DVR pushed back

[Scotty]

I'm giving VOOM until March, 2005. I think they have put all their chips into UCentric. I wonder why they didn't just use the Tivo HD PVR and just plugged and chugged!?

That would have made me very happy. I'm using Tivo SD now time shift. It sucks watching HD shows in sd, but if its a case of missing it cause I couldn't be there live vs, watching a low def version, I'm watching the lo def version. We could have had an HD tivo by now. We're never going to get a UCentric HD DVR. Voom will go under before that thing comes out.

 

[DarrellP]

Yet, they still have more HD than anybody else.

No big deal to me since I hardly watch it anyway. The $549 for a Dish 921 PVR looks real tempting now since I watch mostly Dish anyway.

 

[philhu]

Hey, if someone wants my two boxes for $35 they can have them . I keep them with the sole hope that Voom will loosen up and let people do self installs. Then maybe they'll be worth something. I've often wondered if someone who owns the boxes right now tried to get another one activated would have success. I bet you could pull it off.

Nope.

I tried, for grins. Called the number, gave them the box id and they said that it does not show installation at my address and there has been no installer there for 30+ days, although they said the box is 'new', whatever that means.

 

[GabeNet]

has anyone taken one of the current boxes apart?

I have.

I managed to short out the power bar that all my HT equipment was plugged into. It blew the fuses in my receiver and the Voom STB. I did not want to wait around for a tech to come out when I knew it was a simple fuse so I opened it up and threw a new one in. I'm renting the equipment so I hope that if the STB ever has to be sent back Voom does not throw a fit because I was in there. While I had it opened up I was looking at the main board and chassis. The board itself does not look as if it has any type of support for a hard drive. There is a ribbon cable that runs from the main board to a daughter board which has the connection for the WM/MPEG-4 decoder modules if they ever come, but no support for a hard drive. There was no area on the board for an IDE or SATA connection. The power supply did not have any lines that would be used to power a hard drive so I guess that will change too. The chassis looked as though there was plenty of room for a standard 3 1/2" hard drive to be mounted with a bracket. The empty space is in the bottom left section if you are looking down at the open STB with the front facing you. I'd be willing to believe theories that they will use the same chassis for the DVR but it will have a totally different main board. There are spaces for another set of receiving components, one OTA and one satellite that are present on the chassis as well.

Just my two cents worth.

 

[hannonpi]

For what its worth (and that is probably not the electrons that this is taking up) I called to cancel my voom service today since I just bought an hdtivo the csr said the voom dvr is due out next month...they are picking up my equipment next tuesday...but that is another story.

-paddy hannon

 

[patrickpiteo]

For what its worth (and that is probably not the electrons that this is taking up) I called to cancel my voom service today since I just bought an hdtivo the csr said the voom dvr is due out next month...they are picking up my equipment next tuesday...but that is another story.

-paddy hannon

I have the DirecTivo and I love it BUT I really can not see spending $999.00 to record such little that is offered right now by D*. I hope the VOOM DVR is really coming as soon as some think though...

 

[Bruce]

I have the DirecTivo and I love it BUT I really can not see spending $999.00 to record such little that is offered right now by D*. I hope the VOOM DVR is really coming as soon as some think though...

Even through,D* offers so little HD ,remember it will record OTA also,which is the main reason I would want a HD-DVR.

 

[patrickpiteo]

Even through,D* offers so little HD ,remember it will record OTA also,which is the main reason I would want a HD-DVR.

Yes I realize that but even for that I can not see spending that much. I feel D* is just ripping pople off for what they can get in that for now. Just think that all the other HD stuff you wont be able to record cause D* don't carry those channels. I also have D* HD STB so I can compare and I am well aware of what D* can and can not do.

I mean I was an really early Tivo guy. I got it when it first came out and payed $$$ only to see the price drop and better models come out real quick... I really am looking forward to the VOOM DVR if even half of what they say it will do is true.

 

[SonicRob]

Voom DVR

How much will there DVR cost D* has there DVR for 999.99 i can't afford that i wish Voom will give there DVR for free for new customers but hell will freeze over before Voom gives there DVR for free.

 

[The Stone Man]

D* has the HD Tivo and it retails for $999, but you can get it at Value Electronics (see link in blue box above) for $899.

E* has the 921, and the price recently dropped to $549. Their new DVR is the 942, but I haven't seen a definitive date on when it will be available.

Voom's DVR won't be free, you can count on that. I'd speculate that it will be at least $549 to purchase, and nobody knows what it would cost on a lease.

 

[riffjim4069]

Voom's DVR won't be free, you can count on that. I'd speculate that it will be at least $549 to purchase, and nobody knows what it would cost on a lease.

The local Cable Co. charges $7.95 to rent their HD DVR w/120Mb hard drive. I would be willing to rent the HD DVR for $9.95 - we should be provided with free thin-clients ($5 mirror fee) in exchange for a 1 year committment.

Assuming VOOM adds HD/SD channels, PPV and more competitive pricing, I would be willing to pay $399 for the HD DVR and $99 for each thin-client with a 1 year committment...just as long as they change their Equipment Activation Policy.

 

[JimP]

Although I normally would buy equipment like this PVR, considering that Voom might not be around in a couple of years , I think the prudent thing to do would be to lease their PVR.

I would also want to be careful that I'm not liable for lease fees beyond the time that Voom is the provider. Consider this situation. Dish buys out Voom and your monthly subscription goes from $79 a month to $110 a month. By then, your local cable company can provide substantially the same programming for $95 a month. Would you want to continue a lease with Dish or whoever then owns what use to be Voom? probably not,

 

[SonicRob]

Lease would be a good idea i rather lease it then buy it God knows i don't have the money to buy a PVR.