VOOM Installations

[mkatts]

We're off to a good start. They said between 12-5 and he just showed up. It's 1:13.

 

[robul]

I wish I would get that call from isntalls inc i have to wait until the 14th

 

[quincy]

Also checking my antenna it isn't shaped like a "V" but is straight is this a stealth antenna?

I found this antenna here Winegard GS-2000 It's an amplified bi-directional antenna with a range of 10-45 miles. Here is my information according to antennaweb:

* yellow - uhf KPXC-DT 43 PAX Denver CO Awaiting FCC Permit 240° 14.4 43
* yellow - uhf KRMA-DT 6.1 PBS Denver CO 256° 1.4 18
* yellow - uhf KUSA-DT 9.1 NBC Denver CO 256° 1.4 16
* yellow - uhf KCNC-DT 4.1 CBS Denver CO 256° 1.4 35
* yellow - uhf KDEN-DT 29 IND LONGMONT CO 357° 24.5 29
* green - uhf KMGH-DT 17.1 ABC Denver CO 212° 1.7 17
* green - uhf KRMT-DT 40 DAY DENVER CO Awaiting FCC Permit 222° 16.5 40
* green - uhf KTFD-DT 15.1 TFA BOULDER CO 239° 14.5 15
* blue - uhf KWHD-DT 46.1 IND CASTLE ROCK CO 132° 27.1 46
* blue - uhf KTVD-DT 19 UPN Denver CO 01-05 256° 14.4 19

Most of the channels are under 5 miles away but pretty much in the same vecinity. Am i going to have problems with the antenna when i get my ota modual?

 

[mkatts]

WOOOHOOOO
I'm a VOOMIN MOFO!!!!
Took him about 6 hours to get er done but it's smoking. I kept asking about the quality of the diplexor and he got the hint that I didn't want them and he went ahead and ran siamese cables to both recieves. Just one splitter in the basement for OTA.

Only problem is I am not getting ABC or FOX locals. He said if he gets a few minutes tomorrow he will bring a Stealth Ant. out to try that. He said in the meantime thoug to call Voom to let them know so they can order the upgraded ant. He installed a Winegard, which is what Installs, Inc told them to start using. No worries though. Wife has NBC so she can watch Friends upstairs while I zombifie myself with HDTV!!!

Oh my god can Rush kick any more butty?!!! Side by side with directv is no contest, Voom is by far better quality. Even on my 27" SDTV upstairs, Voom is nicer pic.

Pro Start Digital was excellent. No complaints. They said between 12-5 he was here at 1:15 and got right to work. He even gave me a spliter to connect the OTA to the TV tuner so we can get ABC and FOX that way. What a guy.


So far I am very happy. The guide is an hour off but I suspect that will get fixed with the update?

software version is 5.08 Target 00.68.

Sat qual: 54
OTA Qual: 77
Sat sig power: 66
OTA power: 45

I am very happy right now.

 

[Ken F]

You should get the new software in the next day or two -- it's a big improvement.

 

[dtsfanohio]

Congrats! Another Ohio Voomer!

 

[Vick]

I got Voom installed today and the whole thing went so smooth, the installer came on time and it took less than 2 hours to install everything up and running except the OTA antenna. I have Pioneer PDP-1110HD which comes with digital tuner and I decided to but the antenna and install it myself which worked very well. So I told the installer not to bother with OTA thing, but he still installed the module (nice!). As soon as we got signal then I was able to watch in HD. After about 20 minutes the EPG was up and running. I tried different resolutions and found that if I leave it on 720p then I'm able to flip channels faster (slightly) but the STB never crashed after 5 hours of continuous use. So far I am extremely happy with the unit and the service, I even called a friend who has the 43 inch plasma with different provider and told me he never saw a picture as clear as this. I can even watch high definition PIP using the media receiver (neat!).
The only thing is that the time is 1 hour behind and it's supposed to correct itself at midnight.

 

[deArgila]

Officially VOOMING!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW. That's all I can say. So much HD content that I don't even know what to do with myself.

I honestly thought the voom "exclusives" would be a bunch of crap - but I'm really excited about them now. I saw part of a soccer game on worldsportHD and it was incredible. Then I saw highlights - I about lost it. (Note - I'm a soccer fan).

I got voom mostly because of ESPN-HD without a contract - but WorldsportHD might be my new favorite channel.

The HDNews channel is also cool - liked seeing all the highlights being in HD. It repeats a lot, of course - but it's still cool.

My HDTV is finally off the starvation diet it was on for so long with TWC.

I'd rate the install itself probably a 6. Bonus points for showing up almost a week early, calling the morning of the install, setting up a specific time (12:30), and showing up half an hour early.

Negatives for refusing to run two lines (though I already have an antenna on the roof, I wanted to use two - one pointed towards Raleigh, the other towards Greensboro) and for installing the dish on the roof near the front of the house (his ladder was too short for it to go where I really wanted it).

Overall, I'm very happy and glad to have so many HD choices. I hope the DVR comes out soon because I really need it!!!

 

[cameron119]

I got Voom installed today and the whole thing went so smooth, the installer came on time and it took less than 2 hours to install everything up and running except the OTA antenna. I have Pioneer PDP-1110HD which comes with digital tuner and I decided to but the antenna and install it myself which worked very well. So I told the installer not to bother with OTA thing, but he still installed the module (nice!). As soon as we got signal then I was able to watch in HD. After about 20 minutes the EPG was up and running. I tried different resolutions and found that if I leave it on 720p then I'm able to flip channels faster (slightly) but the STB never crashed after 5 hours of continuous use. So far I am extremely happy with the unit and the service, I even called a friend who has the 43 inch plasma with different provider and told me he never saw a picture as clear as this. I can even watch high definition PIP using the media receiver (neat!).
The only thing is that the time is 1 hour behind and it's supposed to correct itself at midnight.

Are you using plasma or LCD? If so, 720p is likely the proper native resolution you should be using anyway.

 

[Vick]

I am using plasma Pioneer PRO-1110HD (sorry I made a mistake).

 

[mkatts]

When I saw Rush and Worldsport I wanted to stand up and sing the National Anthem. God Bless America!

Just don't get no better than this.

 

[woodenturkey]

well i got screwed again.....the installer came over shot a azmuth and said that a tree (the same tree my Direct TV points at and works) would block the signal, he didnt even try and see if it would work, he just told me that he was not going to do it because he wont get paid if it does not work(which i find hard to believe) so now i have missed 2 days of work with no service. The installer was rude from the moment he called me on the phone, he didnt give a S**T if i wanted to try another angle(ie in the yard etc.) man i want Voom something fierce but for right now it look loke i will keep watching my direct tv (which is still pointing at a tree)

 

[Sean Mota]

well i got screwed again.....the installer came over shot a azmuth and said that a tree (the same tree my Direct TV points at and works) would block the signal, he didnt even try and see if it would work, he just told me that he was not going to do it because he wont get paid if it does not work(which i find hard to believe) so now i have missed 2 days of work with no service. The installer was rude from the moment he called me on the phone, he didnt give a S**T if i wanted to try another angle(ie in the yard etc.) man i want Voom something fierce but for right now it look loke i will keep watching my direct tv (which is still pointing at a tree)

Directv dish and VOOM dish point in different directions. Look at this picture:

http://www.satelliteguys.us/attachment.php?attachmentid=718

and see if there will be anything blocking in your area. Please reply.

VOOM = 61.5 and Directv = 119 and 101 (I think)

 

[PeckW]

Woodenturkey, I had the same problem on my first install attempt. I asked for a second installer to come out and convinced him that I did have LOS. He put in the dish and it works like a charm. In your (Washington DC) the Voom bird is at 156 degrees (SSE) and an elevation of 42 degrees. Direct TV is at 215 (SW) and an elevation of 38.5 degrees. Voom is almost a quarter turn to the east from the Direct TV bird.

 

[kabota dragon]

My Voom Experience

Total noobie here so I may ask some ignorant questions.

My installation process went relatively well overall. The only real drawback was that the installer was about 2 hours late, but was very apologetic and was really very nice throughout the process. I asked him not to use a diplexor which kind of confused him, as he said this makes no difference. He stated the only thing that made a difference was the connection from the box to the tv, which I am running DVI. But in all fairness, he ran 2 lines and passed up using the diplexor. Thanks for the tip about the diplexor - I would have had no clue on that.

The picture is very nice, and I love the voom menu. It is very simple yet very effective in my opinion. The HD Cinema 10 movies absolutely blow. This may turn out to be a waste of 10 channels.

Before I ask my questions, my tv is a Toshiba 46H83

My questions are: Which settings should I choose from the system setting with regard to picture? I am referring to the 4:3 to 16:9 and vice versa where you can choose crop, letterbox etc.
Also - I noticed one of the choices was stretch, where I was hoping it would stretch 4:3 pictures over the length of my tv, but it does not. Instead of I have the bars making my picture 4:3. Any way to change this and if not how long can I watch until I have to worry about static images burning into my screen?

One last thing. My tv has the option of 1080i or 540 P. I have chosen 1080i as the resolution on my tv. Should I choose 1080i on the box, or leave it on the native resolution setting?

I appreciate your help!

 

[cameron119]

Keep the Voom IRD set at 1080i. Your set's native mode is 1080i. If you set it for native, any 720p channels are going to throw your set a curve. The worst case scenario is the TV can't match the scan rate and won't up/downconvert it, giving you a blank or botched picture. The Voom IRD does a very nice job of upconverting 720p to 1080i. No need to even worry about the 540i...you're a Voomer now...forget about everything below 720p, as the Voom box will upconvert all of it so the channel changing is transparent.

 

[Tvlman]

Post Installation Question: Do you leave your Voom box on all the time like Direct TV so it will download the info? Just a precaution because my Direct TV box really heats up!

 

[Walter L.]

Post Installation Question: Do you leave your Voom box on all the time like Direct TV so it will download the info? Just a precaution because my Direct TV box really heats up!

You can leave it on or standby. Either way will work for downloads.

 

[txcruiser]

Total noobie here so I may ask some ignorant questions.


Also - I noticed one of the choices was stretch, where I was hoping it would stretch 4:3 pictures over the length of my tv, but it does not. Instead of I have the bars making my picture 4:3. Any way to change this and if not how long can I watch until I have to worry about static images burning into my screen?

I appreciate your help!

I too would like to see a Voom user respond to this issue since I will be getting Voom in the next few days. If i can't stretch 4:3 pictures to fill my widescreen then I might have to reconsider my installation.

 

[txcruiser]

Another question that is starting to concern me.

I'm getting the 3 receiver hookup. One connection will come thru an outside wall but the other 2 should be thru inside walls. I've been told by the CSR that installation was free, but after reading several posts I'm beginning to wonder how much $$$ the installer is going to charge me for the inside wall wiring?

Thanks!