I subscribed to Voom when they first came out - mainly to take advantage of a new HD TV and D* didn't have the HD DVR (HR10-250) yet. I hear a lot of people tout the fact that Dish has Voom channels, so they have a lot more HD than D*. That's true, quantity-wise. However, even with the great HD picture, I found myself watching very little on the Voom channels (an occasional movie) and it was basically a "cool" waste of money.
Dish may be a very good alternative, I have no first hand experience. But keep in mind (and I realize this may be too long term) that D* will be ramping up their HD offerings a lot by the end of next year (depending on availability of HD channels actually available). And if you can research what is actually carried on the Voom channels, you may decide that it's well worth it, or that it's similar to having a dozen more shopping channels - sure there's more channels, but nothing you would watch anyway.
If you plan on staying with D*, I think taking adavantage of a deal on the HR20 might be well worth it. I have never had Ultimate TV, so I can't speak to whether it would be a good investment to fix them or not.
Dish may be a very good alternative, I have no first hand experience. But keep in mind (and I realize this may be too long term) that D* will be ramping up their HD offerings a lot by the end of next year (depending on availability of HD channels actually available). And if you can research what is actually carried on the Voom channels, you may decide that it's well worth it, or that it's similar to having a dozen more shopping channels - sure there's more channels, but nothing you would watch anyway.
If you plan on staying with D*, I think taking adavantage of a deal on the HR20 might be well worth it. I have never had Ultimate TV, so I can't speak to whether it would be a good investment to fix them or not.
