Cutting the cord

[HotHotHeat]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

For $15/mo, which I'm assuming they'll charge you in US dollars. So it's more expensive to get HBO by itself than by purchasing the movie package with HBO in it on your cable subscription, that's a fail

EDIT: not that it even matters as I see now it's not available in Canada

I pay $20 for HBO/Movie Central with Telus, which is more than $18.80($15 USD)

I'm canceling with Telus tonight and switching to this for a few reasons:

- 1080P content with 5.1 (vs. 720 stereo sound on Telus)
- American HBO is still different than Canadian (example was the Scientology doc from last weekend that aired in the US but is 'coming soon to theatres' in Canada)
- Ability to watch HBO on my iPad while in the US (Telus app is region locked)
- Simply giving Telus less money, regardless of how much they keep

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by fredr123

Assuming you have cable already. And if you do, you probably also have access to HBO Go or the equivalent here in Canada.

For cord cutters, HBO Now is a legal option to access HBO and some of the most illegally downloaded shows in history. It's HBO trying to get into an untapped market and turn some of those illegal downloads into revenue. Hopefully something similar becomes available in Canada soon (although I am not holding my breath Corus Entertainment).

Exactly. This is what I was referring to earlier in this thread with regard to services like Shomi, Crave, etc. NHL gamecenter is a perfect example. I'm happy (or at least willing lol) to pay for exactly the content I want.

[Phaneufenstein]

Originally Posted by HotHotHeat

I pay $20 for HBO/Movie Central with Telus, which is more than $18.80($15 USD)

I'm canceling with Telus tonight and switching to this for a few reasons:

- 1080P content with 5.1 (vs. 720 stereo sound on Telus)
- American HBO is still different than Canadian (example was the Scientology doc from last weekend that aired in the US but is 'coming soon to theatres' in Canada)
- Ability to watch HBO on my iPad while in the US (Telus app is region locked)
- Simply giving Telus less money, regardless of how much they keep

??
Telus optik is not even 1080p?
What about Shaw?

[indes]

I believe shaw only has 1080i

[Regulator75]

Both Shaw and Telus do not broadcast in 1080P.

[Violator]

Gateway system broadcasts 1080p

[Regulator75]

I stand corrected.

[Vulcan]

No broadcasters in Canada air shows in 1080p, so the providers such as Shaw and Telus only give us what they get. You can get 1080p in Shaw On Demand and Bell has some movies they download in 1080p but otherwise you are limited to 1080i or 720p. You can get 1080p or even 2160p off the internet such as on You Tube, Amazon Instant Video and Netflix.

[Phaneufenstein]

Originally Posted by Violator

Gateway system broadcasts 1080p

So as per Vulcan's post above, that is only for Shaw On Demand?

[Superflyer]

Anyone else having problems getting the US netflix? I started noticing yesterday that I can only get the Canadian netflix. I am using unblockus for US access and it says that it is set to US. I can still access Hulu and other US only things.

[RW99]

Originally Posted by Superflyer

Anyone else having problems getting the US netflix? I started noticing yesterday that I can only get the Canadian netflix. I am using unblockus for US access and it says that it is set to US. I can still access Hulu and other US only things.

I'm on unblock and I noticed a change as the US version didn't have 'my list'. It now appears which usually means its CAN again. The shows I'm watching must be on both versions as I didn't notice any content change yet.

[Wormius]

I just switched from Aus to US and not seeing any problems on my iPhone. What shows aren't you seeing that you should? I only notice a problem if I change regions and don't log out of Netflix or somebody is still logged in on another device.

[HotHotHeat]

Used HBO Now to watch GoT last night. Quality of the stream was excellent, episode was available at 7pm Calgary time (same moment it started airing on the East Coast).

Highly suggest people move if they're currently subscribed to Telus or Shaw's HBO channel.

I also signed up for Sling TV yesterday, which is now supported by Unblock Us. It's pretty cool for $20 month, not sure I'll keep it beyond the trial as the only hardware it works with through a TV is a Roku 3 or Amazon Fire Stick - But definitely a glimpse at how live TV will work in the future. ESPN and TNT are nice to have access to (finally).

[gottabekd]

Watched GoT via HBO Now web browser (flash player). Quality just wasn't there. I'm no videophile, but I've watched enough TV and internet videos to notice when something is a little "off". Unfortunately, I don't really know the technical terms, but I'll try.

First of all, there was noticeable compression in any dark scenes. The blacks were not a smooth gradient, but instead often noticeable banding.

But even more annoying was some frame 'jitter'. There would be periods of 15-20 seconds where things were normal, followed by 5 seconds where every 10th frame was dropped or something. Very hard to describe. But just...choppy. Enough that it would take me out of the show.

I wondered about some graphics card settings that might help, but I didn't think that should be necessary. I have a decent rig, good video card with latest drivers, fresh install of windows.

Later I tried on iPad, and quality was perfect. So I suspect the Flash video player HBO Now is using has some issues. But if you have an Apple TV or are happy to watch on an iPad, should be no complaints there.

[fredr123]

You guys used the iphoneincanada.ca guide to sign up for HBO Now in Canada? And it worked for you? No issues?

[gottabekd]

Originally Posted by fredr123

You guys used the iphoneincanada.ca guide to sign up for HBO Now in Canada? And it worked for you? No issues?

Yea, I came across it before: http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/how-to/...bo-now-canada/

Seemed to cover the bases.
1. Created a US iTunes account with no credit card.
2. Created a new identity with a valid U.S. zip code (comes into play later).
3. Installed HBO Now app on my iPad. I think you need a physical Apple device for this part (though there may be workarounds).
4. Signed up for HBO Now.
5. Tried it out, got the expected "Not available in your region" message when trying to watch something.
6. Signed up for a VPN. This seemed to be a decent one: https://www.ipvanish.com/
7. With VPN active to US endpoint, can watch HBO Now in the web browser and on iPad.

All in all, perhaps a little expensive to some, but I was sort of interested in seeing if it would work, for science.

Another tip I came across was purchasing a gift MasterCard (branded Vanilla MasterCard) from Shoppers Drug Mart. A $50 card has a $5 activation fee, which is yet another cost, but oh well. Then you can register a U.S. zip code (must match your iTunes zip code) on vanillamastercard.com. After that, you can add the card to your iTunes account to fund purchases and HBO Now renewal once the 30 free trial expires.

I tried watching HBO Now again today in the browser, and it seemed much better when ALL other browser windows were closed (no other Flash instances). Still a few stutters, but much more manageable.

[MickMcGeough]

Originally Posted by gottabekd

Watched GoT via HBO Now web browser (flash player). Quality just wasn't there. I'm no videophile, but I've watched enough TV and internet videos to notice when something is a little "off". Unfortunately, I don't really know the technical terms, but I'll try.



First of all, there was noticeable compression in any dark scenes. The blacks were not a smooth gradient, but instead often noticeable banding.



But even more annoying was some frame 'jitter'. There would be periods of 15-20 seconds where things were normal, followed by 5 seconds where every 10th frame was dropped or something. Very hard to describe. But just...choppy. Enough that it would take me out of the show.



I wondered about some graphics card settings that might help, but I didn't think that should be necessary. I have a decent rig, good video card with latest drivers, fresh install of windows.

On Apple TV the picture was excellent. Not Vudu HDX levels but far better than HBO via Telus. No hiccups, buffering, stuttering, or visible compression artifacts (to me).


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[rubecube]

Just stopped in to say eff our Telco companies and their data caps.

[J Diddy]

I just noticed my Telus bill was $8 more this month. Looked into it and after 5 years they finally charged me for going over my 250 gig limit (125 gigs over). Never thought i would see the day but I guess with everyone cutting the cord and streaming these days they want to capitalize. $8 for $125 gigs doesn't bother me but it might bother some. If you're a Telus user you might want to start keeping an eye on your usage or purchase the unlimited bandwidth for $15.

[HotHotHeat]

Easist way to reload a US iTunes account is pcgamesupply.com