moved wrong forum

This evening the fine people at Shaw simsubbed an SD version of CSI Miami over the CBS HD signal from CBS Detroit. This practice should be illegal and there should be massive fines like in the tens of millions for this kind of mistake. The basic problem is there is no consequence when Shaw or BEV or whomever makes a simsub mistake so they do it constantly and don't seem to care. Until they are made to pay for their mistakes this will never change.

I don't see how they can do any simsubbing expect those that are broadcast in the local market which this was most definitely not.

I am filing a CRTC complaint for all the good that will do.

And that is all we can do, keep on sending complaints to them. I've already done it 3 or 4 times, in regards to all kinds of ridiculous things I've seen, as a result of the stupid simsubbing (HD feed substituted with an SD, DD 5.1 sound downgraded to 2-channel sound, complete chunks of original programming overwritten by a wrong simsub, and most importantly considerably lower quality of both picture and sound).

As a lot of people here said, I don't care which commercials are on, US or Canadian. I'll fast forward through them in most cases, anyway. However, I do care about the quality of the TV signal I'm paying for. And simsubbing most definitely degrades the original US feed.

Superbowl was just wrong this year... inhumane. Nobody understood what was happening.

So I wrote into a local Global affiliate about them always interrupting American networks and not coming up with all their own shows (and I did not mention any specific dates or times or shows - but it was a general statement), and this was their response:

"The problem was with Shaw cable. Apparently a construction firm in Vancouver cut through their cable line. They have restored it to normal. We are sorry for the inconvenience."

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I hope they weren't serious with this response.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I hope they weren't serious with this response.
They are serious, trust me. I used to work at a call center and the vast amount of ignorance and idiocy astounded me. This is probably just a generic templated response regarding totally unrelated issue, and the CSR (customer service rep.) responding to you just skimmed quickly through your email and figured that's what you were talking about.

That's why any time I call a customer service center I demand to speak with the supervisor, because I usually get a different reply to the same question from any number of random CSRs I speak with.

Here's more responses I got when I called a customer service rep:

"Simultaneous substitution - I'm not sure what you are referring to."

"Well, Global and CBS are two different channels, so we can't put them overtop of one another, that is impossible."

"We don't broadcast anything, this is an issue with the channel. Maybe you can contact FOX directly."

The CRTC is now looking at the internet..oh crap!!!!!!!

The CRTC is now looking at the internet..oh crap!!!!!!!

What do they want to do with the Internet?

Here's more responses I got when I called a customer service rep:

"Simultaneous substitution - I'm not sure what you are referring to."

"Well, Global and CBS are two different channels, so we can't put them overtop of one another, that is impossible."

"We don't broadcast anything, this is an issue with the channel. Maybe you can contact FOX directly."

Yup, one gem after another. Lots of times I wonder if they are just ignorant, playing dumb, or just plain stupid. Most likely the combination of the three.

What do they want to do with the Internet?
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5iyaFE03IcbqRh9utsu-Ttr4k53Sg

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5iyaFE03IcbqRh9utsu-Ttr4k53Sg


Can we discuss that here or do we need a new thread? There was an article today about this in the Star today too...

Regulate internet, CRTC told (http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/588649)

It is likely time to call your local MP and/or the CRTC and tell them NO WAY!

It is likely time to call your local MP and/or the CRTC and tell them NO WAY!

It's not really "regulation". The media is just turning it into a dog and pony show. All they're talking about is adding a surcharge to internet bills to fund Cancon online from what I've seen.

In theory I'd support this but in actuality I'd bet they'll just shovel the money into the pockets of CTV and Global (go bust already!) so we'd see the same flotsam we're seeing on Canadian cable now.

What do you want to bet that CTV will bring back Canadian Idol as a web show if this happened?

It is likely time to call your local MP and/or the CRTC and tell them NO WAY!
Don't online petitions work better? I think they've succeed a couple of times. Calling your MP I think has worked once.

Pardon my sarcasm but has there ever been any evidence the CRTC cares what the citizenry wants?

Quick story on a complaint I made to the CRTC. Over a month ago, I filled out an online complaint form with several examples of Canadian channels simsubbing in the Windsor area where there are no broadcast towers thus making it illegal to simsub our feeds. After going back and forth to provide all the required details, they finally wrote back informing me that they had sent an order to Cogeco that they were to respond directly to me with a copy to the CRTC regarding my complaint within 3 weeks. Pretty standard from what i've seen from previous posts.

After waiting a month, I received no respose from Cogeco and notified the CRTC by making an addition to the complaint file. They reply stating

Thank you for again taking the time to contact us.

Our normal procedure when a three week response deadline is not met, is to send out a reminder to the licensee - in this case Bell ExpressVu. In the event a reminder has to be sent, our procedure is we send the reminder and give the company no grace period - all correspondence goes directly on the public file. While there is nothing we can do to force a company to respond it is in their best interests to do so as such correspondence may be examined by all interested parties and taken under consideration at license renewal time.




So basically, they will take a complaint, tell the provider there is a complaint and then hope the provider can bother to reply. At which point there is nothing else they can do??! But we'll put this all up somplace and it might become relevant come licence renewal time. In the mean time they can continue to disobey CRTC regulations and they will do nothing about it.

I wrote back pointing out that they had my carrier wrong which they claim is a typo and they did notify Cogeco, I also asked if what I read in their respose was actually correct, that they really can't do anything to make a carrier follow CRTC regs. or to even require a carrier to respond to a complaint filed through the CRTC and their reply today was, that "they had nothing else to add to their previous response."

If I had any doubt about the effectiveness of this bunch or bureaucrats I don't now.

My experience with CRTC was very similar to yours. If they cannot, or will not do anything when someone disobeys their regulations, what is the purpose of their existence? Sad, very sad!

CRTC is just spending our tax dollars and does nothing for the people. I had complaints to them previously and CRTC just simply respond saying it is not their issue.

Well it's been 2 months and it seems like Cogeco is not going to respond to the CRTC's order to answer my complaint, and the CRTC has informed me that they don't have the power to make Cogeco reply. Nor do they seem inclined to enforce their own regulations. So it appears the only other avenue I have is to complain to my MP. His response was that he's going to contact both parties on my behalf and forward their replies. I'm wondering if anyone else has complained to an MP and what happened?

I complained to my MP, and he finally followed up on my complaints. But then all I got was a letter back from the Chief of Staff for the Minister of Canadian Heritage, stating that the CRTC put in this simsub rule so that the Canadian culture could be strengthed.

Of course... there's nothing more Canadian than watching Tim Horton's ads during American Idol.

/\ lol... and Canadian Budweiser commercials during the Super Bowl.