Hello all.

I watch TV regularly and have 2 kids (teenagers) that watch it ... a lot. My TV is 27 inches and seems to be find for evereyone's needs. We generally watch TV for the programming and are less concerned with the technology aspects.

That being said, I don't even have cable right now. An antenea on the roof has provided good service (though sometimes snowy service) for a decade. I would like to have access to a greater number of channels and so the search has begun.

I find cable service to be expensive and several strikes and other technical issues on Montreal's South Shore have made the service less attractive to many. From my window, I can tell you that most of my neighbours have gone the satellite route with Expressvu.

I am looking for perhaps a more economical service and seem to have found that in the return of LookTV. I have been searching the net for comments on the services provided by LookTV. After having been through financial difficulties, the residential service is back and offering a competitive package ccompared to statellite services.

Having found few references to Look on these forums, perhaps I am asking the question to the wrong community. However, I would appreciate any constructive commenst you may have as a LookTV user, someone who used their services in the past, who knows someone who does, etc.

How is the quality of their service over time? Problems with quality in reception? Issues arising with 'line of sight' (I don't know: a new highrise is built in the line of sight)? Overall service record. New channels added. Etc.

Thanks for your comments.

Bernard

From what I know and the facts may have changed so for what its worth.

When I looked last year, Look was not offering as many of the digital channels as cable or satellite. You'll have to decide whether they have the channels you want or not.

Flexibility - Look used to be quite flexible in how you picked your channels which if you just want a few channels, might be a more economical choice.

Is it cheaper? I doubt it. Once again in reviewing the prices last summer, it seems that when comparing similar programming options, the price of cable look and satellite are pretty competitive.

Picture quality is as good or better than cable and satellite.

HDTV is not available.

Regarding Line of sight, like satellite you either get it or you don't. Generally they'll tell you upfront whether you can get it or not.

Hope this helps.

I had LookTV in Toronto for a few years before switching to Rogers Cable. The only reason I switched was due to the introduction of HD channels by Rogers and my purchase of a new HD-capable set. I was overall very pleased with the service and picture quality with LookTV on my old 27" set, and it ended up saving me quite a bit over the years. Here are some random observations about my LookTV experience:

1. Picture quality is pretty good, and I think you'll find it comparable to satellite on a 27" set. I did an A-B comparison with Rogers Cable on a 34" set and clean analog channels on Rogers were best (better horizontal resolution and no compression artifacts), but the digital channels were comparable between the two. It varied a bit, since Rogers' digital channels tend to be a bit inconsistent in their quality. As with all digital (compressed) sources, it is important to calibrate/tweak your TV's settings to minimize the appearance of compression artifacts. This often means: a.) reducing the sharpness control to zero; b.) lowering contrast until pixel macro-blocks (usually found in larger solid/shaded colour patches such as astroturf/grass sports fields) start to disappear; and then c.) lower brightness to a reasonable level, so that blacks are reasonably true without making the picture too dark. If your set has SVM and it can be shut off, do so.

2. At the time I had LookTV, the RCA STB did not have digital audio outputs. If you want DD surround sound for a home theatre, check to see if Look offers a STB with DD output.

3. LookTV offers very few (5, I think) of the new digital channels, due to bandwidth constraints. I only subscribe to one of the new digital channels through Rogers, and in reality I could do without it, so this was not a factor for me. Also, LookTV has a few channels in their basic lineup that are digital channels in Rogers' lineup (e.g. BBC World, Treehouse).

4. Line of sight is required, but I recommend having an installer try finding the signal, even if you think the path to the tower is partially blocked by trees. My street has many trees in the path of the signal from the CN Tower in Toronto, but the installer was able to thread the needle to pick up a good signal. If it's a building in-between, forget it.

5. LookTV's STB has a pretty good IPG, which allows you to delete individual channels from the on-screen guide, unlike Rogers'. This speeds up navigation and channel surfing. You can also set up different profiles for family members (that can optionally be password protected) to limit viewing of certain channels or simply to customize channel choices for each user.

6. Service. The only time I required contacting Look was when I wanted to change my channel line-up (they used to let you pick and choose individual channels) and when I wanted to cancel the service. I didn't have any problems in either case.

If you are going to be using a 27" set for a while and are not interested in the "new digital channels", I think LookTV would be a very good option for you. At $30.95/month for all channels, plus the great deal they now have on the purchase of STBs, it would be my choice if I were in your situation.

Is it cheaper? I doubt it. Once again in reviewing the prices last summer, it seems that when comparing similar programming options, the price of cable look and satellite are pretty competitive.


LookTV is about $15/month cheaper than Roger's comparable UltimateTV lineup. I did a one-page pdf comparison of the two channel line-ups for the Toronto area. If anyone is interested, PM me and I'll email it to you.

Bernard, the Look service is decent enough. If they have the channels you want at the right price then it might be a good choice for you. Just make sure you compare their offering carefully with the competition. Look offers a decent local service, but their selection of out-of-market channels is slim to none. For example, with Star Choice, the basic subscription package gets you 7 channels each of CTV, CBC and Global - all out of different cities and different time zones which allows for "time-shifting". Look just doesn't have the capacity for a comperable offering.

The problem is, once you get a 'taste' of a greater variety of programming, you might just want more and more!

here's Dewi's
PDF File (http://www.digitalhomecanada.com/infoimage/tv_compare.pdf) comparing Look to Rogers Ultimate for those who are interested.

I am not very familiar with the technologies used in microwave (LookTV) or satellite transmission (ExpressVu). Is it true that they can be affected by environmental conditions (bad weather, high humidity)?

I will most likely go with LookTV and I am certain reception will be greatly improved but I am curious.

Thanks,

Bernard.

I've had Look installed here in the store for 2 years now and I've zero recepetion problems. Weather doesn't seem to affect it at all.

I am not very familiar with the technologies used in microwave (LookTV) or satellite transmission (ExpressVu). Is it true that they can be affected by environmental conditions (bad weather, high humidity)?

Look is not affected by weather conditions, although if you have trees near your line-of-sight heavy rain, wind or snow could possibly move branches temporarily in the way causing audio/video dropouts. Satellite is prone to rain fade signal dropouts/interuptions during heavy rains, particulary if you use the smallest size dishes.

The other thing to note is that with these digital transmissions, as long as you're locked on to the signal (i.e., minimum signal strength/quality), picture quality is the same whether you are receiving a high or low signal strength (i.e., PQ at 45% signal strength = PQ at 90% signal strength).

nm

I still love it! I'm a customer since June '99.
Beats Rogers pricing vs Ultimate package.
The only thing is the install price and the price of the STB.
Oh yeah, NO multiple receiver fee like all the other providers.
Get it with High Speed Internet and you'll really save $$$.
Good Luck!

Look is not affected by weather conditions, although if you have trees near your line-of-sight...
This can affect satellite too, of course! I installed Star Choice for a buddy of mine and he's got a huge try about 100 feet away. In the winter, with no leaves on the tree, the reception is perfect. In the summer, it pixelates when the wind is blowing the tree in the right direction. Late summer was particularly brutal this year.