Cablevision Board To Debate Voom Fate

[Minsk1]

I am a Dish sub.

How is Voom offering a better product? More HD yes but how is it better?

The PQ has been debated constantly with no resolve.
No working HD DVR (Dish 921 doesn't work either) or DVR at all for that matter.
Not all SD channels are covered.
Terrible installation problems.

I registered because it was very hard for me not to respond to this.
I am a Dish customer too. After Voom installation I just put Dish in "sleep" mode ($5/month).
Why?
Because Voom is much better. HD PQ is the same, SD PQ on Voom is much better.
Then name SD channel worth watching which is missing from Voom lineup. Even if you find one with Voom you will probably will not have time to watch it because of all this HD stuff.
Dish has HDNets, but Voom originals way, way overcover these ones.

Long live, Voom!

A.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Very well written and these are my thoughts exactly.

I read every post in this excellent thread with comments from every conceivable angle including humor.

My conclusions:

1 - Now would be a dumb time for a Voom customer to dump Voom no matter what happens. If Voom ends, somebody will buy the Voom subscriber contact list and offer ex-Voom subscribers all kinds of special deals. Or Voom service could get merged with another service. Or, we can only hope, the service might even continue. Why jump ship now? Enjoy Voom while it lasts.

2 - What were the Voom founders thinking? (other than Dolan sr.) It takes a good 3 or 4 years to establish a business. Why would they go into this and pull the plug after a year and a half? Hardly enough time to get it going. Really, what's with those guys??

3 - Don't write off Dolan sr., the visionary. He hasn't finished his work yet.

 

[BFG]

OMG, it's hard for me to respond either, LMAO!!!!!!!

Really good content on the exclusive HD channels....Now I actually catch myself watching much less news and much more Voom on those exclusive HD channels. Great selection of movies and other content, and Equator is actually addictive .

Dish has HDNets, but Voom originals way, way overcover these ones.

 

[Ilya]

Welcome to the forum, Minsk1!

 

[FrankJo]

Don't fool yourselves - VOOM in big trouble

When people start talking about corporate malfeasance and names like Enron, things are getting ugly. Keep enjoyng Voom while you can. I agree that its a really innovative service, but they have hit a wall in getting subscribers and are losing HUGE amounts of money.

I can understand some peoples ideas about sticking it out, but we're talking about big ticket items, like SATELLITES THAT FLY IN OUTER SPACE. There seem to be not only corporate politics involved, but family politics as well, which doesn't bode well. I now that that whatever happens is going to come quickly, or be a a knock down, drag out, fight to the end, with family member against family member (this actually has all the makings of a really good film). The latter scenario means that you will have Voom for quite a while till all the dust settles.

In the end, I don't think Voom will make it because it just isn't making any money.

 

[MrPorterhouse]

In the end, I don't think Voom will make it because it just isn't making any money.

Ahhhhh, Hello? Bingo. We have a winner over here. This world has become a "what have you done for me lately" world, or "what have you done for me this quarter" business world. There is no time to develp a "Vision" for the future, and "Build" a business. If it doesn't contribute steadily to the bottom line IMMEDIATELY, then its scrapped. Its much the same with coaches in sports. It used to be that a coach had some years to turn things around. Now, if you have ONE losing season, your job is on the line. That is just the state of our world right now, and its not slowing down any time soon.

 

[GreatMac]

Ummm, Yes...Have it. Love it.

How can you tell me that I don't have great service? I am the one who fires up my HDTV, and its absolutely stunning. And the monthly price for HD? Ahhhh, did I say FREE. As in, NO Monthly Charge for HD. How can you beat that?
....

Well, I have tried both cable and Voom, and Voom is better IMHO. I would guess that you have not tried Voom, since if you had, you would actually know that there is NO monthly charge for HD

My statements to "better quality" relate mainly to SD content. Voom appears to compress its SD content less than either Dish or DirecTV, and much less than cable, in my experience. Now, it seems that you RPTV is CRT-based - CRTs generally don't seem to make compression artifacts pop out as much as on plasmas and LCDs, which is what I am using. So this may be part of our difference of opinion.

Glad you enjoy cable (and yes, I do get cable internet), but try Voom before making such statements.

 

[DarrellP]

Hey Guys, please don't faint, but I am going to give Voom a HUUUUUGE PQ complement; I watched SciFi last night "Army of Darkness" and I have to say, I was actually impressed with the PQ for a SD channel, it was better than most of my SD OTA Local Digital channels.

 

[jeslevine]

Yes!!!

VOOM is NOT shutting down.

Enjoy your HDTV.

I will and am enjoying it from Voom

 

[Sean Mota]

Back to topic: I like the way this all works. NY Times is the only one who provides information as to what is happening inside the meeting and now the stocks are jumping up.

source

Cablevision may be near sale of Voom
By David B. Wilkerson, CBS.MarketWatch.com

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- Cablevision Systems shares advanced Wednesday after the company reportedly moved closer to the sale or shutdown of its Voom satellite unit.

The board of Cablevision (CVC: news, chart, profile) met on Tuesday with management and urged that Voom be jettisoned, according to reports in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

Shares of the Bethpage, N.Y.-based cable operator rose 41 cents, or 2 percent, to close at $24.38, off from their session high of $25.18.

 

[jeslevine]

I am a dish subscriber

I am a Dish sub.

How is Voom offering a better product? More HD yes but how is it better?

The PQ has been debated constantly with no resolve.
No working HD DVR (Dish 921 doesn't work either) or DVR at all for that matter.
Not all SD channels are covered.
Terrible installation problems.

but they didn't deliver on their HD promise so I am sold my 921, and have subscribed to VOOM. I love it.

I still have dish, but basic service, and no HD from dish.

In addition, the Motorolla HD receiver is so much better than what dish offers
ALL OUTPUTS ARE LIVE

Hey, free installation and hardware, including OTA antenna gives me nothing to lose, and enjoy HD CONTENT, and QUALITY while it lasts

 

[MrPorterhouse]

Well, I have tried both cable and Voom, and Voom is better IMHO. I would guess that you have not tried Voom, since if you had, you would actually know that there is NO monthly chanrge for HD

My statements to "better quality" relate mainly to SD content. Voom appears to compress its SD content less than either Dish or DirecTV, and much less than cable, in my experience. Now, it seems that you RPTV is CRT-based - CRTs generally don't seem to make compression artifacts pop out as much as on plasmas and LCDs, which is what I am using. So this may be part of our difference of opinion.

I'm quite familiar with VOOM, and the quality is excellent. The point of my post was not to turn this into a VOOM vs Cable thing. I wanted to convey, especially to those who happen to reside in my area, how my feelings were with my HD Cable service, so in the event that VOOM gets canned, they have some info regarding other providers in the area.

So, I can order just a SD VOOM package? Because I didn't think that was possible. I was under the assumption that VOOM had its HD channels built in to the cost of their monthly programing fee, hence one price. With Cable, as you know, you can order any number of options of service, which carry cvarying levels of cost. It just so happens that in my area, Digital Plus runs about $50 per month, which is ridiculous in its own right, but when I called to add HD, expecting to pay an additional $5 per month for box rental and another $5-$10 per month for HD Programing, they said, "Oh, there's no extra charge for HD. Its all included in your current Digital Plus rate. We'll get someone out right way to set you up with a HD Box and get you all setup. When should we come out?" That's awesome, and great customer service. Actually, one of my neighbors down the road is a Tech for my local Comcast office, so I get service on the spot if I need it. Way to cool. Can VOOM do that? All I've heard of were Nightmare Installations and Service hassles. That's not something that pulls in customers.


But, you're dead right about SD channel quality. Cable SD is the worst out of all the providers. The great thing is that I rarely have to watch a SD channel. I mean, even with a very limited number of HD channels, I rarley find a time where I have to watch SD anymore. I am in the society that only needs a few quality channels to get the programing I need, and especially target HD Sports action, which I get plenty of. Overall, I have the best option for me regarding TV and High speed internet. VOOM is a better option for many others. To each his own, but having options is good for all of us.

 

[jeslevine]

I like it

I'll post a theory, Sr sold stock recently, he quits Cablevision and buys Voom for dirt cheap, now he has control over Voom. Jr moves up in Cablevisions eyes because he got rid of a money pit and stockholders are happy. Maybe it's just a ploy to build up press for Voom and Cablevision.

if that happens you at least knows senior wants this to suceed

 

[Impatient]

Voom isn't going anywhere. Can't you people see a stall tatic when it is presented?

Summer 2004 - We are going to spin off Voom
Fall 2004 - The spinoff is taking longer than expected
Winter 2004 - Spinoff cancelled
Jan 2005 - We are going to look to sell
Spring 2005 - We haven't found anybody yet
Summer 2005 - Sales are up, we are reconsidering a spinoff
Fall 2005 - The spinoff is taking longer than expected
...

 

[SactoCal]

Too be honest, I had never heard of Voom till I was watching TV after I told Comcast to go pound dirt with there HD equipment, I was unwilling to pay for the PQ they said was "As good as it gets". I was sitting there and a Voom commercial comes on. Now that they are advertising heavily, maybe things will turn around for them, if they are given the chance. I certainly hope VOOM stays around. I have had Dish, Comcast, Surewest and Voom. Voom is by far the superior product hands down.

Sorry to diverge, but someone else went off-topic about this earlier, so I wanted my 2 cents in also. Displaying SD on my TV from Voom and displaying the same channel in SD from either Comcast, Dish or Surewest and even my wife comments on how poor the PQ is from the other providers.

Now, on HD. Surewest has none. Comcast PQ on HD just plain sucks, its not any better than there SD transmissions, its only plus I could see was it was 16:9. Dish, dont get me going on EchoStar. I can't stand watching the decompression on there SD channels, why would I entertain them for HD.

Currently I still have Surewest and Voom. As far as broadband cost via your provider? I get 10meg per second up and down from Surewest via a fiber connection for around $40 a month. Comcast sells internet for $49 a month rated at 1.5 up and 384k down. (If your lucky and your hood is not saturated). Plus, Comcast will NOT protect your privacy in any way shape or form. I know.

:::climbs off the soapbox:::

 

[Lobstah]

I hope Charter doesn't employ the same decision making process. They've been losing money a LOT longer than VOOM, and they're my backup HD source, as well as my interenet connection

What a country

And yeah, my vote is that someone will buy them, or Sr. will take it off on his own.

Lob

 

[FrankJo]

Voom isn't going anywhere. Can't you people see a stall tatic when it is presented?

Uh, what exactly are they stalling about?

We all love Voom. BUT, IT ISN"T MAKING ANY MONEY!

 

[calikarim]

I cant get James dolan's email but here company info

Contact Information

Address
Cablevision Systems Corp.
1111 Stewart Avenue
Bethpage, NY 11714-3581
Phone
516-803-2300
IR Contacts
Elizabeth Dolce
Vice President and Assistant Treasurer
Elizabeth Hrybenko
Director - Investor Relations
Home page
www.cablevision.com


Let's all call Cablevision and tell them of our support for voom. Ask to leave message on James voicemail.

Cablevision Systems Corp
1111 Stewart Avenue
Bethpage, NY 11714
Phone: (516) 803-2300
Fax: (516) 364-4913
Email: investor@cablevision.com
Web Site: http://www.cablevision.com/

 

[calypsocowboy]

It may not be making money now but I think D* posted a pretty good loss last quarter too. I think the two biggest things that have prevented Voom from really expanding are getting the word out advertising, Sears just isn't the best place, and allowing self installs. I think they are on the right direction. As I get closer to my contract end with D* today I'm still planning on signing up with Voom.

 

[MarcelV]

Hey Guys, please don't faint, but I am going to give Voom a HUUUUUGE PQ complement....

DarrellP, are you the same DarrellP as yesterday?... You're ok?