ocd said:
i've contact the installers and confirmed that they would not use diplexers and since i am in a low lying rural area they agreed to a larger over the air antenna. what else do i need to know? how fast do the channels change via the remote? how reliable is the service? i am shutting off dishnet and since i got the no contract no money down fr voom, i figure that if it doesnt work out i will fold voom and go back to dish. any comments, help would be very appreciated. thanks in advance.
When your receiver is installed it will have an older firmware version. In order to update it, you need to leave it in standby (turned off but not unplugged) mode. It may take a few days before it happens (use it during the day of course). The updates happen around 4AM. The update fixes several problems including daylight savings time, faster channel changes (from 7 sec down to 2 sec), higher signal scale, etc.
If you have a chance to, get your installer to upgrade you to 24" or 30" dish. The 18" will work in most areas in clear weather, but is highly susceptable to rain fade. The larger dish will reduce that effect. Voom will do this upgrade for free if the installer convinces them it is needed. Word has it that Voom is considering making the 24" dish the default.
Voom will be a bit quirky. You will need to learn how to reboot the receiver - by powering off, then holding the power button in for about 5 seconds, waiting for the reboot to finish (about 1 minute), then restarting the receiver. I find that I need to reboot every day or two to clear various problems (stutter, sound synch, white spot on screen, etc). Also channels have been known to appear and disappear. Also with the latest firmware (.68) you can go to a channel only to get a message about no signal. Just change channels, then back again.
In order to change the resolution of the component output (not sure of DVI) there is a door on the right front of the receiver. Behind it is hidden a button that selects the resolution. My installer did not know about it! For 1080, push the button until the top of the four light bars above it lights.
Voom can be a pain, but IMHO it is worth it - and they are working to improve it. Anyone that experienced the early days of any service (DirecTV, Dish, cell phone, etc) can attest that there are always startup problems but they will get better! Keep in mind that whatever problems you encounter, others on this board probably have too - and can assist. Good luck!