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Fibe vs. Videotron Illico

50K views 24 replies 17 participants last post by  Zenon7x7 
#1 ·
Made the switch to Fibe a few weeks ago. Transferred TV, phone and Internet. Pricing was competitive and all installation fees waived. Service was good overall. A few mistakes on the first bill but this was quickly corrected.

Pro's

-Thanks to wireless receivers with Fibe, we now have 4 tv sets with full digital TV. We could not do this with Illico since we didn't have cable connections in every room.
-Picture quality is definitely better.
-Menus are faster and more intuitive.
-Centralized PVR with access from all receivers is great.
-Larger HD channel offering.
-Better logic in channel sequences.
-Bell TV online better than Illico web.
-Restart function is GREAT.

Con's

-With Videotron, we had 60 Mbps Internet and could hit the speed consistently. With Fibe, we have the highest available at 50 Mbps but can rarely hit this speed. We usually get 22-25 Mbps. This is a HUGE disappointment.
-On the Voicemail to Email function, we cannot see caller ID info as we did with Videotron.
-We cannot see the caller ID on the televisions.

Overall, we're pleased. We are especially happy to stop sending money to a company owned by someone who wants to separate Quebec from Canada and who is clearly anti-English.
 
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#6 · (Edited by Moderator)
...
Overall, we're pleased. We are especially happy to stop sending money to a company owned by someone who wants to separate Quebec from Canada and who is clearly anti-English.
En français s'il vous plait! (Just kidding! For anybody that didn't understand, this is in reference to OP's last line. PKP, the person OP refers to, said that to an english singing french Canadian band during a concert not too long ago).

I agree with OP and also refuse to give him my money. Unfortunatly I am still indirectly giving some to him as I get my cable internet through Electronic Box... but I also don't want to deal with Bhell.
 
#7 ·
toy187,

I too unfortunately am paying him indirectly through Ebox. Because of Bell's constant price increases, I only have TV with them as I find it much better than Videotron. Actually all of Bell's products are better than Videotron but I've had thei bundle and the rates increases were too much.

As for PKP, he doesn't like Canada and says it's bad for Quebec, :rolleyes: but he sure loves their money. If the government would force low domestic roaming rates on wireless and he could get Wind or Mobi for a song he'd be expanding into Canada.

So all my services are from different providers.

Wireless with Telus which is on the Bell/Telus Network which is the best IMHO.
Internet with Ebox
TV with Bell Satellite which gives me free Canadian Time Shifting which for me is useful when NFL season comes along. :D
 
#9 ·
Our condo has a group contract with Videotron. Based on my experience, if it's any consolation for those who have PKP problems, I can tell you that the wholesale rate EBox pays is a very small fraction of retail. So PKP is still getting rich but not as rich.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Tanta, I said that telus is on the BELLUS network which makes it better than other Networks.Not that Telus is better then BELL.

Unbundled
Bell basic plus 15 channels $62
Ebox 5/1 100GB $26.95

$89 plus taxes

In a bundle
Videotron basic plus 20 channels $51
Videotron basic internet 5/1 10GB :D $37+ $15 for an extra 75GB= $52

$103 plus taxes.

--Bell's basic has more channels and canadian time shifting(satellite)
--Ebox gives me 100GB for $27 No need for add-ons.

Even if I had 3 services with Videotron, they do not allow unlimited at $10 with the 5/1.

I only get rate increases on Bell TV. Have not had any on Ebox in 2 years and none on Cell phone. I got rid of residential phone 4 years ago so no rates increases there either I use a cell.

So one service is getting rate inscreases.That's it. After a couple of years those rate increases on 2 extra services adds up.
 
#11 ·
LOL for PFK. My gf has illico and what sucks is that french movies has no english subtitles. Can someone tell me if that's better with FIBE? My gf doesn't speak french, so listening to french movies with English subtitles would be great for her to learn french.

Wanna stop giving money to PFK too
 
#12 ·
Subtitling options are probably a function of the movie/broadcaster. Are you talking about closed captioning? It's usually done in the same language as the dialogue in the movie. The service provider just "passes" whatever the movie has to the STB at the customer's home so there should be no difference between say Videotron, Fibe, Rogers, Cogeco, etc. Which movies are you talking about? TMN? Movies on Network Channels?
 
#13 ·
I've never seen any movie that was in french with English subtitles (excluding France/French European movies)or any english movie with french subtitles. The only movies I've seen like that where"foreign films"(non-English or Canadian french).IE the original Godzilla(Jorego-SP?)was done in Japanese with English subtitles, till they made a dub version with added scenes with Raymond Burll.
 
#17 ·
Bell Vs Videotron

Just switched from Fibe to Videotron. I was pretty happy with Bell's services but they kept on increasing my monthly fees months after months. Even after removing services (mobile phone), it crept back to the same amount little by little. Got very upset when they charged my wife $60 on her mobile for 3 long distance calls (about 10 minutes each); she did not know they were long distance as her friend was local but she had kept her mobile phone service in Quebec City.

So we dropped Bell... for now.

A few points I noticed with Videotron. They accuse Bell of false representation, but they are the same if not worst. They state they have the best of everything, which is not true. With two weeks with their 4K PVR and an all home receiver, here is what I dislike from Videotron, and what I like the most from them:

Likes
(1) 4K PVR has amazing speed for surfing the guide.
(2) Can really record 8 shows in HD simultaneously (Bell can only record 3 in HD (even if they claim 4)).
(3) Huge Hard Drive!
(4) Nice menu.

Dislikes
(1) Their all home received needs to be physically connected by coax to the PVR :frown (Bell is truly coax-wire-less!). By the way, you would have to be a moron not to understand that a power cable and HDMI is still required :surprise; stupid publicities from Videotron on this one.
(2) Their all home receiver can only read recorded shows on the PVR but you can't initiate the recordings (On Bell, you can completely control the PVR from every all home receivers, including initiating recordings)
(3) When you watch live shows on the all-home receivers, you can't pause or rewind that show. On Bell's all-home receivers, when you watch a live show, you can pause it and rewind it like a PVR. The PVR does it for you in a seeming less fashion.
(4) Their Android app (and I suspect IOS also) really (hum, chose a nice word here) is poorly efficient...:confused: They claim you have access to all your channels, but when you try a channel, they state that that channel hasn't given authorisation for this purpose :frown; which is ALMOST ALL OF THEM :frown:frown. I only have access to a few channels, all in French, and none of the major competition to PKP: like my favorite RDS! There is so much more to say about their app like when you want to start a recording and it tells you the receiver is off (WELL TURN IT ON STUPID! ), but I won't waste more letters but to say it's a joke! I was always extremely critical of the Bell apps in the past, but the new Bell Fibe app is getting very good and I had access to all the channels on my package :grin.

Finally, Videotron was as bad if not worst then Bell on service and price. They stated all kinds of prices to me during the phone call. I noted them all to the penny on a spreadsheet. I asked to receive this on email before accepting their offer; they wouldn't send it to me until I received the service (???). Very strange way to proceed. I still accepted as the price seemed nice for the first six months with no obligation. Got the service and received the contract by snail mail, which stated that I had to pay close to three times the agreement we made by phone. Called them and they told me not to panic (they really used those words, but in French...) and said the reductions were not applied on the contract. Would be nice if they were... Finally received my first bill and guess what? They were able to squeeze an additional $6 over the agreement, without any explanation! Not that big of a deal you will say, but this is how these companies steel from you, a penny here, a loony there. Those $6 should be in my pocket, not in King PKP's pocket.

I will go back to Bell as I really like their (coax-wire-less) all-home receiver (functionality) and especially their apps which allow me to watch all my channels anywhere I am connected to the Internet (really, not only on a publicity). I may switch back right now as I am not a very patient person or enjoy the reduced price for 6 months and go back to Bell then. Perhaps Bell will have a better performing PVR by then, able to compete with the Videotron's 4K PVR.
 
#18 ·
2) must be a limitation maybe of what videotron does with their specific cable hardware for the whole home setup.
Generally it should be possible.. for all the complaints that people have on Rogers.. it is one thing their whole home setup DOES do. You can set programming to record from any of the non PVR boxes.

3) This comes down to how the boxes and streams work. With videotron, would guess its the same as rogers. Where you watch a live feed, it is watching it ON that box. Its using its own tuner, etc. But with no hard drive, there is no where for it to 'record' for the pausing of live, etc. (when you set a recording via the non pvr boxes, its just sending a signal back to the PVR to use one of its tuners to record that channel, nothing is done from the non pvr side).
With the bell fibe, ALL the 'tuning' is done from the PVR box... you watch live on the non pvr box? its streaming from the pvr box live to the other. So the pause, etc, works, as its actually doing it on the PVR box.
 
#19 ·
I have no problem understanding these technicalities. What upsets me is how videotrons states that the are superior in everything. They even list each aspect and out a nice checkmark beside their names and an ugly X beside Bell. Having tested both systems now, Videotron is far from superior to Bell Fibe. As I stated, I give them tums up for their 4K PVR as it is extremely fast, huge hardrive and can record 8 shows simultaneously. For all home, they are way behind.

On a French commercial, they make fun of Fibe because there are in fact two wires on their wireless receiver (HDMI and power). So I had a big grin watching the technician lay a coax between my two receivers, through the walls and floors. And now, my all-home is attached to its location by a coax cable. Pathetic!

Also, we have had to reboot our two receivers several times. My all home let go completely Sunday night during the fourth quarter of the Green Bay game. Took me 20 minutes to finally get it going. Very nice. It happens every two or three days at least once.

What I dislike is the false publicity and the lies, false information which we are given today, and Videotron is the lead. Bell is not much better on that front as much of what they advertise here in Quebec is also half true.
 
#20 ·
Here is a nice example of people who can say anything they want about being the best:

"The most revolutionary TV app. The illico app is free and can be downloaded for iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch or Android, and lets you watch what you want, when you want, where you want!" - Vidéotron

Absolutely false. Only works with TVA channels and a few more garbage channels that they give for free as people would never pay for them (or watch them...) Bell was pretty bad until they released the Fibe App this year, which does exactly this but for real!

Here are some more: "Playoff goals right on your TV with zero delay." I have never heard of this from a Bell customer. In fact, only Videotron noticed this.

"2X more exclusive free series and web series." In French, but they forget to mention this...
 
#21 ·
Why ANYONE would be on ANY cable provider is beyond me. Bell Fibe TV / Satellite STANDARD definition channels are as good as Videotrons High Definition Channels !
Fibe TV has a FAR superior image and the High Definition image is by FAR superior to any cable HD image.

Videotron squeezing phone , internet and TV into limited bandwidth and then sending it over a CABLE NETWORK where you SHARE a connection with others in your area.
can you say " BOTTLENECK" ??

At least with Fibe TV you are ALONE even if on copper to the underground where you are FIBER to the Central. Satellite ( Bell or Shaw ) you have FULL bandwidth giving you a FAR SUPERIOR image.

Bell home phone?? RELIABLE and UNINTERRUPTED service and ALL alarm companies PREFER bell because of reliability. Videotron gives a FAKE dialtone ( dialtone generator in you "black box" ... 50% of faxes fail.... if you work with a laptop modem or a US Robotics modem for technical home work FORGET IT!!! WILL NOT WORK ON VIDEOTRON PHONE LINE!

Bell Fibe TV gives you a WIRELESS modem unlike Videotron who RENTS you a CHEAP $24.00 D Link wireless modem for a monthly fee!!!!

Videotron standard high speed is 6MGB ( if you dont ASK for faster) ... SICK ! want more PAY ..... Bell Fibe TV comes with a 25Meg access .... ( you can get less but WHY?)

Bell Fibe TV has WIRELESS receivers which makes life MUCH easier ..... no UGLY COAXIAL cables running around the house.

Bell Fibe TV offers FAR more standard definition channels and FAR more HD channels.

There is NO CONTEST and it is at the point where it is unfair because it is NOT comparing apples with apples.

It is like comparing a Basic Ford Fusion to a fully loaded Mercedes AMG ... they are both cars but one is FAR superior to the other....... Bonus is Bell Fibe TV bundled is same price and usually cheaper than videotron and you get so much more for your dollar
 
#24 ·
Videotron, doesn't get fuzzy and go out when it is windy... I have been with Videotron for over 35 years. I have never had an issue - I can record 4 programs and watch a 5th. the price is much less that Bell, and Bell, seems to think they have cornered the market, and will continue to think that as long as there are people out there who are pushing the fantasy that it is a great convenience to be able to carry a TV from one room to the next! Well, I have better things to do with my time that lugging around a 52" tv from one room to the next ... and for me that is the only advantage.. Picture quality is just as good if not better with Videotron vs Bell.
 
#23 ·
You obviously are pro Bell. I am currently deciding between the 2 and have been on this forum for well over a month. I have concluded that for similar service Bell is WAY overpriced.

Ignoring the 3 month bull crap promo price they both offer, the real monthly price after 3 months is what's important here

So when comparing apples to apples


Bell Fibe Tv +15 channels with 15 Mbs internet $131 a month

Illico + 20 Channels with Ebox 15 Mbs internet $94 a month



It's not even close, That's a 40% savings $444 a year


I'n my area it's Bell FTTN also
 
#25 ·
Hi there, I have been with both Bell and Videotron, and can vouch for Videotron. the service is far superior in the few instances that I have had to deal with Videotron. With Bell, everytime you call they are trying to sell you something or trying to get you to use something that you don't need.
 
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