Cablevision gets official with 15 premium HD channels
By Darren Murph 
posted January 21st 2009 1:59PM
posted January 21st 2009 1:59PM
[Image courtesy of Reuben]
posted January 21st 2009 1:59PM
A look back on popular stories from today in a specific year.
Now that we've thrown 'em off the trail, use the form below to get in touch with the people at Engadget. Please fill in all of the required fields because they're required.
MonstersHD was included in my monthly price. HBO is extra. Removing "free" channels and replacing them with paid channels is not my idea of a fair replacement. And I LIKED my cheesy horror movies!
are you telling me that we have to pay to get these channels.....thats not replacing the Voom channels, thats making us Cablevision customers a bunch of suckers
I too will miss my MonstersHD
I may have to consider Verizon Fios
No complaints from movie buffs??!! How about a complaint from someone that just lost 15 HD channels that WAS included in my cable package?! Now Cablevision expects me to pay more money to get the 15 HD channels back?? Are you serious Darren? How is that not complaint worthy and how is that fair to the subscribers??
Verizon FiOS hasn't made it to my area yet, but when it does...see ya Cablevision!
It is a big deal here. I am lucky that I get free cable where I live but there is no way for me to add the extra channels. So for me this is a big 0. Lost 15 HD channels today.
I really enjoyed the Kung Fu Channel HD. I do subscribe to the Premium tier, but I was at the verge of dropping it. Ever since I signed up with Netflix a year ago, I started watching more movies on Netflix. By the time a new movie showed up on a premium channel, I had already watched it on Netflix, most likely on Blu-ray, may I add. Now that I own the Samsung BD-P2550 BD player, I get to watch instant streaming of movies as well. There is really no need for me to keep premium cable. The replacement of these 15 channels makes it a slightly harder decision for me. I'll see how it goes in another month or two.
For those of you considering going to FiOS because of this--why? What channels does FiOS offer that are suitable alternatives? Looking at their HD offerings, I don't see too many more movie channels than Cablevision offers. 17 of their premium HD channels are West Coast feeds of the same channel (i.e HBO family HD, HBO Family West HD).
VOOM is not available anywhere anymore--they have stopped domestic operations. They are still operating a couple of channels in Europe.
I will miss the VOOM channels too--Gameplay and Rave were my favorites--but I did want to get the multiplexes for those premium channels too. Hopefully, they will add channels like Chiller HD (a viable alternative for Monsters) and other channels that will be suitable alternatives to these channels.
R.I.P. VOOM, you will be missed.
I have just canceled my cable vision TV service. It is ridiculous that they have just increased my price yet at the same time cutting my service. Cable vision didn't just cut 15 of the Voom channels it must also remember that they we recently lost 701 and 710 in Brooklyn. So we have in fact lost 17 Hi def channels.
We were originally promised replacement for these Voom channels. Staying in the same iO Digital Tier it's a loss of a fair amount of HD channels. In this economy, I really don't want to increase my cable bill. When my triple play year offer comes up in 2 months, I'll be calling Fios. Also, Sleuth and Chiller were only added to the Silver and Gold Tiers, but they are not premium channels in most lineups that I know of. Since when is iO Digital becoming second class?
Fugg u cablevision.
I want my Equator channel!
No commercials, no bs, just plain beautiful hdtv
The VOOM network was the only reason to get pay TV. Especially Monsters and Kung Fu. I will be deleting my service now.
I will really, really miss MonstersHD and Rave. Watched both of those channels quite a lot.
Bummer!
How am I supposed to watch the Spanish Premier League in HD now, World Sport HD was awesome. Now to watch those games I would have to pay to get GOL TV which is only in SD, screw that. Wish FiOS was in my area.
WAIT -- we lost all these channels (i found this post by searching google news) and we hafta pay for the premiums? or are they included? your post is not clear to me, sorry.
Susie - You have to pay for the premiums. Those of us that don't have the premium channels are getting nothing in return for the loss of VOOM channels.
Horrible move cablevision, Would anybody recommend DirectTV? I need more HD channels!
the real question here... are they SDV or not...
*crosses fingers and stares at tivo's*
VOOM was revolutionary! TRUE HiDef programming, no commercials, otherwise unavailable international programming, unusual niche programming. Wow! After dropping so much dough on my SONY XBR television, Alesis surroundsound audio system, and brand new television furniture from IKEA, VOOM was showing me the way into the future. Kitsch programming like KungFuHD and MonstersHD; my daughter's favorite AnimaniaHD with TRUE HD cartoon serials like Iggy Arbuckle, SamSam, and Captain Scarlet; and RaveHD with 5.1 surround broadcasts of full-length rock shows, and most importantly, LATER with Jools Holland. WOW! WOW! WOW! What breath of fresh air we got for one short year.
Cablevision just pulled the plug on VOOM's creativity and replaced it with the same garbage available on LowDef channels run through a 1080 upconverter. It is not TRUE HD programming. Half of the HD programming on Cablevision now is only available as Pay-Per-View. HIGHWAY ROBBERY! I will be dumping Cablevision as soon as I see one of the competitors offer a suite of TRUE HD channels that takes VOOM’s lead. Already got on the phone last night to FIOS, Dish Network, and Direct TV. Soon enough the internet is going to make all of these providers defunct as programmers anyway. I thought Cablevision had actually seen the light on this and was preparing for the future by providing critical service for a new industry. Turns out to be the same old corporate greed at work after all. Hope they squeeze the life out of their own market.
Hey - didn't Cablevision actually own VOOM through their Rainbow Media arm? Don't you think an outfit like Cablevision could continue to make VOOM relevant if they wanted to? VOOM hasn't disappeared,since they still have international buyers for their programs. Perhaps there is industry pressure on Cablevision to kick out commercial-free and intelligent offerings like VOOM in order to incentivize the old channels' conversion to TRUE HD programming. Unfortunately we are stuck watching those old channels’ cruddy programs and having all their commercials jammed down our throats, not to mention being forced to spend more on PPV. Perhaps VOOM was merely Cablevision's 1-year ruse to trick consumers into buying HDTVs and in the end turning off the supply of cool and intelligent programming to replace it with stale fodder and squeeze us through their PPV regime. So please, everyone who reads this - DUMP CABLEVISION!!!!!