<noflame>Tell me V00m doesn't suck.</noflame>

[juanl0b0]

One week of Voom in my house and I'm struggling to like it. I'm a technical professional that has to deal with groundless user complaints all the time, so I really willing to give a technology/service the benefit of the doubt, here's the sad details of my story, could someone tell me why I shouldn't toss their crap and go back to Dish Network?

Pre-sales: 3 Separate phone calls to Voom plus a trip to Sears to confirm the localls were delivered via Satellite. "You're sure, right, sure, not over the air right?!". DOH!

Install day: Installer shows up drops the bombshell about the locals, "go ahead an call them", (I did and that was pointless). He leaves behind the OTA antenna which I mount after confirming that the HOA forbids them. He doesn't leave behind all the parts to ( inline amp?) cuz Voom tuner seez nothing OTA on any channels, but the Tivo and TV by themselves tune in 3 of the 5 locals.

Days 2 - 4: Rain fade that actually merits all the ribbing by Cable company commericals. _Never_ had this problem with Dish.

Day 5: More rain fade, I for grins, check signal strength when weather clears- up and see 48 on the meter! WTF? I had 90 on Dish Net and I did the install myself? If the install wasn't free I'd ask for my money back.

Day 6: Started noticing that most permium channel HD versions are just mirroring the content on their SD twins. Is that supposed to make sense?

Day 7: Caught part of Die Hard with a Vengance in HD, and consider maybe the picture quality might someday be worth all this BS.

So here I sit, only three locals, no native PVR, unimpressed by their original programming, wondering why they need to do a "news story" about Yellowstone and Yosemite.

Could someone tell my why V00m doesn't suck? Any hints on my OTA problem would be cool too.

 

[wasch_24]

Wow with a first post like that I really feel impeled to help...hmm wait a minute no, I don't really fell like helping or trying to explain why Voom doesn't suck. Maybe later but I'm to tired to try and help you out buddy.

 

[juanl0b0]

In keeping with my voom experience...

your link went 404 on me! Thanks anyway.

 

[wasch_24]

your link went 404 on me! Thanks anyway.

If you are referring to my signature, Satguys is doing server upgrades so the member theaters area is down.

 

[Seanb61]

Wow with a first post like that I really feel impeled to help...hmm wait a minute no, I don't really fell like helping or trying to explain why Voom doesn't suck. Maybe later but I'm to tired to try and help you out buddy.

"Install day: Installer shows up drops the bombshell about the locals" - What bombshell?!?!?! READ PEOPLE READ....


I hate when people come in here comlaining about how voom sucks but they don't even take the time to read voom's website or the service aggreement before they get the service. It clearly sates on voom's website that you get local channels via OTA antenna. Geez people do your homework!

 

[Vreesar]

Well, first off, sense you just installed I'd go and make sure you have the latest software upgrade. Your sat signal should be in the 90's. The old software was down in the 50's. The will certainly improve some of your issues.

If you are having rain fade issues try and get a larger dish like I'm doing. Lots of people have reported a drop in rain fade once they got the 24 or 30" dishes.

Not sure about your OTA. How far away from the towers are you? What antenna did they leave you? Whats your signal strength on those channels you do get?

Oh and as far as I'm concerned VOOM has a tremendous Picture quality on channels that provide good quality HD.

 

[DarrellP]

If you did your homework and checked their website you would know that locals do NOT come from the sat, search and read, my friend.. Chalk the ignorance factor up to yourself on that one.

48 on the meter is normal for the old software, once you download the latest and greatest it should be around the mid-90's. search and read, my friend.

Rain fade is normal with an 18" dish. You really need to read the other posts around here before whining like a stuck pig, search and read, my friend.

Is your antenna pointing with the "arms" open to the towers? If not, it's backwards. If you read the other posts around here, you would also learn that it sometimes takes a day for your receiver to start getting locals and it may require a "hit" from Voom, search and read, my friend.

I'm glad you saw at least one HD show you liked, there are many more out there if you can stop crying long enough to watch. If you'd read the other posts around here, you would know that you can request a bigger dish to help with the rain fade issue, search and read, my friend.

Good day, now go enjoy your new toy.

 

[Sean Mota]

Pre-sales: 3 Separate phone calls to Voom plus a trip to Sears to confirm the localls were delivered via Satellite. "You're sure, right, sure, not over the air right?!". DOH!

Not sure what you expected here. Their website and every single ad that I have seen never claims the same. If someone told you, they were very uninformed. Not even on this site such a thing will be claimed. Nobody in Satellite business provides all HD locals through satellite. ONLY CBS on O&O are provided by Dish Network and DirecTv.

Install day: Installer shows up drops the bombshell about the locals, "go ahead an call them", (I did and that was pointless). He leaves behind the OTA antenna which I mount after confirming that the HOA forbids them. He doesn't leave behind all the parts to ( inline amp?) cuz Voom tuner seez nothing OTA on any channels, but the Tivo and TV by themselves tune in 3 of the 5 locals.

Again not sure what it is expected here. If this was a problem with your home association, you should be aware that it applies not only to VOOM but any provider that plans to put an antenna in your area. I was not there so I do not know what went between you and the installer and why he did not leave all the pieces behind with you. Not even sure why he did not install either. Others who leave in home association has done it. Not sure about the 3 out of the 5 only tune on VOOM while others don't. Do you have them in your PG? Where are these channels located? Are you within distance of your OTA transmitter? OTA locals is not an exact science and it requires a tweak here and there and knowing the configuration of your location to get it right. It is not enough to put up an antenna and expect everything to come up.

Days 2 - 4: Rain fade that actually merits all the ribbing by Cable company commericals. _Never_ had this problem with Dish.

Day 5: More rain fade, I for grins, check signal strength when weather clears- up and see 48 on the meter! WTF? I had 90 on Dish Net and I did the install myself? If the install wasn't free I'd ask for my money back.

Since you only got a 48 on the old sofware. It means that your dish was not aimed correctly. You should have at least 55 on the old software and when the new software downloads (you need to turn off your receiver at night time), you will get numbers like 90-95 power strength.

I have dish also and I still get rain fade with them when there is a heavy black cloud T-storm.

Day 6: Started noticing that most permium channel HD versions are just mirroring the content on their SD twins. Is that supposed to make sense?

This is the norm. Do you have HBO-HD and Show-HD on dish? It is the same everywhere nothing VOOM can do about it? This is how the programmers want it.

Day 7: Caught part of Die Hard with a Vengance in HD, and consider maybe the picture quality might someday be worth all this BS.

I saw the same movie last night on Cinemax-hd. Sure it was not OAR and it was cropped but it was excellent quality nonetheless.

So here I sit, only three locals, no native PVR, unimpressed by their original programming, wondering why they need to do a "news story" about Yellowstone and Yosemite.

If you only have three locals, you need to get a service call to find out what's wrong. Go to www.antennaweb.org and get more information on these locals such as direction and distance. Maybe the antenna that you have Stealth Antenna (I assume) is out of range. This antenna only has a range of 45 miles UHF and 30 miles VHF. It is highly directional as well.


Could someone tell my why V00m doesn't suck? Any hints on my OTA problem would be cool too.

Suck is such a.... to describe a service that it is the only one that it is trying to provide HD service to the undeserved population of HD viewers. If you do not feel, it is for you, there's nothing more I can say. The program you are referring to on HDnews maybe it is garbage to some but it is not to others. I posted today how HDnews is trying to collect national news in HD for their channel. If you think it is easy to edit HD on the fly, you need to do some research on this. HD is at a premium. From editing to everything.

I have already answered about your OTA issues. Get some basic information about your location and we can tell you more about your problem and what you can tell Voom and the installer.

 

[juanl0b0]

Thanks Sean, Appreciate the typing. Service call has been placed. I'll try reaiming the dish. Sorry to be vague, I am getting NO locals OTA. The 3 of 5 I get going through the tuner on my Tivo.

 

[UPEngineer]

if you are getting no locals through VOOM check all the connections. Did they use a diplexor? If so, there are some problems with bad diplexors, installers hooking them up wrong and so forth. If you are getting them through your TIVO box, you should get them through VOOM (unless they have the wrong DMA mapping with VOOM). (And Sean can help you with that hopefully)

Hope this helps.

Scott

 

[juanl0b0]

Talk about not reading.

"Install day: Installer shows up drops the bombshell about the locals" - What bombshell?!?!?! READ PEOPLE READ....


I hate when people come in here complaining about how voom sucks but they don't even take the time to read voom's website or the service aggreement before they get the service. It clearly sates on voom's website that you get local channels via OTA antenna. Geez people do your homework!

I did read the srevice agreement on install day. The website information wasn't imediately visible to me, THATS WHY I CALLED THEM 3 TIMES prior to install and asked for the senior person on staff.

I'm not complaining, or crying, I'm asking for folks to comment on all the things about Voom that disappoint me.
I'm hoping that some positive opinions can help me change my mind, you seem to think I'm incapable of reading, you're wrong, I can read, I just can't spell. Phark Off Icehole.

 

[wasch_24]

Whoa there cowboy....statements like your last one could make your lifespan on this forum very short.

 

[juanl0b0]

if you are getting no locals through VOOM check all the connections. Did they use a diplexor? If so, there are some problems with bad diplexors, installers hooking them up wrong and so forth. If you are getting them through your TIVO box, you should get them through VOOM (unless they have the wrong DMA mapping with VOOM). (And Sean can help you with that hopefully)

Hope this helps.

Scott

No diplexor, I saw that in this forum earlier this week and looked for it. 2 discreet pulls of RG6. Am I wrong to assume that the box would tune the non-digital broadcasts of the locals?

 

[wasch_24]

.....Am I wrong to assume that the box would tune the non-digital broadcasts of the locals?

Yes, the Voom OTA tuner only tunes in digital stations.

 

[juanl0b0]

Whoa there cowboy....statements like your last one could make your lifespan on this forum very short.

Sorry, just thought the previous shot at me was way unfair. Maybe you could comment explain to folks that people looking for help aren't looking to be told they should have read the website.

 

[n0qcu]

Am I wrong to assume that the box would tune the non-digital broadcasts of the locals?

The Voom STB will tune in DIGITAL OTA only.

 

[wasch_24]

Sorry, just thought the previous shot at me was way unfair. Maybe you could comment explain to folks that people looking for help aren't looking to be told they should have read the website.

The responses you are receiving are really of your own making. The tone generated in your original post has carried over into the responses. It's all about intent...when emotions are high you really have to read your post before hitting submit. It is very easy to mis-interperet emotion in forums like this.

 

[DarrellP]

Juan, it's not that you didn't read their website, all the issues you are posting about have been covered here a million or so times. If you would read through or search for your issues, you would easily find them. We have been getting a bunch of new users here who bitch and moan about their crappy install and saying the exact same thing you are. We just get tired of answering the same complaints over and over and over and over. I hope you understand and I apologize if I was too hard on you.

 

[juanl0b0]

AHHH now things start making sense.

So I should just tune plain ol' NTSC OTA broadcasts with my TV tuner alone. Can I get away with splitting the RG6?

 

[Ilya]

I am getting NO locals OTA.

Since you installed the OTA antenna yourself, are you sure it is pointing in the right direction, and are you sure you connected it correctly? There are five coaxial connectors on the back of the STB. Make sure you connect to the OTA tuner module. See here for pictures and details.