From an outsiders perspective let me give you guys my take on this.
Dish made a move that would appeal to more people. Like it or not, regardless of the amount of HD content compared to VOOM, more people prefer the new HD channels they added over the VOOM channels. This is something Dish needed to do. In the short term it may upset a lot of Dish subs, but in the long term it will pay off. The problem however wasn't the removal of VOOM so much, but rather how they went about doing it (sort of secretly in the night right after their biggest HD add in a long time). If Dish was more upfront, informing their subs well in advance about why they are removing them and were honest about it, I would bet that they would be seeing a lot less resentment.
Digital Blue
05-14-2008, 08:14 AM
The problem however wasn't the removal of VOOM so much, but rather how they went about doing it (sort of secretly in the night right after their biggest HD add in a long time). If Dish was more upfront, informing their subs well in advance about why they are removing them and were honest about it, I would bet that they would be seeing a lot less resentment.
100% agree. People are mad and the negative press DISH is getting over this far outweighs any positive. This will be a HUGE subject at Team Summit this weekend. Doing this the way he did TOTALLY ELIMINATES all of the positive momentum generated by the additional channels.
However, I don't totally agree with you about the attractiveness of the Voom channels. Many of them were very good (Rush, Rave, & Monsters to name a few), it just took a little customer education and people were hooked. I agree with a earlier post that stated Voom could merge a few of the channels dropping the total offering to about 5-7 channels.
Not everybody liked all the channels, nobody ever does. But to swap 15 full-time national HD channels with 18 mostly part-time national HD channels when you have the capacity to carry all of them is crazy. That's why he is known as "Crazy Charlie" in the industry.
I'm still not convinced that this is not some sort of power move on his part, although that theory is growing steadily weaker.
Hope DISH moves quickly (as they have hinted) to adding more HD, or reinstating some sort of Voom channel offering. Only Charlie knows ....
pjc
05-14-2008, 08:28 AM
The one thing I don't get is everyone wanting to drop Dish because of this. Unless you live in a Cablevision area, you're not going to get VOOM at this point in time. And, unless there is other service that offers different channels or is cheaper, it's not worth the hassle and/or activation fees to switch.
Loves2Watch
05-14-2008, 12:17 PM
I will certainly miss many of the VOOM channels.
costanza_fu
05-14-2008, 02:22 PM
I'll miss them too... but now that the steam has settled, Isn't this thing Voom's own fault? Didn't they breach their agreement with Dish by not updating content or investing in their own company like they promised?
They are a niche company, so it really is only hurting that small percentage of us who enjoy old horror flicks or the random kung-fu overdub... I do wish they would reconcile their relationship and return to offering.... Voom really is, by and far, the largest reason why I decided to stick with Dish and not go w/ ccast... who now, at least, has darn-near the same hd offerings, plus a KILLER on-demand.
stchman
05-14-2008, 03:19 PM
The only VOOM channels I am going to miss are the FilmFest, Game Play, Monsters, and Kung Fu. The others were fairly useless.
jpfrasier
05-14-2008, 04:36 PM
*yawn*
delyan
05-14-2008, 05:10 PM
VOOM was HD all the time. You can't find a channel that is HD full time today. VOOM channels were HD and this is what counts to me. I liked the FilmFest, Gameplay, UltraHD, EquatorHD and etc. For example TNT or TBS are HD from time to time. My vision was getting blurred when I was watching some of the supposedly HD channels. So, I always went to some of the VOOM channels to correct my vision. VOOM can fix your HD vision.
I don't want to watch commercial channels that are not very HD all the time. I want to see something exotic, I want to see some foreign movies on FilmFest, and I want to see some good looking models in pure HD on UltraHD.
Well, thanks Dish. I have to stay with you because I don't have a choice........
Digital Blue
05-14-2008, 06:36 PM
Something has got to give. DISH owns 20% of Voom and has seats on the board - that's what makes this all the weirder.
ktkees1
05-14-2008, 06:40 PM
Who cares? Just another reason for you all to switch to directv.
WLKNDED
05-14-2008, 07:09 PM
Who cares? Just another reason for you all to switch to directv.
Not unless they get the Voom Channels.:bowdown: :bowdown:
Everyone knows Dish has the best dvr.And had the best HD Package. :) :)
Untill now that is .:( :(
peledre
05-14-2008, 07:34 PM
I will really miss the Rave and Rush channels. I know they didn't put out a ton of new content on a regular basis, but they did have some quality programming. I've enjoyed quite a few of the live performances on Rave, and many of the outdoor adventure programs on Rush.
larrylwill
05-14-2008, 07:53 PM
Could this be because they lost the last satellite 2 weeks ago and to keep on schedule rolling out new HD channels they dumped the Voom channels.
I just signed up for the HD channels only last week. I was glad to see the new channels but really torked off that they dumped the Voom channels. I never got a chance to look at all of them. I signed up to get those channels and in the first week they dumped them. Is this legal?
kerinay
05-14-2008, 10:27 PM
I was an original Voom subscriber, the service was excellent! Their problem was they marketed themselves as an HDTV company before enough people had HD. It was great to come home from work and escape to TV without all the commercials and interruptions we saw on cable TV. The only reason I switched to Dish was because of Voom. I had direct and they stink!!!!!! They have added these new channels, most of which won't even come in. When they do come in, they are full of commericals and sudo HD. The Weather channel and CNN in HD mean nothing. That programming can be obtained in SD with no drop off of the content, but when one can escape on a virtual trip to the Outback or Maui on Equator, then it means something. To speak with people form Japan in person and know something about the culture of ancient Japan through the movies of KungFu means something. Whether you watched it or not Voom had the power to enlighten, not just dull the senses with modern, ignorant foolishness. I will miss Voom on dish and will switch to dull comsnot while I wait for something that appeals to those of us that like to have our intellect stimulated.
spokybob
05-14-2008, 11:58 PM
Voom had the power to enlightenI agree:crying: :crying:
Type A
05-15-2008, 12:05 AM
Well, look on the bright side, at least now we dont have to hear about how 'sucky the voom channels are' anymore.:banana:
Alas, I sure will miss a couple of those channels, I hope the replacements are worth it.
Digital Blue
05-15-2008, 06:37 AM
Could this be because they lost the last satellite 2 weeks ago and to keep on schedule rolling out new HD channels they dumped the Voom channels.
I just signed up for the HD channels only last week. I was glad to see the new channels but really torked off that they dumped the Voom channels. I never got a chance to look at all of them. I signed up to get those channels and in the first week they dumped them. Is this legal?
Dish was scheduled to add HD channels with or without the AMC-14 which was meant as a replacement for the 61.5. It may have some impact, but not much. BTW, DISH has now revoked its petition to de-orbit the AMC-14, seems there are people interested in buying it - which means DISH could still end up using it. The saga is not over, at least yet.
CreedFan818
05-15-2008, 09:59 AM
Although I never really watched any of the Voom channels, this does seem like a step back for Dish after a nice step forward. Most satellite providers, cable providers, etc. seem to be trying to supply subscribers with as many channels as they can. Although Dish did add more national HD channels, removing almost as many really doesn't get them anywhere.
The Voom channels probably would have been more successful on Dish if they were assigned channel numbers near the "regular" channels. I probably never watched them because I rarely venture into the 9000 channels, unless it's to see if there's a good concert or something on MHD.
daleb
05-15-2008, 11:29 AM
Although I never really watched any of the Voom channels, this does seem like a step back for Dish after a nice step forward. Most satellite providers, cable providers, etc. seem to be trying to supply subscribers with as many channels as they can. Although Dish did add more national HD channels, removing almost as many really doesn't get them anywhere.
The Voom channels probably would have been more successful on Dish if they were assigned channel numbers near the "regular" channels. I probably never watched them because I rarely venture into the 9000 channels, unless it's to see if there's a good concert or something on MHD.
I agree about the numbers. I hope they plan re-structuring channel lists so they are easier to find as well as save as favorites.
I don't expect them to save my favorites by category, but at least arrange them more logically.
Right now there is too much redundancy, and it's up to us to sort it all out on our favorites list. The repeats should be hidden, with an option to view.
18 is # 1
05-15-2008, 11:50 AM
Hello!!!
Are you guys paying attention?
You can still subscribe to Voom for an additional fee.
"Dish Network, the satellite provider moved the Voom HD suite to a tier, DishHD Ultimate, which is an additional $10 on top of the $10 for the basic HD package, DishHD Essential.":thumbsup:
costanza_fu
05-15-2008, 12:12 PM
where do you see that? their web site still says 46 nationals, none of which are voom.
I have Dish Ultimate and I dont have the voom channels anymore
BFA
05-15-2008, 01:42 PM
I think it is a good move to get rid of the VOOM channels and replace them with more mainstream channels(still waiting on SPEED.) Having those located in the 9400 range made the Dish guide almost as bad as the DirectTV guide. I know those channels did show programming that many in this forum liked, and I do respect them, but it always seemed like an effort to go to the 9400 range and search those channels out. Hopefully they will come back and all will be well.
burnsalkire
05-15-2008, 02:49 PM
The only VOOM channels I am going to miss are the FilmFest, Game Play, Monsters, and Kung Fu. The others were fairly useless.
Kung Fu? :lol: :lol: :lol:
edders
05-15-2008, 07:54 PM
One step forward - two steps back. Absurd.
to complain the CSR kept reminding me that I now get the Fishing Channel in HD...WTFC
Yes616
05-15-2008, 08:24 PM
to complain the CSR kept reminding me that I now get the Fishing Channel in HD...WTFC
I complained to a CSR yesterday morning then again this afternoon to another and down graded to Essentials in protest.
E-mails to both Voom and Dish both sent about 9 hours ago have not yet been personally answered but the Voom (http://www.voom.tv) site now shows a message for Dish subscribers.
brewerdude
05-15-2008, 08:52 PM
Why didn't they notify anyone ahead of time? Most of Voom was junk, occasionaly I would find something worth watching on RAVE or WorldSport, but other than that, it was a waste of time.
However, they could have at least told me about it ahead of time. I only found out when the channels were no longer in the guide.
edders
05-15-2008, 10:09 PM
I complained to a CSR yesterday morning then again this afternoon to another and down graded to Essentials in protest.
E-mails to both Voom and Dish both sent about 9 hours ago have not yet been personally answered but the Voom (http://www.voom.tv) site now shows a message for Dish subscribers.
Gave the wife a good talking to and she agreed to cancelling the premium channels except Showtime. We will be sure to let Dish know why we are doing this.
AND THANKS FOR THE LINK!
lcrngrs
05-16-2008, 10:33 AM
I called dish yesterday to vent. I explained how I was a former Direct TV customer and switched to Dish because of Monsters HD. Maybe a silly reason but that's why I did it. I then proceeded to talk about how much I spend each month because I have every channel that is offered, (my choice) yet we lose 15 channels after gaining 22. Since I mentioned Monsters, she proceeded to tell me that chiller is a suitable replacement for it which took me all of 2 seconds to shoot down. My other point to her was that I lost content but because my promos were up my bill is now an extra 10.00 per month. She tried to help me save money by letting me know that there are lesser packages. No kidding? After keeping her on the phone for as long as possible she finally gave me an adjustment on my bill. I will be getting a $40.00 credit on my premium channels for the next three months. I really don't want to switch from dish because I really think the equipment is better than what direct tv has to offer, but out of principle I had to at least make myself feel good by getting some sort of discount. Hey, $120.00 for one phone call isn't a bad deal.:D
cybersleuth58
05-16-2008, 03:21 PM
Hello!!!
Are you guys paying attention?
You can still subscribe to Voom for an additional fee.
"Dish Network, the satellite provider moved the Voom HD suite to a tier, DishHD Ultimate, which is an additional $10 on top of the $10 for the basic HD package, DishHD Essential.":thumbsup:
I have the Ultimate package - Voom is not available to anyone anymore. The channels have simply disappeared. :( To the person who suggested writing to DISH to express displeasure - I did just that. Instead of addressing my concerns, I received a canned reply about how wonderful the new channels are.
For those who cannot understand why some are so upset. :crying: I dumped cable in order to get the Voom lineup. Voom had a diverse lineup with channels unlike any others. I lose my signal whenever it rains, it's windy, snows, etc. :mad: I put up with that bc I enjoyed the programming Voom provided. I have been a lifelong fan of horror films. Monsters HD was unique; it ran movies not always available on the other channels. During the writers' strike, the programming really suffered and we have Voom to thank for that. Nevertheless, routine programming resumed on the Voom channels once the strike ended. Dish Customer Service is hyping Chiller as a substitute for Monsters - but Chiller is in SD, is heavily edited (meaning it is watered down for the kiddies) and it has endless commercial interruptions. It is not comparable to Monsters. I made the point to Dish that I am seriously thinking about returning to Cable once my contract is up. (I had to enter a new contract when Dish upgraded their HD DVR's). There is absolutely nothing in the new lineup that interests me. :( Voom offered niche programming, if that makes any sense. Now Dish is offering a lineup no different than that offered by anyone else. Now it is just another carrier.
Bluetrue
05-16-2008, 03:25 PM
I just chatted with a CSR and registered my compaint. He told me that they are getting a lot of negative feedback and that they hoped to have Voom back but could not make any promises.
bradp56
05-16-2008, 03:29 PM
I just chatted with a CSR and registered my compaint. He told me that they are getting a lot of negative feedback and that they hoped to have Voom back but could not make any promises.
I hope that is true.
Yes616
05-16-2008, 03:39 PM
Well I did fire off e-mails to Voom and Dish. I did down grade to Essentials but I felt the need to do one more thing..
I sent e-mails to both HDNet Movies and MGM-HD as those are the only 2 channels in the Ultimate Tier that I will be missing. I have no interest in the rest. Here is my letter to them..
To: eglass@hd.net, comments@mgm.com
Folks:
I just wanted to alert both HDNet Movies and MGM that effective immediately I will no longer be able to view your channels and I am not alone as well. Here is why..
Dish has placed both channels at a level of programming called Dish Ultimate. I guess you knew that. What you might not know is that Dish just dumped 15 very good channels that were at the same level of service. The VoomHD Networks. Some of my favorite viewing was there, especially but not limited to MonstersHD and RaveHD. This was why I was at this level but because I also had access to HDNet Movies and MGM-HD, I found some interesting shows on these channels as well.
Besides HDNet Movies and MGM-HD, other channels available at this level are Smithsonian Channel HD, NHL Network, NBA Network and WFN (World Fishing Network HD). I didn't bother to send this message to the other channels as I have absolutely NO interest in them. A total of 6 channels at this level at this time. This past Monday night there were 21 at the same level.
The price was $10.00 extra to receive the channels then and it is the same price now. I would have gladly paid the extra $10.00 for the 21 channels I was getting but for just 2 that I am interested in. NO WAY.
How do I know I am not alone in my move? There are several satellite forums out there on the net like www., www. and www.highdefforum.com. There are movements on all of these web sites to drop down to the HD Essentials package in protest over this move and it looks like many are. Find the Dish Network forums on all of these sites and see for yourselves.
Examine my message and confirm what I say. Seriously, WFN? What a joke. And that's the tier you are placed in.
For me to view your channels again I need you to either urge Dish to either put your channels down on the Essentials tier or pressure them to bring back Voom. I wouldn't mind paying the extra $10.00 for that. Remember Voom is not just a channel. It's 15 channels. If you are not familiar with Voom, go to www.voom.tv.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
xxxxx xxxxx
Liberty, NY
Yes616
05-16-2008, 04:30 PM
Oops.. I realized I left out Universal so I fixed the wording and sent to them. I would add an e-mail address here but I had to just fill out a contact us form on their web site.
The e-mail for hd.net seems to be a VP in charge of programming for HDNet Movies.
edders
05-16-2008, 04:34 PM
it seems the move was to eliminate VOOM which costs a lot of money for DISH to purchase and replace it with commercial ridden slop just to say they added more HD channels.
YEAH, THAT WORKS FOR ME...I NEVER GET ENOUGH COMMERCIALS DURING THE WEATHER FORECAST
jpfrasier
05-16-2008, 04:35 PM
The e-mail for hd.net seems to be a VP in charge of programming for HDNet Movies.
I guess if you wanted to you could just send it to Mark Cuban himself. His e-mail address is easy to find. But, it probably would be best to go to one of his underlings first.
geneinnc
05-16-2008, 06:00 PM
From an outsiders perspective let me give you guys my take on this.
Dish made a move that would appeal to more people. Like it or not, regardless of the amount of HD content compared to VOOM, more people prefer the new HD channels they added over the VOOM channels. This is something Dish needed to do. In the short term it may upset a lot of Dish subs, but in the long term it will pay off. The problem however wasn't the removal of VOOM so much, but rather how they went about doing it (sort of secretly in the night right after their biggest HD add in a long time). If Dish was more upfront, informing their subs well in advance about why they are removing them and were honest about it, I would bet that they would be seeing a lot less resentment.
excellent point. after speaking with a DISH installer yesterday, we talked about CS. I told him about the tech spending over 30 minutes with me, making sure I was happy with my service. He was stunned. I asked him if useless service calls were a problem. it seems that the majority of the techs on the 800 phones spend less than 5 minutes with a customer before they send a tech to your home. He said that was a MAJOR problem, since the guys waste the biggest part of the work day on simple problems, like incorrect settings or someone hit the wrong button on the remote. God knows how many millions of dollars they waste each year. Case in point: the tech that installed my 2nd DVR had a 70 mile drive, that takes almost 2 hours of driving up the mountains with no place to pass.
stonedog23
05-16-2008, 06:47 PM
VOOM was HD all the time. You can't find a channel that is HD full time today. VOOM channels were HD and this is what counts to me.
Umm, ever heard of Smithsonian, HDNet, HDNet Movies, UHD, MHD, or DiscoveryHD Theater? Plus there are others like HGTV HD that are about 90% HD.
AmSel
05-17-2008, 05:50 AM
As a huge fan of the Spanish soccer league, I will miss WorldSport a lot. :( The picture was stunning. It was the only VOOM channel I watched regularly, but there was some great stuff on the other channels from time to time as well.
Hopefully, as some have suggested, they'll bring bring about 2 or 3 channels so that there aren't as many repeats.
passat25
05-18-2008, 03:18 AM
Thank you guys for all the posts and great links because I was pissed when I realized the Voom channels were gone... Some of those Voom channels were niche channels, some great stuff... At least, I feel much better after reading all your posts...
The thing I just can't understand is how Dish is trying to make money out of this shake up... Just criminal... I decided to keep the DishHD ultimate but unless I upgrade to America's Top 200, I have lost NFL HD, the Big Ten Network HD and Bravo HD... If I would downgrade, I would lose great channels like Universal HD, MGM HD, HDNets movies, NHL HD and NBA HD...
I guess I am stuck with Dish for now... At least I have Cinemax for 1 cent!...
WLKNDED
05-18-2008, 08:29 AM
Umm, ever heard of Smithsonian, HDNet, HDNet Movies, UHD, MHD, or DiscoveryHD Theater? Plus there are others like HGTV HD that are about 90% HD.
Last time I took a math class 90% is not full anything.
The Voom channels are 100%percent HD all the time.
I miss my Monsters HD.:mad: :mad: :mad:
LeinieDrinker
05-18-2008, 01:16 PM
I watched some of the Voom channels.
Question: Some of the old movies from the 1970's on Monster how can they actually be in HD? Are they just upconverted?
Last time I took a math class 90% is not full anything.
The Voom channels are 100%percent HD all the time.
I miss my Monsters HD.:mad: :mad: :mad:
mantiz
05-18-2008, 03:06 PM
please Dish I Want MY Monsters Hd Back!!!!
edders
05-18-2008, 03:26 PM
I watched some of the Voom channels.
Question: Some of the old movies from the 1970's on Monster how can they actually be in HD? Are they just upconverted?
Even regular 35mm film exceeds HD definitinon, at least if the film was properly stored. What matters is the transfer to HD video that is what makes or breaks the looks of the film.
bradp56
05-18-2008, 06:22 PM
This sucks, you know how many times I have changed it to the MonstersHD channel hoping it will be there, I am really depressed about this.
