New Channels always generate a lot of discussion so this thread is for discussing new channels in 2012.
You're welcome to speculate and discuss new channels coming to Shaw Direct in 2012 but PLEASE unless it's been confirmed by an official press release, be clear about what is speculation and what is fact.
A post saying "a CSR said it was coming" is NOT official, however, it does put it in the "highly" likely category.
If its posted on the CRTC site that its been approved by the CRTC but Shaw Direct has not said anything, I would consider that in the "not very likely at this time" category.
What they forget to mention is that they are only releasing it to their in-house BETA tester team- and after discovering it can't work 100% they will shelf it indefinitely.
Latest news courtesy of SatBeams: Launch of Anik G1 is March 30, 2013.
Shaw needs to do something now, or the customers they've been placating with the news of new HD and other channel launches coming when G1 goes live are going to jump ship. MPEG4 on all current non-network channels would help, but that would mean forcing upgrades to a LOT of customers, and the upgrades would have to be free. No way Shaw is going to want to do THAT.
So by the time this is tested and operational another complete televsion season will be over. What an epic fail on Shaws part if they have no contigency plans.
Clearly time for Mpeg4 switchover. Free upgrades to anyone who has been a customer for 5 years. Anyone who has become a subscriber in the past 3 should already have a 600 series.
I mentioned it elsewhere that Shaw Direct will have to lance this boil eventually. If it's in March, or next week, the Mpeg 2 will be gone across the board and all those doorstops will be rendered useless.
It's not so much a theory but the reality. Lack of space necessitates the change in compression to keep pace with what other providers are offering. Honestly, all those other STB's, outside the 505 and 530, were at end of life 5 years ago.
FX Canada HD is on channel 251 for those who still have the classic lineup. Not available in SD though.
I do believe this channel is being delivered in MPEG4 format so it will only be available for 6xx series receivers. Correct me if I'm wrong.
UPDATE: Okay I'm right... only available on 6xx series receivers. 5xx series owners are out of luck.
FX Canada HD .........
I do believe this channel is being delivered in MPEG4 format so it will only be available for 6xx series receivers. Correct me if I'm wrong.
UPDATE: Okay I'm right... only available on 6xx series receivers. 5xx series owners are out of luck.
It (or any other MPEG4 encoded channel) is unavailable for those with a 6XX series receiver who are using a STACKED LNB. SD has decided (in their ongoing wisdom?), to not create a 'V-code' for this combination of receiver and LNB..
So unless you upgrade the dish/lnb at your own expense....you are S.O.L.
That's a nice addition. I didn't expect to see it until next year.
A receiver exchange would take several months to complete. If Shaw was planning one, they would have announced it by now. My guess is they will do it on a similar basis as the LNB upgrade. Those who ask and can negotiate a free upgrade will get it. Those who don't will get screwed into paying for Shaw's mistake. Since 5xx receivers will slowly get taken out of service due to attrition, Shaw has everything to gain by delaying the MPEG4 transition. The reason why Shaw is such a "do nothing until forced to" company is because it saves Shaw money in the short term. They are quite content to be a second rate company.
Just tried it on my 630 and it's there. Must be MPEG4 only. A quick look at the line-up shows mostly "How I met your mother" repeats. Guess I won't switch out the 530 anytime soon.
We had decided to cancel our subscription with Shaw D last week. When I was discussing this with the CSR she had mentioned that Shaw D was well aware that they are lacking HD channels and were in the process of trying to add at least 10 more HD channels by the end of the year. Not sure if this is a coincedience, but I guess it's is a start.
the CSR she had mentioned that Shaw D was well aware that they are lacking HD channels and were in the process of trying to add at least 10 more HD channels by the end of the year.
I honestly think this would go a long way in customer satisfaction. I can't count how many times that myself and other customers have told Shaw Direct this. If they could just find a way to add 7-10 of the most popular channels in the meantime, it would go a long way. For the most part this has fallen on deaf ears.
Can anyone comment on the picture quality of FX HD on Shaw Direct? I understand this is Shaw Direct's first MPEG4 HD channel. Is the channel 720p or 1080i? How does the amount of macroblocking compare to MPEG2 HD channels?
Other posters have suggested that Shaw Direct's MPEG2 encoder settings result in poor picture quality and excessive macroblocking. I would tend to agree. I'm wondering how they set up the presumably new MPEG4 encoder.
Can anyone estimate a bitrate based on PVR usage, or give a bitrate ratio compared with MPEG2 HD?
I almost got excited for fx channel, then I found it doesn't air current Sons Of Anarchy episodes, and no Sunny in Philadelphia - the 2 best shows on fx. Would be completely useless if it wasn't for The League. I really didn't want to switch back to Cogeco, but this lack of HD is painful.
yeah I can understand them not airing sons of anarchy because super channel picked the show up before the channel existed but its always sunny in Philadelphia not being on the channel seems weird since it is owned by Fox and as far as i know there is no other channel in Canada that has been airing new episodes
FX Canada HD is the second MPEG-4 HD channel. When I had Shaw Direct Nat Geo WILD HD had pretty good PQ so I would suspect that FX is probably the same.
Checked out the FX lineup...wow that is a useless channel! I doubt I'll ever watch anything on it. I assume the pathetic lineup comes from the fact that it's FX Canada?
Good point...for the life of me, cant figure out what trucks that drive on ice roads have to do with HISTORY....lol
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