Sure, Dish Network and DirecTV offer some HDTV channels, but a new upstart satellite provider, VOOM, seems to specialize in HDTV.

Unlike the competition, however, VOOM doesn’t appear to subsidize equipment costs. A dish, off-air antenna, one receiver, and professional installation will run you $750. And no, that’s no typo! It really is seven hundred and fifty american dollars!

They won’t actually start charging subscription fees until March 1st, 2004, so if you order now you’ll get two months free. Basic service after that date will be $40 a month. Local channels are included at no extra charge. If you can swallow the insane setup cost, their pricing is actually really competitive with Dish and DirecTV, the only other two competitors in the satellite field.

I gotta say it’s nice to see a provider targeting the HDTV crowd for a change. The faster we all move to HDTV, the better! I’m still waiting for plasma screens to come down in price (way down) before I get one, ’cause the lack of focus on projection TVs pretty much wipes out any benefit afforded by the high-definition signal. I think I’ll be waiting a long time. 🙁