How Voom can gain market dominance...

[Dvlos]

By Dvlos

HDTV Guru only in his own living room...


You know Rainbow has been getting lots of feedback from people they've poured this into their latest SEC filing. They acknowledge that part of the problem is not being able to deliver locals to everyone. Also their advertising isn't that good, churn rate was high due to equipment troubles. My two cents, they have a craptacular multiroom deal, which is basically they have no multiroom deal in place that can compete in any way with cable, D*, or E*.

However after the spinoff, Rainbow Media should tap into a resource readily available that could help solidify their hold as well as help Cablevision keep their hold...

Partner with cable to deliver locals.

Ok, forget ideas people were having about merging with Echostar should Voom fail... Cablevision has a rather good size market share in cable, imagine this offer from Voom:

Sign up for Voom and receiver you're option for locals - OTA Antenna install for free.. or for $10 a month extra you can have include Cablevisions HD pack, which includes (and reincludes) all HD channels available through cable, + locals, and locals in HD. Which would be a savings of XXX amount of dollars.

Why would cable want to do this? To prevent people from leaving and joining D*'s mega locals in HD lineup, it's a smaller package of channels but it still keeps cable in people's homes. Of course it solves Voom's locals problem with certain people. If it works maybe they can strike a deal with other cable companies like Comcast or Cox. Not to mention you Voom can continue to pioneer "most HD anywhere" this way also (as I think most cable companies have HDNet and INHD).

Opinions.

 

[1080iBeVuMin]

Good idea, except the Voom STB cannot decode the HD delivered on cable. So, the customer would need more hardware from the cable co, and then you have to switch your TV input for local channels. That kind of ruins the seamless effect Voom already gets with OTA channels.

It would be great if the Voom STB would decode cable HD.

 

[Dvlos]

Actually I was thinking most TV's can handle multiple inputs, maybe Voom could just provide a free switch for people using double components and no open slot.

Second couldn't the cable be "decoded" using a small box that feeds into the "antenna" slot on the STB?

 

[1080iBeVuMin]

Actually I was thinking most TV's can handle multiple inputs, maybe Voom could just provide a free switch for people using double components and no open slot.

I agree, probably all HDTVs can handle multiple inputs. But it would require a flip over to local channel input, and back to Voom. That would defeat all the effort Voom has devoted to making the transition between local OTA and satellite as seamless as possible the way it works now -- just select the channel number.

The solution would be for Voom to offer an alternative STB that decodes cable HD instead of OTA HD. That would attract customers like me, who are too far away for OTA in the first place.

Second couldn't the cable be "decoded" using a small box that feeds into the "antenna" slot on the STB?

Hmmm.... that solution would appear clunky, not cutting-edge.

 

[Dvlos]

You're counterpoints make sense, a cable tuner shouldn't be that hard to add in, and an external option could be "clunky" it depends, as long as the PG and box could be in sync, then flipping to a channel on the Voom STB would really be just getting the channel from cable right? It's just an idea, and eliminates the OTA antenna for those that can't use it, or don't like it. In addition, it may be more money, but you could potentially get more HD, which would be attractive to many. It would also kill the need for Voom to launch 8 billion dollars in Satellites to blanket the earth in HD locals like D*'s doing.

 

[Bruce]

This is the worst idea yet,if I subscribe to Comcast here for the everything thing pack($90.00 + $,all HD movie channels,Discovery,ESPN,Bravo-yech,InHD 1 & 2,all locals)they would want me to leave to go to Voom and give up $80.00 so they can make $10.00,and also each cable company hates each other as much as they hate D* and E*.

The smart thing for locals is to get moving on the MVDSS spectrum they own.

 

[Dvlos]

Ok can you tell me what the hell is this MVDSS spectrum?

Also the cable company wouldn't lose a $100 a month customer, they could gain a Voom customer I guess, Cablevision would be the test market since they own Voom ANYWAY. Why would a cable company own VOom? To gain a foothold into a niche market and own a bigger piece of the pie.

The people who find cable as a good option will stay there anyway. The people who like DBS will stick with DBS.. it's just an idea, maybe at least JUST for HD locals.

 

[Bilodeaumj]

Not a bad idea, especially for the "Whole Home Solution". Right now I get my phone (though I am switching over to VOIP) and Internet connection from Cox Cable Communications. I have canceled my Digital cable for Voom, and am a better man for it. Cable needs to be able to accept VOIP as that is going to win out as well.

It would be nice to have (& seemingly a great selling point) all services provided by one company. The "Whole Home Solution" is going to happen, its just a matter of who can make it happen. Imagine if the upcoming Uccentric DVR home solution (two weeks away right? ) is able to tie right into the Internet. We would only need one cable to provide the internet and one cable for the satellite signal. We could surf the internet and answer the phones, all on our TV. I wonder what my mother-in-law sounds like in Dolby 5.1...

 

[Bruce]

Ok can you tell me what the hell is this MVDSS spectrum?

In very basic terms,MVDSS is the same spectrum that DBS transmits now in,you can piggyback on the same signal

TV & Internet Broadcast

Up to 2000 Digital MPEG2 Channels.
Up to 6 Gb/s Wireless Internet / Intranet Access Capacity
More than 200 km Radius Range with a 4 watt transmitter.
Very low cost ...

 

[Dvlos]

If that's the case they have all the space they need right now for SD channels? They could also offer internet for people? Why are they bothering to lease a 2nd satellite then?

 

[Bruce]

If that's the case they have all the space they need right now for SD channels? They could also offer internet for people? Why are they bothering to lease a 2nd satellite then?

They don't need any Sat. at all,you can do locals in each area,you can do different packages in each area,HD and SD.

From the SEC report:
Multichannel Video Distribution and Data Service. Our current estimates of
required funding do not take account of the cost of utilizing our investment in
multichannel video distribution and data service, or MVDDS. In January 2004, we invested $100,000 for a 49% stake in DTV Norwich, which was the high
34 bidder in an FCC auction for MVDDS licenses in 46 markets in the United States,including New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Cleveland. MVDDS licensees will operate in the same radio spectrum as satellite television services like DirecTV, DISH Network and VOOM(SM). The MVDDS signal is transmitted from local,ground based, microwave towers, with enough bandwidth for hundreds of channels and high-speed Internet service. Concurrently with our equity investment, we funded DTV Norwich with an additional $84.6 million loan for the acquisition of these licenses in the auction. Under the terms of the promissory note with DTV Norwich, the loan will be forgiven as the FCC grants the MVDDS licenses to DTV
Norwich. Our current investment does not cover any of the costs of building out the infrastructure or other costs necessary to utilize the licenses. We have agreed with DTV Norwich to fund these costs but we do not currently have any funding available for these additional build-out costs nor have we initiated any discussions to acquire such funding. If we are unable to obtain required funding DTV Norwich might not be able to retain these licenses and we could lose our investment.

 

[Dvlos]

So if I get this right, this technology is similiar to cellphone technology. It's essentially a local system that can beam signals to "dish"es. I read this in the SEC but I passed over it since I had no idea what it meant. It seems the FCC has not fully granted use of this technology to DTV Norwich though, also Rainbow does not have the funds to implement this in any way.

However if they did, they could theoretically use it for locals, or locals and internet? That's real interesting, and here they are bashing their heads in regarding delivering HD locals?

 

[jagouar]

This would be an interesting thing to happen (but I dont see it happening)... but i hear most locals on cable systems arent encrypted so on alot of peoples systems (not even cable vision) but just a cable tuner for Hd locals via cable (that would also double as a OTA tuner, through menu or hard button like the output rez if local cable co doesnt have HD or all of them) and then voom service... they could even strike a deal with the other big cable co's and pay them "$X" per sub.... so the cable co would get some cash form people on dbs who never would use cable again instead of paying all kinds of cash for upgraded antenna's.

this is actually a really, really good idea to solve the local problems but doubt it would happen..... it is very interesting though.

Somebody should send this to the powers that be at voom because its a really interesting idea.

 

[vurbano]

I guess we will get INHD when this VOOM/cable deal happens. LMAO. What a ridiculous notion.

 

[Bruce]

So if I get this right, this technology is similiar to cellphone technology. It's essentially a local system that can beam signals to "dish"es. I read this in the SEC but I passed over it since I had no idea what it meant. It seems the FCC has not fully granted use of this technology to DTV Norwich though, also Rainbow does not have the funds to implement this in any way.

However if they did, they could theoretically use it for locals, or locals and internet? That's real interesting, and here they are bashing their heads in regarding delivering HD locals?

Yep,think wireless and all you would need is a little antenna to get the signal,no line of sight,transmits from Cell Phone Towers that are already up.

The FCC has granted use of it,DTV Norwich(Dolen)has the rights to about 40% of the market(Charlie Ergen has about 37%,and a few others have the rest),the problem is using it,if not used within 3 years it goes back to the FCC so all they are doing is sitting on spectrum that could be great competition(which maybe is why they are sitting on it)
for Cable and Sat.services

 

[Dvlos]

Voom could effectively tie this into their DBS service? Someone fund these guys, that's the answer for locals... if they could get this running, and anyone posted "hey guys we don't even get cellphone signals" man you live so far away they've just discovered vacuum tube transistors in your hometown anyway.

 

[Bruce]

You might not like my answer,but don't tie in the service,close Voom and use the money towards this,why waste the monies for the next 2 years for something that won't last,use it for something that could be a great thing for the HD market.

 

[Dvlos]

What would be the difference, Voom the DBS Service or Rainbow the MVDDS service? Why not VOOVVDDS?

 

[Bruce]

What would be the difference, Voom the DBS Service or Rainbow the MVDDS service? Why not VOOVVDDS?

Voom the DBS just is not working based on the subs.

Here is what could be better about MVDSS vs DBS:

Up to 2000 Digital MPEG2 Channels. Which is what 300-400 HD channels,how many birds in the sky can provide that,plus locals and RSNs in each area,don't have to waste a whole Transponder for locals in one area,just transmit in that area.

Up to 6 Gb/s Wireless Internet / Intranet Access Capacity -more options for broadband I think are always good

More than 200 km Radius Range with a 4 watt transmitter.-Just lease space on Cell Towers that are already up,if not in a certain area put one up,cheaper then building a sat.

Very low cost ...-for the potential that this spectrum could provide,you would have to put up,what,maybe 10 birds and at $500.00 million a pop,I do not think you would have to do the math.

 

[Dvlos]

Yes but how many towers would you have to put up to cover the areas they have like NYC, Miami, Chicago, LA.. etc.. how would the channels be broadcast to these towers for redistribution?

(I love this site I always learn new crap)