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Last reply · posted in Old VOOM News and Developments Archive
Is There Hope

From the New York Post:


VOOM'S DOOMED
By TIM ARANGO


TECHNICAL KNOCKOUT: Jimmy Dolan has won the fight over Voom satellite-TV service, thereby defeating his father Chuck (above) and stemming losses that totaled $661.4 million in 2004.

April 9, 2005 -- Cablevision said it is finally shutting down its money-losing satellite service Voom — but some are wondering if Chairman Chuck Dolan has another move up his sleeve.

Apparently unable to reach a deal that would have given a private company headed by Chuck Dolan control of some of Voom's assets, Cablevision announced yesterday it had begun shutting down the service.

But the company has previously made a similar announcement — only to mark another chapter in the ongoing family drama over the future of Voom, which is Cablevision patriarch Chuck Dolan's pet project.

A source close to the company said he "would be surprised if [Chuck] does not have another move" in mind to keep his satellite business afloat.

This source noted that Dolan has even further incentive to push Voom now that Cablevision has lost out in the bidding for bankrupt cable operator Adelphia.

Late Thursday Adelphia agreed to an $18 billion offer from Comcast and Time Warner. Cablevision had been a late entrant to the auction, having this week put in an all-cash bid of $16.5 billion.

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Cablevision said its board met on Thursday and "confirmed its shut down decision and provided management with specific directives on shut down implementation including advising customers that the Voom service will cease to be available on April 30, 2005."

Earlier this year Chuck Dolan lost a boardroom battle with his son, CEO Jimmy Dolan, that resulted in the company cutting off funding for Voom.

Cablevision agreed to sell its satellite to EchoStar for $200 million, and its remaining assets to the private company formed by Chuck Dolan.

But Chuck Dolan, the company's controlling shareholder, took the radical step of firing board members who had opposed Voom and installing new, handpicked directors. He has also been lobbying the Federal Communications Commission to block his own company's deal with EchoStar.

In 2004 Voom lost $661.4 million on paltry revenues of $14.9 million, including $354.9 million in write-downs.

The company said it may begin to market Voom's 21 channels to other satellite and cable operators.


http://www.nypost.com/business/44128.htm
40 Replies · 8256 views
R
What will happen to Rainbow2? Playboy HD? :D
K
Nayl said:
I really think they have no choice but to shut it down now,consumers are wary of them now they had orders and had to cancel those those people are likely not to want to try Voom now.You have people who put faith in the company,purchased equipment rather than lease,customers who have stuck around for months now to be told one week they were shutting down to the next of adding channels.

I for one hope nothing changes as horrible as that might sound I am one of the dumb ones who would stick with Voom even after all of this and I think right now I am just ready to move on and switch to a provider who will not have this kinda drama non stop.
I for one thought I would never leave VOOM, but the way this shutdown soap opera was handeled would make me weary of investing another penny with C. Dolan. He lost my respect. a 15-0 vote. THe same result would have happened even with a 15-2 vote. At last we would have known Chuck was still behind us. I think he wil retire or try to sell the programming to other providers. I know I had some low-bow comments about him, but that was because the way this entire fiasco was handled. I still think the man is a visionary.
The Stone Man
Uh oh. Small math error. Turning around the 15-0 vote to the point where two guys vote to keep it running would make it 13-2. But the result is the same; shut down time.
salsadancer7
"A source close to the company said he "would be surprised if [Chuck] does not have another move" in mind to keep his satellite business afloat.

This source noted that Dolan has even further incentive to push Voom now that Cablevision has lost out in the bidding for bankrupt cable operator Adelphia."

OK, call me overly optimistic...but I for one think that this is not over. Yes, VOOM the dbs provider is dead, but maybe this is what ole Chuck wanted so he and other investors can go private and bring something SIMILAR to VOOM to us HD lovers after the dust has cleared. IMO, he voted yes as long as CVC did not sell off VOOM21. Maybe on the April 18th meeting, he will push the board to sell him EVERYTHING and ANYTHING of what is left of VOOM so he can start something in the near future. I personally think this separation from CVC is the BEST thing that can happen to VOOM, HD Select or what IT might be called. We all know that Jamie was as much as visionary as an old shoe...better off without them.
TheForce
In principle, salesdancer7, I agree with your thoughts. As bass ackward CVC seems to be in most decisions, I still believe that given the opportunity to dump dead assets for a few bucks before they are worthless is something the stockholders would favor. So, after VOOM is done/shut down, assuming this decision is to be made and approved, what would be in that collection to be what Charles Dolan would need?
Would it be Rainbow's remaining dbs facilities after E* purchase with a second option to buy if the E* deal is denied or declined?
Would it be the installed base of Motorola receivers?
Would it include the copyrights and inventory of HDTV program/movie masters?
Would it include the entire accounts of VOOM subscribers?

Finally I would like to suggest Dolan name his new service "DBS" for Dolan Broadcast Satellite. Or, if Dolan decides to not be in the DBS business, he could call it DBN, N for Network

Another question is how many of those subscribers will be on board with "DBS" ?

Many here keep saying the number 45,000 but I don't think this is the case since many are already subscribed to one other service and will simply fall back on that which means that the real number that will be open for the other services to acquire will be a bit less than 45,000. How many have another service now? I have both E* and D* so when VOOM goes, I would not represent an increase to E* or D* no more than someone who just has VOOM and decides to go just with locals for now.
Scott Greczkowski
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge
Last reply · posted in SatelliteGuys Support Center
Our DNS provider is encouraging us to enable DNSSEC on our domains for added security.

I have gone ahead and enabled it, and am told it may take anywhere from 90 minutes to 24 hours for it to take effect.

Hopefully doing this does not harm the site in any way. (It shouldn't) but if it does, you will then know why and I will revert the settings.

But from what I am reading it should be ok. so just giving a warning as I have screwed up DNS stuff in the past. :D
1 Replies · 6 views
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Scott Greczkowski
Doing my checks it appears the changes have gone through... and we are still here. (Phew!)
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Scott Greczkowski
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge
Last reply · posted in SatelliteGuys Support Center
Due to security concerns and the fact that the Tapatalk Plugin for Xenforo is no longer being updated we have removed Tapatalk support from SatelliteGuys.

For those who were using it we recommend using our PWA App instead which is faster and does not have all the spam Tapatalk had. Below is a graphic showing how to add SatelliteGuys to your devices home screen. (While iOS is shown the process is mostly the same for Android.)

add_to_home.gif

Thanks for your understanding. :)
7 Replies · 167 views
Foxbat
Thank you, Scott, for adding years to my Life and dropping my BP a few millimeters! Money well spent…
dweber
Thank you, Scott, for adding years to my Life and dropping my BP a few millimeters! Money well spent…
What is PWA app? PWA utilities seem to be a Spanish app. I hope you are seeing this since nothing seems to be working. I will miss SatelliteGuys. Tapatalk worked well. The Siri browser doesn't seem to work well.
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Peter Parker
Thank you, Scott, for adding years to my Life and dropping my BP a few millimeters! Money well spent…
Hooray!
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Peter Parker
What is PWA app? PWA utilities seem to be a Spanish app. I hope you are seeing this since nothing seems to be working. I will miss SatelliteGuys. Tapatalk worked well. The Siri browser doesn't seem to work well.
Do you mean the safari browser?
Foxbat
What is PWA app? PWA utilities seem to be a Spanish app. I hope you are seeing this since nothing seems to be working. I will miss SatelliteGuys. Tapatalk worked well. The Siri browser doesn't seem to work well.
Actually, PWA stands for "Progressive Web Application" and is basically just saving a site's homepage to your desktop where it appears as an "App" with the rest of your smartphone's Apps.
1781162703297.webp
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Scott Greczkowski
A PWA is a custom version of SatelliteGuys which is optimized for mobile devices. While it may look like the website, its actually different so that only the files needed for mobile are sent, meaning its a much faster experience all around.

TapaTalk is essentially dead. It was written for PHP 5.4 and we are now running PHP 8.4. There have been a LOT of PHP security updates since then and since Tapatalk for Xenforo has not been updated in a long long time it is not the safest idea to keep running it.

In addition those trying to view the site on their mobile devices using a browser were getting spammed on the top of the screen for people to install TapaTalk, this ad in some cases would take up 20% of the users screen. We could get rid of that ad but we would have to pay $20 a month to get rid of it.

Screenshot 2026-06-11 085611.webp



In addition TapaTalk could and was inserting their own ads on SatelliteGuys in the app which only benefitted them, SatelliteGuys was not paid for those ads they were displaying on our site. Again we could pay to get rid of those ads.

Screenshot 2026-06-11 085641.webp


And here was the cost of the Premium Tier.

Screenshot 2026-06-11 085701.webp


Now to make matters worse Tapatalk recently announced that they are going to start charging users of the app 99 cents a month to continue using it.

Screenshot 2026-06-11 090141.webp



So soon you would be paying them each month to access SatelliteGuys via their app, again all the money going to them... and you would still see all their ads too.

Tapatalk was a great program which we run for many many years, and for a long time we DID pay for the premium tier. But now with such a small offset using it (My numbers show a total of 6 members) it wasn't work paying for any longer.

In addition Tapatalk was sold to a different owner who made lots of promises of improvements and updates but then that owner has been really radio silent since, instead they have been letting TapaTalk rot on the vine.

If you visit their support forum at https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/tapatalksupport/ you will see there is not much going on, in fact most of the support questions posted there go unanswered.

Please give the PWA a try, I was a die hard Tapatalk user myself but now only use the PWA on devices. It is a much better all around experience, with no bloatware or additional ads based on your user membership level.

I don't have an android phone so I could not make a graphic showing you how to add SatelliteGuys PWA to your phones apps or home screen. But here is a site that explains how to do it on all kinds of devices. How to Install a PWA on iOS, Android, Windows & Mac [2025 Guide]

The above link also explains PWA's better as well. :)

If Tapatalk were to update their plugins so we know we are more secure and up to date and allow us to remove the "Smart Banner" without having to pay $20 a month, we would consider adding it back. I don't even care about their ads, as if a user wants to use their app and is willing to sit through their ads in order to use that app then I am ok with it.

But hopefully that explains better why it was removed. It was not done to cut anyone off from the site. :) Please give the PWA a try.
NYDutch
A PWA is a custom version of SatelliteGuys which is optimized for mobile devices. While it may look like the website, its actually different so that only the files needed for mobile are sent, meaning its a much faster experience all around.

TapaTalk is essentially dead. It was written for PHP 5.4 and we are now running PHP 8.4. There have been a LOT of PHP security updates since then and since Tapatalk for Xenforo has not been updated in a long long time it is not the safest idea to keep running it.

In addition those trying to view the site on their mobile devices using a browser were getting spammed on the top of the screen for people to install TapaTalk, this ad in some cases would take up 20% of the users screen. We could get rid of that ad but we would have to pay $20 a month to get rid of it.

View attachment 191729


In addition TapaTalk could and was inserting their own ads on SatelliteGuys in the app which only benefitted them, SatelliteGuys was not paid for those ads they were displaying on our site. Again we could pay to get rid of those ads.

View attachment 191730

And here was the cost of the Premium Tier.

View attachment 191731

Now to make matters worse Tapatalk recently announced that they are going to start charging users of the app 99 cents a month to continue using it.

View attachment 191732


So soon you would be paying them each month to access SatelliteGuys via their app, again all the money going to them... and you would still see all their ads too.

Tapatalk was a great program which we run for many many years, and for a long time we DID pay for the premium tier. But now with such a small offset using it (My numbers show a total of 6 members) it wasn't work paying for any longer.

In addition Tapatalk was sold to a different owner who made lots of promises of improvements and updates but then that owner has been really radio silent since, instead they have been letting TapaTalk rot on the vine.

If you visit their support forum at https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/tapatalksupport/ you will see there is not much going on, in fact most of the support questions posted there go unanswered.

Please give the PWA a try, I was a die hard Tapatalk user myself but now only use the PWA on devices. It is a much better all around experience, with no bloatware or additional ads based on your user membership level.

I don't have an android phone so I could not make a graphic showing you how to add SatelliteGuys PWA to your phones apps or home screen. But here is a site that explains how to do it on all kinds of devices. How to Install a PWA on iOS, Android, Windows & Mac [2025 Guide]

The above link also explains PWA's better as well. :)

If Tapatalk were to update their plugins so we know we are more secure and up to date and allow us to remove the "Smart Banner" without having to pay $20 a month, we would consider adding it back. I don't even care about their ads, as if a user wants to use their app and is willing to sit through their ads in order to use that app then I am ok with it.

But hopefully that explains better why it was removed. It was not done to cut anyone off from the site. :) Please give the PWA a try.
I just installed the PWA on my Android phone. It was pretty easy to do, and now I'm posting this from my phone. Thanks, Scott!
Scott Greczkowski
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!

So let the game continue!

The last song was added by Bobby who posted...

One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters

CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!

Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game

Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.

Example:

Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow

Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio

Another example:

Ride the Lightning -- Metallica

Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne


Get it?


An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
67104 Replies · 2662245 views
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long_time_DNC
King Of Pain - The Police
H
Haven't Got Time For The PAIN-Carly Simon
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ClarkGable
No Time - The Guess Who
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harshness
Time After Time - Cyndi Lauper
sdfntx
Right on Time - Brandi Carlile
Scott Greczkowski
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge
Last reply · posted in SatelliteGuys Support Center
As you may have noticed we are doing a Fund Raiser for SatelliteGuys!

As many of you know I have been paying for a majority of the operation of the site out of my own pocket for awhile now. Now looking at things we have a number of renewals coming up that I could use some help with. These renewals include the license renewal for our Forum Software, Renewal of a number of our add on's the site uses, renewal of domain names etc.

I have set a goal of $400.00 - any extra that comes in will just go to fund the operations of the site. None of the money will go to me (I tried BuyMeACoffee a few months ago, and they denied me saying they do not do business with Satellite Piracy sites... which we are not... hell we host the beta programs for both DISH and DIRECTV here...)

Anyways... if you would like to help out please click the link below.


Thank you in advance. :)
18 Replies · 549 views
Scott Greczkowski
I planned on removing it today, but then my fathers car broke down and I had to drive him all around to get his stuff done. Then I had a doctors appointment after that which was annoying...

Dr asks me if I have had any changes, so I tell him something wrong with me that started a month or so ago and his reply back is, that it sucks to get old... I hate that. Why ask me. if your going to come back with a smart ass answer.

Anyays I hope to get rid of Tapatalk tomorrow. :)

And we had more people donate today, thank you! The extra money is going to future expenses since things like add ons don't expire at the same time.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU AGAIN!
T
Yeah, dr's...joint pain? Your joints are wearing out. It hurts when I do this...don't do that
comfortably_numb
Dr asks me if I have had any changes, so I tell him something wrong with me that started a month or so ago and his reply back is, that it sucks to get old

No excuse for a flippant response like that from a doctor! I'd be looking for a different one.
Scott Greczkowski
Tapatalk has been removed.

I have added a new feature which is a work in progress called "Social Feed" which displays the forums Facebook style. Its nice for people who like that, but needs work. But i have been watching this one for awhile and the author is being really responsive to suggestions and adding them. So if you have any please let me know and I can pass them along. :)
navychop
😍
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Scott Greczkowski
We got more kind donations yesterday! Again a very big thank you to everyone for your support!
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dfergie
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU!
Last reply · posted in The Sports Section
111 Replies · 2720 views
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Foxbat
Awesome pictures, Yespage! Thanks!

I caught the end of the four hour race on YouTube so I wasn't "spoiled", but got to see the exciting last lap action in the TCR division!
Y
Awesome pictures, Yespage! Thanks!

I caught the end of the four hour race on YouTube so I wasn't "spoiled", but got to see the exciting last lap action in the TCR division!
I heard on the radio, after the final pitstop, Turner Motorsport were resigned to second place. 'You're in second. Don't worry about it. First is McLaren, we aren't catching them.'
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Y
Caught up to the 500... err... k in St. Louis. What a race! Andretti Motorsport were doing very well with Ericsson and Kirkwood, meanwhile Power was moving up the grid. Veekay started cautiously. He was working the tires just right, becoming more lethal later in the stint. Rasmussen was racing likewise, not nearly as insane as he has in the past. Palou was leading the race, in a shocker to all. Caio Collet was having a wonderful ride, making Ferucci potentially sweat a bit. Rain came, rain went, rain came, rain went. Generally mild sprinkles, but enough to pause racing on an oval.

Palou would kind of send Siegel into the wall. Siegel really didn't do much wrong. As he noted, you have to turn at some point. Palou had acres of room below and Siegel might have had his ticket out of Indycar stamped. Dixon was doing the fuel thing and got busted twice by yellows, not pitting before the flag came out. Then the most critical happened... Palou ran out of gas on pit lane, effectively giving Newgarden the race lead and win. Newgarden had a very early pit, so he was able to slide in, get service and go. Meanwhile, everyone else was confused and stuck behind Palou for a bit. Once people figured what was happening, Newgarden had a major advantage of several seconds. Newgarden wouldn't look back and when it went green again, he'd hold the lead for the win.

Massive credit to Juncos Hollinger who bested Penske in getting Veekay out before Malukas in a transition that was oddly bizarre. I haven't had time to check, but I'm wondering if Veekay was about to run out of fuel or cut a tire. He was charging late in a stint, got up to fifth, and then tailed back for a few laps to 10th or 11th. It looked like it was over. Went into the pits, and after the pitting sequence was over, Veekay was well inside the top ten again. It was weird. And he charged, getting up to fourth. He made a late move on Rasmussen, but Rasmussen held his position with some great driving. In fact, there was a ton of incredible racing passing, not passing all race long. Veekay would finish 4th. A podium would have been awesome, but it is a great outcome for a guy who hopefully will get a break with a big team. We saw what Veekay could do with a Honda last season with fuel save, imagine replacing Simpson on Ganassi and having speed to go with fuel saving. His 6th at Indy and 4th at St. Louis get him up to 13th in the points standings and only 5 points outside of the top 10.

Ericsson finished second, resigned to finishing behind the current best in the world guy on a short oval. Rasmussen got the final step on the podium, a nice rebound to what has been an otherwise bad year for him, and a good reward to ECR who just extended his contract.
Y
They raced USAC cars at Daytona once. Once! People died. Aj Foyt said 'f this', and left after the first go around. AJ freaking Foyt thought it was crazy! And cars weren't nearly as fast as they are now.

I think they tried Talladega once too.
Y
LeMans qualifying on going. WEC has d9ne a great job expanding the automotive company entries. Even without Porsche, a large nunber of manufacturers.
Peter Parker
Supporting Founder Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in Computers and Gadgets
I have had good experiences with Brave but lately I am frustrated with it.

Now when I launch the app it shows a box at the bottom asking if I want to go back to the last opened page. It is in conveniently located and I would prefer to eliminate it.

Does anyone know how to do this?

Please let's not sidetrack the discussion into an exploration of why I don't care for it or a lecture about all the wonderful aspects of the feature. I just do not care for it.
3 Replies · 66 views
b4pjoe
I don't have an Android phone so I don't know if this will apply to the Brave settings on your android device but it works on the desktop for me.

Change this setting to either startup to a different website or a new tab page. I have mine set to open to google.com instead of where I left off and it doesn't ask me at the next startup if I want to open the last opened page unless it crashed.

Screenshot 2026-06-10 at 6.46.20 PM.webp
Peter Parker
I don't have an Android phone so I don't know if this will apply to the Brave settings on your android device but it works on the desktop for me.

Change this setting to either startup to a different website or a new tab page. I have mine set to open to google.com instead of where I left off and it doesn't ask me at the next startup if I want to open the last opened page unless it crashed.

View attachment 191721
Thank you for trying to help. However thrse choices do not appear in Android. There is a setting for "New Tab Pages" that is similar but does not include your choice. I have tried all of the existing entries with no success
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Juan
Something like this maybe


Option 2: Set a custom Home button URL
  1. Click the menu icon in the top-right corner and select Settings.
  2. Click on Appearance in the left sidebar.
  3. Toggle on the Show home button switch.
  4. Under the home button settings, select the option to Enter custom web address and type in your preferred website. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
BlackHitachi
Supporting Founder
Last reply · posted in Movie Talk
Since the Reds have there thread we should too!

Last watched Nine inch Nails
Next 3:10 to Yuma
5346 Replies · 509283 views
osu1991
Rooster Cogburn.

Keep forgetting the free movies on youtube are ad free with my premium subscription.
dfergie
Rooster Cogburn.

Keep forgetting the free movies on youtube are ad free with my premium subscription.
There are some really good movies on youtube.
Saving Private Ryan 4k, Dolby Atmos...
harshness
Saving Private Ryan 4k, Dolby Atmos...
These are severely limited. Getting better than stereo audio is improving, but still has a long way to go.
dfergie
These are severely limited. Getting better than stereo audio is improving, but still has a long way to go.
I went with my 4k disc after checking out that version.
osu1991

View: https://youtu.be/I68627xyDPA?is=gUZB0Yv_08pE0DR3


Tonight revisiting one of my favorites. Ranks up there with Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Hunt For Red October.
dfergie
Watching Monterey Pop, been awhile, had the DVD, but probably lost in the fire 10.5 years ago. HBOmax
"MysteryMan"
813WnPwdB3L._SX342_.webp
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S
· posted in FTA Manuals Section
Looking for a manual. Want to do some radio astronomy with it. Realize it's old but, since it's not for tv use don't need any decoders, just the RF section.
0 Replies · 16 views