bloody shaw!!!

[troutman]

Shaw digital is introducing some channels from the eastern time zone (channel 230 and above I think).

This is good for fans of the Daily Show, Colbert Report and Conan. Now I can see these shows at 10:00 pm. MST.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by TurnedTheCorner

No one "has to" subscribe to the Golf Channel, the NHL Network, or anything else they choose to subscribe to. Shaw technicians don't coerce you to sign up under threat of violence...do they? I have been on Bell for over a year, so I can't say for certain.

Then what's is the alternative? It's a virtual monopoly for land-based cable services.

It's like the joe-shmoe corner supermarket stops carrying food that they have for years and suddenly tell you that you have to drive to a mall speciality shop to buy it from now on at a premium. So I guess the choice is to stop eating.

I'd rather just cut cable altogether then. I don't personally care, I just have the view that digital cable and satellite services are clumsy, have too many useless channels, too many unviewable channels, are poorly organized, are a superfluous and purely garbage technology that sucks the money out of people. I'm not a luddite, I'm just against stupid clumsy technology and that's what digital cable (badly designed) and satellite is (yay, every TV in the house is the same channel, how can you stand that??!!!). I hate the navigational system, I hate the user interface, I hate the load times, the slow previews, excess channels in the way, etc. I don't want more channels at all.

I already download all my television shows anyway. But my dad can't do that for the golf channel. He likes to come home from work and sit down and watch it for a few hours. Either give me analog simplicity or screw it, I'm not going to bother and I'm just going to watch everything from my harddrive as it's so much easier, but my parents can't do that.

[Bobblehead]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Then what's is the alternative? It's a virtual monopoly for land-based cable services.

Maybe check if Telus TV is available? I know it has been rolled out in Calgary (a friend of mine has it) but it depends upon how good you internet connection would be. (personally, I have Telus DSL, but not good enough throughput to be able to get TelusTV, at least according to a tech that replaced a bad dSL modem a couple weeks ago)

[TurnedTheCorner]

Thank you for demonstrating my point by comparing one of the most basic human needs to watching the Golf Channel. That was much more elequoent than I could have hoped for.

As for my household, I have two (!!!) satelite receivers. We watch what we want to. I choose to pay for satellite TV. And I still manage to sleep at night. It's a tight rope, but I manage.

[underGRADFlame]

My household has both Shaw Digital and Bell EV, my parents choose Shaw because it is easier for them, they don't complain about shaw, they even have two digital boxes. I have Bell because I like my HD and hockey and shaw is pathetic on both.
TV is turning into what other technologies have been for years, progresive. Put it like this, has anyone tried to use a old 386 computer lately. I don't know of many programs often used in todays world that would work with an old 386. To use todays programs you need to upgrade your computer. Same with TV, yeah those old analog TV work, but to view the programming you might want to think about upgrading, but if you dont want to then face the facts that you might not get to watch everything you want.

[The Goon]

Originally Posted by troutman

Shaw digital is introducing some channels from the eastern time zone (channel 230 and above I think).

This is good for fans of the Daily Show, Colbert Report and Conan. Now I can see these shows at 10:00 pm. MST.

Yep; channels 231-240 feature time shifts of various Global/City/CBC feeds. However, I had a digital message yesterday saying those channels are going to be an extra $3.95 a month. Not sure when the free preview expires.

I miss the days when half a million Canadians all had the (cough)illegal(cough) DirecTV dishes.

[@theCBE]

Originally Posted by The Goon

I miss the days when half a million Canadians all had the (cough)illegal(cough) DirecTV dishes.

I miss being able to use my Black box and get free everything.. PPV/movie channels .. it was awesome

[jamesteterenko]

I want all the channels to be digital. They chew up less space on the PVR.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by TurnedTheCorner

Thank you for demonstrating my point by comparing one of the most basic human needs to watching the Golf Channel. That was much more elequoent than I could have hoped for.

As for my household, I have two (!!!) satelite receivers. We watch what we want to. I choose to pay for satellite TV. And I still manage to sleep at night. It's a tight rope, but I manage.

Dude, I guess you don't have friends or family who are golfing fanatics because to them, golf is more important than basic human needs like food. I think many people here can attest to that. Anybody here who has a father who watches the golf channel understands this.

For me, the mere fact that you buy two recievers just to be able to get two different channels in one household proves my point about how asinine satellite is.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by jamesteterenko

I want all the channels to be digital. They chew up less space on the PVR.

Why PVR when other's have already PVR'd for you and you can just download them in the fraction of the time the PVR would take to record in the first place?

My household has both Shaw Digital and Bell EV, my parents choose Shaw because it is easier for them, they don't complain about shaw, they even have two digital boxes. I have Bell because I like my HD and hockey and shaw is pathetic on both.
TV is turning into what other technologies have been for years, progresive. Put it like this, has anyone tried to use a old 386 computer lately. I don't know of many programs often used in todays world that would work with an old 386. To use todays programs you need to upgrade your computer. Same with TV, yeah those old analog TV work, but to view the programming you might want to think about upgrading, but if you dont want to then face the facts that you might not get to watch everything you want.

For me, television is not progressive at all. It's not about being progressive, it's about the joys of simplicity and efficiency. And a DOS or Unix command line can be much more efficient and simple than a clumsy gui often times. For me, television is being harmed by the ridiculous quanity over quality and doing the wrong things to try to compete with other technologies like the internet. Cable and satellite companies are like insidious mobile phone companies that eek out profits on slim margins by inundating you with more and more bundles and services and channels that really amount to nothing at all. Do you really need to scroll through 800 channels of music stations? That benefits you how?

I have used Shaw digital and Bell Expressvu at my friends and relatives places and I come away with a bad taste everytime - it's not a negative reaction to the technology behind it, but at how badly it's all implemented. I hate the interface, the hardware, the packages, and everything these companies have assembled.

Personally, if I had my way, I'd have the basic American cable stations, TSN/Sportsnet, Comedy Central, Golf Channel (for my dad), AND THE HOLIDAY FIRE LOG GUY!!!!!!!!

[V]

You want simplicity? Get rabbit ears. It works for me.

[Calgary Flames]

Shaw for the love of god just give me Center Ice and you're Cable Tv gods...

[ikaris]

i prefer ACM. also the golf channel will be free if you have as digital box, no additional charge (i asked)

[Mango]

Originally Posted by Calgary Flames

Shaw for the love of god just give me Center Ice and you're Cable Tv gods...

sigh. If only...that would be a great day!

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

Maybe check if Telus TV is available? I know it has been rolled out in Calgary (a friend of mine has it) but it depends upon how good you internet connection would be. (personally, I have Telus DSL, but not good enough throughput to be able to get TelusTV, at least according to a tech that replaced a bad dSL modem a couple weeks ago)

i would stay far far away from TelusTV, at least until they upgrade their entire network to ADSL2. and this isn't just because i work for Shaw, i have a few friends at work who are testing TelusTV on the company's dime to see how good it is. and let me just say that our corporate heads aren't worried at all

5-10 seconds to switch a channel, almost the same channel lineup as Shaw (and no center ice), max of 2 TV's supported, no HDTV, no PPV, and if you're watching TV your internet download speed is cut in half (and Telus will only install their TV service if you're also a phone and internet customer of theirs). hell even when they rollout ADSL2 i can't see them actually competing with Shaw, a twisted pair phoneline is just no match for a coax cable for bandwidth

[Buff]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

i would stay far far away from TelusTV, at least until they upgrade their entire network to ADSL2. and this isn't just because i work for Shaw, i have a few friends at work who are testing TelusTV on the company's dime to see how good it is. and let me just say that our corporate heads aren't worried at all

5-10 seconds to switch a channel, almost the same channel lineup as Shaw (and no center ice), max of 2 TV's supported, no HDTV, no PPV, and if you're watching TV your internet download speed is cut in half (and Telus will only install their TV service if you're also a phone and internet customer of theirs). hell even when they rollout ADSL2 i can't see them actually competing with Shaw, a twisted pair phoneline is just no match for a coax cable for bandwidth

I was wondering how good TelusTV would be. It didn't really make sense to me. I didn't think it would be good, and you are not the 2nd person to confirm my suspicions.

[evman150]

I've now been getting the Golf Channel on channel 87 since the switch over to AMC on channel 47.

This used to be the Shaw Digital Preview Channel which showed a channel 30 minutes at a time. I'm not sure if this is only temporary or what.

[calculoso]

Check out Channel 9... it was the Golf Channel for me.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I have used Shaw digital and Bell Expressvu at my friends and relatives places and I come away with a bad taste everytime - it's not a negative reaction to the technology behind it, but at how badly it's all implemented. I hate the interface, the hardware, the packages, and everything these companies have assembled.

Yeah, it's rough on Bell. You hit 'guide', find the channel you want, and go to it.

Not only that, I can see every Flames game here in BC when I get Center Ice.

Bloody Bell!

[TurnedTheCorner]

Satellite is asinie because they ask for less than 10 cents a day for customers to watch multiple channels if they want (remember, this really is a choice), but your father is reasonable because, in your opinion, he would rather watch golf than eat? How sad.

And since I was obviously too subtle last time: STFU about such a ridiculous ****ing topic. Pony up to watch stuff you want or STFU, but don't expect sympathy fom me because of some ***ed up priorities and misguided holier than thou rage at a corporation you think is raping you for services it provides for consumers to choose to use or not. Kindly pull your head out of your ass, and direct your rage at something more useful than having a second ***hole on your left elbow.