How To Keep the STB working as OTA after the shutdown?

[JunX]

Loosing Voom SUCKS, but it would also blow if I lost the ability to use the STB to get the OTA stuff.... Their antenna works great!

Assuming they don't confiscate the boxes, how can we keep them working as OTA?

Make sure they are unplugged when it goes dark? Help!

Hey at least CVC gave mee $300 off my new 32" SHARP LCD! That was the offer brandsmart had if you signed up for voom when buying an HD set....

Suckers!

 

[roachxp]

I keeping mine, breach of contract if they can't provide my 6 months of service. If I have to pay 250 for early termination, then I should get something from them for not providing me.

 

[JunX]

That's right! I just wonder how they're going to pull this one off.... send a KILL signal to the box, or just stop broadcasting....

If they send a kill it will be a nice doorstop, if they stop broadcasting... we should get the locals.

If it keeps working... will the guide still show the local info? Does that come from the sat, or is it sent with the OTA stuff?

Anyone know?

 

[roachxp]

If they send the kill signal yes it is a doorstop. I already unplugged mine just it case. The guide data comes from voom so once it's lights out then there is no guide data, but OTA will work fine.

 

[FunkyBoss]

If they don't go through the trouble of collecting all the STBs from people, why would they go through the trouble of screwing everyone and disabling the OTA feature of the box?

 

[Amphicar770]

I can see only two reasons that they *might* send a kill signal to the boxes:

1) Jim Dolan is a prick and hates VOOM customers for cheering his Dad along.

2) They will not pick them up (the leased units) but will ask people to send them back. Turning them into paperweights lessens the incentive to keep them. This assumes they have some sort of salvage value.

 

[Lobstah]

As was posted in another thread...they're on Ebay for $40.
The problems with collecting these boxes are HUGE...believe me.
1) I don't have my boxes.
2) I'm not paying for shipping
3) I forgot
4) I forgot...again.
5) Who is going to pay me for my time to box up YOUR equipment, take it to the Post Office, and ship it back to you? If you want it, COME AND GET IT...it's on the porch.

and on and on and on...

Unless there is some form of monetary incentive involved, like a deposit, which there isn't, then it's all but impossible to get people to spend their own time and effort to return anything to VOOM.

Lob

 

[klen]

As was posted in another thread...they're on Ebay for $40.
The problems with collecting these boxes are HUGE...believe me.
1) I don't have my boxes.
2) I'm not paying for shipping
3) I forgot
4) I forgot...again.
5) Who is going to pay me for my time to box up YOUR equipment, take it to the Post Office, and ship it back to you? If you want it, COME AND GET IT...it's on the porch.

and on and on and on...

Unless there is some form of monetary incentive involved, like a deposit, which there isn't, then it's all but impossible to get people to spend their own time and effort to return anything to VOOM.

Lob

All of those things may be true.

I used to be a Primestar customer, and when they announced that they were going under, they didn't want their equipment, and they didn't want to uninstall everything.

I bitched until someone came out and took the dish off of my roof. They were reluctant, but they did it.

-k

 

[bryan27]

If they send a kill it will be a nice doorstop, if they stop broadcasting... we should get the locals.

I have my doubts about a kill making the receiver a nice doorstop. There are some very talented people out there and someone is bound to find a way to hook the VOOM STB to the computer and write new software downloadable from the net making the STB function for OTA only.

 

[madpoet]

I really wouldn't count on that. They'd have to hack the card.