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The new "Bell Satellite TV On-Demand"

35K views 52 replies 35 participants last post by  17671 
#1 ·
Looks like it's coming soon but only to 94xx receivers. So for the 9242 or 6xxx we're out of luck:

What is Bell Satellite TV On Demand and how do I use it? : What is Satellite TV On Demand?

Arrggg.... this really sucks as to watch on-demand with Bell we either need to use the sucky quality computer based old on-demand service (until that gets discontinued) or have a 94xx receiver. No AppleTV, Chromecast, or Roku apps as far as I can tell. Am I missing something?

I don't care to watch via a computer (please don't sell me on the merits of an HTPC) but this might finally be the straw that gets me to pull the plug on BTV once and for all after 15 years of service. Unless I'm overlooking something major??? What I really want is the Canadian equivalent of the US apps such as HBO GO where as long as you enter in your cable/sat account info, the apps are free, high quality, and work on TV devices including all three that I mentioned previously.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Just a quick update to my post above.

I contacted bell (three times) and the second agent stated:

"Unfortunately, your PVR's software has not been updated yet. You have nothing to worry about. The updates is still ongoing and rest assured that your software will be updated."

The third agent said something completely different:

"That was the website ad, but currently, it is not yet available on satellite TV receivers."

Has anybody received the updated software?
 
#11 ·
I got it late last week and would rather not have. The HD 'normal' aspect ratio switches to some weird letterboxed squashed format almost every time when you go in and out of the guide or PVR. Have to cycle through the HD aspect ratios to restore it. Also, the character generator for the guide and info overlay is terrible - text is now all spindly and looks like some bad anti-aliasing implementation. :frown
 
#16 ·
Also, the character generator for the guide and info overlay is terrible - text is now all spindly and looks like some bad anti-aliasing implementation.
It seems that I have this problem here too,

I got it late last week and would rather not have. The HD 'normal' aspect ratio switches to some weird letterboxed squashed format almost every time when you go in and out of the guide or PVR. Have to cycle through the HD aspect ratios to restore it.
but not this.
 
#15 ·
Speak of the devil, I got home from work and the new on demand service was available on my 9400. No issues yet to speak of and I like that I can choose my streaming quality. Also nice that Crave TV is there. One thing I did notice was that the guide (the program guide, not just the on demand guide) had much smoother fonts. Immediately noticeable on my TV. Anyone else notice this? Not like it was horrible before, but it looked "rough". I didn't think this update was for anything more than TV on demand .
 
#17 ·
I have the same thing with the font in the guide. I also noticed the black levels on the 9400 receiver have increased as well, not just on the guide but on the programming as well. Things on my tv (OLED) are looking washed out. Black levels in the guide which were great now match the cheap LED we have in our bedroom and it is not the tv.
 
#18 ·
My basement 9241 PVR is still on the old V249 firmware and the 9241 in the family room just got upgraded to V338.

I knew something was different because the font and kerning changed marginally on the living room receiver. So I went into the menu and discovered the new TV on Demand menu. I think it's pretty neat that they managed to cram new Internet streaming functionality into a receiver that originally only used its Ethernet port for minor signalling. I am guessing the other one will get updated eventually.

Is it a reasonable guess that this update is only reaching receivers that are already connected to the Internet?
 
#21 ·
Just noticed this on my 9241 this morning. Looks good so far. My only complaint is that the menu seems to be slow to respond to remote commands which results in a lot of overshooting due to extra button pushing. I'll have to exercise patience.

One thing, the first time I tried to watch something it said that my system/internet didn't support HDCP and therefore wouldn't work (of course it did). Next time I tried it worked fine. I'll report back if I discover anything new.

Kudos to Bell for delivering what they promised. Now I can finally take advantage of CraveTV.
 
#22 ·
The new firmware v358 was installed on my 9400 last night. A few observations so far:

1) The On Demand iTV button/menu option is now available. The selection of movies is rather uninspiring and probably not worth the bandwidth, IMO.

2) The new version is causing some problems with my Monoprice HDMI splitter. I've had to power-cycle the splitter, the extension TVs and the 9400 a few times to get the signal through. If I power off an extension TV for an hour or so then power it on, there is no signal. I don't know if v358 is doing something new with the HDMI signal, or if there is a problem elsewhere in my setup. HDMI with HDCP and splitters can be tricky to configure.

3) I didn't notice any changes to the guide fonts. However, when I perform a search, the "HD" indicator next to the channel name is very difficult to see unless you highlight the channel. Dark grey lettering on a black background doesn't stand out well.

4) My search history was trashed by the update. Most of the entries became blank or partial entries of just a few letters.
 
#23 ·
Seems to be working here in SE BC. I tried on-demand last night and it told me I needed 2+ mps to work (I have 5+). But, this AM it seems to be okay with the same connection. No idea what that means :)

But, since the update the skip-forward arrow on the remote seems to be quite sluggish. Hope they can fix that!
 
#24 ·
Now that my parents' receiver and mine have both had the update for a week - my parents' receiver is at least daily having issues where the picture will freeze up and the audio continues, and the receiver becomes completely unresponsive. It then has to be power cycled. Sometimes the problems continue after the power cycle and it has to be cycled again.

I know this is similar to hardware problems others have reported before the update, but in our case this receiver never had any issues until the update. Is it possible somehow the updated caused this problem?
 
#25 · (Edited by Moderator)
PVR can now stream On Demand thru Internet

Noticed this new feature if you press the iTV button just below the fast forward button on the remote. You can now stream shows and movies thru the internet via your PVR for real on demand. I'm streaming some Treehouse on demand for the kids right now.

You can also set your quality in setting to manage bandwidth usage.

Very cool!!!

What is Bell Satellite TV On Demand and how do I use it? : What is Satellite TV On Demand?
 
#27 ·
The new "Bell Satellite TV On-Demand"

I'm still not sure what makes the 9242 incapable of running this? I called Bell and was told that because the 9242 is old & obsolete it can't work with On Demand. I said so is the 9241 as you can't buy one new and hasn't been sold in stores for over 2 years. It's also old & obsolete I said. To which had no answer.
 
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