Shaw or Telus?

[colbym72]

I am moving to Alberta and need to get cable/internet. Big NFL and NHL fan. Anyone have any insight as to which provider has better HD quality or service? I noticed Shaw has NFL Redzone and Telus does not so I am leaning towards Shaw.

[TheScorpion]

Shaw. Definitely Shaw.

[Frequitude]

My Telus contract just expired and I openly price shopped them. Basically my takeaway is it seems they pretty much charge the same, but Shaw's internet is 10x faster and they have 5 PVR feeds compared to Telus's 3. Might have got that wrong but pretty sure I'll be switching back.

[calgaryblood]

Telus Internet has 150/150, not sure how Shaw is faster.

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by calgaryblood

Telus Internet has 150/150, not sure how Shaw is faster.

Not as available though. Shaw has 150 pretty much everywhere now, whereas Telus is still working on upgrading. Telus connection is definitely faster, but not if the fastest they offer in your area is 50

[getbak]

You might want to double-check on NFL Red Zone's availability.

My understanding is that Red Zone and Game Pass will only be available in Canada through DAZN, who recently announced an exclusive deal with the NFL in Canada: https://www.dazn.com/en-CA

[Frequitude]

Originally Posted by calgaryblood

Telus Internet has 150/150, not sure how Shaw is faster.

Oh whoops. When I called she only offered 15/15 compared to Shaw's 150/150. Perhaps that was just a low offer since they already have me as a customer. I didn't dig too hard.

Ok, I vote Shaw because the Telus wireless tv boxes all have like a quarter second delay between pressing a button on the remote and it responding on the screen. Longest...quarter second...ever.

[calgaryblood]

Does shaw have 150 upload?

Also, I've been with both Telus and shaw in the last 2 years and Telus is superior to Shaw IMO in almost every aspect.

Shaw's tv display is outdated and their PVR system is not even close to Telus's system.

I did not find one positive over Telus. I actually just cancelled my Shaw and am going to go back to Telus.

I also didn't have that delay and also Telus offers channel preview. That alone made me want to switch.

[Finger Cookin]

People will have good and bad anecdotes about major providers for ISPs and telecoms. They're interchangeable. Pick whichever one you like for whichever reason you like.

[pylon]

Originally Posted by Finger Cookin

People will have good and bad anecdotes about major providers for ISPs and telecoms. They're interchangeable. Pick whichever one you like for whichever reason you like.

This.

I was with Shaw for 20+ years, and made the switch to Telus. I wanted to lower my cost, and Telus had a way better price/plan, and I was sick of having to go through Shaw retentions and threaten to switch to get a deal. Telus locked me into a very good plan for 3 years.

What I can tell you, is I find Telus customer service superior. They are faster to answer calls, and have showed up for all three appointments I have made with them early. I find their interface way nicer on the cable box, and the wireless boxes are awesome if you want to move a TV into a different room temporarily.

I have their 150 thing whatever that means, but haven't noticed any faster speeds. I don't need googol internet so I have a total 1337 advantage playing starcraft or something. I just work, look at basic websites, and stream Netflix. They both seem to work the same in that aspect. Lastly, I never get the late night 3:00 am downtime I used to seem to get with Shaw one every couple weeks.

[White Out 403]

if you have access to telus' fibre, it's a no brainer. its the best way to get internet available, and i mean, in the world. nothing beats fibre.

if not? toss up. ive found some areas are better with shaw, others with telus, even down to the house. trial and error seems to be the name of the game.

[Titan]

What you wrote vs. what I read...

I have their CORVETTE thingy whatever that means, but haven't noticed any faster speeds. I don't need THAT NASCAR PACE CAR SPEED so I CAN IMPRESS OTHER GEARHEADS SITTING AT A STOPLIGHT OR ANYTHING. I just DRIVE TO work, GO TO THE STORE, and DRIVE AROUND TOWN. The CORVETTE AND MY OLD CHEVY both seem to work the same in that aspect.

I am writing this at my inlaws who are getting 4 mbps. 146 slower than what you are getting...is that a gmg post maybe?

[White Out 403]

Fibre isnt just about speed potential, it's about reliability and stability. It doesn't come to your home in antiquated ####ty copper susceptible to interference.

[Enoch Root]

I have Shaw currently, but am looking hard at all options. I agree with the general comment that they are interchangeable for the most part, but if there are specifics that you need, there can be differences.

I agree with the comment about fibre. I have a direct fibre line at work and it is fantastic. There is no going back. Unfortunately, Telus hasn't updated my neighbourhod, but the moment they do, I am getting their 150/150 (unless Shaw manages a similar or better upgrade first).

Obviously the channels are basically the same, as are the prices, more of less. What I am after is UHD programming. Watching those ads for Rogers, and knowing I can't get it, is driving me nuts. First one to offer UHD sports has my business.

Got an nVidiaShield Pro and am educating myself on that front. I might do the Koda thing, but haven't had the time to educate myself yet.

Wants:

1) UHD sports
2) best internet
3) good movie choices (#### you, Netflix)

so far, I don't know what the answers are, other than Telus fibre internet

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Resurrection

Fibre isnt just about speed potential, it's about reliability and stability. It doesn't come to your home in antiquated ####ty copper susceptible to interference.

Exactly.

When I do performance tests at work, the signal coming in on fibre is a flat line. There are simply no interruptions or peaks and valleys. And you don't have to fight with the punk 14 year old next door for bandwidth when he gets home from school and wants to play video games for hours.

[pylon]

Originally Posted by Titan

What you wrote vs. what I read...

I have their CORVETTE thingy whatever that means, but haven't noticed any faster speeds. I don't need THAT NASCAR PACE CAR SPEED so I CAN IMPRESS OTHER GEARHEADS SITTING AT A STOPLIGHT OR ANYTHING. I just DRIVE TO work, GO TO THE STORE, and DRIVE AROUND TOWN. The CORVETTE AND MY OLD CHEVY both seem to work the same in that aspect.

I am writing this at my inlaws who are getting 4 mbps. 146 slower than what you are getting...is that a gmg post maybe?

Or you could actually read it not like an asshat, and see that I said the main reason I went to Telus was for customer service, a better long term deal, they have IMO a much nicer interface on their cable boxes, and I appreciate the ease of moving them around if needed due to the wireless aspect.

Interesting analogy however, as I do own a Corvette, and I certainly didn't buy that to impress other gear heads at lights. I bought it because I knew exactly what I wanted, a 500 HP, rear drive, V8, manual transmission car. I would not be your average car consumer looking for an average Maytag appliance car like a Corolla to get around. The argument for paying $90,000 for one vs $20,000 for the other is very easy to make based on the extreme difference in performance. The internet comparison there would be fiber vs 28.8 Dial-up if you are pushing the two cars to the limit.

Internet 'expert' or not, 99.9% of the population can tell the difference between the way a 2016 Stingray accelerates at full throttle than a 2008 Corolla LE. A blind, deaf, mute person still could. However, even the most hardened internet 'gear head' would likely have trouble telling the difference between a screen load time of .041 seconds vs .067 if the modem was hidden, and they were forced to judge the performance by feel alone.

For all practical purposes, Shaw and Telus are going to deliver damn near identical speeds for the average consumer who isn't a competitive Counterstrike player. It's going to boil down to price, interface, and service. At this point in time you are comparing a Ferrari to a Lamborghini with high speed internet for the average consumer.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Obviously the channels are basically the same, as are the prices, more of less. What I am after is UHD programming. Watching those ads for Rogers, and knowing I can't get it, is driving me nuts. First one to offer UHD sports has my business.

Telus has 4K channels for TSN and Sportsnet.

[Titan]

Originally Posted by pylon

Or you could actually read it not like an asshat, and see that I said the main reason I went to Telus was for customer service, a better long term deal, they have IMO a much nicer interface on their cable boxes, and I appreciate the ease of moving them around if needed due to the wireless aspect.

Interesting analogy however, as I do own a Corvette, and I certainly didn't buy that to impress other gear heads at lights. I bought it because I knew exactly what I wanted, a 500 HP, rear drive, V8, manual transmission car. I would not be your average car consumer looking for an average Maytag appliance car like a Corolla to get around. The argument for paying $90,000 for one vs $20,000 for the other is very easy to make based on the extreme difference in performance. The internet comparison there would be fiber vs 28.8 Dial-up if you are pushing the two cars to the limit.

Internet 'expert' or not, 99.9% of the population can tell the difference between the way a 2016 Stingray accelerates at full throttle than a 2008 Corolla LE. A blind, deaf, mute person still could. However, even the most hardened internet 'gear head' would likely have trouble telling the difference between a screen load time of .041 seconds vs .067 if the modem was hidden, and they were forced to judge the performance by feel alone.

For all practical purposes, Shaw and Telus are going to deliver damn near identical speeds for the average consumer who isn't a competitive Counterstrike player. It's going to boil down to price, interface, and service. At this point in time you are comparing a Ferrari to a Lamborghini with high speed internet for the average consumer.

Dude. I did not intend it to be mean. I was just trying to be funny. You care about what you care about. That is fine. You are a car guy not an internet guy. That is also fine. I know you have a corvette. That is why I said that. I agree with everything you said. Sorry if you took offence. That was not the intent. My bad.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by getbak

Telus has 4K channels for TSN and Sportsnet.

Is this new? Because the last time I checked, I don't think they did.

Or, I could have just totally ####ed up.

[Diemenz]

Originally Posted by getbak

Telus has 4K channels for TSN and Sportsnet.

Yes but 98% of the content on those channels are not 4k, only certain shows/events are UHD. There is some UHD on demand on telus as well.