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Thread: What is my best option for HD programming? |
    
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| Posted on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 02:28 pm: |
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Any opinions or price data on HD programming?
Satellite- Voom, DirectTV, DishNetwork? What offers are out there for equipment, installation, and monthly fees?
Cable Companies- Equipment, install, fees?
Does most equipment include a HD tuner? |
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PatHDinSD Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 05:04 pm: |
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VOOM has more HD channels then anyone else.
No contracts.
I have the VA VA Voom package 79.90 plus 9.50 Rental and free installation. Equipment includes an OTA antenna if your in a bad area for reception they will give you $60 for a better OTA antenna. Yes HD included.
I have seen in other Websites that previous Direct TV and DishNet customers thought Voom was better.
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Bronze Member Username: John_s
Columbus,
Ohio
US
Post Number: 29
Registered: Feb-04
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| Posted on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 10:46 pm: |
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Check out the April '04 edition of Sound & Vision mag for a review of Voom. |
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| Posted on Friday, March 19, 2004 - 02:28 pm: |
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also can vary greatly with your location.
Many or few Over The Air stations, cable channels, satelite.
I paid $400 for an OTA reciever to get more (Seattle local & network) stations than local cable provided, but programing is more limited and cable would only charge $15 beyond basic for their box and signal.
You need to research your area. |
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| Posted on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 11:12 pm: |
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Does Voom work with TIVO? How does it compare as far as total programming? I currently have dish network and I am planning to upgrade to get some HDTV channels. I really want to keep TIVO however and the HDTV dish receiver is not compatible with TIVO. |
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| Posted on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 02:58 pm: |
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From the Sound & Vision article it appeared that with VOOM you had to purchased the equipment which ran about $800. Is this correct? |
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| Posted on Sunday, April 11, 2004 - 12:31 am: |
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As of 4/10/04 VOOM has a deal that get you the equipment for $400 and basic programming for $40 per month through the end of the year (then I think it goes back up to $50). The package includes local channels, their 20 HD channels, and your typical cable/sat channels. HBO etc. cost more. |
Bronze Member Username: Revan
Los angeles,
Ca
Usa
Post Number: 18
Registered: Apr-04
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| Posted on Tuesday, April 13, 2004 - 04:22 pm: |
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im also interested in VOOM. the only thing
stopping me is that they only bill your credit
card and they dont know how much they'll charge
after the promotion is over. I would guess that
it would be more, the CSR didnt know. What
happens if someone swipes your dish, do you have
to pay for it ? What about bad weather ? I'm
bugging time warner to get more HD. please,
watching Standard tv is torture. (when there isnt
anything worth watching on HD) |
New member Username: Sherrilll
Post Number: 6
Registered: Apr-04
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| Posted on Tuesday, April 20, 2004 - 05:20 pm: |
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I have not been too happy with HDTV through Insight Communications cable. I think I was one of the first people in my area to order HDTV through them. When I first got it nothing worked. I have to give them credit their technicians worked really hard and rewired almost everything in my house and a lot of the cable to the curb and then lots of fine tuning to get it working. But even now I have few HDTV channels and I pay a lot $$$$. BUT I do have my local channels in HDTV something satellite cannot offer. After finally getting the HDTV working pretty good the cable company made a change to their system and SHUT OFF THE DVI interface on the cable box so now I have to view through component outputs. That's the last straw. I am going to look into satellite now. This system VOOM sounds interesting. |
Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Friday, August 06, 2004 - 03:06 pm: |
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Does voom offer local channels in high def.? |
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| Posted on Monday, August 09, 2004 - 09:38 am: |
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It does but depends on your location. Voom will give you an outdoor HD antenna to get the local HD network signal (as far as I understand, it is the same set up as Dishnetwork). The SAT and ANT signal would be combined using a duplexer through one cable coming into the house. It then splits the signals by a duplexer attached to the Voom box. The local channels can be controlled by the Voom box just the same as the other cable (SAT) channels. I use the DVI out of the Voom box so my local channels come in through DVI. Since I live in an area that has good local OTA receiption, there is no different between the local channels coming thru the Voom or my little indoor antenna. The only different (hardly noticable) is that Voom processes everything to 720P but some of my locals (CBS, NBC & PBS) broadcast in 1080i |
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| Posted on Sunday, September 12, 2004 - 01:01 pm: |
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Have Cox cable with component hook-ups. Took a long time to dial it in. Tiling problems from low Db signal. All good now, great picture. Just wish they had more than the 9 HD channels, 3 of which are pay. $10 package for espn and discovery, plus another pay channel HBO (don't know how much money, don't have it). Cox does have two specialty HD channels, INHD and INHD2. Really cool. |
Bronze Member Username: Lampright
Syracuse,
Utah
USA
Post Number: 24
Registered: Jan-05
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| Posted on Wednesday, February 09, 2005 - 03:14 pm: |
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I'M LOVING COMCAST! If your local cable company is Comcast I would highly recommend you try them out. There is no contract to sign, so you have nothing to loose.
I have Comcast HD with a Motorola HD DVR(like Tivo) that costs only $14.95/month instead of $1000 for a DirecTV Tivo. Because I gave Comcast my DirecTV receiver they gave me a $20/month discount for an entire year ($240). So, I'm paying less than I did with DirecTV, have HD including local channels, I have an HD DVR, and comcast has tons of on demand stuff for free. It's a great deal.
Read my comparison between DirecTV and Comcast and why I think Comcast is by far the best option right now.
http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/2/13561.html
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| Posted on Wednesday, February 09, 2005 - 09:21 pm: |
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COMCAST is great and the Motorola DVR/tuner is fantastic |
cachais Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Saturday, March 19, 2005 - 06:27 pm: |
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If I buy a DishNetwork HD 811 reciever, but do not activate it, will I still be able to use it as an HD receiver (I have an HD antenna installed in the attic and know HD reception is fine). I only watch local channels and have no interest in subscribing to Dish or anyone else. Please help. I am using an Mitsubishi HD compatible TV. |
Silver Member Username: Lampright
Syracuse,
Utah
USA
Post Number: 107
Registered: Jan-05
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| Posted on Saturday, March 19, 2005 - 10:55 pm: |
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cachais, good question, I don't know the answer. Before you go out and buy an HD decoder, make sure your TV doesn't already have a decoder built into it. MOST Mitsubishi HDTV's already have an HD decoder. If that's the case, all you need is the antenna. |
Silver Member Username: Dmwiley
Post Number: 135
Registered: Feb-05
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| Posted on Sunday, March 20, 2005 - 09:45 am: |
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Brian, great job. Proud of the way you responded without condescension as some of us don't have access to Comcast. |
Silver Member Username: Lampright
Syracuse,
Utah
USA
Post Number: 108
Registered: Jan-05
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| Posted on Monday, March 21, 2005 - 03:44 am: |
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Thanks for the compliment!
If you don't have access to Comcast, I think DirecTV will have some pretty impressive offerings towards the end of the year. Sucks to have to wait, but it'll come. I was planning on switching back to DirecTV after 1 year with Comcast. BUT, after learning about the 7 year deal Comcast and Tivo just signed with eachother, I will probably stay with Comcast...I really really like Tivo! DirecTV will have to come out with some incredible hardware(HD DVR), programming, and features to lure me away from Comcast. I just hope Comcast remains competitive with the amount of HD channels available vs. the dish companies. Once DirecTV has their new satellites online in a few months, they'll be able to add HD channels like it's nothing! I hope Comcast can keep up! |
Bronze Member Username: Kdog044
Post Number: 42
Registered: Feb-05
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| Posted on Monday, March 21, 2005 - 05:41 pm: |
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Brian,
I'm not sure if the rates for Comcast are different by area but I only pay $9.95 a month for the dual tuner DCT6412. |
Silver Member Username: Lampright
Syracuse,
Utah
USA
Post Number: 109
Registered: Jan-05
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| Posted on Tuesday, March 22, 2005 - 02:59 am: |
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I've been a little confused over the rates. When I signed up for it she quoted me $14.95/month for the HD DVR. But, after I got my first bill, I noticed it was $9.95 for the HD DVR. I think they charge an extra $5/month for HD service and that is why she told me $14.95/month. But, the $5/month for HD is not a line item on the bill. I'm pretty sure it's added in with my Silver package line item, but I've never called to ask. So, I don't know for sure that they charge an extra $5/month for HD. |
Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Thursday, June 30, 2005 - 01:48 am: |
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I just got a Voom box off ebay, and I am trying to get it set up to my 51 inch HDTV. I do not have Cable or a dish, I just want to hook it to an indoor antenna, so I can get Local HD programs. There are 3 different connectors that I could plug the coax indoor antenna to, but I still can not get any channels. the screen just keeps saying "No signal received on satelite channel 100" Any Ideas???? |
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| Posted on Thursday, June 30, 2005 - 11:03 am: |
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If it was a closed VOOM account the box was disabled and you own a nice shiney doorstop.
If it is not linked to a closed account:
Connect the OTA cable/antenna to the far right receptor (looking from the back of the receiver). Go into the menu installation option (press the green button) and select the local antenna option. Then scan for channels.
xvxvxvx |
Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Thursday, June 30, 2005 - 02:07 pm: |
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Thanks FX, that worked great, I can get about 8 channels now.
Does anyone know what the USB connection is for on the voom box? |
New member Username: Tmanxx
Sacramento,
CA
USA
Post Number: 6
Registered: Jul-05
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| Posted on Saturday, July 09, 2005 - 09:05 pm: |
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DishTV bought out Voom and if you get Dish's HD Pak for $10 a month, you can get 10 Voom channels for $5 more. |
New member Username: Jobbythehut
Tulsa,
Oklahoma
USA
Post Number: 1
Registered: Jul-05
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| Posted on Saturday, July 16, 2005 - 08:33 pm: |
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I am a dishtv customer with a 510 receiver and dvr. I also own:
Samsung SIR-T351
ATSC HDTV Terrestrial Receiver
DVI with HDVP Output
Tunes and Decodes all 18 approved ATSC DTV broadcast formats. (IN OTHER WORDS, GREAT FOR OTA HD SIGNALS WITHOUT CABLE OR SATELLITE)
Decodes Dolby Digital. DTV broadcasts
Selectable DTV Output Formats (1080i/720p/480p/i)
I used an indoor hd antenna but switching to an outdoor one presently (TERK and www.antennaweb.org recommended by a knowledgeable tech). |
yapchagi Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Saturday, September 03, 2005 - 12:45 pm: |
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Brian Lampright, could you tell me how much did Comcast charge you for the installation?
I'm a Comcast subscriber already for TV + their cable internet.
And I have this thing called the General Instrument from Comcast. I'm not sure what that is. Is that a receiver? I got a remote too.
I'm not sure if I'm ready for DVR from Comcast or not. Coz they say I must subscribe to Digital Cable to subscribe to Digital Video Recorder. |
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| Posted on Friday, February 03, 2006 - 08:56 pm: |
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I have a Samsung SIG T351 HDTV receiver. Can I use this unit with my HD Tv and the Direct TV HD antennae? |
New member Username: Scherrman
Post Number: 6
Registered: Mar-06
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| Posted on Thursday, March 09, 2006 - 04:34 pm: |
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I recommend DishHD. It offers 22 HD channels which includes VOOM. I have Dish at home and I love it. It has ESPN and ESPN2 in HD. AWESOME!! The top 60 with HD is $49.99, top 120 HD is $59.99, and top 180 HD is $69.99. Just find a local dealer and they should be a bigger help. |
Silver Member Username: 1st61
Post Number: 131
Registered: Oct-04
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| Posted on Tuesday, March 14, 2006 - 02:55 pm: |
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Talking about Dish, I need this receiver, ViP 622
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/dishhd/receivers/vip622dvr/index. shtml.
If I chose to pause and record I had to pay about $15-16 per month in addition to the programming fee. So after some commitment, do I keep the receiver? Can I use that receiver with other companies like Comcast or Direct TV. This receiver looks good. Please post if anybody has this.
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Silver Member Username: 1st61
Post Number: 132
Registered: Oct-04
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| Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 10:40 am: |
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For any services, If I buy the receiver and the DVR, I don't have to pay any equipment lease fee and only have to pay for the DVR fee, right? |
New member Username: Mcintypw
Post Number: 1
Registered: Jun-06
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| Posted on Tuesday, June 06, 2006 - 03:41 pm: |
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As of 6/2006, I went with Dish network and switched from DirecTV, and it's no comparison. I hated the fact that the DVR with DirecTV REQUIRES a two line input, since living in a condo and having a shared wall, I was unable to do this. Dish does not require this since it can tap into an additional cable line in the house and use that as its second line. An added bonus to that is the DVR you purchase will then work on the two lines you use. So we have the DVR in the living room, but the 2nd line coming from our bedroom, and now we can watch recorded shows in both the living room AND the bedroom and only having one DVR...and can watch them interchangeably no matter which line we record on.
Dish does this with the normal receivers too, so this cuts down costs of the receivers. DirecTV charges like $5 for each receiver, so Dish basically cuts that in half, and that right there pays for your HD service (assuming a 4 tv house).
Other bonuses of Dish, more HD channels, their HD DVR doesn't require you to buy an additional $99 antenna to watch local HD channels unlike DirecTV.
Overall after having DirecTV it was a no brainer, I get more HD channels and HD service for pretty much the same price as the Non-HD DirecTV package. I will miss NFL sunday ticket...but NFL network is going to be broadcasting a ton more games this year, so not much of a loss. |
Bronze Member Username: Indianbill007
Bhilai,
Chattisgarh
India
Post Number: 16
Registered: Dec-06
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| Posted on Wednesday, December 13, 2006 - 12:40 pm: |
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Well I got really something good and cool in a single give away package . Online IP TV , that is satellite TV and online radio channels in a single software.
http://www.artvnetworks.com
Online TV Player lets you watch 2500+ free Internet TV and listen 1500+ free online radio stations on your PC. It allows watcher to watch directly into TV without having to experience the annoyances of a Web site (like slow-loading pages and pop-up ads). No additional equipment required, No Monthly Fees, No Extra Costs. Online TV Player support both Windows Media and Real Video. You can play most of stream formats in one program. It can set the screen window to any size that you want. It supports full-screen mode too.
Download yourself and enjoy.!! |
