Thanks for the link DelsterX.

It looks like we will still have to pay for tier 1 with TSN though even though they expect us to pay extra for TSN HD. At the bottom of the TSN write-up it says it is only available if you have regular TSN as well. Now... how stupid is that? We have to pay to get the channel and then pay extra to get it in HD. If I have to pay for the HD then so be it - but I don't want to pay for the crappy SD as well if that's the case.

Their HD Plus package at $9 / month is going to look a lot more lucrative when they add:

Showcase HD
National Geographic HD

So your getting all of these channels for $9 in HD (you need the original SD channel):

TSN HD
Sportsnet HD
CTV HD (CTV Vancouver in MB and ON / CTV Toronto in AB and BC)
Discovery HD
A&E HD
Showcase HD
National Geo HD

A&E HD is on BEV but I am wondering if BEV will pick up Showcase & National Geo HD? I am sure Shaw HD is carrying these channels.. I could but it would take a long time to dig up the actual original Shaw posting on these channels.

I've had my HDTV for around 2 weeks now and really find the PQ varies in HD for sports viewing. Anybody else find this??

ESPN-TSN ...Monday night football looks fantastic. TSN HD hockey games also look great, but some CFL programming has been blocky.

Fox Sports- MLB and NFL look great

ABC- Only really watched college football and it looks great

CBS- College football and NFL are pretty good, but I find some macroblocking to it and not the depth that comes from an ESPN-MNF game.

NBC- by far the worst of the HD for sports. The Sunday night football game was poor and not really clear during movement like the other stations. College football was even worse, where I would rather watch it on digital SD channel.

CBC- Hockey looked really good, but not as good as TSN to me. Even upconverted cycling this weekend looked pretty decent.

Why is it that NBCHD sports displays this lack of clarity, macroblocking and seems like the pic is constantly catching up??? Something I can do or just deal with it?

Al58, as much as we like to blame Shaw for everything.. sometimes its the originating feed.

Shaw gets the channel and compresses if it needs to.. your problems don't sound like compression issues.

If your concerned about the issues call up the ABC Detroit HD station and complain their.

Just wanted to make it clear that all HD problems are not always due to the provider :)

Al58, as much as we like to blame Shaw for everything.. sometimes its the originating feed.

Shaw gets the channel and compresses if it needs to.. your problems don't sound like compression issues.

If your concerned about the issues call up the ABC Detroit HD station and complain their.

Just wanted to make it clear that all HD problems are not always due to the provider :)

I am aware that its not always a Shaw problem. Also, I have no problems with ABC, I really like the quality of their HD broadcast, it would have to be NBC in Spokane/Seattle to complain to.

I was asking if there is anything I can do, or just have to deal with the fact that NBC HD is inferior to the rest of the major networks.

Thanks,

Is there a way for a Movie central(through Shaw) subscriber to request them to air some music-concerts from artists like Pink-Floyd Pulse or Sarah Brightman or Shania Twain etc..

Sonisame

That would be awesome in HD, but I refuse to pay for their crappy PPV or on Demand quality.

Shaw needs HD on demand very badly... sigh

Yes I meant HD only. There are many live concerts which are worthy of HD broadcast..

Sonisame

Austin City Limit on PBS. Set a series recording and you won't be disappointed.

why is the tsn-hd channel (#308) down

I want my MNF God damnit!

TSN-HD is fine here in Saskatoon. I've been watching the game since it started.

308, 307, 309 all down.... should I reboot my tuner?

They are down for me too.. And i'm missing half of my guide info aswell

I just received a letter from Shaw regarding the introduction of Shaw HD Plus. Some of you received your letters before some of the channels first appeared in late August. I first saw the new channels in late September but have just now received the letter. If I had to wait for Shaw to keep me informed I would not be aware of a lot of channels I am currently receiving or were to find a lot of them. Grouse, grouse.

One thing different in my letter from what has been posted is that the launch date for National Geographic HD and Showcase HD is promised in December rather than November.

Ok, its been almost 48 hours & ALL of the shaw HD channels in edmonton & some digital channels are down. My guide does not work, it says I have no fav programs when I do ... I called shaw & they admitted that its a software problem on their end...... Almost 48 hours later & its still down



how can they be so incompetent

This thread is too large for me to scan to learn if what I write below has been discussed. So I hope I'm not being redundant.

I hardly watch any Shaw, but have an HD PVR box. (Probably the first one sold in Vancouver. 2 days before the last summer Olympics, I waited in the HQ office for the truck to bring them in, took the first one off the pallet, paid and left.)

I don't even know what package I have, but I get all the current HD channels except for Movie Central. I do watch some NFL games in HD, but little else. I don't watch any network programming at all. PBS and Discovery look OK. A&E is a joke compared to what it used to be.

Here's my issue. I faintly recall that Shaw sent out a message to the effect that in January they were going to be charging extra for HD programming. Am I remembering correctly? What I was told before is that if my package gets the non-HD channel, then the corresponding HD channel would be included for free.

If Shaw starts charging extra for these channels, then I am an ex-customer. I will never pay for a service/program that I cannot record. Although I haven't tried recently, I have been advised that it is no longer possible to record the HD channels.

I did use the PVR and Firewire jack to record about 20 hours of HD programming from the last Olympics onto D-VHS tape in 1080i format. I have recorded a few other programs occasionally, but in general am unable to detect much difference between DVDs and these HD broadcasts. E.g., I recorded a few episodes of "Alias" in 1080i, but when I purchased the disk set for the season, the quality of the DVDs looked about the same as the 1080i D-VHS to me.

If Shaw, or any carrier, blocks the recording of a signal, then I refuse to pay for said program (and become an ex-customer).

How do others feel about this idea of a boycott? Basically I refuse to go back to 1979, the era preceding the introduction of the Betamax. A PVR doesn't cut it for me. They aren't big enough and will shortly be exhibiting behaviours I disdain (blocking fast forwarding of commercials, changing of channels, automatic erasing of recorded programs, etc. You purchase the PVR, but Shaw controls it for their benefit. Good deal!).

(For that matter I have strong opinions regarding the Shaw PRV as well. I bought the device. I own it. I don't believe that Shaw has the right to send ads downstream to a device I own. These ads are like the insidious pop-ups in your computer browser. Similarly I would rather not have a Program Guide at all, than have one with ads in it.)

I think someone has confused you. You're right about having to pay for SOME (not all) of the HD channels. It will be $9 a month starting in January. If you just want sports channels (TSN and Rogers Sportsnet) in HD, you'll be able to get it for as little as $3 a month provided you have both the non HD version of those channels in your cable lineup. But where does this thing about not being able to record HD come from?? I record HD virtually every day. Like a lot of people, I have issues with Shaw--but that's not one of them.

I just popped in a D-VHS tape and successfully recorded about a minute on each of several HD channels in 1080i via the Firewire. Playback was OK, but the Firewire seems to lose a little of the signal when compared to the CV I use for normal TV connection from the Shaw box. (Maybe I should invest more $ in a superior Firewire cable.)

So for now it is possible to record HD programs in their native format. I was under the impression that this was disallowed. Perhaps if I try again in Primetime I shall obtain different results.

Or perhaps my D-VHS recorder lacks a certain chip that my newer DVD recorders seem to have. A chip that stops them from recording programs in 480i via S-Video connectivity when said recorders receive a signal they interpret as "record blocking".

Regardless, I expect that when it counts (e.g., when I really want to record a program), recording of 1080i will be disabled.

I noticed another thread about recording HD and it is a litany of people bemoaning their inability to record. SC=1 et al.

Nevertheless, my attitude towards such restrictions remains unchanged. If I pay for a program, I expect to be able to record if, should I desire to do so. If that ability is restrained, then I shall not pay.

Hopefully if enough people manifest a similar attitude, then money will talk louder than random grumblings to technical support.

D-VHS decks are 5C compliant and will allow a recording when 5C=1 however you will only be able to record live programming on HD channels that are 5C=1. If you try to record to the D-VHS deck from a recorded program that is 5C=1 it likely will not work.

Well its November. Does anybody know when in November this will be launching on Shaw?