I received a notice from my apartment building, who bundles basic cable into my rent, and was told that Shaw needs to install digital boxes to remain receiving basic cable. Makes no difference to me since I already have a HD PVR, an HD box (awaiting a new TV to hook it up to as it is a rental) and a SD box. But here in Lloydminster are they phasing out analog cable altogether or did my apartment building make this decision?
If so, does this mean that Lloydminster will finally receive all the channels Shaw offers elsewhere such as Canadian Timeshifting and Superchannel? I would assume this would be a solution to the finite capacity issue as I understand that digital has a higher capacity (possibly infinite like IPTV) and could carry all of these channels without a capacity issue.
TKDragon, you can check if you get the Tiers when you plug a TV straight into the analog cable. If you see channel 15 CNN for example, they haven't completed DNU on your node. If you can't see it, either DNU is complete or there is an analog filter on the line.
I believe they recently completed a node in western part of Winnipeg (Crestview/Sturgeon Creek area), but not all of Winnipeg is done yet.
OK... plugged the cable straight into the TV. I get channels 2 to 13 only. What does that mean? I tried to get 14 - just snow. Tried to get 15 - just show. 48 didnt work either.
I live at the edge of Transcona, in Kildonan Meadows... The phone book has me listed as north Kildonan.
The reason I was asking if the DNU was completed in my area is because of the pretty much unuseable internet I am currently getting. One person from Shaw tells me they are splitting the node, another tells me they are doing the DNU in the first quarter of 2013. Just trying to figure out who is right.
Thanks for the replies. I'll see if rescanning shows anything else. I basically unplugged the coax from the STB and connected it into the back of the TV. Then I manually checked stations and could only get 2 - 13.
If you check back about a year ago, people were reporting that North Kildonan was done, but I don't know if that included Transcona. I was under the impression that DNU had been done east of the Red River (the old Videon territory).
If you don't get channel 70, you have to change your TV setting from antenna to cable.
Yes, I'm starting to think that the DNU was done in my area. Every TV in the house is hooked up through a cable box. I upgraded to HD up and downstairs and my sone took one of the SD boxes for his room. Heck, I even have one old SD boxes just sitting there.
Never loked for channel 70. Will check that out when I get home. Just to be sure, which are the only channels that I should get through straight cable with the DNU done?
In Winnipeg, Analog Basic is 2-13, 22, 45, 46 and up. Tiers 1,2,3 are between 14 and 44.
It seems pretty clear that you're not getting the tiers (assuming your TV is set to cable, not antenna). You can't really tell if it's because of DNU or an analog filter.
Analog filters were used to trap the analog channels that weren't in your subscription.
For example, if you subscribed to Basic Cable, Shaw would put a filter on your individual line to trap all the tier channels to prevent you from receiving them without paying. If you subscribed to Classic Cable, they would remove the filter and you would receive all the analog channels.
Some parts of Winnipeg are still receiving the analog tiers.
My understanding is that the respective analogue tiers are completely removed (trapped) from the main distribution rather than traps on the individual drops. I can make a call and find out if anyone desperately wants to know.
If you are bored and want to look - be my guest. I'd like to know the facts before I get hold of Shaw again. How exactly would you find out? Do you work for Shaw?
I don't work for Shaw directly. Lets just say that I work in the broadcast-cable industry. I called a friend of mine at Shaw. He was a tech many years ago and is now in management. He said that your area is mostly peds (underground lines) so you can't really see whats going on. If there are some aerial lines in your area take a look and you can easily determine if the traps have been removed
They are silver cylinders about 6 inches long with some sort of colored stripes around them. If they are missing from all the lines then the area is already or soon to be Digital.
Ah... an inside "informant" A good friend of mine used to work at Shaw. He knows quite a bit about their equipment, but he hasn't worked there for years.
I've seen traps before, they have a couple of them on the cable line at my PT job. True that you cannot see then when they are underground.
Didn't have time to test it again. perhaps over the weekend.
A crawl about the digital switch on Tier 1/2/3 analog channels has just begun in my neighbourhood in northwest Calgary, within the last day or two.
We've already lost Tier 1/2/3 analog at our office in the northeast.
A few days ago I saw Shaw run their 30 second network upgrade insert on U.S. channel saying how you would need a digital box to continue watching this channel. The funny thing is it was a digital channel that had never been offered in analog.
Just spoke to Shaw and Millwoods and Bonnie Doon in Edmonton are going through DNU in January. Now, I'm on the border of Bonnie Doon, so hopefully that means I'll get the upgrade as well (I doubt they're doing all 150 community leagues in Edmonton separately... right??? right???)
I have DNU completion in my part of Coventry and confirmed it today with an increase in my upload speeds to the full 50/5 that BB50 promised. I had to contact Shaw to get this done but it was relatively painless. I now only have analog channels to 22 then only 30 and 51 after that. A check on Shaw's website still shows BB250 as 'unavailable' in my area so there must still be some improvements to be made but for now I am happy with what I have.
Almost a year after the last letter regarding the digital conversion (which was apparently aborted), I just received another one claiming it will happen soon. Maybe they actually mean it this time. Burnaby/Metrotown area.
I had a shaw tech check into my account. They couldn't find any information to when my area will be upgraded. So I'm not expecting anything or a while.
I wish there was a site where you could find when your area is actually scheduled to get the dnu. I was told last year early in the year that the Austin hub in Coquitlam was going June 12, I guess they didn't say what year. I would like my two extra MC channels in HD, I pay for those and don't get them.
Looks like it is finally done in Kits. Movie Central HD2 and HD3 showed up today.
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