SHAW HD vs Bell HD

[benyl]

Shaw just offered me an HD PVR and basic HD programming for $9.95/month for 1 year.

Perfect timing as my Bell Contract is up on the 22nd of March.

In the past, Bell has been superior. Do I make the switch? Has Shaw's quality improved?

[Cos]

The HD is 9.00 on top of any cable normally. So all your getting is a 'free' box unless they are having you rent it. Unless your getting all cable for 9.00 then that is killer because I was paying 70.00

I cant comment on the difference between the two however.

[prosh]

Imo, Bell offers more to me. I'd personally just spin what Shaw's offering onto Bell retention and see what they can offer you.

Shaw's offering me high speed internet for $15/month for a year and I jumped on it and I took advantage of their cable promotion at the same time since you can always cancel at anytime.

[benyl]

It is HD Basic, including a PVR for $9.95/month for a year. Basically $50 off the monthly price.

[prosh]

Yeah, its HD Basic for 10 bucks, if you want tier 2 HD (TSN HD, SNET HD), then its another 9 bucks/month.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Just make sure you pay the extra $10 or whatever it is for all the good HD channels. HD basic doesn't offer much.

I'm on a half price promotion for 6 months but $9.95 is amazing.

[benyl]

The cost is a motivating factor, but quality is what is more important to me.

I can't stand watching SD channels or DVD videos anymore (yes I am spoiled).

Does anyone have any experience with recent quality?

[atgilchrist]

I have Shaw HD, and the difference from SD is night and day, but I've never had Bell, so I can't provide any insight there, unfortunately. Overall, I'm happy with Shaw though.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I can't compare Bell vs. Shaw but I'd be surprised if anyone could actually notice a difference. We watch Shaw HD all the time on 74" and 92" screens and most shows look fantastic (if it looks average it isn't Shaw's fault, its usually the programming). I have no complaints with image quality. If your TV isn't massive, it will be almost impossible to notice a significant difference even if there is one. I can tell a difference between different shows, channels, etc. but again I don't think that is Shaw's fault but rather just differences the programming itself.

All the new episodes of prime time shows are top notch. Most discovery channel and national geographic stuff is excellent as well. Same with all the late night talk shows. Recent movies on the movie channels are very good. Some really old shows are scaled to 720p then broadcast on HD channels, but that wouldn't be any different between Bel/Shaw I wouldn't think.

[Aleks]

I can't tell the difference between the two when it comes to HD programming.
Biggest difference is in the menus and how you set up recordings and search for stuff.

[Quizzes]

Originally posted by benyl
Shaw just offered me an HD PVR and basic HD programming for $9.95/month for 1 year.

Perfect timing as my Bell Contract is up on the 22nd of March.

In the past, Bell has been superior. Do I make the switch? Has Shaw's quality improved?

I got this deal just in time for the Olympics! :clap:

I added Tier 2 and I think my bill should be around $25/month. I'm afraid to see how much my bill will be come next year... yikes!

I'm used to Bell, but you really can't go wrong with this deal as there aren't any contracts or obligations after the first year.

[benyl]

Did you get the Live feeds with no commentating for free on Shaw (Olympic coverage)?

I like watching the closing ceremony without all the drivel that commentators spew.


Originally posted by Aleks
I can't tell the difference between the two when it comes to HD programming.
Biggest difference is in the menus and how you set up recordings and search for stuff.

which is better?

I wish Tivo HD / cable card was available here... I miss my Tivo.

[heavyD]

I have Shaw HD, my brother has Bell HD. I can't really tell if there's a significant difference.

[Aleks]

Originally posted by benyl
Did you get the Live feeds with no commentating for free on Shaw (Olympic coverage)?

I like watching the closing ceremony without all the drivel that commentators spew.



which is better?

I wish Tivo HD / cable card was available here... I miss my Tivo.

I think Shaw is easier to navigate and set up recordings but it doesn't give you as many options when choosing what shows to skip etc. (series recordings)

Also the Shaw interface is a bit slower than Bell. In the end you probably just get used to whatever system you have.

[Projek01]

Supposedly, Bell HD signals are less compressed hence better quality compared to Shaw HD. I have no proof or evidence at all though. Shaw has a advantage in connivence. Dont need a receiver in every room and dont have to have wires everywhere coming from the roof. Bell does give good retention plans so call in and say you might switch to shaw.

[beecue]

Apparently Bell side converts 1080i to 720p, don't know how that affects the picture but it's banned in the scene for capturing.


Sources that sideconvert 1080i to 720p (such as Bell Expressvu) are banned.

[Ajay]

Quality wise you're probably not going to see a huge difference.

Content wise is where the difference will be. Bell still has the most HD channels. Granted, a lot of those channels are French content channels but they have some specialty channels that no other carries have as well.

If it's just the regular networks you're after you won't notice a difference. That's a hell of a deal for sure!

[Mostwanted]

i love shaw hd especially watching games, but i had 3 faulty hdmi cords, and its making e mad going back and forth replacing it from shaw.

[Xtrema]

Shaw always seems to have too much compression artifact to me, especially on tight, fast panning shots during hockey games. But some of it can be the source signal.

The other annoying thing (which could be fixed by the new Pace receiver) is audio breaks. I still get a lot audio skips once in a while which is annoying. But I have an old school 6416.

I don't or ever had Bell so I can't comment on the difference.

[yellowsnow]

Shaw's menu system is really slow and outdated. Bell is much better in that area.
I've seen both shaw and bell HD, and I don't notice any difference. :dunno:

[KRyn]

Originally posted by prosh
Imo, Bell offers more to me. I'd personally just spin what Shaw's offering onto Bell retention and see what they can offer you.


My old man did this and it worked really well for him. Bell offered him the same price Shaw was for very similar services. He is now saving about $20 a month. From what I have seen Bell HD is superior to anything Shaw offers. More channels and better quality. The only thing that pisses me off about Bell is the fact it costs you money to get a technician to come to your house. Shaw does not charge for this.

[gmoney82]

Don't mean to threadjack, but what are you guys currently paying for your internet + hd programming? please post shaw or bell and some details on your options.

thanks!

[oilerfan4lyfe]

Originally posted by gmoney82
Don't mean to threadjack, but what are you guys currently paying for your internet + hd programming? please post shaw or bell and some details on your options.

thanks!

Shaw has a retention type deal going around right now where they'll offer you the following package:

-Digital phone
-Basic cable
-High speed internet
-Free Canada/USA long distance for 12 months
-HD plus
-Free HD PVR rental for 2 or 3 years (depending on the person you speak to)

Price per month for 12 months is $68.95 for the above, or $84.95 if you want to upgrade to full cable - not such a bad deal IMO in comparison to their normal price. After one year you can always look for options to switch.

You can use the telus deal of 3 free months of phone/inet/tv to get shaw to give you the above. The telus deal is 3 free months then all three services for $76, though there are a lot of other charges that aren't in there like box rentals and additional HD channels, basic sports, etc.

If you're curious, head to RedFlagDeals and do a quick search and you'll see tons and tons of promos for Shaw that you can try getting. One is $9.95/month for phone (3 months), $9.95 for HS internet (6 months) and $9.95 for basic cable (6 months)...and if you're switching you can probably get them to toss in some free HD PVRs if you buy the HD Plus.

[gmoney82]

Great! thanks.


Originally posted by oilerfan4lyfe


Shaw has a retention type deal going around right now where they'll offer you the following package:

-Digital phone
-Basic cable
-High speed internet
-Free Canada/USA long distance for 12 months
-HD plus
-Free HD PVR rental for 2 or 3 years (depending on the person you speak to)

Price per month for 12 months is $68.95 for the above, or $84.95 if you want to upgrade to full cable - not such a bad deal IMO in comparison to their normal price. After one year you can always look for options to switch.

You can use the telus deal of 3 free months of phone/inet/tv to get shaw to give you the above. The telus deal is 3 free months then all three services for $76, though there are a lot of other charges that aren't in there like box rentals and additional HD channels, basic sports, etc.

If you're curious, head to RedFlagDeals and do a quick search and you'll see tons and tons of promos for Shaw that you can try getting. One is $9.95/month for phone (3 months), $9.95 for HS internet (6 months) and $9.95 for basic cable (6 months)...and if you're switching you can probably get them to toss in some free HD PVRs if you buy the HD Plus.

[beecue]

^^ Did you get that? If so, did you just ask for that deal or mentioned Telus giving you something similar?

:banghead: I should have got the student deal for 12 months. I thought you could extend it in the summer but they are saying it's not in their system now.

[oilerfan4lyfe]

Not sure if you were asking me or gmoney but yes I did get the deal - I told Shaw what Telus was offering me...I had to live with 20 minutes of talk about why Telus is inferior (though most of it was true)...then the CSR randomly told me to hold and came back with the deal I typed out above. My friend called them and it took him less than 2 minutes to get the same thing - all he did was mentioned the Telus deal and asked what Shaw could give him to retain his business.

Just make sure you ask to be transferred to the retentions department...if the person asks what you want, tell them you want the above and substitute HS internet for extreme and you just might get it for the same price.

[4doorj]

This deal sounds awesome!
I'm going to try and get this as well.

[benyl]

Just wanted update this thread.

So I got HD basic for $9.95 / month. You sure don't get many channels!

I do have to say that the picture quality is much better than Bell. Very little artifacting.

The problem I am having is random audio drop outs and freezing. Super annoying. I can live with it as I am saving $50 / month... haha.

Is it the reciever? Maybe I need to upgrade?

[Isaiah]

Originally posted by Projek01
Shaw has a advantage in connivence.

con·niv·ance   [kuh-nahy-vuhns] –noun
1. The act of conniving.
2. Law.
a. tacit encouragement or assent (without participation) to wrongdoing by another.
b. the consent by a person to a spouse's conduct, esp. adultery, that is later made the basis of a divorce proceeding or other complaint.
Also, con·niv·ence.
So what you're saying is that Shaw's spouse consents of Shaw's adultery and will later leverage it in a divorce proceeding?