Regarding PQ the guy said yes they know some QAM's have 2 and some 3, and they would like to only put 2 per, but space is tight (he agreed with me and also wanted Shaw to do this) but conceded that would not be happening soon.

By space, he means money, and that is assuredly not tight with $haw posting major profits each quarter.

I think they may have shuffled some channels onto different QAM's or something. I find the HD PQ to vary wildly now, whereas before it was all pretty much crap.

Certain channels now look beautiful, SNETHD and TSN2 look great, as does HDNET. CTV looks pretty muddy to me, and TLCHD is utter rubbish, embarrasingly youtube-like.
Funny in Victoria TLC HD is fine....They do seem to have the hd audio drops under control for now. The sd side seems to be up to snuff. I suspect that they have done some tweaks to the new software. I am satified to give them a chance.

Considering the fact that we were paying over 170 bucks a month for Telus (phone and internet) and Bell SD satellite, I think they are doing an adequate job of responding to HD customer gripes here in Victoria. Our Shaw bill just came in and it is about 130 bucks with the added bonus of having the extended HD package and 2nd level high speed internet and free (exchanged for low end sat stbs) Motorola 6412 V3 and DCT700. My gripes have in reality been minor so far. Shaw by and large has come through with what they advertise. Their SD service is not up to snuff yet but as more people drop out of the analogue picture more band width will become available so sticking with Shaw should be the right choice for now ...at least in Victoria where there are no acceptable over the air options.

I am looking forward to the day when cable based communication will disappear from our planet. It would be great if the only cables were fiber to neighbourhood high frequency rf low gain hubs. Then the Telcos, internet and TV providers could be forced to compete for our bucks. I would rather see a small high gain antenna on my roof or hidden away in the attic than have stupid wires with birds and squirrels laughing at the people watching them through the window.

I know I am a dreamer ..but I'm not the only one....

Eric

another big problem i have is with the PVR malfunctioning now and then. it will record a show, i'll get 10min into a 60min program, and then all of a sudden it will jump the the last 5min of the show and there is no way to get it back.

i called once on our regular digital PVR and they reset it from there end, said it might help, it didn't really. now my HDPVR has a similar problem the other night when i records FIGHT FOR THE TROOPS on SPIKE. i was FF thru the commercials and it jumped way forward, i was able to get the programing back this time, but if it happens again, i think i'm going to ask for a NEW PVR, as this REFURB is only about 3mos old.

anyone else have these problems.

Yes - I specifically looked on this forum to see if I could find anyone else describe the same problem. It doesn't happen too often - but sometimes when I am fast-forwarding a recorded program and fast-forward most of the program (not just commercials) and get within about 15-20 mins to the end of the program - it will jump to the end. Then I try to rewind and it jumps to the beginning. The only way to resolve this is to stop this recorded program and start playing it all over again (it's almost like this resets it). Then I have to be careful to fast forward and play periodically so it doesn't jump to the end again. If I don't have success this way, I usually just let it play out at the end where it usually jumps.

It doesn't happen too often to me, but I suspect if I fast forwarded programs like this more often, it would happen all the time. I would complain to Shaw to get a new box, but I know a new box would not solve this. It seems like too many people are having the same issues with all of the boxes out there. I have the 3416 I, which I understand to be one of the newer/better ones out there. I got it in May 2008.

Anyone had this problem and resolved it?

I have this happen about 4? times in like 4 years. Never did manage to get any of the recordings to work, and had to download them to watch them. It has been a while since this has happened to us.

another big problem i have is with the PVR malfunctioning now and then. it will record a show, i'll get 10min into a 60min program, and then all of a sudden it will jump the the last 5min of the show and there is no way to get it back.

i called once on our regular digital PVR and they reset it from there end, said it might help, it didn't really. now my HDPVR has a similar problem the other night when i records FIGHT FOR THE TROOPS on SPIKE. i was FF thru the commercials and it jumped way forward, i was able to get the programing back this time, but if it happens again, i think i'm going to ask for a NEW PVR, as this REFURB is only about 3mos old.

anyone else have these problems.

Yes - I specifically looked on this forum to see if I could find anyone else describe the same problem. It doesn't happen too often - but sometimes when I am fast-forwarding a recorded program and fast-forward most of the program (not just commercials) and get within about 15-20 mins to the end of the program - it will jump to the end. Then I try to rewind and it jumps to the beginning. The only way to resolve this is to stop this recorded program and start playing it all over again (it's almost like this resets it). Then I have to be careful to fast forward and play periodically so it doesn't jump to the end again. If I don't have success this way, I usually just let it play out at the end where it usually jumps.

It doesn't happen too often to me, but I suspect if I fast forwarded programs like this more often, it would happen all the time. I would complain to Shaw to get a new box, but I know a new box would not solve this. It seems like too many people are having the same issues with all of the boxes out there. I have the 3416 I, which I understand to be one of the newer/better ones out there. I got it in May 2008.

Anyone had this problem and resolved it?
happens on our regular PVR more often than our HDPVR, but it has happened. it's very annoying.

our box is also the refurbished 3416

^ I have seen this periodically as well.

Well, I knew that any PQ improvements from $haw woould be temporary (or imaginary?)

HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE PQ on the Canucks_Preds game tonight. Macroblocking galore, even on slow motion replays sometimes.

Just a week ago things looked so much better. Now they're back to their usual level of compressed youtube goodness.

To top it all off My DVR keeps skipping to the end fo the recording whenever I try to FF through commercials, as others have been complaining about here.

I am so fed up and frustrated with these clowns! If I said what was truly on my mind I'd be banished form this forum forever.

What does it say when you're actually surprised to be getting an acecptable level of service froma company that's charging you a lot of money? And what does it say when you're totally cynical upon getting decent service that it will not last? Finally what does it say when that cynicism is rewarded?

and yet you still fork over the dough every month... incredible.
Sorry but I am really amazed people pay for this 'service'.

and yet you still fork over the dough every month... incredible.
Sorry but I am really amazed people pay for this 'service'.
You're probably right, but some of us have no choice if we want to watch things like live sporting events in HD.

Yep, if I could get SNET and TSN OTA I'd be gone. Sinee I can't get a dish I'm kind of optionless.

I just wish the CRTC would institute some sort of minimal level of service type mandate.

To follow-up on the initial rant when I was done watching the game I switched over to TSN2HD to watch what was left of the late night replay. It looked worlds better, and I would have had no problem watching a feed that looked like that.

5 audio drops during CRIMINAL MINDS in HD here in winnipeg, all came back with the rewind button, meaning HARDWARE problem. they have reset the box from their end, sent someone out today and he reset something (took 1 hr to d/l the firmware etc).

time to DEMAND a new PVR, but which one do i ask for the 3416 or the 6416?
No, it's not a hardware problem it's a data problem. How you deduced that it's a hardware problem by playing it back via the rewind is bewildering. The PVR is just recording the data it received and if there was an audio dropout then the PVR obviously can't record something it didn't receive.

The problem is with Shaw and their encoding/transmission of their HD content.

first off, when they offered me the PVR, they did NOT mention it being a REFURB, so i was already pissed.

secondly, they are not just audio drops from the signal, they come back with the rewind, meaning they were not dropped by shaw, they were dropped going from the PVR to the RECEIVER.

when you buy a PVR you expect it to be NEW, unless they come right out and tell you that you are getting a REFURB. they made NO mention of it to me when they offered me the PVR.
You must be new to Shaw HD if you think you're going to receive a new HD PVR because of audio dropouts. Also, did you really think you were getting a new PVR? Really? Considering what you paid and the tactics you used it doesn't really take a rocket scientist to determine that you were NOT getting a brand new unit. Although, I'm sure Shaw will be happy to exchange it for a brand new one providing you pay the additional $300.

No, it's not a hardware problem it's a data problem. How you deduced that it's a hardware problem by playing it back via the rewind is bewildering. The PVR is just recording the data it received and if there was an audio dropout then the PVR obviously can't record something it didn't receive.

The problem is with Shaw and their encoding/transmission of their HD content.
well to me if the PVR is working properly, then why doesn't it play it live? it plays it when i rewind. why when i'm watching live is it dropped and then when i rewind it comes back. there is something wrong with it. if it had recorded it and played it properly, like it should, the audio wound be there the 1st time when i'm actually watching it. if i rewind it and it's not there again, that means the audio didn't record, thus it was dropped from the actually signal and never reached my box. anyway, there is a lot of discussion about that, that i won't get into.

and yes, i did expect a NEW pvr when they offered it to me. when you buy something from anywhere (except a 2nd had store) you should expect the item to be NEW, not used, unless they specifically tell you, otherwise it's basically fraud. when you go to futureshop, bestbuy, advance, visions etc, you expect to be buying a NEW tv, stereo, speakers etc, unless it's marked OPENBOX or USED, even those places don't pawn off their old used junk as new, which it what shaw did to me.

the pvr also has glitches when fastforwarding. when we ff thru commercials, it sometimes jumps to the end of the show, bypassing like 20-30minutes of programming.

basically the box sucks. if i get another one and it sucks too, then i will truly know they all suck, and that's fine, but i want to make that decision for myself, i don't need you to tell me.

Not to add fuel to the fire but; I have tested the audio drops simultaneously on a PVR and non PVR box and can only sometimes get the audio back when rewinding the PVR. So, what does that tell you?

You don't make sense and I just had an audio dropout trying to comprehend your explanation. If your PVR didn't receive the audio then it's not going to record something it didn't receive no matter how many times you rewind or try to go back in time.

As for expecting a new PVR. They did not offer you a new PVR. You automatically assumed it. In case you didn't make the connection, Shaw is not an electronic store. And as for your allegation of fraud, well, the only fraud that was committed was when you lied to Shaw to acquire your PVR. Like I said, if you don't want it then sell it as I'm sure there are buyers that are willing to pay the low ball price you paid. And if you would like a brand new one, then pay them the additional $300 that you saved.

Lets add this to the discussion... several printed articles have reviewed HD broadcasts in the United States and they have constantly rated OTA quality better than Cable. This is fuel I'm adding to Shaw's poor compressed signal quality vs the hardware issue discussion ;)

Not to add fuel to the fire but; I have tested the audio drops simultaneously on a PVR and non PVR box and can only sometimes get the audio back when rewinding the PVR. So, what does that tell you?

It tells me that sometimes the problem is with the source and sometimes it's with the box. ;)

That being said, I haven't had a "recoverable" drop for a long time; they've all been "source" drops. All I know is that I'm tired of it.

... well, the only fraud that was committed was when you lied to Shaw to acquire your PVR.....

WTF are you talking about? how did i lie to shaw? this is what how i got my PVR:

a) i phoned to cancel, they asked why, i said i can get a PVR from bell for less.
b) they said have you ever asked us for anything, i said "no".
c) they made me an offer, i countered and said "not good enough", they offered more services and discounts, i countered again
d) they said OK, i accepted. deal done. not 1 lie.

and when you go to any store in the world, or buy a furnace, get a transmission etc, put windows on your house, if you are getting a USED product, they tell you up front. when you get brakes done at your dealership or local garage, they put in NEW product unless they tell you. we are in the process of looking for a NEW furnace and hotwater tank, so when they come do give us quotes, do i have to ask them "is this a NEW furnace or a used one?"

i would say pawing off used product and not telling someone upfront and in advance is used is borderline fraud.

that said, i'll call them, they probably send out a tech, it won't do a thing for fixing anything and i'll be watching my refurbished pvr with problems again next week. but who knows, maybe the service call will work and/or they'll give me a new box, i figure i have nothing to lose. if people don't complain, they are never going to even try and fix the problems.

You don't make sense and I just had an audio dropout trying to comprehend your explanation. If your PVR didn't receive the audio then it's not going to record something it didn't receive no matter how many times you rewind or try to go back in time.

but it DID record the audio. when watching live there is an audio drop, but when you rewind the audio comes back. why did it receive it and not send it to my receiver/tv? if the box was working properly (which it should) and it receives audio signals, it should be sending them to my receiver/tv ALL the time.

i understand audiodrops that don't reach the box. when watching live there is an audio drop, i rewind it and the audio drop is still there, in the exact same place. those are not the fault of the box, but of the signal shaw is receiving or trasnmitting. i don't expect a new PVR to correct that issue.

the issue that a new box may correct, the key word being "may", is when the audio drop is recoverable.