The other day I picked up a Sharp LC32D43U and as part of the deal I got the ubiquitous Rogers HD start-up kit. The sales person from where I bought the tv indicated the current Rogers deal is 12 months of free HD.

While I'm already enjoying about a dozen OTA digital channels (many HD) with my Channel Master 4221, I am intrigued by the Rogers kit. I do have a couple of questions that perhaps the good people at DHC can answer...

1) I'm on the "Real Choice" winback promo right now. I signed up in September 2004 and have since enjoyed free rental of both an SA8000SD and an SA3100. If I go with the above HD promo and decide after 12 months not to keep it, can I revert back to the Real Choice plan I'm currently on or am I potentially screwing myself over down the road?

2) How does Rogers HD picture quality compare to OTA?

3) Would I have to turn in my SA8000SD if I choose (presumably) an SA8300HD as the HD box?

Thanks! :)

The current deal does not apply to any current Rogers Digital Cable Customers. (assuming its the same one we give out at Best Buy). Sorry.

Assuming you convince them to allow you to use it, it should not effect your others rentals and plan. They add the HD Rental and HD Programming pack on at regular price, with 12 months of credits.

A few suggestions.

- With your grandfathered RealChoice package, I'd be very careful not to screw things up.

- You really need to talk to a Rogers CSR and also get whatever is decided written into your account (have the CSR read it back to you), perhaps with an e-mail copy to you for your records so that you don't find out that you're paying for something you don't want to pay for in a month or a year.

Okay, thanks for the feedback.

The tv sales person also indicated that even though I was already a Rogers Digital subscriber, I would still be able to get the HD deal. I guess that's something to confirm with a Rogers CSR.

And yes, I'm concerned about losing my current package if I change. Free lifetime rental of a PVR and digital box is nothing to sneeze at! If I do take the plunge I'll definitely request everything in writing.

Having said that, what could I expect in terms of Rogers HD picture quality?

The Rogers HD PQ is as good as it gets from a service provider. Some people have reported minor differences between it ans OTA. Let us know. Of course you can't get channels like TSN, Discovery, HDNet, etc OTA.

One thing you MAY be able to negotiate with Rogers is an Upgrade to an HD PVR - since they don't even have SD PVRs any more. They may want a few $/month, then again, you get what you negotiate... Good Luck and let us know what you end up with.

After about 30 minutes on the phone here's the deal:

In order for me to maintain the RealChoice winback promotion I need to keep the current SA8000 on the account. No exceptions. Fortunately, I can swap the SA3100 set-top box I also have (which they threw in for free when I first signed up in 2004) for an SA8300HD. By doing it this way I still maintain the original free-PVR-for-life offer whatever I decide to do after the HD promotion ends.

As far as the HD promotion itself, it only includes the 16 or so "free" HD channels I would have gotten anyway if I had purchased an HD terminal. The promotion is basically 12 months free rental of a regular HD terminal (SA3250 I believe) or 6 months free rental of the HD PVR. As far as the specialty HD channels (TSN, Discovery, etc.) while they're not included in the HD promotion, I was able to get 3 months of those for free (movies not included).

In a nutshell, because I opted for the HD PVR I'll get it for free for 6 months after which time if I want to keep it it'll be the standard $25 a month AND I'll keep my SA8000 to maintain the RealChoice winback regardless of what happens in the end.

So there you go. The next step is for me to take the SA3100 to a Rogers Video store and swap it for an SA8300HD.

Now here's another dilemma: I asked the CSR that since Rogers no longer offers a SD PVR what would happen if my SA8000 dies? She basically said I'd be out of luck unless they had some old SD PVR's still kicking around they could replace it with. The most likely scenario would be I'd have to upgrade to the 8300 and pay the difference. Well, I'll leap off that bridge when the time comes and perhaps negotiate something!

$25 a monthWatch for sales for the SA8300HD around boxing day. You may want to purchase instead of paying $25/mo. Even at current pricing, the payback is around 20 months.

After calling about six different Rogers Video outlets I found one that had an 8300HD in stock. I turned in the SA3200 box and came home with a shiny new 8300HD. Everything hooked up nicely and so far HDMI is working fine with the TV. I ran the advance wizard and manually selected all the formats. I also have it set to "pass-through".

Interestingly the remote is identical to the one from my "ancient" 8000SD. :)

So, free rental of this puppy for the next 6 months and I'll decide what to do at that time.