Telus TV

[wizard_id]

This whole Digital TV technology is just one giant scam! They (TELUS, Shaw, etc) should be able to adapt their systems so the consumer does NOT require a digital cable box. I have compared digital cable to normal cable and have not seen much difference in reception. And, I have a Sony HD tv.

I am in no hurray to upgrade to digital tv because I am from the old school. I have 2 televisions and 4 VHS vcrs. The biggest problem is you cannot tape one thing and watch something else with digital cable. Hooking up a vcr requires you to setup the system in the order of digital converter, VCR, TV. That way, the VCR will only record from the channel that the digital converter is set to. Also, I am not interested in digital recording because I have too many VHS tapes around the house.

Until the cable companies resolve this problem or I run out of working VCRs, I will not be changing to digital TV.

 

[The Franchise]

This whole Digital TV technology is just one giant scam! They (TELUS, Shaw, etc) should be able to adapt their systems so the consumer does NOT require a digital cable box. I have compared digital cable to normal cable and have not seen much difference in reception. And, I have a Sony HD tv.

I am in no hurray to upgrade to digital tv because I am from the old school. I have 2 televisions and 4 VHS vcrs. The biggest problem is you cannot tape one thing and watch something else with digital cable. Hooking up a vcr requires you to setup the system in the order of digital converter, VCR, TV. That way, the VCR will only record from the channel that the digital converter is set to. Also, I am not interested in digital recording because I have too many VHS tapes around the house.

Until the cable companies resolve this problem or I run out of working VCRs, I will not be changing to digital TV.

The question is do you still have beta?

 

[Regs]

How does TTP look on your VIC 20?

 

[wizard_id]

No, I tape from TV with a circa 1940 television camera. I get black and white recordings that I watch on a Bell & Howell projector. Also, I have ingeniously figured out how to use my Commodore 64 computer for the Internet. It takes 3 hours to load one webpage, but since TTP is not a high graphics website, I can load its webpages in 2hrs 45mins.

 

[Dial 9-1-1]

Most homes have two TVs. You can still record on one TV and watch something else on your other TV.

I've had Telus TV for close to a week now and no complaints! Other than the odd blip, the horror stories I've read about aren't happening.

Personally I could care less about the digital. I am just happy about the price!

 

[oranje]

No, I tape from TV with a circa 1940 television camera. I get black and white recordings that I watch on a Bell & Howell projector. Also, I have ingeniously figured out how to use my Commodore 64 computer for the Internet. It takes 3 hours to load one webpage, but since TTP is not a high graphics website, I can load its webpages in 2hrs 45mins.

The excellent site loads in 5 minutes with a TRS80.

Gotta go play with my Atari.

 

[johnnybluenose]

With both Shaw you can record one thing while watching another thing as the box has two tuners. Does Telus not have two tuners per box?

 

[Polska]

no, i tape from tv with a circa 1940 television camera. I get black and white recordings that i watch on a bell & howell projector. Also, i have ingeniously figured out how to use my commodore 64 computer for the internet. It takes 3 hours to load one webpage, but since ttp is not a high graphics website, i can load its webpages in 2hrs 45mins.

do you have a copy of oregon trail i can borrow?

 

[Dial 9-1-1]

With both Shaw you can record one thing while watching another thing as the box has two tuners. Does Telus not have two tuners per box?

Nope...and I can no longer use the PIP feature on my TV (though rarely used it anyhow).

 

[bergamascho]

do you have a copy of oregon trail i can borrow?

I loved that game and would gladly play it if I could get a copy...

 

[Dial 9-1-1]

Telus bill came in the mail today...I had to call to get my $159 bill reduced to $9.

A 4 page invoice with charges and credits all over the place.

I guess they try to confuse you so much that you don't know what questions to ask about your bill.

 

[Sliver]

I've had Telus TV for a number of years and just recently got a HD TV so I upgrade to the new Telus TV media room HD service which just came out at the beginning of February. I must say it's pretty impressive.
Some highlights:
It has what they call PVR anywhere, you only need one PVR box but you can record from any of the TV's in your house.

You can record up to 3 programs at the same time.

There's no delay when you change channels so you can actually channel surf if you want to.

When you're looking at the guide you still see and hear the current program in the back ground, but you can also see a picture in picture preview of the other channels you're going through.

Features:

* Up to 6 set top boxes per household. (1 PVR - 5 non-PVRs)
* PVR Anywhere - record and watch from any STB in your home without having to own more than one PVR.
* ICC - Instant Channel Change. Less than 40ms channel changes. Faster than most digital services.
* Picture in Picture - View multiple content at the same time.
* Very detailed programming information
* Series recording
* Powerful search feature
* Call display on your TV
* All boxes HD capable
* Up to 3 streams at once (2 HD 1 SD) with all boxes capable of multiple tuning
* PVR stores up to 115 hours of HD or 295 hours of standard definition programming (320gb HDD - an industry leader)

 

[TheRob]

Cost?

 

[Sliver]

Starts at $28 per month.

More info here TELUS TV | TV | TELUS

 

[joely_the_goalie]

Just seeing if there is any new feedback in regards to Telus Optik TV.

I called Shaw last week to switch my phone over, as the full bundle with Shaw would save me $60 a month. So in total, the bundle would cost approx. $168 ($142 for the 1st 3 months).

My wife received a call from Telus today, basically looking to buy us back. I must say the offer is intriguing. Here are the details:

Phone
1st 6 months - $27 including a 3 feature pack (caller ID, voicemail, ?)
after 6 months - $32 including 3-pack

Internet
1st 6 m - $29, 25 mbps (I have to call to confirm, but the package online shows a 500GB/month of data)
after 6 m - $44

TV
1st 6 m - $50, HD Your pick (9 packages) plus Movie 6 package (Movie Central and HBO), also, for those with kids they have the disney channels
after 6 m - $80

Total
1st 6 m - $111, includes 1 free HD PVR rental, 2 free HD boxes and $5 for a 3rd HD box (included in the $111); in our area we can have 4 Live Streams at one time (3 HD and 1 SD). Also, this includes the PVR anywhere, which we don't currently have, and the wife would love.
after 6 m - $161

Concerns:
1. Shaw internet starts at 50 mbps, and Optik Internet tops out at 25 mbps (thru fibre optic cables, they say). Telus is telling me that the difference isn't noticable because of the type of cables they use compared to Shaw. I have no background in this type of stuff, so does this seem reasonable? or are they just trying to sell me.

2. I've read that once you are watching TV and using the internet at the same time on multiple sources (iphones, laptops, PS3, etc.) that the speeds can decrease and that the quality of the HD can diminish. Has anyone experienced this? or is this a myth?

3. I've also read that the customer service isn't as great or prompt with Telus as it is with Shaw.

4. Do the cable outlets have to correspond with the current phone jacks when using Optik?

5. Signing a 3 year contract.

Thanks ahead of time for any comments and feedback.

 

[bergamascho]

1. Sharing the network and TV with somebody and I haven't noticed any problems with speeds.
2. Haven't seen ANY problems with picture and service outages have been non-existent save for a massive power outage which doesn't count
3. It is pretty good, when I was with Shaw it took 60 mins+ and with Telus I haven't waited more than 15 minutes on hold.
4. They set it all up for you, no need to worry about jacks
5. Contract gives you free receivers and some other free stuff but I understand your reservation.

Telus TV is awesome. Lots of free content, crisp HD picture and Setanta HD...

 

[johnnybluenose]

everyone is different, and shaw has an emerging hybrid (RF Digital and ip) technology coming VERY soon.

my experiences with Telus have been good to great.
1. I've never seen the quality of my HD suffer, but if I'm really multitasking it's the internet speeds that slow if anything, but I've only ever really experienced something taking a long time being torrenting large files, which could be blamed on other things I suppsoe.
2. Telus' customer service experience has been FAR superior to what I experienced with Shaw.
3. Telus will only offer the perks and incentives if you sign a contract, which some perceive as bad and others don't care about. You don't HAVE to sign a contract with Telus, but you only get "deals" if you do
4. I like that Telus seems to have better savings on rentals and bundles
5. If you have more than 3 or 4 tv's in your house I'd wait for the new shaw boxes, as Telus' boxes are limited, the new Shaw gateway type system and boxes with massive amounts of tuners will help (for those of you with basement suites, or whatever)

I don't know about your question re cable outlets and phone jacks...I know that there's a box that plugs into a cable jack behind my master set top box. that box feeds the master set top box, modem/router, and the slave set top box... I don't remember any of the stb's having to plug into phone jacks.

 

[johnnybluenose]

What I do know is that if you are in a strata a company worth looking at is Novus...but they're only available as an option is some highrises and townhome strata's that are VERY new. They seem to have most of their concentration around DT Vancouver and Metrotown. I have heard that these guys have the fastest internet speeds and their TV packages set up very nicely vs Telus and Shaw.

 

[italian_stallion21]

Here's my take as I just switched.

1) I was very worried about that, as I play Xbox and PS3 online and obviously want the fastest speed available. Even though Shaw is technically faster, I've had WAY better connection with Telus. With Shaw I would almost always be on a 3 bar and never pull host (in respect to Black Ops), with Telus, I've been a 3 bar no more than a handful of times, and pull host frequently.

2) Using the above example, I'm pulling that connection having my Mac, 2 phones, and at least 1 TV connected. I'm almost always downloading something on the Mac, and have never noticed any lag/quality drop. With Shaw, I couldn't game online if I was downloading anything.

3)I've noticed no difference between customer service so far, both were very good.

4)They used the same phone/cable jacks I already had, and installed a new one for a room that didn't have one.

5) I got a free Xbox, and PVR rental, and I don't see why I would switch back to Shaw so it doesn't matter for me.

 

[Regs]

Ask them how they perceive the 25mbps pipe to be enough in 2 years time when the way you use the internet will undoubtedly change.

No way I would EVER sign into a contract for my main Internet service.

Shaw may be going through some pains now but I believe it's going to pay large dividends in the not-so-distant future.