EastLink 2010 New Channels discussion

[jimbo42]

We all know Sportsnet One will eventually come to Eastlink and to all providers , it's the when that is uncertain but I know it will come. Each provider will work out it's deal with Rogers and the channel will start broadcasting in the different systems. Nothing we can really do about it other than wait.

[CashGordon]

So Eastlink raise Setanta to $17/month (with no HD) and Sportsnet move their English Premier League games to Sportsnet One, which Eastlink doesn't carry.

I was looking forward to this season, but oh well.

[jimbo42]

eastcoast gal has just brought this to our attention , AMC has been added on channel 199.

[Terra Nivium]

Just left Bell but before I did I could not get over how bad Setanta HD PQ was, it was compressed like hell and the transmission was not smooth. Watching soccer was basically unwatchable - horrific attempt at HD so you ain't missing much.

[magnet]

Apparently (although I can't confirm) EastLink has been adding more channels today.

CNNHD, TCMHD, RDSHD & a whole bunch of french HD channels.
Others are reporting seeing Big10 as well.

I will investigate when I get home in a few hours.

[Newone]

Well here in Halifax we have received none of those new HD channels and were still waiting on getting the last batch also. Starting to get extremely peeved off now as it does now show that eastlink has run out of bandwidth in Halifax. Not sure what there going to do to acquire more bw in Halifax but it doesn't look good for Halifax which of course is home base to eastlink. Dartmouth, Bedford, sackville, all areas right around Halifax is getting all these new channels but Halifax isn't getting squat.

[magnet]

I have an HD box at work (on the HFX side of the harbour) and was wondering why it didn't TVA HD or V HD- now I know. Will look at my Dartmouth PVRs later to see. My guess is that the Halifax side of the harbour needs more of its inline boosters upgraded to 900 MHz or 1000 MHz.

[jimbo42]

Your right about the channel additions Magnet.
From Eastlinks site for Bedford, Dartmouth & Sackville, new channels added today in bold:

601 CBC Toronto HD (CBLT-DT)
602 Global Toronto HD (CIII-DT)
603 CTV Toronto HD (CFTO-DT)
604 City TV Toronto HD (CITY-DT)*
610 Sun TV Toronto HD (CKXT-DT)*
613 CBC West HD*
614 Global West HD*
615 CTV West HD*
620 ABC Boston HD (WCVB-DT)
621 CBS Boston HD (WBZ-DT)
622 NBC Boston HD (WHDH-DT)
623 Fox Tacoma HD (KCPQ-DT)*
624 PBS Boston HD (WGBH-DT)
625 ABC Seattle HD (KOMO-DT)*
626 CBS Seattle HD (KIRO-DT)*
627 NBC Seattle HD (KING-DT)*
628 Fox Tacoma HD (KCPQ-DT)*
632 WPIX HD*
633 KTLA HD*
634 WSBK Boston HD*
635 WGN HD
636 CBC News Network HD
637 CNN HD*
638 Showcase HD*
639 A&E HD*
640 National Geographic HD*
641 TLC HD**
642 bold HD*
650 APTN HD
668 Turner Classic Movies HD*
670 HBO Canada HD*
671 HBO Canada West HD*
672 TMN HD*
673 MExcess HD*
674 MFun HD*
678 MPIX HD*
680 Super Channel HD1*
681 Super Channel HD2*
690 PPV HD
700 Rogers Sportsnet HD*
701 Rogers Sportsnet Ontario HD*
702 Rogers Sportsnet West HD*
703 Rogers Sportsnet Pacific HD*
710 TSN HD*
711 TSN2 HD*
712 The Score HD*
713 Speed HD*
731 Big 10 HD*
770 SRC Montreal HD (CBFT-DT**
772 RDS HD*
774 Canal Vie HD*
776 Series + HD*
777 Ztele HD*
778 V HD*
790 Discovery World HD
791 HD Net
792 Oasis HD
793 EQHD
794 radX
795 Treasure HD

That makes 13+ HD channels Halifax has missed out on and I am very angry about this as well. Watching all these areas surrounding Halifax get constant new HD channels is frustrating especially when Halifax is the biggest subscriber base.

[frostycold]

Don't feel bad..we're missing a lot of those in Greater Sudbury.

[jimbo42]

Magnet, how is the PQ of CNNHD & TCMHD? Since Halifax didn't get more of these new channels I wouldn't know but I would like to know how they look .

[topdogz401]

Here in Antigonish they were testing CNN HD and TCM HD. CNN HD is wonderful picture quality broadcasting in 1080i, crisp sound, no complaints. TCM HD looked terrible with the movie they were playing, mind you they were shwoing a western from the 60s, so you can only increase the quality of the picture so much. It did look significantly better than the SD version of the channel however. Both great additions if you ask me!

[David1953]

As a former Eastlink subscriber who left in January, I follow this thread regularly. It does make me sad to see Halifax being "left behind" by the outlying areas, and the fact that channel capacity appears maxed out in the former "city", while improvements continue in other parts of the municipality. I am not sure if Eastlink reads this thread, or has any plans to update the Halifax part of its system, so that it can keep pace.

Any plans by me to return to Eastlink in the future will be based on their plans, and I will not return if the former city of Halifax receives a "second class" service compared to the outlying areas.

However, when on a walk along Mumford the other day, I did see an Eastlink truck in the area, and men were working on one of the lines, and it appeared to be on one of the boosters, I am not sure what the unit was. Either it is an update to the system, or it could simply be a routine repair.

[jimbo42]

Even with a few less HD channels than Bell I would rather have Eastlink only because the PQ on Eastlink's HD channels is way better than Bell's. There's no comparison as we have seen from most Bell customers on this forum who have stated just how bad the PQ is on the HD channels plus I have seen it first hand at many a friends homes who have it, it's just not that great. Anyway you just have to look at other cable providers like Rogers, Cogeco, Comcast etc... to see what they did to upgrade there systems when they felt the bandwidth crunch and I am sure Eastlink will get all those new HD channels on in the city of Halifax as soon as they have upgraded there system in Halifax as well. They aren't going to leave out there biggest market that's for sure lol.

[jcice]

I can confirm the new channels have appeared in unencrypted QAM here on Eastlink Charlottetown after a rescan on my HTPC - they haven't yet shown up on my regular DCT-6416 HD-PVR Eastlink box.

[CashGordon]

I live in Halifax but I'm staying at my parent's place in Dartmouth while they're out of the country. I brought my PVR over since they don't have an HD box, and while the box won't tune to the new channels I can watch them with the QAM tuner. Great quality on CNN and Big 10 (they also added Big 10 as a SD channel).

It's pretty annoying not to get the same service as people on the mainland (especially since I'm paying for HD and my parents aren't!). Eastlink always manages to find new and interesting ways to be a terrible company.

Have the channels been announced yet? I'm excited for Big 10 Network, but I'm not ready to pay more for it since I already pay $20 for HD and $30 for the sports pack. It really should be covered by one of those packages.