Help a n00b pick a provider/package
Hoping you guys can help a n00b pick a cable provider/package.
Now that my current Shaw promo is about to expire, I originally planned on cancelling cable, and downgrading my extreme high-speed, to a regular high-speed connection. But just last week I bought a 46" LCD 1080p TV, so now I want HD!! This where you guys come in. What are my best options for an HD/High-Speed package?
I still only need basic cable (right now I get to channel 28 + a few random high channels like 120), but I'd like some HD channels in there. I'm also going to be downgrading to a regular high-speed connection as previously mentioned. And I'm going to need to get an HD PVR as well. I see that Future Shop has them for $499 right now, and I'm not willing to pay that. I was hoping to get a deal on a rental or a free box (with contract), but if that doesn't pan out, I'll start looking for a used one or wait for them to go on sale.
Am I going to get what I want for under $100/month? I'd like it to substantially less than that if possible. They have bundle discounts right? And I have my own modem, so that saves me $5/month right? I have no idea how this works, and Shaw's site is a bit confusing. Or should I just go with TELUS TV? They have a free HD PVR with 3 year agreement. I'm a little leery to go with TELUS after how bad the internet was in my building, but I'm willing to use their offer as ammunition with Shaw if needed.
A bit of background: As I'm sure this is relevant, I live in Surrey, BC (Metro Vancouver). I currently have a killer bundle that costs me $19.99/month for Extreme internet, and $9.99/month for basic cable with a free digital box rental. This promo is expiring at the end of May, and now I want to explore other options.
I cancelled my Shaw account two years ago because they were constantly throttling my connection, and I really had no need for cable TV. I ended up going with TELUS for internet, which costs me a fraction of the price. The problem is that the speed was terrible. Tech support couldn't help other than to say they weren't getting a proper signal through to my modem. I asked them to come look at the lines, but they wouldn't do this until I moved my computer to another phone jack to test it out. I told them I wasn't moving my whole computer into the kitchen just to try another jack. Because of this they refused to send a tech, so I cancelled my service.
In conjunction with the cancellation of my TELUS internet, I got the amazing offer from Shaw which is expiring next month. It gave me 2 months of free service, and then 10 months @ $32.80 including tax. Shaw seems really aggressive in trying to acquire customers. In the year I was with TELUS, I probably got a new/better offer every month. The icing on the cake was my $32.80/month offer for extreme + basic cable. They were also pretty aggressive in trying to retain my business when I initially cancelled 2 years ago. They guy was willing to offer me two HD boxes (I don't think they were PVR's), plus HD service & extra channels for 6 months free. I was determined to leave regardless, so I thanked him for the offer and cancelled my account. Because of how aggressive they were last time, I’m hoping I have some bargaining power this time around as well.
The past year I've been more than happy with Shaw. They no longer throttle my connection which is great. I'm not sure if this is because I'm on an Extreme connection now, whereas the first time around it was regular high-speed??