I have been a DISH subscriber ever since VOOM went dark, now I may drop DISH. What's going on with VOOM...and more importantly, what does it mean for those of us folks that have been providing viewers w/ true HD programming. I came staff on w/ HD News @ the beginning and have been through the good and bad w/ them. Echo-Star deals for the satellite, Dolan family feuds and I never lost faith. Now I'm really worried - more for my co-workers than myself. We knew there were going to be some changes coming down the pike soon - w/ the DISH/Cablevision lawsuit, but now we're dark. Hopefully the Dolan family (Charles and Pat anyway) will keep the faith and get us on the air w/ some other provider. I don't think Cablevision in the NE US will keep us afloat. They have saved us before, maybe they can do it again.
Many viewers really love our product - it's a niche market, but the we have lots of very loyal viewers. I can't figure out how Kung Fu HD and Monster HD are keepers when we aren't. I guess it's above my pay-grade.
And I'm really irritated w/ providers - DISH and others trying to pass off letter boxed SD for true HD. Many local news stations and some national network (CNN) have said that they are true HD - and the only ones around. BS. No other station or network in the US has all of their programming in HD. I'm in the field w/ their crews and most are still shooting nothing but SD. A few are playing w/ HD for special projects, but that doesn't make them all HD. It makes them hacks. HD News is a niche network, but we have paved the way w/ NHK (Japan) for the rest of the news world to go HD. It's been fun, adventurous and many times frustrating being ahead of the technology curve, but I would do it all again. And I hope I have a chance to do just that.
Keep the faith.
