Best HD service for/in Canada? thx

petermwilson · 06-14-2006, 04:11 PM

Hi,

Up until a couple of months ago I had Rogers for TV and internet.

Then they sent me an offer for a second digital box free for 2 years or the SA8300hd decoder PVR for half price. I had just purchased a second smaller HD display for my wife so I decided to investigate the costs if I switched everything to Rogers.

It depends on your lifestyle and prioritys but for us the savings were significant. Particularly the !5% discount on everything if you put it on one bill. The deal I jumped on when it was offered wat the Long Distance package of 5c a minute for the first 100min and the next 900 free anywhere in North America. They dropped that plan after a fewe months but grandfathered in the ones who hads signed up.

Rogers can be just as frustating as any of the others to deal with but I found that if your polite and courteus (even when your angry) you can get some serious perks. Particularly when THEY admit to being wrong.

Anyway, you still have to read the fine print but its woth looking in to.

Peter M.

leshabitants24 · 06-15-2006, 05:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by faibs

Rogers just angered me for the last time on my last bill. Im in a townhouse that I own but they don't let us erect dishes...
is there any other choice out there for me?

u can receive ExpressVu through your telephone connection if they have the service in your area.

EddieDZ · 06-15-2006, 01:10 PM

petermwilson - thats the EXACT same plan we have here.. we have digital cable, highspeed internet, long distance and our 2 cell phones ALL in one bill and with the V.I.P. package we get 15% off each. so we end up saving a good amount.. you would be surprize how much we pay a month for all those services.

leshabitants24 · 06-15-2006, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EddieDZ

petermwilson - thats the EXACT same plan we have here.. we have digital cable, highspeed internet, long distance and our 2 cell phones ALL in one bill and with the V.I.P. package we get 15% off each. so we end up saving a good amount.. you would be surprize how much we pay a month for all those services.

u will be surprised how fast Rogers will raise the current rates.

petermwilson · 06-15-2006, 05:40 PM

Hi,

I agree, that's why if we doze off ,the gloating will be short lived.

Rogers and Bell are jockeying for position which is good for the consumer.
Not long ago each had it's own monopoly. When Bell starts calling with a HD PVR as part of the package it may be time to re negotiate.

Peter M.

ah802 · 06-15-2006, 08:42 PM

If you get really... POed go OTA, a local bowtie will bring in 5-9 stations and with an external you'll bring in the Buffalo stations, best quality and get this...'free'.

Summers here.... don't spend it inside watching the boob tube.

usakdp · 11-03-2007, 02:14 PM

Bell currently (Nov. 07) has more channels in HD.

Bell charges an additional fee monthly for HD channels.

Starchoice currently has less HD channels. However, there is no additional cost for HD. If you subscribe to a standard definition channel with them, and they carry the HD twin of it, you get the HD channel for free. There are two exceptions to this: Discovery HD and A&E HD. These two channels, and Mark Cuban's HDnet channel (for which there is no standard definition twin) are included in Starchoice HD extra package for $4.99 per month.

Ultimately, both providers will likely have the same amount, or similar amount, of HD channels.

The technical difference between the two is compression. Starchoice compresses the HD signal, when it is uplinked and distributed, to a lesser degree than Bell. This difference means that some of the definition is lost in a Bell signal, so Starchoice HD is higher quality.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to email. There are other differences (such as Starchoice broadcasts with a linear polarization, rather than Bell's spiral polarization, which does not affect quality, but explains why you cannot use a Starchoice dish (or, rather LNBF) to pick up Bell signals and visa versa. I will be happy to answer questions from a logical/information point of view, without regard to having an editorial preference for one over the other.

DSNY FN · 11-05-2007, 06:25 PM

We had Rogers and switched our home phone etc to them also they screwed up our subscription so badly we lost phone service for 2 and a half months while they tried to sort it out. In that time we went back to Bell and have never had a moments problem not even with teh suspect customer service. I have to agree with others their HD feeds are great my dad had Rogers HD PVR and his quality was very very poor compared to my Bell HD coverage for image quality and number of stations. Plus for me Bell has RDS HD and Rogers doesn't so I get all my HABS games on RDS HD for free becuase I subscribe to the regular RDS station.

bbaker123@coge · 11-24-2007, 10:27 PM

On my son's Bell Expressvu the sound of the person speaking is not in perfect synchronization with the moving lips of the person speaking.

This doesn't happen in all cases but is annoying when it does. It is difficult to watch when this happens.

Has anyone else experienced this?

What causes it?

Super XP · 01-02-2008, 12:42 AM

I went with Bell ExpressVu because Rogers Digital Cable HD has a digital feed problem. And many people that have Rogers confirm this over & over again. Even the non HD digital feed has interruptions.

The last think I want to look at is lines from the digital feed. ExpressVu Satellite is the best, cleanest PQ & AQ IMO.

gmd · 01-04-2008, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Super XP

ExpressVu Satellite is the best, cleanest PQ & AQ IMO.

What did you compared Bell's 1280x1080i picture to?

-gmd

BrianO · 01-04-2008, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by freedre

You may wish to get some legal advice on this issue (from a real lawyer type). I don't think that you can be prevented from erecting a satellite dish on property that you own. A lot of HOA's (Home Owners Associations) are under the impression that they are above the law, but I know of several instances where the courts have ruled against them on the issue of satellite dishes. I can't remember off-hand what the sites are, but there are several websites that discuss this issue.

Don't sit still for this BS.

Good luck.

Reg

I hope that the sites you mention are discussing Canadian court decisions rather than US court decisions. US court decisions on this issue are irrelevant in Canada.

In the US the FCC's OTARD (Over The Air Reception Devices) Rules can be used to override HOA rules and local bylaws, but Canada has no such regulations. I'd be interested to see what arguments the lawyers used in Canadian cases.

friend20013 · 02-27-2008, 12:35 PM

i noticed none mentioned cogeco cable what about them for hd channels in canada.

Korrosive · 03-27-2008, 02:57 PM

For those complaining about customer service at Bell, it sucks. The reason being, a lot of these reps are hired on without any previous experience and get trained for 3 days and thrown to the wolves on the phone. I tend to take it easy on them because more than half these people are either new and scared or have no other choice but to take that job with no proper training and have had a bad shift because of it, but it is very frustrating. Try to get tier 2 if you possibly can.

doug30 · 06-10-2008, 10:51 AM

Are these Bell EVU reps out of India? I know the Sympatico CSR's are.

06-15-2006, 08:42 PM	#21
ah802 Visual Arts Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 1,241	I can send bill for OTA reception for those who are uncomfortable with free. If you get really... POed go OTA, a local bowtie will bring in 5-9 stations and with an external you'll bring in the Buffalo stations, best quality and get this...'free'. Summers here.... don't spend it inside watching the boob tube.

11-03-2007, 02:14 PM	#22
usakdp What is HD? Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 1	technical differences between Bell ExpressVu and Starchoice for High Definition (HD) Bell currently (Nov. 07) has more channels in HD. Bell charges an additional fee monthly for HD channels. Starchoice currently has less HD channels. However, there is no additional cost for HD. If you subscribe to a standard definition channel with them, and they carry the HD twin of it, you get the HD channel for free. There are two exceptions to this: Discovery HD and A&E HD. These two channels, and Mark Cuban's HDnet channel (for which there is no standard definition twin) are included in Starchoice HD extra package for $4.99 per month. Ultimately, both providers will likely have the same amount, or similar amount, of HD channels. The technical difference between the two is compression. Starchoice compresses the HD signal, when it is uplinked and distributed, to a lesser degree than Bell. This difference means that some of the definition is lost in a Bell signal, so Starchoice HD is higher quality. If you have any other questions, please feel free to email. There are other differences (such as Starchoice broadcasts with a linear polarization, rather than Bell's spiral polarization, which does not affect quality, but explains why you cannot use a Starchoice dish (or, rather LNBF) to pick up Bell signals and visa versa. I will be happy to answer questions from a logical/information point of view, without regard to having an editorial preference for one over the other.

11-05-2007, 06:25 PM	#23
DSNY FN High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: London Ont Canada Age: 40 Posts: 2,273	We had Rogers and switched our home phone etc to them also they screwed up our subscription so badly we lost phone service for 2 and a half months while they tried to sort it out. In that time we went back to Bell and have never had a moments problem not even with teh suspect customer service. I have to agree with others their HD feeds are great my dad had Rogers HD PVR and his quality was very very poor compared to my Bell HD coverage for image quality and number of stations. Plus for me Bell has RDS HD and Rogers doesn't so I get all my HABS games on RDS HD for free becuase I subscribe to the regular RDS station. __________________ HD IS THE ONLY WAY Bedroom setup Viewsonic N2752w Xpressvue 6100 Toshiba HD A2 Harmony 520 Livingroom setup Samsung HL-S5687WX Toshiba HD-DVD XA2 Xpressvue HD PVR Denon 3801 PSB Full surround Harmony 880 Nintendo GC Nintendo Wii (this console rocks) Mario Kart Wii friend code 4768-8283-5991

11-24-2007, 10:27 PM	#24
bbaker123@coge What is HD? Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 1	Voice & Lip Out of Synch On my son's Bell Expressvu the sound of the person speaking is not in perfect synchronization with the moving lips of the person speaking. This doesn't happen in all cases but is annoying when it does. It is difficult to watch when this happens. Has anyone else experienced this? What causes it?

01-02-2008, 12:42 AM	#25
Super XP Star Trek: The Movie! Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Toronto, ON. Canada Posts: 5,776	I went with Bell ExpressVu because Rogers Digital Cable HD has a digital feed problem. And many people that have Rogers confirm this over & over again. Even the non HD digital feed has interruptions. The last think I want to look at is lines from the digital feed. ExpressVu Satellite is the best, cleanest PQ & AQ IMO. __________________ Toshiba Regza 46" HDTV (46RF350U) LCD 1080p/24p Toshiba HD-A35 / HD-A3 / XD-E500 LG GGC-H20L Super Multi / PC Drive Onkyo TX-SR605 7.1 TrueHD/DTS HD MA Precision Acoustics™ 8Ch. Hi Def Loudspeaker Series DVD's = 200 = 130 = 10

06-14-2006, 04:11 PM	#16
petermwilson High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Toronto, Ontario Age: 62 Posts: 61	Hi, Up until a couple of months ago I had Rogers for TV and internet. Then they sent me an offer for a second digital box free for 2 years or the SA8300hd decoder PVR for half price. I had just purchased a second smaller HD display for my wife so I decided to investigate the costs if I switched everything to Rogers. It depends on your lifestyle and prioritys but for us the savings were significant. Particularly the !5% discount on everything if you put it on one bill. The deal I jumped on when it was offered wat the Long Distance package of 5c a minute for the first 100min and the next 900 free anywhere in North America. They dropped that plan after a fewe months but grandfathered in the ones who hads signed up. Rogers can be just as frustating as any of the others to deal with but I found that if your polite and courteus (even when your angry) you can get some serious perks. Particularly when THEY admit to being wrong. Anyway, you still have to read the fine print but its woth looking in to. Peter M.

06-15-2006, 01:10 PM	#18
EddieDZ PSN is Free Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Saint John, NB Canada Posts: 4,708	petermwilson - thats the EXACT same plan we have here.. we have digital cable, highspeed internet, long distance and our 2 cell phones ALL in one bill and with the V.I.P. package we get 15% off each. so we end up saving a good amount.. you would be surprize how much we pay a month for all those services.

06-15-2006, 05:40 PM	#20
petermwilson High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Toronto, Ontario Age: 62 Posts: 61	Hi, I agree, that's why if we doze off ,the gloating will be short lived. Rogers and Bell are jockeying for position which is good for the consumer. Not long ago each had it's own monopoly. When Bell starts calling with a HD PVR as part of the package it may be time to re negotiate. Peter M.

02-27-2008, 12:35 PM	#28
friend20013 A couch and an HDTV to go please. Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 10	i noticed none mentioned cogeco cable what about them for hd channels in canada. Last edited by friend20013; 02-27-2008 at 12:36 PM. Reason: corrected a spelling mistake

03-27-2008, 02:57 PM	#29
Korrosive What is HD? Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 1	For those complaining about customer service at Bell, it sucks. The reason being, a lot of these reps are hired on without any previous experience and get trained for 3 days and thrown to the wolves on the phone. I tend to take it easy on them because more than half these people are either new and scared or have no other choice but to take that job with no proper training and have had a bad shift because of it, but it is very frustrating. Try to get tier 2 if you possibly can.

06-10-2008, 10:51 AM	#30
doug30 ; Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Michigan Posts: 280	Are these Bell EVU reps out of India? I know the Sympatico CSR's are.