We cancelled MC recently because of all the lame content on the HD channel. It's just not worth it for us. The trigger was the BEV price increase - something had to go and it was awfully easy to single out MC as having the least value.

dbarron, you may want to send MC a note about that. They've lost you as a customer, but they won't know it (or the reasons) unless you tell them. It may help some of the rest of us if their service improves.

Gord

From Movie Central:

Dear Viewer,

Thank you for your email. We always enjoy hearing from our viewers and your comments are important to us.

The Dolby Digital audio encoding used on all our High Definition programming allows for multi-channel audio, otherwise known as surround sound, which provides for an optimal viewing experience for our viewers. However, High Definition transmission is an evolving technology, and as the audio signal is processed seperately from the video signal (not locked directly to the video signal) this creates the possibility for a drift between the audio and the video signal paths.

While it is difficult to say where this drift is occurring, be assured that we recognize this issue can be frustrating for our viewers and our Engineering Department is currently taking steps to minimize the problem in all of the transmission paths. As the technology used in the origination and delivery of this format matures, we are confident that the possibility of this occurring will be eliminated.

That said, we will continue to closely monitor our HD audio signals to ensure they are leaving our facility as synchronized as possible.

Thank you for being a Movie Central subscriber.

Regards,

Movie Central Viewer Relations Department

From the CRTC:

Dear Mr. J:
Thank you for taking the time to contact the CRTC regarding technical problems with the high definition service on Movie Central as provided by Shaw.

Your concerns have been duly noted. In light of your concerns, I have directed your comments to Shaw and Movie Central, requesting both Companies to assist you in resolving your concerns.

I have noted your comments and would like to thank you for sharing your observations with the Commission. In answer to your question, there are no set deadlines for the switch to digital television, including for HDTV. The Commission has determined that a voluntary model that would develop at a pace set by the marketplace, rather than a transition model based on mandated deadlines, would be the more appropriate approach for the Canadian broadcasting system. Here is a link to our relevant public notice:

http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Notices/2002/pb2002-31.htm

I trust this information will assist you.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please do not reply to this message using the email address indicated above as we cannot receive e-mail at this address. To reply or to add to your submission, please click here and follow the prompts: http://www.crtc.gc.ca/rapidsccm/landing.asp?lang=E&caseid=331335&key=39364.9811623457

Sincerely,

Cheryl Grossi
CRTC Client Services

1-877-249-2782 / télécopieur/facsimile (819) 994-0218
Conseil de la radiodiffusion et des télécommunications canadiennes / Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N2
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission / Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N2
Gouvernement du Canada / Government of Canada

we should all take a moment and call Shaw about MCHD1 and the fact that it's been OUT OF SYNC for months.

Amen to that pcouture. I've complained about the synch problem frequently, but with no success. Perhaps more complaints would help.

Jesse, you'll probably get a response from a VP at Corus, at least that's who responded to my concerns when I reported them to the CRTC.

Gord

Your best course of action for the MC problems is to file a complaint with the CRTC. Movie Central HAS to respond to the complaint - my response came from a VP at Corus.

http://www.crtc.gc.ca/RapidsCCM/Register.asp?lang=E

Gord

Well I called Shaw yesterday to complain about MC HD having lip synch issues and the TSR told me they know about this problem and MC is currently fixing it. I also told him that I haven't been watching this channel for the past 2 months due to this annoying problem and he told me he had written down some notes on my account so that when this problem is fixed, I can call in and get some sort of credits. How much credits? Guess we'll find out when it's fixed.

I am a Starchoice customer and I noticed the problems with MCHD back in late November/early December. I phoned the Movie Central office in Toronto and registered a complaint in early December. Someone from Movie Central phoned me back in a few days to tell me that they were aware of the problems and that they were working on them. It was so frustrating trying to watch a movie with audio and video synch problems that I eventually cancelled my subscription to the Movies. I see that not much has happened in the last almost 2 months.
You will have to get more vocal with your complaints if you want to see any improvement.

Your best course of action for the MC problems is to file a complaint with the CRTC. Movie Central HAS to respond to the complaint - my response came from a VP at Corus.

http://www.crtc.gc.ca/RapidsCCM/Register.asp?lang=E

Gord
Complaint sent. I urge anyone reading this thread to do so as well.

I also filed a complaint with the CRTC today.

I will also be asking for a credit for this channel, if nothing more, to make Shaw realize they need to deliver a watchable product in order to get paid for it.

I've filed my complaints with Shaw and the CRTC. The Audio problems have been discussed here at length.
At this point, it looks like the only way to go is to cancel my subscription. If enough of us do the same, perhaps there may be some urgency from MC in addressing this issue. DHC'ers unite!

Let us know how they respond to your request for a credit. They offered me ONE DAY! I'm cancelling.

Hello Jesse,

Thank you for your email.

We are aware of ongoing issues with Movie Central. This is an issue at the source, source technicians have been working to resolve this. In the interim we have placed a 2 week credit for movie central on your account. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for remaining a valued patron of Shaw.

Please let us know if we can be of further assistance.

-------------------------------

Thank you for choosing Shaw.

Mark
E-mail Support Team
Shaw High-Speed Internet and Cable Support
E-mail: internet.inquiries@shaw.ca | Phone: 310-7429
When sending a reply to us, please remember to include all previous correspondence.

Nice of Shaw to compensate us.

I cancelled last saturday because I finallly got sick of the problem. I am now paying $12 per month less for my bundle, and will probably not re-subscribe. I only watch 302 these days, and they seem to have a very old selection of movies. I'll have to live without Rome...

Since it is not at all watchable, I have found other ways to see it. Not half-bad quality either. I think I am going to cancel Movie Central as well. One or two days of a problem like this would be understandable, not 2 months.

Out of curiosity, does anyone know of a cable operator which lets you get the applicable HD movie channel ("Movie Central HD" or "The Movie Network HD") without buying the full standard-def premium movie package? The ones I've looked at, including Shaw, don't seem to, and I was wondering if this forced bundling was something mandated by the movie channel companies. The movie packages run $15-20, which is a little pricey if the HD is all that is wanted.

I called Shaw tonight to cancel MC. It's funny how you can talk to different people and get different results. I told the first CSR that I wanted to cancel MC or receive a reasonable credit due to the audio problem. I was told that MC HD was a "complimentary" channel, as it was bundled with the other MC channels. LOL! I've never watched the SD channels.
Rather than just process the cancellation, she transferred me to the repair department. I patiently explained that the problem is at the source, so give me a credit or cancel the channel. Then we went through a whole rigamarole where he zapped my box, and tried to schedule an appointment for a tech to visit me. He seemed to think the problem was with my STB, thank goodness I didn't tell him it was a non Shaw box. Finally, after he watched the channel himself, he realized that the audio is indeed out of synch. Phew! I now have a note on my account saying that I will receive a credit for MC once the problem at the source is resolved. I pressed for a start date for this credit and didn't really get a clear answer. It's either from the date when Shaw realized this was a problem, or from the date I first called.
According to the call centre script, he then asked "is there anything else I can do for you today?" "Why yes," says I, "can you change my service to all digital?" He then zapped my box again and presto changeo, my analogue channels are now digital. I had called about this before, and was flat out refused.

P.S. I received a response from CRTC asking which cable company I subscribe to. Still waiting for a response from Corus, I sent them a note saying that I was cancelling, and would consider re-subscribing once they had fully resolved this issue.

Hi,
I am new here.
I see you folks are aware of the "move".

It should be noted that they just moved equipment, and left the people behind which may or may not be why the website won't work; the web people in Corus toronto may not be up to the task... or have other priorities.

Also, for reasons unknown, corus is piping the signal through some fibre back to edmonton (original location) from toronto and once there it is decompressed etc and fed to the satellite uplink(s). I am not a techncian, but this MAY explain the "drift" I have read about on this thread.
(I have nt experienced the drift; I cancelled a long time ago)
I am sure there are many people more knowlegable regarding this on these boards than I on the technical issues. But when Corus says it is looking into the issue "at source" ... things may be fine at source, as source is toronto, once its works its way to edmonton through a wire.... that MAY be another story.
Or... it could be something else, just passing along what I have learned from friends.
Hope this helps.
Also, I would wonder why the CRTC is putting up with having a broadcaster that is only licenced to broadcast to western canada, broadcast from eastern canada... and.... is this why they are sending it back to edmonton through fibre? (to satisfy their license and broadcast to the west from the west?).
*shrug*

As if audio sync wasn't a big enough problem...

"Serenity" was scheduled to air this afternoon on MD HD1 (only one available in Shaw land). I missed "Serenity" in HD before--presuming it ever aired on MCHD--so I set my PVR to grab it this afternoon. The "Feature presentation" intro played, followed by the rating blurb...then nothing! :mad: Black screen and no audio (I suppose the audio was in in sync though :rolleyes: ). Ten minutes in somebody at MC noticed the problem, and they switched to alternate programming (Movie Television or something like that). Brutal.

Guess I shouldn't have been surprised. MC's technical "prowess" is nothing if not consistent.