Hi there everyone,

I'm fairly new to Rogers Digital Cable but needless to say was very disappointed upon seeing the guide that Rogers is currently using at least in the St John's, NL area. I looked on the prevue.com website and saw that they offer four products, the Tan, Blue, i-Guide and Starsight as far as TV Guides go. WI wrote Rogers Customer Service on it and simply got back the we are sorry you are displeased... blah blah blah...we are happy to have addressed your issue... Where else in Atlantic Canada is the Tan guide being used or is this a standard across the Maritimes? And when will Rogers realize that they are way behind everyone else when it comes the the quality both from a visual and efficiency perspective offered in the guide compared to other providers?

All across NB and NL... Sorry.

I got so tired of waiting, all of my TV viewing is run through Windows MCE HTPCs. I haven't used a Rogers OSD since March of this year.

As to it changing, if the not so new DCT6412 is ever released to us, it is possible that there will be changes on all of the STBs but given Rogers track record out here, don't hold your breath on that.

How does one get "Windows MCE HTPCs" to work? I have heard a bit about it and would like to try it myself, but how? Can you help me get started? Maybe a web link?

Thanks

First, start by reading through my epilogue that I started (and still add to) in regards to building an HTPC:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=42122

Outside of that, MCE 2005 is super easy to set up. So easy, that for the most part, the wizards are all you need.

You can get OEM licenses of MCE 2005 from here if you don't already have one:

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=20094&vpn=M93-00294&manufacture=Microsoft

And where the best feature that is available is a Rogers NB thing, I will add it in this post as well.

If you have a 6200 or a 6208 (or 64xx :)) in NB/NL, you can use the firewire port on the back to control the channel changing and to also record the actual MPEG2 stream. This means that you can record the HDTV channels to the HTPC. The only two real annoyances are that you still need an analog tuner card and you cannot watch the firewire signal as a live TV source. But hey, if you are recording everything, who cares about #2?

ve9arb, I am not the DHC uber-expert on MCE setups, but feel free to PM me or follow up in the thread that I started as I have spent a great deal of time on MCE over the last year and have most likely had the bulk of the common problems or likely know how to avoid or fix them.

So what is the big issue with Rogers not upgrading and for those that have had digital cable for a while, how long has Rogers been using the tan guide? Is another guide being used outside of NB and NL?

Pretty much every major cable system (and even small systems) are using the iGuide.

I am very surprised to hear that the tan guide is still being used by Rogers. Even my crappy cable company (Source Cable) has made the switch to iGuide.

It's possible that they may be delaying because they plan to use Passport DCT (regular terminals) and Passport Echo for the DCT6208, 6412 and 6416. Passport is designed by Pioneer and they are the same people that make the common guide for the Scientific Atlanta receivers.

It's possible that they may be delaying because they plan to use Passport DCT (regular terminals) and Passport Echo for the DCT6208, 6412 and 6416. Passport is designed by Pioneer and they are the same people that make the common guide for the Scientific Atlanta receivers.

Same thought but damn, it has been 2+ years that a dual tuner and guide change has been "in the works"!!! ARGH!:mad:

Has anyone else here ever complained to Rogers through their customer service department about the guides? I mean I'm from Lewisporte myself, and even Persona has a much better guide than Rogers does....that is rediculous....for such a large cable provider to have such poor quality there....I guess it mimics their concern for upgrading cell coverage in the province too...

that is rediculous....for such a large cable provider to have such poor quality there....I guess it mimics their concern for upgrading cell coverage in the province too...

And that is why I do not bother to complain...

I think that most of us that are regular users of this forum and all sub-forums for atltantic canada, that complaining to Rogers about anything that concerns the "user" falls on deaf ears. As long as Rogers is collecting their service fees from us every month then it does not matter to them. But really burns my a$$ is the fact that they tell "us" that changes are comming like the "corner box" and guide changes but we have been hearing about why this can't happen and why that can't happen. It's all bs to me as they could make the changes happen they just rather not. Why else would we be waiting 2+ years for the "corner box" They say its someone else's problem yet that box has from what I hear been replaced by and please don't yell, by the 6216. So other parts of Canada are already using new moto equipment but we still get stuck with the junk. How about that guide change now, why can't we have the iGuide? Who's problem it that, because it can't be rogers problem other wise we might already have it.:mad:

I think its time for the atlantic customers to revolt and demand a change to the tan guide. We deserve better and it would be nice to be able to see the show your watching while checking out the guide listings . You can do this on Bell and i'm sure Rogers can provide something more visually appealing for sure. Anyone have any new thoughts or news to offer concerning this ?:confused:

If you have a standard SD Motorola STB in the Maritimes or NFLD, you get the tan guide product.

If you have a HD Motorola PVR unit in the Maritimes or NFLD, you get the 'blue guide' product.

An upgrade to the "iGuide" is required for us to get the dual tuner Motorola HD-PVR to function properly. Apparently the rumor we're hearing is that Prevue wants them to upgrade ALL OF ONTARIO to the Scientific Atlanta equivalent of iGuide as well.. in order to upgrade the Maritimes.

Of course that would cost more and Rogers ain't down with that.

The biggest difference between the 'Blue Guide' and the 'iGuide' is that the iGuide allows for picture in picture while viewing certain screens of the TV listings. Also you can pull up a 'mini guide' at the bottom of the screen. Those are both 'nice to have' ideas but not a huge dealbreaker for the most part.

An inside look at the iGuide software and how it functions can be found in this customer guide from Lynx cable..

http://cable-lynx.net/pdf/i-Guide%20Quick%20Reference.pdf

This is of course all rumor and conjecture.. but I don't doubt it much.

If you're running a standard definition Motorola set top box, you can always order up a TIVO from the states and allow it to control your Motorola box. The recording features, on screen guide presentation and guide data accuracy blow the Rogers stuff away. You still need the Motorola box .. but at least you aren't held prisoner by their guide.

You can do the same with the HD-PVR (and I do) but then I haven't purchased my HD TV set yet... so no big loss.

J

Far be it for me to suggest you should not complain to Rogers if you are not satisified with the television service received. I certainly hear your frustration on "pre-announcements" which drift into vapourware -- like a dual tuner HD PVR for the Maritimes.

But I would like to point out that, despite the downsides, there have been a lot of upsides in the past 24 months -- to pick a time-frame. Rogers On Demand and several related services are up and running providing more choice than anywhere else in Canada. If I look at the major NB cities and check out the HD list, it's almost identical to Toronto. In fact, the main thing you don't get are a bunch of multicultural channels -- and you get a few more French channels in return.

If Rogers were a static company, collecting your fees without improving the product, I'd be more sympathetic. But the reality is there are significant, ongoing upgrades including stuff like On Demand which is totally awesome, changing the way I watch TV -- especially TMN. I like to browse through MTV On Demand -- a channel I would never watch in real time. And, hey, call me crazy, but just the addition of Turner Classic Movies last month and HDNet the month before that made 2006 a winning year.

Not all of this is available in the "rural" areas, I expect, but for the majority of customers living in major NB cities Moncton, Fredericton and Saint John, things are continually being upgraded.