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Why is Canada always behind in technology?

9K views 34 replies 21 participants last post by  ExDilbert 
#1 ·
Alright, rhetorical question here, but I was just reading an article about how Dish and DirecTV are already working on the next generation of 4K HD receivers, along with voice-controlled remotes.

Meanwhile, north of the border, neither of our satellite providers, Bell or Shaw, even have Whole Home DVR, let alone voice-control, or anything close to providing 4K quality.

Frustration to the power of 100.

It feels like we're stuck in the 90s, and not in a good way either. I mean, we are coming close to the time when both should be looking at new receivers yet again, this time in the Whole-Home DVR department, considering how practically every other cable/fibe provider in Canada already has it (like the Rogers Nextbox 3.0, August 2013), but how much longer do we have to wait?

It's painful, like waiting for Star Trek to return to the small screen.
 
#31 ·
I don't agree that Canada is behind in technology - the problem is that we are very close to the US and so that leads to inevitable comparisons. The US is the largest market in the world and is where most of the large technology companies come from, so they are the leader. In many instances Canada is very close to the top.

The adoption of HDTV over the last decade or so was one example. Canada was behind the US but we were way ahead of almost every other country.

LTE service is another example. Many places in Europe are just getting LTE now but we have had it for several years.

And in some ways Canada is ahead of the US.

I pay Rogers $95 for 250/20 internet service that has no monthly data cap. Most Americans, except for those that can get Google Fiber, would love to have the option for service that price at about US$80. For example Time Warner's Ultimate service is 50/5 for US$65.

US wireless carriers have also been more restrictive than Canadian carriers when it comes to stuff like unlocking your phone or using VOIP services over 3G/LTE.
 
#33 ·
Our wirelines services are on par if not better than our American counterparts. I think the main gripe is with our satellite providers. Satellite providers in the US have been continuously innovating in order to compete with wireline providers. Because our satellite providers are owned by the wireline providers and serve markets that are typically unserved by the wireline networks there is no incentive to innovate.
 
#35 ·
I am hoping that the cable industry will continue to shrink and streaming live TV over the Internet is allowed without regional monopolies .
Hope all you want. With their CraveTV service, Bell has made if very clear that competitors in the streaming industry will have a very difficult time acquiring premium content in Canada. It also clear that Canadians will have a difficult time accessing that content without paying a premium for traditional Bell TV services. Rogers and Shaw are not being as heavy handed with Shomi but the message is still quite clear. Canadian broadcasters intend to quash US competition by making it very difficult for companies like Netflix to acquire Canadian rights for programing they deliver in the US.
 
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