Best HD service for/in Canada? thx

EddieDZ

Whats the best service for HD in Canada... im thinking of going with Rogers since I already have digital cable via Rogers(all i would have to do is have them replace my current digital box with the HDbox and pay afew bucks extra for renting it, then boom 15 free HD channels.)

are/is there any other service that provides more free HD channels?

Thx

leshabitants24

i got rid of rogers and went with bell expressvu. i saw my neighbours setup and was impressed with quality and amount of hidef stations(29).

__________________
BEV 9200 HD PVR & 6100 HD
PIONEER VSX-D906S
SAMSUNG HLP5085w
PRIMA LC 27R25 LCD
TOSHIBA SD-430V DVD
JVC HR S5400U SVHS
MISSION SPEAKERS
VELODYNE SUB

hifi_ott

Personally, I wouldn't worry about the number of HD channels. Before long, all of the major services will carry the same channels (as has long with the case with standard-definition channels). Right this moment, Star Choice offers fewer HD channels than ExpressVu - for example, it lacks Dicovery HD VU! HD and, I believe, City HD. But I suspect that's only temporary.

My advice: if you're happy with Rogers, stick with them. But if you want the best possible deal, call them up anyway, tell them you're going to switch to, say, ExpressVu, and see what they offer you by way of incentives to stay. It's a competitive market out there.

hifi_ott

By the way, if you're thinking of switching to ExpressVu, you should know that their customer service sucks. Hey, this is Bell Canada, after all That doesn't mean you should forget about ExpressVu - in some circumstances, they're the best choice. But if you're the kind of person who dislikes having to wrestle with customer service reps, you might be better off with another provider. I consider Bell a high-maintenance company - i.e., if you're one of their customers, you should be prepared for a fight now and then. Otherwise they'll take advantage of you, if for no other reason than they're a huge, massively inefficient company in which nobody seems to know what anyone else is going, and half the employees don't give a s---. Kind of like the government, only worse.

EddieDZ

expressvu is satelite right?. you get 29 free HD channels?!?! damn thats like all the available HD channels currently in Canada isnt it?!?

rogers those carry alot more then 15 BUT when you sign up with them you get 15 HD channels free..the rest you have to pay for per channel, just like digital cable.. i cant see expressvu offering up 29 free channels..

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?

leshabitants24

u obviously have a bone to pick with Bell. Bell supplies me with tv, phone, cell and internet. the few times i needed to contact them they have been forthright and helpful. i even received a Bell Most Preferred Customer card which gives me instant recognition with Bell customer service.

__________________
BEV 9200 HD PVR & 6100 HD
PIONEER VSX-D906S
SAMSUNG HLP5085w
PRIMA LC 27R25 LCD
TOSHIBA SD-430V DVD
JVC HR S5400U SVHS
MISSION SPEAKERS
VELODYNE SUB

hifi_ott

That must save you a lot of time. When I call in, I often have to punch in my 10-digit phone number twice, and then dictate it again when I finally get through to the customer service rep.

I might have signed up for a Bell Mobility phone, except their phones use the older CDMA technology. CDMA is available in fewer than 30 countries. In contrast, I can take my Fido phone (which uses GSM) practically anywhere.

I might have considered Bell for DSL, except they won't allow customers to have fixed IP addresses. I get a fixed IP for $3/mo. from another provider. And the rates are lower, too.

Bell is a huge company that does some things well. They sell products that suit many people most of the time. I chose them as my satellite provider, which obviously says something. (Interestingly enough, the guy who runs my local Bell Mobility shop told me that he had switched to Star Choice because he was fed up with the way ExpressVu treats existing customers who want to upgrade to HD. I didn't take his advice. You can read about my experiences elsewhere on this board.)

CamCapek

ok,

March 15th, 2006 - Order bell HD satellite system including installation online

March 16th, 2006 - Receive a call from Bell customer service saying the date I booked was already taken. Re-booked and confirmed another date for April 1st

April 1st, 2006 - Stayed home for half the day waiting for the installation tech. He/her did not show. I called bell at two different 1-800/1-866 numbers and both reps. could not locate or find my order due to me booking online and the online booking company was only available on weekdays. THEY HAD NO RECORD OF MY INSTALLATION BOOKING! I HAVE AN OFFICIAL E-MAIL WITH A CONFIRMATION NUMBER AND EVERYTHING!


Sorry about the caps guys but this just bugs me as a new bell customer trying to get the most HD channels out there for canadian providers... What a way to treat a first time customer?

ANYONE else had similar problems with C.S? My friend used to work at bell and said they were a bunch of liars and will cheat you out of money if you don't stand your ground hard.

EddieDZ

yikes..remind me not to go with bell lol

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

hifi_ott

I may regret writing this if I have a problem in future but ... it's been about three weeks since I upgraded to ExpressVu's HD service, and I have to say that I'm impressed. The selection of HD channels is as good as it gets, and the picture quality is, as you'd expect, superb. And I *really* like the 6100. I like the way you can customize the picture for standard-def channels (black bars, grey bars, stretch, partial zoom, full zoom) and the way it remembers those settings the next time you return to the channel. (At least, I think that's what it's doing - in any event, it's easy to use.) I now tend to watch standard-def channels in partial zoom and, while obviously not HD quality, the picture is darn good. I love the DVI output (flipping back and forth, I see much better picture quality than with component cables) and the convenience of the digital optical output. I realize that most of these features (perhaps all of them - I don't know) are available from other providers, but I still have to say that I'm impressed.

Last but not least, after a number of bad experiences with ExpressVu customer service, things seem to have improved. If I'm not mistaken, a lot of customer service calls are now being routed to a call centre in Cornwall, Ont. I've spoken to a few people there and without exception they've been helpful and friendly. Hey, I may not be a big Bell booster, but I like those folks down in Cornwall

gmd

GSM is the older technology. Once GSM providers in the world start going to real 3G (which is not backward compatible with GSM), you'll see what you've been missing.

BTW, GSM's 3G is called W-CDMA.

-gmd

leshabitants24

i know LookTV operates from the CN Tower but i couldn't tell u about quality.

__________________
BEV 9200 HD PVR & 6100 HD
PIONEER VSX-D906S
SAMSUNG HLP5085w
PRIMA LC 27R25 LCD
TOSHIBA SD-430V DVD
JVC HR S5400U SVHS
MISSION SPEAKERS
VELODYNE SUB

ham&cheese

I don't know anything about Bell Express View but as to Star Choice is concerned, customer service is poor. I have tried to get tech support and get a message that the waiting time to speak to a rep is 16 to 23 minutes but I then get automatically connected to technical support and get another automated message that the waiting time "exceeds 60 minutes" This has happened more that once. I tried for one hour and then gave up. You do the math. They should set up a " how to" section on their website to explain how to solve basic problems as they seem to have lots of them.