Shaw vs. Telus Cable TV

[mykalberta]

What kind of monthly bill for services are people getting from Telus (after the intro period)?

Are you able to negotiate a lower price if you call in? Online their prices dont seem much diffferent than what you would pay with Shaw.

[oilyfan]

Originally Posted by Torture

You were so close too! It's a sunk cost, doesn't matter how much you spent, you're not going to get it back whether you switch to Telus or stick with Shaw.

While that might work as a financial concept, nobody thinks like that, at least nobody that I know. When you buy a car, it becomes a sunk cost, but yet you don't see a lot of people go buy another car two months later just because the new one has more or better features.

Incremental cost plays a part in the decision, there is an incremental cost to going to Telus as well, even with a contract, especially if you have more than two TV's in the house. The incremental cost to me is $500 to switch to Telus with 4 TV's, even after signing a contract, thats not cheap.

[MickMcGeough]

Originally Posted by flambers

True however Shaw offers their services without a Contract.

Last time I checked, the folks who obtained the "Free PVR" with Telus signed a 3 year contract... I assume

I personally don't like the idea of 3 year contract...

Telus offers their service without a contract too.

I opted for the contract and got a free HD-PVR and a free XBox 360.

I could have opted out and and rented the HD-PVR for less than Shaw's, or bought it for less than Shaw's.

[HotHotHeat]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

What kind of monthly bill for services are people getting from Telus (after the intro period)?

Are you able to negotiate a lower price if you call in? Online their prices dont seem much diffferent than what you would pay with Shaw.

True, but the service is far superior.

[amorak]

Big thanks to a CP member who was able to check on my availability for Optik Turbo... He knew more than the girl I called, unfortunately

Whle he saw an available port for me to get in on, the sales girl I talked to said there were no VDSL2 ports available.... Dammit.

I really want on the VDSL2 profile, right now I am constrained to 1HD feed at a time and their 18mbps internet. The wife can't watch live-HD (can watch PVR'ed, obviously) upstairs at the same time I am watching HD hockey downstairs...

very aggravating
If you are gonig with Telus, be sure you can get the 2/3HD stream level or otherwise stay away.

[MickMcGeough]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

What kind of monthly bill for services are people getting from Telus (after the intro period)?

Are you able to negotiate a lower price if you call in? Online their prices dont seem much diffferent than what you would pay with Shaw.

With Shaw I paid $97/mo for my channels/internet (one HD box).

I pay $91/mo for the Telus service with modem/router, HD-PVR, HD box, and XBox 360 as a set top box.

Includes 15mbps Optik Internet, Optik Essentials Channel pack (locals/networks/HD), Sports Package (+HD), Popular Choices, Lifestyle.

It's technically fewer channels than I had with Shaw but that's because Shaw's packages forced me into subscribing to a lot of channels I didn't want to get the channels I did want.

Monthly, it's not significantly cheaper. It's just a better product for about the same price.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by amorak

Big thanks to a CP member who was able to check on my availability for Optik Turbo... He knew more than the girl I called, unfortunately

Whle he saw an available port for me to get in on, the sales girl I talked to said there were no VDSL2 ports available.... Dammit.

I really want on the VDSL2 profile, right now I am constrained to 1HD feed at a time and their 18mbps internet. The wife can't watch live-HD (can watch PVR'ed, obviously) upstairs at the same time I am watching HD hockey downstairs...

very aggravating
If you are gonig with Telus, be sure you can get the 2/3HD stream level or otherwise stay away.

i assume that if you get the 25 Mbps internet, then that means you can watch/record two HD streams simultaneously correct?

[MickMcGeough]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

i assume that if you get the 25 Mbps internet, then that means you can watch/record two HD streams simultaneously correct?

The level of internet you sign up for has no effect on the number of simultaneous HD streams you have available. I have the 15mbps internet and can use 3 live HD streams simultaneously.

It's all about the quality of the connection at your address. Your modem router decides how much of that bandwidth is "allowed" to be for the internet.

For example, my address is capable of about 33mbps, on average. I subscribe to 15mbps internet. My modem uses the "extra" 18mpbs for the 3 live HD streams, so my net connection doesn't slow down while recording shows.

Presumably, if my address was only capable of, say 25mpbs, I could still record 3 live HD streams, but it would cut into my net connection bandwidth when using 3 streams simultaneously.

I'm sure there's much more to this, but that's the gist as I understand it.

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by MickMcGeough

It's just a better product for about the same price.

Hopefully it stays that way for the duration of your contract.

[MickMcGeough]

Originally Posted by Mazrim

Hopefully it stays that way for the duration of your contract.

This raises an interesting point. In deciding if I would go on contract with Telus or month-to-month as I was on Shaw, I balanced the value of the hardware & rentals against the potential cost of early cancellation and it was clear for me that the contract was the best option. I wanted an XBox anyway and after I take the value of that, plus the discounts for the first 6 months, plus the free HD-PVR rental, I end up ahead even if I cancel after a year.

That said, for me to even do that, the Optik service would either have to all of a sudden turn crappy, or Shaw would have to come out with something better. And while I'm sure Shaw will come out with comparable technology in the next year or so I don't know what they could add that would make me want to switch back.

What sorts of features could Shaw provide that would make it better on paper than Optik?

[HotHotHeat]

The problem with Shaw, in my opinion, is that their tech from top to bottom (as far as TV is concerned) is completely outdated. Their network can't handle the bandwidth needed to provide actual HD, their hardware is crap, and their software is even worse. They've tried to stay competitive in a game where you have to continually be improving your product without making any changes for the better part of a decade.

The number of people saying they're switching to Telus in this thread alone shows you they're in trouble.

[theonlywhiteout]

shaw can match features for boxes but they cant match the network. the cable network is very flawed, imo.

[Ethaniel]

Telus Optik is definitely the best option for those in a newer neighborhood as they qualify for basically anything and everything with Telus. I can run 3 - 4 HD Boxes + Optik High Speed Turbo with no impact to anything due to the power of the line coming into the house. Best feature imo with the Optik is the ability to record and watch a program on any tv in the household. This is something that Bell or Shaw can not offer at this time. The fact I can record a show and start watching it downstairs then pause it and go to bed and resume that same program is a wonderful feature.

Right now i have the 9200 with Bell and we were able to do this with 2 tv's, but we were not able to get it on all tv's and of course the second tv is only Standard definition for this to work and was really wasting that 52" 1080p HD TV it was connected too.

[oilyfan]

Originally Posted by MickMcGeough

This raises an interesting point. In deciding if I would go on contract with Telus or month-to-month as I was on Shaw, I balanced the value of the hardware & rentals against the potential cost of early cancellation and it was clear for me that the contract was the best option. I wanted an XBox anyway and after I take the value of that, plus the discounts for the first 6 months, plus the free HD-PVR rental, I end up ahead even if I cancel after a year.

That said, for me to even do that, the Optik service would either have to all of a sudden turn crappy, or Shaw would have to come out with something better. And while I'm sure Shaw will come out with comparable technology in the next year or so I don't know what they could add that would make me want to switch back.

What sorts of features could Shaw provide that would make it better on paper than Optik?

To be fair (I say this because I am switching to Telus within the next two weeks) Shaw has indicated that they will be coming out with a whole house DVR solution in the spring. This was on their earnings call a couple of days ago. Without getting into too much details they contend their system will manage 6 independent HD streams in the house, use IP networks to distribute inside the house and, and this is the kicker, be able to hook up to your computer to stream media from there.

If, and this is a big if, they can deliver on this promise Shaw would leafrog over Telus and bring them closer to the holy grail of an integrated cable/internet experience.

[Ethaniel]

Originally Posted by oilyfan

To be fair (I say this because I am switching to Telus within the next two weeks) Shaw has indicated that they will be coming out with a whole house DVR solution in the spring. This was on their earnings call a couple of days ago. Without getting into too much details they contend their system will manage 6 independent HD streams in the house, use IP networks to distribute inside the house and, and this is the kicker, be able to hook up to your computer to stream media from there.

If, and this is a big if, they can deliver on this promise Shaw would leafrog over Telus and bring them closer to the holy grail of an integrated cable/internet experience.

And yet they can not get Playhouse Disney channel for my children. Been out over 3 years on Bell/Telus, but Shaw can not get it. Everytime they call I say do you have Playhouse Disney yet, they say no, I say call me back when you get it.

[kermitology]

nm

[mykalberta]

The cable itself is much superior to the lines Telus runs IMO.

The problem with Shaw is they are faced with a battle that alot of old companies are faced with. When do you cut off analog cable and go all digital forcing everyone to get a digital box. Prior to Verizon FIOS and Telus Optik, Shaw nor any of the other cable companies had to invest in breakthrough new technologies. Even with Telus Optik and all their investment in infrastructure they are only now on par with Shaw and the only thing advantage Optik has is the Guide Software.

[kermitology]

nm

[MickMcGeough]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

Even with Telus Optik and all their investment in infrastructure they are only now on par with Shaw and the only thing advantage Optik has is the Guide Software.

PVR Anywhere, SD & HD picture quality, remote recording management, and internet performance stability are all advantages too. For me at least.

[moon]

Originally Posted by Ethaniel

J Hopefully i am not disappointed, but Telus' offer is one I could not refuse and neither of the above even came close to it.

Telus internet sucks compared to Shaw, but that is only based on having Shaw for about 3 weeks now.

Other things are pretty much similar.

Originally Posted by HotHotHeat

True, but the service is far superior.

Telus service is superior?

Telus service is god awful and was the main reason that I switched to Shaw.