I am sick of Bell Expressvu

[hk9999]

Whenever it rains heavily, the signal is bad and sometimes it is lost. Bell increases the rate again in 2006 (new customer already pay higher rate), but they don't inprove the services. The combo rate is changed and I have to pay more.

So far, I am happy with the Shaw high speed internet. I think there is package for internet and TV together. But I am not sure if Shaw is really cheaper if I include all packages (sports, CNBC, Fox, ShowCase, Men TV,....... Sex TV ;-)

Should I switch to Shaw?

I expect Shaw will have the VoIP soon and it may have better combo with all Internet, TV and phone together.

 

[mustangjoe]

Whenever it rains heavily, the signal is bad and sometimes it is lost. Bell increases the rate again in 2006 (new customer already pay higher rate), but they don't inprove the services. The combo rate is changed and I have to pay more.

.

Sounds like your dish is in a shitty location, or not pointed 100% right. My dish is good come hell or high water.

 

[Randy Whorewald]

Whenever it rains heavily, the signal is bad and sometimes it is lost. Bell increases the rate again in 2006 (new customer already pay higher rate), but they don't inprove the services. The combo rate is changed and I have to pay more.

So far, I am happy with the Shaw high speed internet. I think there is package for internet and TV together. But I am not sure if Shaw is really cheaper if I include all packages (sports, CNBC, Fox, ShowCase, Men TV,....... Sex TV ;-)

Should I switch to Shaw?

I expect Shaw will have the VoIP soon and it may have better combo with all Internet, TV and phone together.

For cable I think Shaw is OK. But their service can be below par when you have a problem. With the Shaw box and 4 movie channels its about $70 / month.

 

[BoyThursday]

I never bothered with cable or satellite mainly because I hate most of the dross that passes for TV and can't handle the incessant commercials (must... contain... building... rage!).

But I was visiting a friend recently, who was very proud of his newly-installed Bell Expressvu HD system and huge HD TV. I was sitting there flicking through the HD channels, and was COMPLETELY unimpressed with the quality of the image.

In short, it was crap. The HD channels were so highly compressed that they looked scarcely better than terrestrial standard-definition signals. Blocky compression artifacts, washed-out colours, obvious glitches in the sound.

What a fucking rip-off. And this was on a weekend of clear, sunny skies. I hate to imagine what would happen to the signal if it started dumping with rain.

The problem is, these satellite providers are more interested in squeezing as many channels as possible into the expensive satellite-born bandwidth than they are in providing a signal that lives up to the potential of HD. I have seen broadcast-quality HD on big screens and it is BEAUTIFUL. Absolutely crisp, clear, and cinematic. What passes as HD in the consumer marketplace, though, is one of the biggest scams of modern times; a triumph of marketing bullshit. It matters not one iota that you have a 1080i television if the signal is compressed to shit.

Now, I do remember reading an article about a satellite provider based in the States that makes a point of only offering a limited number of the better HD channels at the lowest compression rates possible. I wish I could remember the name of the company, but I didn't make serious note of it at the time because it wasn't available in Canada anyway.

Anyway, I have no idea what Shaw's service is like. Maybe it's way better. But I had to take the opportunity to rant about shit HD satellite.

 

[hitrack]

Standard black SHAW box with tier 1, 2, and 3. No extra channels. Just wouldn't mind those dumb fukks at SHAW renting out the PVR, not paying 700 bones for something that might suck a year later.

 

[hk9999]

Sounds like your dish is in a shitty location, or not pointed 100% right

Do you really get 100%? I never get that high. Only around 70-80. I heard most people get 80. This is installed by the Bell guy.

I know the Bell PVR 9220 is the best in the market, this is one of the factor I am considering. I am saving $ (less pooning) to buy the 1080p (not 1080i) TV. I think next year after PS3 is out, it is the good time to buy a HDTV.

 

[maverick73]

Whenever it rains heavily, the signal is bad and sometimes it is lost. Bell increases the rate again in 2006 (new customer already pay higher rate), but they don't inprove the services. The combo rate is changed and I have to pay more.

So far, I am happy with the Shaw high speed internet. I think there is package for internet and TV together. But I am not sure if Shaw is really cheaper if I include all packages (sports, CNBC, Fox, ShowCase, Men TV,....... Sex TV ;-)

Should I switch to Shaw?

I expect Shaw will have the VoIP soon and it may have better combo with all Internet, TV and phone together.

They all suck, but Bell Express Vu is the lesser of all the evils... at least the picture and sound quality are top notch... as for the signal, you need the bigger dish and optimized pointing... whoever installed your system probably f$cked it up.

 

[mustangjoe]

Do you really get 100%? I never get that high. Only around 70-80. I heard most people get 80. This is installed by the Bell guy.

I know the Bell PVR 9220 is the best in the market, this is one of the factor I am considering. I am saving $ (less pooning) to buy the 1080p (not 1080i) TV. I think next year after PS3 is out, it is the good time to buy a HDTV.

No, I've never seen a 100% signal. I meant the guy who installed it didn;t do it 100% correctly. Just 'cause he works for Bell doesn't mean he does things with precision. All I know is the rain has no effect on my dish, and that's the way it should be.

 

[BYSON]

On a good day mine is 99% shit day I never drop under 80% check the skew and or tweek up and down you're dish isn't set proper

 

[maverick73]

No, I've never seen a 100% signal. I meant the guy who installed it didn;t do it 100% correctly. Just 'cause he works for Bell doesn't mean he does things with precision. All I know is the rain has no effect on my dish, and that's the way it should be.

The installers are independent contractors... they don't work for Bell. Most of them want to get the job done as fast as possible and as half assed as possible so u gotta watch it... I was lucky and had a good installer... he really optimized the dish really well... I don't think I've had a drop out since... but I did have the OCCASIONAL drop out with the smaller dish many years ago... but that would require a frickin hail storm.

 

[therealrex]

In Manitoba MTS (phone company) now offers TV service and it kicks Shaws ass. No tiers you can pick the channels you want in groups of 3 or 4

 

[smackyo]

shaw has the worst service i have ever experienced for something i have paid for in my LIFE!!!!!!!! i'm not even gonna get really into it cause i have to go to bed soon and i'll get all worked up.

i vowed never to get service through them ever again. i cannot say enough bad things about shaw. HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE!!!!!!!!!

don't do it, for your own sanity.

 

[lukewarmwater]

shaw

I just changed to shaw from bell
here's the deal that I got.
3 months free + one reciever free + modem free fo $90+tax I get everything except playboy plus my internet.I hade to give them my dish my modem (from telus) and one reciever to get this deal....also I get 12 free pay per view movies.

Hope this info helps

 

[georgebushmoron]

Hey stiffdeadman,

tell me more about the receiver you got. Where can I get one? What else do I need?

 

[butthead]

yeah, i love my fta receiver, but the downfall is that the NHL is not working.

 

[Cock Throppled]

Hey stiffdeadman,

tell me more about the receiver you got. Where can I get one? What else do I need?

Yeah, me too. I was thibkibg of getting Bell, but not so sure, now. Are these dishes legal? What else is required?

 

[srbski]

easy fix

yeah, i love my fta receiver, but the downfall is that the NHL is not working.

you just have to rescan channels before the hockey game.

 

[butthead]

you just have to rescan channels before the hockey game.

Thanks Srbski, I'll try that