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.
Having recently come back to Shaw Cable after years on satellite, I'm finding the current channel line-up on cable a bit puzzling. The only pdf channel guides that Shaw seems to post online are labeled "Pre-DNU", a term that wasn't explained until I read it here. I assume my area is post-DNU, but how would that have affected the channel list?
I set up the favourites list in the digital box to match the channels Shaw listed as being in my package - and then I found that there were a few others not listed. Some of those were free previews, others don't show up in Shaw's pdf guide at all - maybe new (like APTND HD)?
Just out of curiosity, I let my TV do a full channel scan (digital plus analog). As expected on the analog side it found channels 2-28, plus a few others at much higher numbers. On the digital side, nothing but music on sub-channels beginning at 29.
I assumed that all the analog channels would be already included in the basic tier of digital channels, but not so. At least one, MTV, is available on analog but not on digital. What's up with that?
It means you are indeed 'post DNU'. It ensures that Shaw collects the revenue they are due and also frees up bandwidth for new channels, or so they say.
I assumed that all the analog channels would be already included in the basic tier of digital channels, but not so. At least one, MTV, is available on analog but not on digital. What's up with that?
Shaw changed their packages several years ago. You are now on the "Personal TV" plan which does not include a few channels that were included with the old analog Basic (which is no longer advertised). Shaw does not bother installing filters to block those few channels. You can see which channels are included in analog Basic in your area by clicking on Channel Listings and looking at the list on that page. Make sure the location at the top of the page is set correctly.
There is also a price difference between the two packages.
Personal TV is $39.90 & Basic Digital is $43.00 which explains the difference in what you get.
Assuming (as an example and pretty much accurate nationally) a customer living in Central BC switching from Shaw Basic Digital to Shaw Personal TV the differences would be:
Gain: Standard Definition:
HGTV
FOX-KCPQ Seattle
Food Network
History Television High Definition:
CTV - CFTO Toronto HD
History HD
HGTV HD
Food Network HD
Removed: Standard Defintion:
Treehouse TV
Sportsnet 360
E! Entertainment Television
TV38 - WSBK Boston
The CW - KTLA / WGN / WPIX
BNN
PBS - WTVS Detroit
Cosmopolitan TV (West)
National Geographic
MTV Canada
TSN2
Big Ten Sports High Defintion:
ABC - Detroit HD
CBS Detroit HD
NBC Detroit HD
FOX - Rochester HD
CNN HD
BNN HD
TSN 2 HD
stationg, if you downloaded the Personal TV PDF, the boxes highlighted in grey would be the channels included. It should say Personal TV at the top of the leftmost column. The legend at the end of the PDF says the blue channels are HD.
The current quarter marked the substantial completion of the digital network upgrade project resulting in the conversion of analog tier offerings to digital. The conversion frees up bandwidth to provide industry leading internet speeds, and additional HD and On Demand programming.
Just saw this via their website. Seems they are moving MuchMusic to digital in some areas. How long before the rest of their analog customers lose it? They should just move everything to digital. If people don't like the "confusing" digital box then can switch to Telus, MTS, Sasktel, or Bell...oh wait, lol
H2 HD went to 270. I am guessing it will come on the 3rd with the changing of the CBC and CTV channels.
Update: Came home from camp. I saw the new TSN channels. TSN4 SD is on 9 and on the 184. Shaw forum says it was released yesterday. I left my place for camp at 10am.
I'm can't say for sure that analog is completely gone, but it's no longer being offered to new customers, and any channel that they can deliver in digital, they will deliver in digital. Notably, anyone with a digital box or HD box would be getting all their channels in a digital format, and all the "Tiers" and HD are digital-only.
If analog still exists, it would be kept around for the benefit of legacy "basic cable" customers without cable boxes. Keep in mind, however, that getting rid of even one analog channel gives Shaw enough bandwidth to launch 2-3+ HD channels, so Shaw has no incentive to keep analog around any longer than necessary.
Just realize that not all areas are affected at the same time, in the same way. We have an extensive thread (much like this one) on Rogers' Analogue to Digital Migration.
Some areas still have 20 to 30 channels, although channels are being dropped all the time.
Some areas are recently totally digital (and may have 1 or 2 channels for "sub-carrier (signal) measurement")
Some MDU (Apartments, Condos, etc) have been all digital for years.
My sister told me that her area of Coquitlam had dropped the analog. She gets nothing on her old tv she told me, and that happened just a little while ago.
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