likely, she was referering the existing satellite they have lease space on.

It's the service (new programming) that will be launched, not the satellite! ;)

Well I guess she could also be wrong about the DVR. CSRs what would we do without 'em?

She said increased memory for the HD content is to blame. It was unclear if she meant HDD space or System memory.
This could be good news, maybe it means less compression? :D

BFG, you have a good Avatar for yourself. Little kittens love to pounce immediately on anythink that moves, and you sure do love to pounce on any good news we get about VOOM and try to shread it to pieces, LOL!!!!

Just beware that in the CAT families, (Tigers, Lions and pussycats) little kittens always need to fear a strange male adult cat, because the instinct of that male is to kill kittens that arn't his own. Better keep looking over your back BFG, because you do not belong to our Happy VOOM family of cats on this forum!!!!

BFG, you have a good Avatar for yourself. Little kittens love to pounce immediately on anythink that moves, and you sure do love to pounce on any good news we get about VOOM and try to shread it to pieces, LOL!!!!

Just beware that in the CAT families, (Tigers, Lions and pussycats) little kittens always need to fear a strange male adult cat, because the instinct of that male is to kill kittens that arn't his own. Better keep looking over your back BFG, because you do not belong to our Happy VOOM family of cats on this forum!!!!
...his name is Boomer (named long before I was a Voomer!), and he'd love to get ahold of a nice little kitty, or a snide little skunk or raccoon, or whatever... :p

...his name is Boomer (named long before I was a Voomer!), and he'd love to get ahold of a nice little kitty, or a snide little skunk or raccoon, or whatever... :p
I like BFG (Boomer). Even though he/she/it? called one of my recent posts "stupid", he/she/it? always puts an interesting spin and sometimes brings me back to earth. We need a little dose of humility sometimes when we get on a rant. And his avatar is one of my favorites. Like a cute little kitty...reach down to pet him and get the cr*p scratched out of you. :yikes

I like BFG (Boomer). Even though he/she/it? called one of my recent posts "stupid", he/she/it? always puts an interesting spin and sometimes brings me back to earth. We need a little dose of humility sometimes when we get on a rant. And his avatar is one of my favorites. Like a cute little kitty...reach down to pet him and get the cr*p scratched out of you. :yikes
I have no idea what BFG's name is...it's my Beagle who is named Boomer. And he just loves to chase critters... :) I've never tried to pet BFG, but I'll heed your warning!! :shocked Vicki

I spoke with a CSR yesterday, who seemed fairly informed, that said Voom's new sat will be launched next month.

But when I asked for any new info on the DVR she said it is looking more like mid-year rather than March. She said increased memory for the HD content is to blame. It was unclear if she meant HDD space or System memory.

Not surprising. But with the news on Dolan's VOOM buyout, I'm much happier than I've been since Jan. 20th. I'm just glad I won't have to switch to D* or E* for HD content.

from a csr from voom

I spoke with a CSR yesterday, who seemed fairly informed, that said Voom's new sat will be launched next month.

But when I asked for any new info on the DVR she said it is looking more like mid-year rather than March. She said increased memory for the HD content is to blame. It was unclear if she meant HDD space or System memory.

Not surprising. But with the news on Dolan's VOOM buyout, I'm much happier than I've been since Jan. 20th. I'm just glad I won't have to switch to D* or E* for HD content.

If they are going to truly postpone the DVR, I wish they would publically say so. I'm waiting to move to Voom because I currently am with DirecTV and have a UltimateTV DVR. I do not want to be without the capabilities of a DVR therefore just can't pull the Voom trigger. I want too, but cannot until the DVR is real.

It must drive you crazy to be hearing so many voices.....

:)
And it must drive you crazy for Voom to still be alive... :haha

Dont care what people "think" or "assume". Just the facts please. And voom is not offering any facts on the dvr release. When their website says "voom dvr now available", then I'll believe the dvr is here. I cant believe how these posts can drag on with wishful hopeful thinking only to be shot down when its just forum smoke.

Who needs the DVR at the moment? I love Voom so don't get me wrong here. I am only making an observation. If you are concerned with time shifting that is one thing the DVR is the answer to. If you are trying to save a program to watch it again why bother? It will be shown over and over and over in a couple of months time span. There is only so much HD original programming being produced right now and I believe we as Voomers get to see it all, multiple times.

The DVR WILL come and when it does I am certain it will be one hell of a piece of fine engineering. Just remember Voom has always been on the bleeding cutting edge of things and I am sure we will all be impressed when the DVR does finally roll out.

Who needs the DVR at the moment? I love Voom so don't get me wrong here. I am only making an observation. If you are concerned with time shifting that is one thing the DVR is the answer to. If you are trying to save a program to watch it again why bother? It will be shown over and over and over in a couple of months time span. There is only so much HD original programming being produced right now and I believe we as Voomers get to see it all, multiple times.

The DVR WILL come and when it does I am certain it will be one hell of a piece of fine engineering. Just remember Voom has always been on the bleeding cutting edge of things and I am sure we will all be impressed when the DVR does finally roll out.
I'm with you, in the sense that the DVR isn't of much importance to me. But we probably shouldn't minimize its importance to those to whom it does matter. The DVR Discussion forum, and many threads elsewhere, are filled with folks who feel this is indeed a pressing need. Many people even seem to believe the introduction of the DVR will immediately lead to a large increase in subscribers (I kinda have trouble believing that, but who knows?). If it will indeed entice large numbers of new subs, I say by all means get it out ASAP -- but when I say ASAP I mean as soon as it's the "one hell of a piece of fine engineering" of which you spoke.
As far as time-shifting being unnecessary due to the frequency with which shows are repeated, that is certainly true when it comes to Voom exclusives and other channels, but not necessarily so with the networks. I think many guys would like to watch one program while recording another. Or record the whole night if for some reason you can't be in front your television on Wednesday night. The networks don't seem to repeat the prime time programs quite as frequently (nor as soon after the original air date) as other channels, leaving the viewer a little lost if he misses an episode of a show with a season-long story arc. Same thing with repeat viewing of a program -- some folks just love to go over an episode with a fine-tooth comb looking for "clues" as to what may happen in future episodes, or for hidden meanings in what they just watched. To each his own I guess.

I am a current E* customer and want to move over to Voom. Right now the only thing holding me back is V*s lack of a DVR receiver. Once they launch it, I will probably make the jump then if they offer a reasonable deal on it since it has been my experience that new customers get better deals than current ones...

I want the DVR mainly for OTA, but in regards to the multiple content showing, true, but you still can't pause it to go get a beer or drain the beer or let the dog out or answer the door, etc. Plus, you have to wait 3 hours for the show to repeat, if not longer.

I've been using my SD PVR to record most of my Voom stuff. Since Voom does not have razor sharp HD, it's not that big of a loss in PQ to view it at 480p.

Who needs the DVR at the moment? I love Voom so don't get me wrong here. I am only making an observation. If you are concerned with time shifting that is one thing the DVR is the answer to. If you are trying to save a program to watch it again why bother? It will be shown over and over and over in a couple of months time span. There is only so much HD original programming being produced right now and I believe we as Voomers get to see it all, multiple times.

The DVR WILL come and when it does I am certain it will be one hell of a piece of fine engineering. Just remember Voom has always been on the bleeding cutting edge of things and I am sure we will all be impressed when the DVR does finally roll out.

Sir, I've had a DVR with 105 hours of recording time for over 3 years now. I use a DirecTV UltimateTV DVR. If you've never used a DVR, you cannot understand why it's hard to live without one. Therefore my switch to Voom will be bitter-sweet until the DVR is release.

I'm with you, in the sense that the DVR isn't of much importance to me. But we probably shouldn't minimize its importance to those to whom it does matter. The DVR Discussion forum, and many threads elsewhere, are filled with folks who feel this is indeed a pressing need. Many people even seem to believe the introduction of the DVR will immediately lead to a large increase in subscribers (I kinda have trouble believing that, but who knows?). If it will indeed entice large numbers of new subs, I say by all means get it out ASAP -- but when I say ASAP I mean as soon as it's the "one hell of a piece of fine engineering" of which you spoke.
As far as time-shifting being unnecessary due to the frequency with which shows are repeated, that is certainly true when it comes to Voom exclusives and other channels, but not necessarily so with the networks. I think many guys would like to watch one program while recording another. Or record the whole night if for some reason you can't be in front your television on Wednesday night. The networks don't seem to repeat the prime time programs quite as frequently (nor as soon after the original air date) as other channels, leaving the viewer a little lost if he misses an episode of a show with a season-long story arc. Same thing with repeat viewing of a program -- some folks just love to go over an episode with a fine-tooth comb looking for "clues" as to what may happen in future episodes, or for hidden meanings in what they just watched. To each his own I guess.

All I can tell you is that once you have become acustom to a dual tuner DVR, you will never want to be without it.

I do believe that people are holding off on Voom because of the lack of the DVR and that subscriptions will rise much faster after it's release.

I think at the point you were this morning I would have had the installer mount the dish to a cinder block out in the backyard where a signal could be obtained and run the wires on top of the ground to the house. Move the dish at a later date.

I've been a DirecTV TiVo user for over three years, but haven't ponied up for the HDTV DirecTiVo yet. I've been thinking getting Voom to fill our HD needs, but am waiting for a PVR with TiVo-like functionality.

I'm glad to see that Voom is continuing operations and look forward to seeing what their DVR has to offer.

I have both Directv and Voom. I am waiting for the Voom DVR so I can drop Directv's (compressed HD) service all together after 12 years of service. That is one sure way Voom can keep me as a loyal customer for years.

A dual-tuner HD DVR for $10 per month is all that's keeping me with Comcast right now. I work nights and weekends, and without this miracle machine I'd have missed the Super Bowl, next Sunday's Daytona 500, and more movies than I can count.

I'm hoping Voom pulls through and gets the DVR out the door sooner rather than later. Once you've had one and tasted the joys of anytime TV -- not to mention skipping commercials or backing up and pausing shows to repeat mumbled dialog or settle arguments -- there's no going back.

Amen to the commercial skipping and pausing tv while you go get the drink and snacks...

I'm on the DVR boat too. I could possibly contemplate dumping cable completely except for interenet service, based on VOOMs content, but without a DVR, there isn't a chance.

Lob

I'm on the DVR boat too. I could possibly contemplate dumping cable completely except for interenet service, based on VOOMs content, but without a DVR, there isn't a chance.

Lob

I agree, look for Voom to blossum after the DVR is release...

Does anyone have any numbers on just how many cable/satellite subscribers use DVR's -- or a percentage of how many people use them? Just kinda wondering if I'm the only person out here uninterested or if the numbers around here are kinda skewed due to the fact that we're a bunch of TV/HDTV fanatics around here (not to mention that this is in the DVR Discussion forum, which would seem to attract those interested in DVRs). Any numbers, either totals or percentages? :confused: For example, how many of Direct's - what is it? 12 million? - subscribers use their DVR?

Well Tivo has 2.3 million subscribers and they figure half of them are Directv subs. That doesn't take into account tivo owners who have a standalone tivo and use it with directv, but it's a good rough estimate.

Timm and Calivin&Hobbes...I don't have the answer to Timm's question, but another aspect of the DVR that I think is important is that most everyone by now has experienced time-shifting, commercial skip, "back-it-up-a-minute", etc. with at least a VCR.

Most of them probably don't have HD TVs, but VCRs have provided a convenience they have grown accustomed to, and probably now feel is necessary to their busy lives. I know I do.

Those who are contemplating moving to HD will want that capability in HD if they're going to spend that kind of money, and those who have SD and don't anticipate a change in the immediate future will STILL want that capabililty.

It seems to me to be pretty widely accepted in tech circles that VCRs are on their way out, giving way to DVDs and DVRs. I have 3 aged VCRs. I don't want to replace any if them...I'm hoping for a VOOM DVR to replace them! Tivo owners (BUD, OTA, cable, as well as satellite) are probably looking for the same thing. IMO!! I think the VOOM DVR could be highly instrumental in hitting the home run we all want.! :D Vicki

Does anyone have any numbers on just how many cable/satellite subscribers use DVR's -- or a percentage of how many people use them? Just kinda wondering if I'm the only person out here uninterested or if the numbers around here are kinda skewed due to the fact that we're a bunch of TV/HDTV fanatics around here (not to mention that this is in the DVR Discussion forum, which would seem to attract those interested in DVRs). Any numbers, either totals or percentages? :confused: For example, how many of Direct's - what is it? 12 million? - subscribers use their DVR?


I can't imagine who wouldn't be interested.
I have been a DirecTivo user for over 4 years now. I have 2 in my home. We really don't watch un-time shifted TV. I just recently subscribed to Voom, and my wife gets crazy annoyed with live TV. having a lil toddler around makes tv waqtching a pain w/o DVR.

I can't imagine who wouldn't be interested.
I have been a DirecTivo user for over 4 years now. I have 2 in my home. We really don't watch un-time shifted TV. I just recently subscribed to Voom, and my wife gets crazy annoyed with live TV. having a lil toddler around makes tv waqtching a pain w/o DVR.That shows quite a lack of imagination! :D But I suppose I understand what you mean.
When I say I'm not interested I don't mean to imply that I would refuse a free one. But time-shifting isn't important enough to me that I would spend a thousand bucks (or even a couple hundred) to be able to do it, or select a provider on the basis of whether or not they can provide me the means to do so. Nor would I be willing to have my monthly bill increase by even as little as ten bucks a month for the DVR.
I'm just trying to get an idea of how many folks may potentially switch to Voom with the arrival of a DVR. I figured that would be current DVR users with other providers (thought process being if they don't use the DVR with their current provider, it must be something else keeping them from Voom). Calvin & Hobbes estimates DirectTV tivo-users to number over a million. Okay -- that's more than I would have guessed, and if Voom can lure even a tiny fraction of those guys to switch due to introduction of a DVR it's definitely worth it. Thanks Calvin.
Another question : Calvin & Hobbes mentioned owners of standalone Tivos who use it with DirecTV. Is it safe to assume you can't do this with Voom?

Another question : Calvin & Hobbes mentioned owners of standalone Tivos who use it with DirecTV. Is it safe to assume you can't do this with Voom?

You can indeed use a stand-alone TiVo with Voom, but it is of course SD only. I think you'll find many people on this forum have purchased a TiVo (or ReplayTV) as an interim solution pending release of a Voom HD-DVR.

CDH.

My wife was initially skeptical of the value of a DVR. Since Charter required no commitment, we signed up to give it a try. I can assure you that as long as one provider offers a DVR, if we could only have one, they would win, period.

Being able to watch the shows/content that YOU want to watch WHEN you want to watch it completely changes the experience. I figure I have maybe $5K invested in my components? An extra $10 for Charter's HD + HD-DVR package is a no-brainer now.
No more surfing...excpet if we want to watch news or weather.

I'd say right now our viewing is split between cable/VOOM about 80/20...maybe even 90/10, and it's almost entirely because of the DVR.

Lob

Lobstah

Ditto.

I had the same scenario with my wife.

I would however say the HD DVR makes all the difference.

I would not go for Tivo, even as a temporary solution.

TheTimm, I read somewhere in the last month that the number of people using DVRs (both sat and cable) was under 5% more like 3% if I remember correctly. So, yes, this group is not a cross section of users. We're tech junkies. However, that said and although we do not have a DVR I believe once people are exposed to one they would "have to have" one as several people have answered my questions before about the necessity of a DVR and assumed me my life will end if we don't have one.

Still enjoying HDTV under clear and cold Seattle skies, Gill

P.S.: What's a "VCR"?

I used to use a TiVo when I was on Dish Network. Then, I switched over to Voom, which at the time you couldn't use the TiVo with. Then, the ability to use TiVo with Voom became available, but when I tried to boot my TiVo, it wouldn't boot :no . I used to use the Dish 5000 with modulator & a Hi-PIx card to record HD off of Dish Network, so I just set up a computer with the HiPix card in it, and am able to at least record the OTA HD channels with a DVR-type interface. It's a pretty good solution until the Voom DVR makes it out.

TheTimm, I read somewhere in the last month that the number of people using DVRs (both sat and cable) was under 5% more like 3% if I remember correctly. So, yes, this group is not a cross section of users. We're tech junkies. However, that said and although we do not have a DVR I believe once people are exposed to one they would "have to have" one as several people have answered my questions before about the necessity of a DVR and assumed me my life will end if we don't have one.

Still enjoying HDTV under clear and cold Seattle skies, Gill

P.S.: What's a "VCR"?I'm not suggesting that it's not the greatest thing since free love -- just curious why everyone seems to think there will be a storming of Voom the day it is introduced. And now I learn that you can indeed use a DVR - albeit an SD one - with Voom? So how many of the 3-5% of current DVR users use HD-DVR's? Those are the ones that would be leaving their current provider for Voom, right? Still could be a lot of people, but doesn't sound like enough to "save" a company all by itself. I'd like to think Voom will still be addressing all the other issues that have been beaten into the ground on these forums -- although personally, I'm quite happy with Voom just the way it is.

This http://www.hometheatermag.com/news/012405voom/ was an interesting article that came out shortly after the news of certain asset sales to E*. It's really nothing new. My feeling is that if you have an HDTV, the next logical step would be to look forward to more content, not necessarily a DVR. I'd never had rewind TV. I tried one out on a visit to my parent's house and thought the concept might be easy to grasp, therefor I'm looking forward to VOOM's DVR. I plan to purchase one outright.

I can't watch live tv after using tivo (well, UltimateTv, actually). The commercials drive me nuts.

Not having a DVR for Voom is the one thing making me thinking of dropping the service. I still keep my DirecTv just for that. I'd rather watch a low-def program without commercials than a hi-def version (ABC, etc) stuffed with them.

I think one of the frustrating things about this is that the technology is out there now. My fear is that VOOM is reaching a bit too far by trying to come out of the gate with something that's packed with more features than anyone else can offer, but that doesn't work right. That would be a HUGE mistake on their part.

I'd rather see them come out with industry standard features, and do it right...then add the bells and whistles one step at a time.

If they would do that, and make it customer-installable, they would have a winning package, and would have a very difficult time meeting demand.

Either that, or someone needs to hack the STB to enable that damned USB2 port ;)

Lob

I think one of the frustrating things about this is that the technology is out there now. My fear is that VOOM is reaching a bit too far by trying to come out of the gate with something that's packed with more features than anyone else can offer, but that doesn't work right. That would be a HUGE mistake on their part.

I'd rather see them come out with industry standard features, and do it right...then add the bells and whistles one step at a time.

If they would do that, and make it customer-installable, they would have a winning package, and would have a very difficult time meeting demand.

Either that, or someone needs to hack the STB to enable that damned USB2 port ;)

Lob

Making it customer installable is a great idea. But if they come out with something cutting edge and reliable, it would mean that you would not need to upgrade for a while. With D* getting away from tivo, their subs are now faced with having to upgrade to newer technology if they choose.

Like the earlier post stated, about the treachery of commercials on broadcast TV, the tivo box enables you to bypass that. It is my understanding that nowadays, you don't even need to subscribe to sat or cab to have tivo. But the commercials don't bother me anyway. I suppose when I get my DVR, that will change and I'll become just as dependant as everyone who has tivo.

I may be wrong, but but BFG is a full grown male cat, not a kitten. And he's my favorite smarta** in this forum.

The commercial thing is kind of funny, I think.
Years ago, there was a business plan for a company that basically consisted of charging an extra monthly fee for the ability to watch the programming offered (mostly movies) commercial FREE. A lot of people laughed at that, but HBO is pretty much a household word, and branched out to offer original programming, etc.

At some point, the effectiveness of normal commercial advertising on TV is going to continue to dwindle to the point that unless you want to market your product to the population of non-dvr/tivo owning TV audience out there, it's just not going to be worth the money. I realize that's quite a few years down the road, but clearly a new delivery mechanism is going to be called for in the advert industry. ;)

Can't wait for that one ;)

Lob

I think the "new delivery" has already started. Try watching a basketball game, for example. It drives me nuts that every play type is named after a sponsor and they continually plug them. During the baseball season, they keep panning to show members of the "crew" who conveniently have product placement prominently displayed. In other cases, we have the "brought to you by..." just before and after the commercials. Some programs now just appear to be vehicles for commercials. Try watching "The Apprentice" - it has turned into nothing more than an advert for a different company each week - at first it was quite subtle, but now it is blatant with the hosts even doing a 30-second spot at the end (how embarrassing!)

The battle will continue, and will escalate...and so will the value of "commercial free" anything, be it radio or television. I can't stand to listen to radio any more, and don't understand how anyone else can either. 6 minutes of music followed by 3 minutes of commercials. That's what brought about the likes of XM and Sirius, who offer at least SOME commercial free channels. And as the effectiveness of the simple Tide commercial continues to dwindle, advertising agencies need to find ways to increase the return on investment.

Lob