Just finished talking to a Shaw rep about an issue with my cable box. When I asked about Nat Geo Wild, and he told me"

"this channel is not being offered in your Best of HD. They have repackaged that group of channels, and raised the price of Best of HD to 35. Your $20 pack is grandfathered so you don't have to pay the current rate, but you also end up losing new channels that are being added to that package I am afraid."

Which mean when they do add the new HD channels they say is coming, not only will I have to upgrade my cable box for the mpeg-4 format as more channels are launched that way, I will have to pay more to get them.

2012 is not looking like a good year for Shaw

are you saying there not adding new channels to bestofhd if you pay 20 for it?
Im already on the fence about droping it. mostly watch network shows, cable news for my newspack, and i watch history(which is included in basic), i also think time shifting is now in personal.

I'm getting it for 20 but don't watch much of anything on it, im holding on to it in case it gets better, but if they wont give more channels, then its gone, to help pay for 5 dollar increase to personal tv and the 2 dollar increase to the newspack.

How many times does shaw have to put there nife in the custumers back before they leave. Im starting to think about it, if i can get service from another provider in my buidling.

I'm on the $20 dollar best of HD and I'm getting 255 right now. It's probably on a free preview though.

I'm not surprised if its not being added to the grandfathered packaged. Shaw did the same thing when they grandfathered the old hd plus package. They'll sell the old cheap price, but they aren't going to keep tossing in extra channels.

As for leaving for the competition. Everytime I go to telus' page and look at their packages. I can't find any kind of best HD package. Therefore I have to order a bunch of theme packs. As a result my bill isn't any better than my shaw bill and I end up with slower internet.

Telus has great intro rates, but their prices aren't really any better then shaw.

yeah looking at sasktel page and there pretty expensive as well. although would have cbcnews network right away. I just feel as a shaw customer they keep slapping us in the face. pick a price and at least stay with it for 6 months.

I know the hdplus stopped getting channels, but this was after they got alot of extra channels. we order hd plus 20 then a month later they raise the price and now we might not be able to get the new channels.

anybody else no picture but sound on 255?

Mike, that has been discussed somewhere (don't have the link right now). It's because your PVR can't decode MPEG4 streams. I'm in the same boat with my Motorola 6416. I think I recall someone saying the 3400 works, but the 6416 and 3416 do not.

mpeg 4 boxes:

MPEG4

so most new channels will be mpeg 4? what about all the bandwidth they got cus of the dnu, did they waste it all on the big internet packages.?

Having to spend 200 -400 for a buggy pvr and pay 35 instead of 20 just to stay current with the new channels is making leaving Shaw a very strong possibility.

no wonder why they lost million(or whatever) tv custumers last year.

I think its the broadcasters providing the signal to shaw in mpeg4. I'm pretty sure that's what happened when Sunday Ticket/Centre Ice moved to mpeg4. I think tha'ts what happened with sportsnet world too.

The broadcasters also save bandwidth and can offer better quality.

I know I prefer watching games on centre ice then on the regular channels. I cringe every time a detroit game is on the regular sportsnet channel.

The only downside of mpeg4 is the old boxes don't support it so there is a direct cost to users for the upgrade.

Thankfully I have a 3400 downstairs which finally has a use for the mpeg4. My 3416 upstairs though has the sound only for Nat Geo Wild 255.

Yet another thing to be confused about - there's grandfathered HD Plus which doesn't include OASIS, then regular HD Plus that does, but you don't get channels like Animal Planet, Bravo and Space in HD unless you have "The Best of HD" and now you may or may not get Nat Geo Wild 255 depending on the model of your digital box.

I personally would prefer a HD Only package which gave choices of all HD, HD with no sports etc.

Don't care if the SD channels have to be included, I just won't watch them...

If I could get all HD without sports and kids programming, I would be a happy camper... Yeah like I will ever go camping again at my age...

But, I would watch HDTV...

I would prefer all HD as well, but wouldn't count on it any time soon. After doing a quick Google search couldn't find anyone offering all HD even in the States.

I think that a large majority of people would like an HD only package. Maybe in 10 years or so?? But in the mean time, The Best of HD, is the closest thing we've got to an HD only package.

I think in Canada a basic amount of channels is required to be carried at a minimum. I think this is why the carriers in Canada are stuck carrying SD (allthough I doubt they'd complain about people being forced to subscribe to the basic channels).

I would imagine at some point most SD channels would be available in HD. It would be redundant to carry the same listing of channels in both SD and HD. It would make more sense to slowly rollout HD boxes (that can downconvert to SD) to everyone a few years before cutting out SD versions of the channels.

Back to my main point, I think the CRTC regulates a certain list of channels be carried by the provider. Up until now I think thats why there has to be some basic SD package attached to additional channels. I have no idea what it would mean if all those basic channels were eventually offered in hd.

Here is what you can get from Dish Network... HD only btw... and check out the price!!! 19.95.... It may be time to circumvent the archaic CRTC....

A&E HD
ABC Family
Animal Planet HD
Big Ten Network2
Biography Channel
Bravo HD
Cartoon Network
CBS College Sports
CNBC HD
CNN HD
Comedy Central HD
Country Music TV HD
Discovery Channel HD
DISH Network ON DEMAND1
DISH Network PAY PER VIEW1
Disney Channel HD
Disney XD HD
Encore
ESPN HD
ESPN2 HD
ESPNEWS HD
Food Network HD
Golf Channel HD
Hallmark Movie Channel
HD Theater
HDNet
HGTV HD
History Channel HD
Lifetime
Lifetime Movie Network
National Geographic
NFL Network HD
Palladia
Planet Green
Science Channel HD
SCI FI Channel HD
Spike HD
TBS in HD
Tennis Channel HD
TLC HD
TNT HD
Travel Channel HD
USA HD
Versus HD
Weather Channel HD
WGN America

All the information I have says that this is not accurate and for that I'm sorry.
We make the information available to all reps at hand and make that information consistent from province to province. The case for human error sometimes does crop up usually when a new channel launches in the initial launch window period as staff get more familiar with the info.

Nat Geo Wild will be the Best of HD package regardless of which price point you pay for Best of HD. Additionally, right now any future plans that include adding new channels to Best of HD will be done so regardless of price point paid for it.

Nat Geo Wild has a stipulation of being an MPEG 4 channel so the requirement of having capable hardware is a must to receive it, also, in some areas - that area must have gone through the DNU to receive it too. Adding new channels does depend on area infrastructure regardless of DNU. DNU is just one way / upgrade that at the moment (from my understanding) is the most effective way of freeing the most space up to deliver new channels.

Nat Geo Wild is on a free preview till June 30th 2012.

I hope this clarifies a few points over the last few posts to help out.