Sacramento, Comcast, VOOM

[SactoCal]

I have used these forums to do a bit of research and get opinions so I thougth I would register now, say THANKS, and give my two cents back.

Ok, well. Here is how the story goes. After a remodel to my house, I decided that the 24' wall that was to be my media wall was too large for the Sony 36" WEGA I had, (thats what I told my wife anyway) so I finally did the deed and jumped into the HD pool. I did a little research first (which means nothing really) and this is how it all went. I had determined that for finacial reasons, I would go with a DLP HDTV. I had decided on a 62" Mitsubishi HDTV, went down to purchase it and ended up buying a Pioneer PRO-1110HD instead. I got an awesome deal (I think) of $5500 on it as a sales person had accidently opened up 3 of them for some reason and after haggling with the store manager, they sold me one below cost (so they say). Anyway, I have no complaints about the TV. (Even SD looks great with this TV once I enabled the 3:3 pulldown feature)

I then ordered Comcast HD as my current Digital TV Provider has no HD content, (SureWest). I could have went with Dish, but I had tried them in the past and there PQ and CSR's had left a bad taste in my mouth, so I was not willing to give them another shot. DirectTV is another option, but for some reason, I just didn't want to try them yet.

The Comcast tech arrived as scheduled and the first thing he said upon seeing my system was "Heh, I have never seen a TV like that." He then went outside, hi-jacked the Surewest cable and attempted to hook up his equipment. When he could get absolutely NO picture, he went to his vehicle and retrieved another box. Still no picture, but some screen noise when he jiggled the RGB cables. I informed him that I thought his cables were bad and he informed me that that was impossible. 15min later, I DEMAND he try replacing the cables with my own and what do you know, picture. Ok, now he changes the channel to a HD station and says "Ok, sign here please". Well, the video looked like an original MPEG file, you know, remember when mpg first came out, blocky compression, grainy. The de-compression was horrible. I stated as much and he told me that that was a great quality picture and I could expect no better, so I turn on the Sony WEGA (in the same room) and showed him the picture on that, he says "See, they look the same", (actually, the SD picture on the Sony looked better to me). I pointed out to him that the signal on the Sony was SD and not HD so they should NOT BE the same, the HD should be BETTER, he went blank for a min, then said he needed to talk to his supervisor. He disconnected his box, went out to his truck to use his cell phone, and then drove away. I called Comcast and informed them that I appreciate that they hire the handicapped, but they should at least train them before sending them out on a job, and that no, they would not be seeing me as a customer. Thanks, but no thanks.



Enter VOOM:
I ordered VOOM the same day, 2 days later the installers arrive. They fixed the cable comcast screwed up, ran a new line for the VOOM dish (24"). Pulled it down thru the wall and mounted the jack on the wall for me. Connected the system and OMG what a clear picture! But wait, the installer was not happy with the picture. He then produced a Digital Video Essentials DVD and proceeded to adjust my Contrast, Brightness and Color for me. Wow. I am ruined! I must now replace all my SDTV's with HDTV's.

My wife actually told me after watching EquatorHD, GalleryHD and DiscoveryHD for a couple days that every cent I had spend on the equipment was justified! She says that its wonderful that she can now sit in the living room and travel the world.

I will wait patiently for the PVR and additional content. I LOVE MY VOOM!

:::steps off the soapbox:::
SactoCal

[dougmcbride]

Do you recall who the installer was? Obviously a pro.

Thanks,

Doug

[SactoCal]

Which, the Comcast or Voom installer? I have the name and company that did the Voom install, yes. I have no paperwork or other info on the Comcast tech tho, like I said, he abandoned the job. I didn't mention that I called Comcast just after he left, they told me a Supervisor would call me back in 20 min. I waited 1 hour, called back and they told me the Supervisor said he was dealing with an issue and would call within 20 min guaranteed. I never did get a call from them until 5 days later. They wanted to re-schedule the install. I had a few choice words for them and ended the conversation. I will be sending a letter to the BBB about them.

The company that did the Voom installation for me was
American Integrity Home Systems
(916) 366-7222
9500 Micron Ave Suite 134, Sacramento, CA 95827

When I called them, a person named Tim answered the phone. He seemed very knowledgable about Voom and HD overall. I made the appointment for installation and asked him if he knew the tech that would install it, was he experienced. He explained that the installation was very important to the PQ and they did not sub the installs out but did them personally. Tim arrived personally as promised with another person. They spent alot of time determining exactly the best spot for the dish and OTA hookup, and at one point were actually going to put in a pole and trench for me, there is a huge tree off the SE corner of my house. I would recommend American Integrity and Tim anyday.

Oh ya, Tim also hung my plasma on the wall for me, and ran all the cables threw the wall to all my AV equipment so they were not visible. If you are looking for a Voom installer in the Sacramento area (I actually live in Carmichael), I would recommend Tim.

Gary

[dougmcbride]

Gary - thanks. I'm in Auburn and have an install scheduled for the 14th. Just in case the installer comes up short and I need a second source, I'd rather go to an installer who has a track record rather than relying on the potential "random number generator method" used by Installs. Having this info in my back pocket is great so thanks.

How much (if any) rain fade did you see in this last storm? I've asked for (and hopefully will get) a 24" dish to start out with.

Enjoy your Voom and thanks for the reply.

Doug

[SactoCal]

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Sorry for the late reply. I believe, tho not posiitive, that the 24inch dish was installed. I guess I should go measure it. I have had only one short period of rain fade on Tuesday evening I believe. Otherwise, I have been very pleased with my reception thru these recent California storms.

Let me know what you think of your installation and service when you get it.

SactoCal

[dougmcbride]

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ADVERTISING BOX

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Just got installed this morning. Went off without a hitch so I didn't need to use your installer as Plan B...

I posted a thread earlier about calling yesterday to verify appointment and found I wasn't slated for a 24" dish. A couple of phone calls fixed that. The installer showed up on time with the larger dish. Got a solid 95 on signal, so we'll see what happens when it rains over the next few days.

Thanks - hope your enjoying your Voom.

Doug