Does anyone know how the VOOM network can accept HDV/HDTV programming?
 

miniDV?

D-vhs?



Does anyone know..?


thanks

just call them and ask for their standards.
I doubt they'll accept an HDV or MiniDV or D-VHS as a master.

They'll probably want HDCam (Sony). I know HDNet thought the HD10 HDV was a joke, but I've heard nothing so far (not that I'm looking) about the FX1 or Z1...

heath

I know form a good source that they won't take HDV. They don't consider it true HD, and neither should you.

Alfredo,

Suggested reading for you regarding the HD standard - I'm afraid you're the one who ain't HD:

http://www.atsc.org/guide_default.html

....and also another great site that's a little more entertaining regarding aspect ratios - I LOVE this site:

http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/

HDV is most definately HD and the debate has been over for a while now. The HDV format is 1080i and 720p - the format clearly falls within spec. The only argument worth having is about quality. It's like race cars - HDV is a race car. However, some race cars are clearly better than others. But, the fact is that HDV is a certified race car that is winning races. It's not a street car and almost no one is buying a Z1U for $5000 to experiment on the street! They're trying to win races.

It's interesting that you mention Voom, they have been in the business news recently as the source of infighting within the Dolan family which owns Cablevision. Voom has a surprisingly low number of subscribers - something like 3,000 IIRC.

It's fun to watch this battle from the sidelines: http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...om_malone_dc_1Just a couple days ago their stock was upgraded on the hope they would stop funding Voom http://www.forbes.com/markets/2005/0...ahoo&referrer=

Unless you already have something in the works you might be barking up the wrong tree with Voom...

How can they afford all these glossy infomercials I always see...?

I think that's the point.... they can't! ;-)

Aha ha ha I hear ya


Are there any really good HD networks that are close to being profitable?

HDNet needs better programming...

The problem with Voom! is that you need to point the dish to the East vs. West, like all the other places. I waited 2 weeks for them to come out last summer (and suffered through my fiancee's Sex in the City DVDs) and they said the back of my condo faces West, and I can't put anything on the front or the roof, so they left. I wasn't happy, so I called Dish, but barely watch any HD channels.

heath

Well I got a plasma screen recently but haven't made any changes to my regular cable service. Happily, they pass through HD versions of all the local network affiliates. Quite a bit of this is just pillarboxed on the widescreen, but the quality looks better than the SD cable channel. There are a handful of current shows that are broadcast in HD though.

PBS has an HD channel with some really beautiful stuff on it. And I'm getting an HD version of HBO. The other night one of the networks showed Minority Report in HD and it looked terrific. Most of these channels are 1080i but a couple are 720p. They are subdivided on the higher cable channels and show up with numbers like 10-5, 81-22 and 82-61. My tuner found them when I did the inital channel scan (along with a lot of others that are blank).

Actually, I decided to go with the ED plasma screen (854x480) instead or HD (1280x720). There's quite a price difference, and this Panasonic 37" screen has a terrific image. Most of the time I just watch DVD's or my widescreen DV, so the ED screen actually gives a bit cleaner image with this material than my 22" Samsung HD LCD at 1280x720.

Voom, at last count, had 26,000 customers. I am one of them. I know 3 others as well. The service is good. Heath, the installers are subcontractors, sounds like you got a bad one. The guys that did mine were fantastic, much better than any of the previous DirecTV installers (also subcontractors). While Voom may sound like it will die, I don't believe that it will. They have been very resillient so far and believe that it will continue, regardless if it's under Cablevision's ownership or not....it will probably do better without. However, their funding has helped keep it afloat so far.

I'm going to be building a house, and the lot I'm looking at buying faces east and the front, west, so I can probably go Voom!, but I don't know. When I called to complain, they said that was a common problem, east vs. west. So I suggested they actually mention that when people order the installation, etc.

heath

<<<-- Originally posted by Sean M Lee : Voom, at last count, had 26,000 customers. -->>>

I stand corrected: you're right, just looked it up. They may very well survive in one form or another, and in the meantime it's an interesting battle to follow. Regardless of their future prospects they are losing a huge amount of money now, which is why Cablevision wants to get rid of them.

From the February 21 issue of Barrons ("Cable Guys' Feud" on page 15)

yeah, the numbers are incredible...at one time Echostar (Dish Network) was to purchase them for their hardware, but the deal fell through. My belief is that if they can survive another 12 months then they will be THE HD provider...if not I expect them to be gobbled up, maybe still by Echostar.