Losing shaw Analog... Alternatives?

[LollerBrader]

Shaw's informed me that unless I upgrade, I'll soon lose premium channels, leaving me with only basic.

I resent the strong-arm, and rather than accept their proposed upgrade to digital, want to explore my options.

Mostly just need channels 23-50... particularly A&E, spike, and Space.

Alternatives?

[Cos]

.

[Kloubek]

Don't resent - represent.

I don't think it is Shaw's choice... the switch to digital was government mandated - was it not?

[rage2]

For OTA it was mandated. Shaw is moving to digital to free up bandwidth. What's the big deal getting a digital box?

Bell and Telus doesn't even offer analog.

[Dilmah]

Telus.:closed:

[sputnik]

Originally posted by rage2
For OTA it was mandated. Shaw is moving to digital to free up bandwidth. What's the big deal getting a digital box?

Agreed.

Analog service was the same price as digital.

[sputnik]

Originally posted by LollerBrader
I resent the strong-arm, and rather than accept their proposed upgrade to digital, want to explore my options.

It isn't a strong arm. Its not like they jacked the prices when they dumped their analog signals. They moved over to digital because it is much more efficient and allows for more HD broadcasting on their network.

It would be like telling Apple that you refuse to use MP3s and want to play lower quality mono WAV files on your iPod.

What's the big deal?

[93VR6]

It's about time they got rid of the analog channels, I heard from a tech that those 30ish channels use 40% of the total bandwidth!

[Recca168]

Going to telus/bell and whatever else means you have to get a "digital" box for your tv anyway. The only different is if you can get a deal on the hardware

The only real alternative is to torrent the content on those channels

[D'z Nutz]

Originally posted by LollerBrader
I resent the strong-arm, and rather than accept their proposed upgrade to digital, want to explore my options.

That you Mar?

[sabad66]

What exactly do you mean by shaw is losing analog? Right now all of the TVs in the my house are connected directly with a coax cable (no digital box). Will this not be possible any more?

[Recca168]

Originally posted by sabad66
What exactly do you mean by shaw is losing analog? Right now all of the TVs in the my house are connected directly with a coax cable (no digital box). Will this not be possible any more?

You'll still be able to get cable just over coax however all of the tier 1 through 3 channels will not be available on analog. This means you would be losing basically channel 23 and up

[cde1966]

From my experience, Shaw's digital cable box was really slow, you press the button to change channels and the channel changes about 1 second later. This was very annoying… Telus is very fast, no lag in switching channels, free laptop with 3 year contract and six month promotion on some packages. I didn't have any Telus services in the house before and didn't want a home phone from them. Apparently the "house" needs to have a phone in order to have the TV and or internet, so I have a phone line and number that I don't pay for but works, so free phone line to boot… Not sure what will happen if I try to call a long distance number though, will the white van pull up in front of the house? Otherwise the phone works for incomming and outgoing local calls with no problems.

[Xtrema]

Telus has the better hardware. Shaw has better bandwidth in most neighborhood.

Channel line up would be the same digital or not. Just ask Shaw to throw in a new terminal per TV.

[Tezzating]

I'll be pretty pissed if my Tivo stops working when Shaw turns off analog.. Wish we had Telus Optik in my area :(

[sputnik]

Originally posted by Tezzating
I'll be pretty pissed if my Tivo stops working when Shaw turns off analog.. Wish we had Telus Optik in my area :(

You will miss recording analog standard definition television?

Where am I? 1996?

Why do you need Telus Optik when you can just get a Shaw PVR?

Some of you guys have some seriously broken logic. Either that or you are currently stealing analog cable and are just pissed that you will now have to pay for it.

[eblend]

Originally posted by sputnik

do you need Telus Optik when you can just get a Shaw PVR?

Some of you guys have some seriously broken logic.

the question should be the other way around. Either way you need a receiver, so might as well go with something modern

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by Recca168


You'll still be able to get cable just over coax however all of the tier 1 through 3 channels will not be available on analog. This means you would be losing basically channel 23 and up

If your tv has a ATSC tuner, you don't still need shaws stupid little converter, do you? (for tier 1-3)

[sputnik]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok


If your tv has a ATSC tuner, you don't still need shaws stupid little converter, do you? (for tier 1-3)

Yes you do.

ATSC tuners only get you the local OTA channels.

[Toma]

The GF tried Telus, and it blows chunks (freezes, cuts out, PVR loses recorded content, the remote doesn't light up), laggy.

Shaw was much better, and has decent specials and promotions on now.

BUT.... I hate paying for the "right" to watch commercials, so I largely download the episodes I am interested in from various torrent sites..... no commercials, and usually up to date.

I agree we are being bullied, but as with all price fixing capitalists, we are fucked till real competition comes along.

Wind "saved" us from the grips of asshole cell companies, maybe some other foreign company will come and undertake the rip off that is cable.

[Tezzating]

1. Tivo > shitty Shaw PVR
2. Optik > Shaw cable internet

[sputnik]

Originally posted by Tezzating
1. Tivo > shitty Shaw PVR

At least with Shaw you can record in HD. Tivo is useless unless you only have a crappy 15 year old TV.

I don't like Telus because their Internet speeds are crap, their prices are much higher (especially if you want all of the HD channels) and to get anything "free" you need to sign long 2-3 year contracts.

Sure their PVR has a nice looking interface, but Shaw is upgrading their Motorola units in the next year to their HTML5 based DreamGallery software.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by sputnik
Sure their PVR has a nice looking interface, but Shaw is upgrading their Motorola units in the next year to their HTML5 based DreamGallery software.

Just seem the demo on youtube. Promising platform. Just wondering what the hardware is capable of. But I still only see 1 stream on screen on any given time, unlike Telus where they can have 2 stream on screen, current channel and preview channel. It shouldn't be that hard to implement, why can't Shaw do it.

[flipstah]

Originally posted by sputnik

Sure their PVR has a nice looking interface, but Shaw is upgrading their Motorola units in the next year to their HTML5 based DreamGallery software.

Should I wait before I actually upgrade my TV box? Out of the 4 TV's we have here, only one has a Motorola Digital Box (the tiny one; non-HD)

[sputnik]

Originally posted by flipstah


Should I wait before I actually upgrade my TV box? Out of the 4 TV's we have here, only one has a Motorola Digital Box (the tiny one; non-HD)

Apparently the 3200/3400 boxes will be upgraded to the new software.