Hi,

I currently have Shaw Cable and I'm thinking about switching to Telus Cable. Some of the reasons are:

1)Better pricing [It's cheap]
2)Better channels at that pricing

Now, I see that Telus offers a Free Digital Box. Is that a HD Box or just a regular digital box? HD Box for free would be huge.....:) I would definitely like to try HD Channels but the box is a little too expensive in Shaw.

Do you recommend Telus Cable? And what do you think about the picture quality. [I do have Telus Internet and Phone but not Cable TV].

As for the programming, I'm thinking about Essentials and Sports [which is the main reason I'm switching as in Telus you get SNET-W, TSN, NHL Network...All of them in one theme pack]


Thanks a lot for the help and have a good day. :p

I've seen Telus TV in action and I have mixed feelings about the service.

Yes, the "free" box from Telus is "HD ready", meaning that it is HD compatible if you subscribe to HD service from Telus. As with other digital services like Shaw and Bell, a TV box is required for each TV if you want to watch separate programming on those TVs (you could always split the output from one box to multiple TVs) to a maximum of two receiver boxes per household.

I like the value in their channel packages and the channel lineup is pretty good, but there are more than a few drawbacks to the service: the "free" box requires a one, two or three year commitment, the above mentioned limitation of no more than two receiver boxes per household, and, at least here in Calgary, the service is only available in a tiny number of areas, if at all. Also, unless things have changed in the six months since I was able to watch a demo, I found the SD picture quality to be somewhat mediocre with visible macroblocking and artifacts. I can't speak to the HD picture quality because there were no HD channels available for the demo, but if it's like their SD quality I would definitely pass.

On the whole, I really can't recommend moving from Shaw. Even though the Shaw HD box is ridiculously overpriced at $350 (less whatever credits they're currently offering), you can rent it for $11 a month. Actually, if given the choice I would love to go back to Bell. I loved my Bell HD PVR and the sports channel lineup and found the HDTV quality to be good, but after moving into a condo this just isn't an option.

So If I get Telus Tv and [I will get the Box as I will go with 1 year commitment] HD Channels, I can watch the games as in HD?

That would be great....I would really love to watch it in HD for long time [and not demos] as it is just fantastic to watch.

Thanks for the help. :)

You're welcome. Not to be down on Telus TV, but I would have some reservations going in. Also be aware that as much as Telus is offering this service, it is only available in a tiny, minuscule number of areas.

I have TELUS TV in SD since Dec 2007 and as well as HD starting in Feb 2008. The HD channels are great. For the most part, SD channels are better than my Shaw Motorola digital box especially on the analogue channels.

Just remember some LCD tvs do a better job in displaying SD channels.

I know that I can get Telus.....When you go their website, they ask for your Phone # and then tell you if you're eligible.

And what exactly did you mean by reservations.....[A little confused there]

I'm thinking the reservations are that you lock into a contract and you are not satisfied, you either pay a cancellation fee or grin and bear it.

Having said that, I was with the original Telus Velocity trial (1998-2000) that included internet, SDTV and phone. I can say, without reservation, that I was happy with that service. Of course, it pre-dates today's modern TV's. The service at that time was excellent and superior to Shaw's. Shaw has come a long way too and if I ever grew dissatisfied I would look at Telus as a viable option.

Nospam also mentioned visible macroblocking and artifacts. I can add that I also noticed similar signal problems for the first few weeks that I had TTV but in the six months since I haven't noticed any signal problems. I'm not sure why, but there you go.

I really wish I could get TelusTV without having to subscribe to their less than speedy internet.

I am getting good speeds on the extreme Shaw package and when subscribing to TelusTV the only package avail is the 3.0mbs. Not enough for me.

Stationg,

You can have Telustv on a dry line (fake number) and you can keep your Shaw net as a separate account.

You can try it out that way until Telus upgrades their telustv package to 6 or 10 meg inet.

I guess I have to ask for this? I have spoken 3-4 times over the past few months and everytime they mention I have to switch to their phone service.

Just ask?
Can this be confirmed?

I just talked with customer service and this service isn't being offered at this time. :(

I guess I could keep Shaw and Telus internet?? Is this possible?

well, you can keep Shaw for inet and Telus for tv but you already asked and see if you can put telutv on dry line? you not going back to Shaw Hd, i no but like i said you can get tv through dry line and inet through Shaw as a separate service.

If i'm not helping you in any way, you can ask anybody on the forums.

It can't be done.

I think what stationg means is you cannot get Dry TELUS TV without High Speed subscription.

What is your plan? Get everything with Telus?

Thanks for letting me help.

:p

I think what stationg means is you cannot get Dry TELUS TV without High Speed subscription.
Yes *nods* I want to keep Shaw internet.

My understanding is that to get Telus TV you have to sign up to their phone & internet products as well. They bundle them all together under a contract so if you want to cancel you have to pay the cancellation fee on each prodcut. Just my 2 cents.

In BC, you can have TTV without phone but you must get TTV with another service, either internet or phone. You don't have to have any long term agreements if you prefer not to. However, as with most any company, you get lower prices and/or gifts with signing into an agreement. Bundling tends to be cheaper as well if you want to have different services, but you don't have to bundle.

You cant get TTV without Internet service period. The difference between the TTV service in Alberta and BC is the requirement of a POTS line. In Alberta you a need a POTS line in order to have TTV, but you can have internet without a POTS line. In BC you can have TTV without a POTS line, but for both provinces you still need internet in order to have TTV. I hope this clears things up.

Just signed up for TELUS TV (Basic plus 2 Theme Packs & 1 HD channel) and added it to TELUS Telephone/Internet to get a "Bundle" price, so makes it a triple-play for TELUS. Net increase of just $17/mo, and this included 200 min fee LD within Canada and upgrade in the ASDL speed to 3.0 Mbps. TTV installation in a couple weeks. We'll see how it goes...