One other question, on my DCT6200 when you hit HD channel services it says:
CBSED CBS east
FOXED FOX east
so on and so on
(does that mean CBS west and such are coming as well-HD timeshifts?)

Update- my 6412 now says this as well.

Typical Shaw, give us TSN-HD one day after the last HD hockey game of the year on TSN.

Yeah, but also 6 days before the first FIFA World Cup game.

This is true, kudos for that but soccer is not hockey either. But it probably looks pretty sweet in hi-def.

Hey guys,

I just hooked up my HD box yesterday, here in Edmonton. When I was on the phone with the Shaw guy flashing the firmware, etc, the rep said Shaw was getting 6 more HD channels by the end of this year.

He says haven't released the names of the stations they're adding, but the entire sales team was briefed to this effect. Apparently they've secured 1 channel already & in final negotiations with the other 5.

All 6 new HD channels are proposed to be added Nov-Dec 2006 timeframe!

Does anyone have a good guess as to what these channels would be?

All 6 new HD channels are proposed to be added Nov-Dec 2006 timeframe!

What they should be doing first is to drop most of the analog channels and compress less their HD. Right now the HD quality on Shaw is DVD-upconverted-like.

What they should be doing first is to drop most of the analog channels and compress less their HD. Right now the HD quality on Shaw is DVD-upconverted-like.
Yes, I'm curious as to how Shaw plans to add 6 more HD channels...don't get me wrong, more is better, but I just can't see how they can add any more without some serious compromises.

I've noticed a decrease in HD quality in the short time I've had my HD set (since Feb '06). I hope they don't decrease it any more.

I appreciate your enthusiasm randomdude, but as rumors of new channels seem to be re-surfacing, after several months of NOTHING, make no mistake about it:

DO NOT BELIEVE anything coming from Shaw until it's actually there. Shaw does a very good job doing "damage control".

They seem to hit one brick wall after another when it comes to adding channels. Since the addtion of CBC HD last fall, they have done nothing. Now, with the summer months coming, many people are starting to think about the next tv season.

Another wave of customers will start shopping for HDTVs, so Shaw will once again look like a joke to those looking to get HD compared to other providers.

Hmmm, how to get around this problem: Oh yeah, let's start telling our customers we're going to add more channels before the end of the year. Of course, we have no idea how we're going to add them since we have no bandwidth (unless we furter compress the bit rate of those so-called HD channels, in which case they now become no better than digital channels). We also (as you said in your post) haven't secured those channels. Let's wait until November to approach those networks. There's plenty of time to negotiate. Of course, when we fail to add those channels, we'll tell our customers it's the CRTC's fault or we'll say that we have to give notices to the carriers or make up some other excuses.

Last year, Shaw was supposed to go from 6 to 12 channels. They went from 6 to 9.

I'd rather know when and which I'm getting for a couple of new channels instead of someone promising the moon knowing full well they can't deliver.

In Calgary (The Toronto of the Shaw World), the bandwidth seems be here, and it looks like they are testing bandwidth above Channel 111.

I see they now testing channel 123 subchannels for digital music.(They also exist on Channel 57 & 58.) I believe blaming bandwidth is no longer a large market excuse Shaw can use (it now falls into the same category as blaming the CRTC).

I also believe channel availability is mostly contracts (including channel bundling/ price per channel), testing and marketing at this point. Shaw tries to compete on Customer Service and Bundling... they don't try to compete with Sat-TV, because that would diminish the value of Starchoice.

As we have learnt a long time ago from Shaw... expect nothing until the day it shows up on your tuner... but Hey, it is also fun to speculate.
STAY TUNED!

I think its deplorable that they are saying it's going to be November 2006 at the earliest before any more HD shows up. Even my small cable company in Hamilton (Source Cable) has more then Shaw.

In terms of compressing HD channels, thats pretty much the norm on most cable systems. Rogers is the only one that doesn't. Cogeco, Source Cable, Videotron, Mountain Cable and ACI Cable all remux their HD channels.

I see they now testing channel 123 subchannels for digital music.(They also exist on Channel 57 & 58.) I believe blaming bandwidth is no longer a large market excuse Shaw can use (it now falls into the same category as blaming the CRTC).

So if the bandwidth is already available, how do you explain the loss of quality
on the HD channels? Its embarrassing when I show my friends some HD channels
and it looks soo bad and pixelated :/.

I hope when these new channels are added, the quality doesn't reduce any
further.

Good point, Flyte.

Further to that, I wonder why we keep hearing so much bandwidth is available, yet 50% of the time, when I press VOD on my 6412, it says it's unavailable.

BigOrangeT or T for short: Three things help your area get the choice that Shaw doesn't have.
1- Big population base and high density. Shaw has 4 provinces with relatively less density to upgrade.
2- Source didn't have the self-imposed infrastructure deficit that Shaw created during their belt tightening of the late 90's.
3- They can directly tap off of Rogers' fibre line and use Cancom and ExpressVu. Shaw is limited (by choice) to their own BigPipe fibre and Cancom.

Flyte: Loss of quality is due to compression - what was 2 channels per QAM (pre- FoxHD/ Omnibus HD channel days) is now 3 per analog channel. The compression was forced when they had to go from 6 to 9 channels to keep us early adopters happy. However, at that time the bandwidth was only available for 3 QAMs and they made the choice to split the bandwidth further. My guess is they will continue to go with quantity over quality when more bandwidth is freed up and the eventual shift to 100% digital.

pcouture: I am only reporting what I see happening in Calgary... not sure what is going on up the road in Edmonton.

Maybe your area has not been upgraded yet and it is your area we are waiting for in order to get channel upgrades. Also, maybe older areas of Calgary can't receive above channel 111 (and thus it is limited by bandwidth). I DON'T KNOW, I can't take my PC around the province to different people's homes to find out.

However, since this is a forum for discussion, I thought it would be informative to let others know they are at least testing (but not yet implementing) more of the spectrum at least to my area of the city.

I appreciate the feedback and maybe collectively we can see some trends that will unlock the clues to what cards Shaw is holding, since they seem to fire anybody who posts any real info from the inside.

Thanks for the info clay.

I guess the good news is: Shaw is definitely reading these forums.

Smile everyone, we're on camera :)

I guess the good news is: Shaw is definitely reading these forums.

...heh.. if they took these forums seriously, they would give a serious effort in
convincing Motorola to issue them a firmware that allowed us to upgrade the HD
or use the external SATA ports!

I mean come on.. why not?

I'm guessing that Motorola creates / updates firmware based upon Shaw's
requirements (see Shaw screen saver), so why not press the expandable HD
issue with Shaw so they could get Motorola to allow it. I don't think us
6412 owners could pull this off by complaining to Motorola directly.

Won't work because Motorola wants you to buy it's "NEW AND IMPROVED" models featuring "gigantic" 160 GB HDDs! With crippled SATA ports included! :) So you can buy 2007's model with the nifty 180 GB HDD!!! And so on and so on...

I'm guessing that Motorola creates / updates firmware based upon Shaw's
requirements (see Shaw screen saver), so why not press the expandable HD
issue with Shaw so they could get Motorola to allow it. I don't think us
6412 owners could pull this off by complaining to Motorola directly.

I beleive the way it works is Motorola create the 'core' firmware (low-level drivers etc.), Prevue Interactive produce the 'operating system' (the IPG itself) and give Shaw (and other companies using the I-guide) customization software to brand the IPG to their specific needs (logos, adverts etc.)

Whether Motorola adding support for larger drives and eSATA would simply 'just work' or Prevue would need to alter the I-guide in some way to include support I simply don't know.

Does anyone have a picture of the circuit board for a Phase III 6412? Looking up the various chips in the unit would be interesting to see if there's any hardware limitation for the size of drives in the unit. I suspect though it's just a firmware limit. Who in thier right mind in this day and age would build a SATA chip with a 160GB limit?

I see that HDNet will now be available in Canada. Does anyone know if there is any chance shaw will be picking up this channel?

I'm starting to become frustrated with their lack of support for new HD channels.

I was very pleased to learn tonight that the Bomber game on the TSN HD channel was not blacked out. I thought for sure it would be blacked out since I'm in wpg, Yet the game on TSN analog was indeed blacked out..

I've been noticing that here in Winnipeg Shaw is now advertising the HD box with the easy pay plan on the radio and also in other venues. I don't recall ever seeing much advertising for the HD or dvr box before. Hopefully it's a sign that they will starting on getting more HD channels.

I was very pleased to learn tonight that the Bomber game on the TSN HD channel was not blacked out. I thought for sure it would be blacked out since I'm in wpg, Yet the game on TSN analog was indeed blacked out..
I believe that is because the tsn HD feed we get in winnipeg is actually the feed from Calgary. Last week the Edmonton and Calgary game was blacked out here in winnipeg.