Should I go Voom?

[atomsmasher]

I'm looking for an alternative to cable. With all the talk of bankruptcy, should I subscribe to Voom? Located in South Georgia. Looking for your thoughts.

 

[vurbano]

what do you have to lose one dollar?

 

[jagouar]

if they do go bankrupt in the next 6 months you wont be held accountable for your 6 month agreement so theres no reason not to try it (esp with the current deal).

One thing to know before you get it is make sure you will be able to get most of your locals (this box cant decode non digital signals), you can run the antenna into your TV or other SD tuner box (i use replay), but alot of people want to have a "one box for everything" and if you dont get all your channels OTA the voom receiver doesnt fit that bill.

Other than that I am extremly pleased with vOom.

 

[robert luzzi]

no

 

[riffjim4069]

If you get a crappy installer, then I agree with the above poster...I would indeed say NO! However, just say NO to crappy installers instead! If you are able to screen and select a reputable VOOM installer then, by-all-means, go for the one dollar offer! All three of my sets are VA VA VOOMING at 96 signal level strength under cloudy skies here in Virginia. If VOOM goes bust...then so be it, but you will at least enjoy the most HD at this time and when your contract expires and you can always sign-up with another service provider.

You know what. sh!tty installers hate VOOM because they actually have to know something...anything, about their job. VOOM is no friend of the sick, lame, lazy and mentally challenged installer.

P.S. If you live in Western PA please be aware that my installer (Northern Virginia) has been contracted by VOOM to fix of bunch of nightmare'ish installs in the Western PA area. Perhaps it's something to consider when evaluating input from people with agendas...just read some of their postings.

 

[robert luzzi]

and i probably have fixed yours in maryland and west virginia

you arent all that

most installers out of virginia are liberal (brain diseased) democrat (same) or idiots

GOT IT?????

 

[riffjim4069]

and i probably have fixed yours in maryland and west virginia

you arent all that

most installers out of virginia are liberal (brain diseased) democrat (same) or idiots

GOT IT?????

Personally, I don't maintain residence in Maryland or West Virginia. You sound rather defensive? As a conservative I take offense to your statement; as a VOOM subscriber I take further offense to your posing as a professional installer; and as a member of this Forum I am offended by your biased and typically unintelligible postings. You demonstrate no known knowledge & skills of VOOM installation - all you do is whine, pout and spread anti-VOOM propaganda. I get the feeling you may have many unhappy VOOM customers and this Forum is your way of getting back at VOOM for demanding that you do your job at professional level of competency. Perhaps I am wrong, but I doubt it.

Earch to Luzzi: VA almost always votes Republican (as they did in 2004) and PA almost always votes Democrat (as they did in 2004). You really don't have a clue...do you? Don't answer, that was a rhetorical question. !sadroll Two of VOOM's independent installers I personally know are college educated (degreed) and have excellent verbal and written skills in addition to outstanding technical skills. Do your research before making such unsubstantiated blanket statements about the installers in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

I noticed that you like to run your yap until somebody shuts it - typically by arranging words...which turn into sentences...which turn into paragraphs...which impart meaningful ideas...in which you cannot respond. If you wish to debate this, or anything for that matter, then so be it. I welcome your feeble and pathetic challenges. Lastly, you do not possess the basic oral, written or technical qualifications required to gain entry into my home.

Yikes

 

[vurbano]

Personally, I don't maintain residence in Maryland or West Virginia. You sound rather defensive? As a conservative I take offense to your statement; as a VOOM subscriber I take further offense to your posing as a professional installer; and as a member of this Forum I am offended by your biased and typically unintelligible postings. You demonstrate no known knowledge & skills of VOOM installation - all you do is whine, pout and spread anti-VOOM propaganda. I get the feeling you may have many unhappy VOOM customers and this Forum is your way of getting back at VOOM for demanding that you do your job at professional level of competency. Perhaps I am wrong, but I doubt it.

Earch to Luzzi: VA almost always votes Republican (as they did in 2004) and PA almost always votes Democrat (as they did in 2004). You really don't have a clue...do you? Don't answer, that was a rhetorical question. !sadroll Two of VOOM's independent installers I personally know are college educated (degreed) and have excellent verbal and written skills in addition to outstanding technical skills. Do your research before making such unsubstantiated blanket statements about the installers in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

I noticed that you like to run your yap until somebody shuts it - typically by arranging words...which turn into sentences...which turn into paragraphs...which impart meaningful ideas...in which you cannot respond. If you wish to debate this, or anything for that matter, then so be it. I welcome your feeble and pathetic challenges. Lastly, you do not possess the basic oral, written or technical qualifications required to gain entry into my home.

Yikes

well said

 

[jame_g]

I would say go for it. Especially with the $1 install. There's nothing to lose if they go bankrupt.

My experience has all been positive, and it sounds like the most recent complaints are mainly installer related. There it's the luck of the draw and all the DBS companies have some issues. Just make sure you hear from the installer prior to the install, and if not call them or Voom and follow up.

- jame

 

[rkr0923]

No

 

[voomster2]

Wait at least until their DVR is released.

 

[vurbano]

Wait at least until their DVR is released.

The need for a DVR depends on your lifestyle and whether or not you want to watch TV or copy the content. I really dont need one with Voom.

 

[jnardone]

Wait for the DVR

Wait at least until their DVR is released.

I agree - if you have any interest in fresh HD content then you need a DVR. Networks are putting HD content against HD content on other networks and the shows are not repeated for months (unlike VOOM content which repeats often). NFL, Baseball, NASCAR, and other sports are never repeated. Lost, Smallville, and 24 are serial shows that do not repeat. Sopranos and other HBO and Showtime content are shown at two or three times per week per episode and then do not repeat for months. These are shows with high viewer ratings and if you want to be able to enjoy them you need to either schedule you life around them or get a DVR. If you are willing to settle for watching whatever happens to be on then get VOOM now.

 

[motorcycle_rider]

atomsmasher

You ask if you should try Voom based on the assumption that they will be going bankrupt.
Well no-one here knows that that will ever come to light. Also if they do go bankrupt it will take several month for them to complete the procedings. On another note going bankrupt does not mean that they will go out of business. It just means that well they will be (rearranging) there debts. The main issue if they ever go bankrupt is that they would severely hurt there (buying power) to negociate new contracts for channels. That being said. The choice to take the plunge and try Voom is yours and yours alone. I would suggest you try to find someone in your neighborhood or a freind that has Voom currently and take a look at what they offer. If you are looking for Voom to replace cable they are doing a fairly good job at it for me. I do currently have cable but that is for my Internet.

Another suggestion follow groups such as these and try to read between the lines. It seems there is either strongly Pro Voom or strongly Anti-Voom. Just keep this in mind when reading posts. Nothing is perfect, Voom is new and IMO they do have alot to learn about being a DBS provider. Also It is easier to vent and post the negitive than it is to post the good or average.

Good Luck

 

[Bruce]

Could they even go bankrupt since they are still owned by Cablevision ( lots of assets) ?

 

[motorcycle_rider]

Could they even go bankrupt since they are still owned by Cablevision ( lots of assets) ?

oops one last point hehe. forgot that one in my reply earlier. They could liquidate but I think that they are so far into it at this point cablevision really has no choice but to plug ahead with voom to make it as productive as possible.

 

[jame_g]

If Voom or Rainbow DBS was set up as a separate corporation (even a wholly owned subsidiary), then yes, they could file bankruptcy. And if a company goes bankrupt, operations can cease suddenly without any warning. It can happen at the time of filing before any significant proceedings take place. It just depends on what form of bankruptcy is filed, or if creditors forced the issue.

If Voom/Rainbow is just Cablevision doing business under another name, with no separate legal entity formed, then no they cannot file bankruptcy except for Cablevision as a whole. I seriously doubt this is the case because their lawyers can't be that naive in today's world. Especially with the huge amounts of cash involved.

The documents I recieved with my Voom install seem to indicate that Rainbow DBS is an "LLC", limited liability corporation. Which leads me to believe that it can cease operations and file bankruptcy and there would be some liability on the part of Cablevision for certain debts, but there are probably others that could be release as part of a bankruptcy judgment.

And doubtless, there are some debts which were secured by Cablevision (in other words Cablevision had to indicate that they legally accepted responsibility for the debt if Rainbow defaulted.)

 

[riffjim4069]

oops one last point hehe. forgot that one in my reply earlier. They could liquidate but I think that they are so far into it at this point cablevision really has no choice but to plug ahead with voom to make it as productive as possible.

I think the easiest thing to do would be sell off Rainbow/VOOM assets and discontinue operations. The choice of forging ahead is likely to cost 2 billion or more dollars and with no guarantee of future profitability.

My take:

1. VOOM is finally getting it's advertising campaign moving in the right direction. Too little, too late? Don't know!

2. VOOM has resolved many of the technical glitches that were killing them early on. Do they still have problems? You betcha! The last 3 firmware updates clearly indicate this fact.

3. VOOM has resolved, identified or is working to correct a number of problems with the Independent Installers. Is it perfect? P-L-E-A-S-E!!! Are they perhaps they are more selective in their accepting new subscribers in known poor reception areas? Don't know! However, I would be willing to bet a portion of those "Up to 70 HD Channels by March 2005" will be National feeds of ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, etc. and make them available to their rural customers. However, this may be a tough nut to crack since they would have to pull these people away from D* and E*.

4. VOOM's national marketing campaign still needs work. What the heck are they doing. Hopefully, they will sever all ties with Sears, continue to advertise/market directly to the consumer, and perhaps find their way into Costco, etc.

5. VOOM's HD DVR is right around the corner. They are finally on the right track and I am expecting to see a HD DVR promotion blitz after the current promotion expires on 1 March. The Motorola DSR-580 will most likely be made in one of Motorola's factories in China. For all you Chinese speaking VOOMers, can you get on-line and find out how many of these things have been ordered?

6. Technically speaking, VOOM has plenty of transponder space and can provide more HD and SD channels in March. They have tentative plans to implement MPEG-4 during 2005...at least for SD.

7. VOOM is a niche market provider. Depending on subscriber costs/churn, they only require 1.5 - 2 million customers to break even.

Anyway, perhaps VOOM has already been sold and the details won't be make public until after the New Year. Perhaps VOOM was been nothing more than an E* funded experiment to test the viability of the HDTV market and implementing MPEG4 without being directly associated with the many beatings. Maybe E* agreed to purchase VOOM 2 years under very specific guidelines...MAYBE IT'S NOT A COINCIDENCE THAT VOOM's RAINABOW 1 IS LOCATED AT 61.5...MAYBE IT'S NOT A COINCIDENCE THAT BOTH E* AND V* BOTH HAVE SO MANY MVVDS LICENSES...MAYBE IT'S NOT A COINCIDENCE THAT BOTH E* AND V* ARE BOTH MOVING TOWARD MPEG-4...MAYBE IT'S NOT A COINCIDENCE THAT E* HAS BEEN LAYING LOW APPEARING TO BE NONCOMMITTAL TOWARD HDTV. Maybe I've had one too many Yuengling Lagers? Anyway, who knows? But I do know I am enjoying the most HDTV at this time and I'm hopeful my VOOM will still be working, as advertised, in June of 2005. We shall see...

 

[1080iBeVuMin]

Hey rifjim4069, nice post as always. But just as I see you ask other posters where they get their information, I must ask you the same thing... How did you come up with the number of subscribers at 1.5 to 2 million as breakeven point? Sounds reasonable enough, but I am wondering if you base that on anything. Thanks.

I am glad you called Voom a niche market provider. A lot of people criticize Voom as if they would criticize Lexus for not selling more cars than Toyota. Well, Voom is a premium service -- should be higher quality (get those PQ and stb issues fixed) and higher priced, and should be profitable at a lower subscriber base. D* and E* are the economy cars in this business. Not comparable to Voom.

 

[jnardone]

I am glad you called Voom a niche market provider. A lot of people criticize Voom as if they would criticize Lexus for not selling more cars than Toyota. Well, Voom is a premium service -- should be higher quality (get those PQ and stb issues fixed) and higher priced, and should be profitable at a lower subscriber base. D* and E* are the economy cars in this business. Not comparable to Voom.

Good point - but a DVR would be expected in a premium service - just like climate control or a navigation system in a luxury car. Sure - you can live without those features but if your buying a premium car and you had those features in your last (less advanced) car then you would be suprised and dismayed when they were not available in your new car.