new voom cust. - question(s)

[stolli]

Had my voom 2 receiver system installed this past Friday. All went well with the install. I am getting all my available locals with the voom supplied antenna. We set things up using the diplexer, so there is only one coax line running to each box. The receivers came with the most current software pre-installed. My OTA signal quality is in the high 80's to low 90's. However, my satellite signal quality is in the mid 70's. The picture looks fine, but I did see some break-up the first evening that appeared to correlate with the wind conditions. Not positive about the wind though because I have not seen the break up since. Next time it breaks-up I will look to see if the signal quality numbers are dropping. I did not see the break-up on the local digital channels at any time.

My question is whether or not I should be concerned with a sat. signal quality in the mid 70's. I would think that since it is a digital signal so long as the picture is not breaking-up a higher signal quality level will not improve the picture quality. Is this line of thinking correct? The installer did not really spend any time trying to tweak the signal after he found the satellite through his oscilloscope. I did ask him if the signal quality level of 75 was normal, and he said in the limited number of installs he has performed that it was normal. I thought that was odd since most of the reports I have seen on this forum claim levels around mid 90's. I am in Santa Fe, NM by the way. Is it advisable to try and tune the signal a little by moving the dish slightly? The dish is basically pointed directly at one of the outside walls of my house (about 20 feet away), but I guess the signal is coming from a high enough angle to not be blocked by the wall.

One more question. Has anyone experimented with different component cables to see if any improvements can be obtained. I am using component cables from Pacificcable.com. I am still trying to determine if the DVI output is superior on my Mits. RPTV. The main difference I see with DVI over component is that DVI seems a little washed-out, but the black levels may be more accurate. Watching the Sopranos and Deadwood last night I could see some crushed blacks with component which were not present with the DVI connection. Anyone else notice this? I have not noticed crushed blacks on other channels. The crushed blacks through the Dish 811 (see below) were really bad on HBO with either connection.

Some additional info if anyone is interested. I currently also have Dish. I tried out their 811 receiver for about a week and returned it. I was not happy with the overall quality of the 811 and decided to return for a refund of my 199. This was after the most recent software download for the 811 (version 266). Before trying the 811 I was very happy with Dish. Anyway, I decided to try voom due to the no money down/no contract offer. I am fairly certain I will cancel Dish when my contract expires next month.

 

[Sean Mota]

stolli,

welcome. A satellite signal quality of 70 is not going to do it for you. You need to get it back to 90+. The satellite signal needs to be repeaked. You can do this yourself if you feel up to it or have Voom schedule a service call. The meter that the installer should be using is the meter in the VOOM system settings. You can use this also to re-peak it yourself but you will need two people to do this.

 

[fayrich]

Welcome to Voom stolli. First of all, the signal quality is not going to affect the picture quality. In the digital world you either have it or you don't. If signal is weak you are going to lose picture or have it break-up. I would suggest that since your installer did not peak the dish, to either try it yourself or call for a follow-up service call. Having a signal quality in the 70s only is not right. It should be up in the 90s. As you have said, most everyone here reports having numbers up in the 90s. Also, pay attention to the possibility of break-ups due to windy conditions. Perhaps the dish is not properly secured. Since installer did not take the time to properly peak the dish, maybe it is also not fastened down correctly. Enjoy your Voom.

 

[jimmykce1]

I would call Voom back and get it repeaked like mention above.

As for using the DVI connection you will have to readjust your colors to get more color. The component cables generally will give you better color, but DVI will give you more detail. I believe your model should have two separte settings for component and DVI adjustments. I recommend using Video Essentials Digtal to get you closer to good settings.

 

[stolli]

Thanks for the tips guys. I will try to peak the signal myself first. If I don't make much progress I will call voom and have the installer come back. I will let you all know how it goes.

I have calibrated my set with AVIA on one set of inputs. I then used those settings as a starting point for the component and DVI inputs connected to the voom receiver. I will continue to adjust those settings a bit before I decide which looks better on my set.