Thinking Fibe, Questions.. - Page 20 - Canadian TV, Computing and Home Theatre Forums

pmosher · 2012-04-23, 03:42 PM

Just to reassure those planning to use Vonage or other VoIP services along with Bell Fibe TV and Bell Internet, this combination works just fine. We've used a BYOD VoIP service for quite awhile, originally with Fibe 25 service, and now with the Fibe 16+/TV service. No issues at all.

Pauline

QuantumFluxx · 2012-04-25, 03:44 AM

So we are thinking of making the switch to Fibe TV, we are currently on Bell ExpressVu on Hamilton Mountain. Originally we were going to wait it out for Shaw to roll out their EXO network and gateway boxes, but I have been getting the sense that the Fibe TV experience is a bit more polished as far as glitches and programming problems are concerned, but we don't want to have to subscribe to Fibe internet. Right now our internet is Shaw's BB100, so I have absolutely zero interest in being forced into signing up with a DSL service as well.

Now I've also been reading that apparently they recently started letting people sign up for Fibe TV with $0 internet, and I was wondering if anyone else on Hamilton Mountain has had to go through a similar experience with getting Fibe TV. It should be noted that we do have Bell Home Phone currently, we're actually ex-Fibe25 customers.

Dr.Dave · 2012-04-25, 09:06 AM

@QuantumFluxx, your exact location in southern Ontario shouldn't matter, as long as Fibe TV is available for your home. If you are having trouble ordering Fibe TV without Internet, try mentioning "Zero-rated" Internet, since that's the way Bell seem to refer to it.

Let us know in the FibeTV without Internet Add-on thread if you are successful or not.

Edit by 57. Please post comments/questions regarding the "Zero-Rate" Internet in the linked thread above to keep that topic separate. Thanks.

Harryhoo · 2012-04-26, 09:09 AM

I have 4 separate questions:

1. I have read that the number of streams can impact your internet speed. If you are watching a pre-recorded program is this considered a stream which will impact internet speed?

2. I understand that the max. recording at one time is 2 HD and 2 SD stations. If you have 4 TVs and the appropriate number of TV boxes can you be recording 4 programs and watching 4 pre-recored shows at the same time?

3. Can you start watching from the start a program which is still recording?

4. We frequently record baseball games. On Expressview I can extent the recording time up to 90 minutes. Is this possible on Fibre TV?

Dr.Dave · 2012-04-26, 09:26 AM

1. No - the TV data is transferred over your local network from the PVR to the STB. Only streams that are being sent from the Bell head end over your telephone line affect your Internet speed.

2. The max. streams is now 3HD/1SD. I think the max. number of combined recordings & viewings is either 7 or 8.

3. Yes

4. You can extend by:

5 minutes after
15 minutes after
30 minutes after
1 hour after
2 hours after
3 hours after

You can specify the stop time for a series recording or an individual recording.

cacou · 2012-05-02, 02:33 PM

I'm considering switching from Videotron to Bell's Fibe package.

The only thing holding me back is Bell's picture quality on HDTV.

Can someone with hands-on experience with Videotron and Bell HDTV give me an assessment of image quality? Are the video streams highly compressed, is there blockiness or noise in the image? Are there a lot of video artifacts in high motion scenes? What about PVR-recorded shows?

I've been very pleased with the picture quality on Videotron HD. Channels like NBC are sharp with vivid colors, no visible compression artifacts. The same goes for recorded shows on the Cisco PVR which I assume doesn't recompress the streams.

Thanks.

Rich Chambers · 2012-05-02, 03:03 PM

Cacou -- I do not have Videotron experience but switched from Bell Satellite to Fibe TV one week ago.

I was very happy with Satellite. The main reason I switched was outages during storms and a lagging behind of HD content.

Where pixilation was not uncommon on occassion on Satellite, I have had no pixilation at all on Fibe. PQ is superb, and most people who have posted here who have had good quality installation technicians would agree, I think.

So far as I can tell, the quality on recorded shows is identical to the original.

Rich

Bestman · 2012-05-02, 04:08 PM

Cacou

I switched to Fibe about 3 weeks ago from Videotron. I kept Videotron active for a few days so that I could do some comparisons.
The bottom line is that Videotron definitely has a better HD quality, and I noticed it right away. The differences vary from channel to channel, though. For example, I could not see differences when I was looking at Radio-Canada. But TVA is much softer on Fibe. I also suscribe to Golf Channel, which was really nice at Videotron. Not so on Fibe.

I was doing my tests on the same TV, on two identically calibrated HDMI inputs.

But for me, the benefits (Whole Home PVR, 50mbps, less $$) outweighed the loss in quality. I've heard rumors that in the near future Bell are supposed to reduce the compression for clients that are on FTTH like in Quebec City. I'm hoping this is true, 'cause sometimes the over-compression can become quite annoying.

Gary320 · 2012-05-02, 05:25 PM

How were you able to keep both services?

But it's true that there are some channels that look nicer on one service and others on the other service.. NBC hockey for example seems a little pixelated on Fibe, I didn't have much problem with that channel on Videotron.. so far, all other channels have been superior on Fibe for me.. (Just a personal opinion).. Even if I dont watch SD too much, SD looks great on Fibe... was nearly unwatchable on Videotron.

In terms of the complete package... Fibe wins for TV.. IMO. The only thing I dont like is there is a limit to TV viewing. We have 5 receivers here, a big household.. and when everyone goes to their seperate rooms near bed time.. TV viewing is a little problem if two are watching HD.

Bestman · 2012-05-03, 08:30 AM

Gary,

To do my comparisons, I used a RJ-45 connection on the Fibe terminal while I kept the coax on my Videotron terminal. Does this answer your question?

I rarely watch SD, and I didn't do any direct SD comparisons between Bell and Videotron... but yes, I think SD looks better on Fibe.

Gary320 · 2012-05-03, 09:13 AM

Thanks Bestman, yep it does. Sorry if I seemed like a snob on that post!

I didn't know we could use an ethernet cable for that. I'm a noob when it comes to the deeper technology of these things.. Learning something new on this forum every day. Is signal better with the RJ45? It's nearly impossible for me to use that though, since all my receivers are far from the modem.

Dr.Dave · 2012-05-03, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Is signal better with the RJ45?

It's a digital signal, so as long as the bits are delivered the picture will look the same. If there was a problem with the cable connections and the bits can't be delivered, you would see dropouts and/or macro blocking.

skads_187 · 2012-05-07, 11:24 PM

Just had a question that I keep getting different answers from bell, Ill be switching over from videotron, ill be getting the free hd pvr and renting 3 hd receivers. its going to be ftth, what model receivers do they give in this type of situation? what did you guys get?

also, does anyone have any specs on the modems router capabilities? I currently have a linksys e3200 and want to compare.

Alex007qc · 2012-05-11, 08:19 PM

A quick one for those already on Fibe TV ... does Fibe TV have free kids shows on demand ?

I'm on Videotron and I have a two year old little monster that absolutely loves Tchoupi & Doudou and she'd be sad to see it go as we switch.

Thanks !

nitra · 2012-05-12, 10:09 AM

skads_187;
If you get a Sagemcom, it's just as good as the e3200, it's missing the 5Ghz band, but spec for spec, it works great other than that. I have my e4200 configured as an access point to continue to use the 5Ghz, but it's router functions are disabled.

Alex007qc, there's quite a bit of on demand, but you need to subscribe to it, you'll see on page 3 of the programming guide, Family gets you Family on demand and Disney as well, although you need to subscribe to Disney, Treehouse, will also get you Treehouse on demand, YTV, gets YTV on demand.

2012-04-25, 03:44 AM	#287
QuantumFluxx Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hamilton, Ontario Posts: 189	Thinking of making the switch but... So we are thinking of making the switch to Fibe TV, we are currently on Bell ExpressVu on Hamilton Mountain. Originally we were going to wait it out for Shaw to roll out their EXO network and gateway boxes, but I have been getting the sense that the Fibe TV experience is a bit more polished as far as glitches and programming problems are concerned, but we don't want to have to subscribe to Fibe internet. Right now our internet is Shaw's BB100, so I have absolutely zero interest in being forced into signing up with a DSL service as well. Now I've also been reading that apparently they recently started letting people sign up for Fibe TV with $0 internet, and I was wondering if anyone else on Hamilton Mountain has had to go through a similar experience with getting Fibe TV. It should be noted that we do have Bell Home Phone currently, we're actually ex-Fibe25 customers. __________________ Pioneer KURO Elite Pro-101FD Signature Series \| Sony Playstation 3 \| Sony STR-DH800

2012-04-26, 09:26 AM	#290
Dr.Dave Moderator Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 4,820	1. No - the TV data is transferred over your local network from the PVR to the STB. Only streams that are being sent from the Bell head end over your telephone line affect your Internet speed. 2. The max. streams is now 3HD/1SD. I think the max. number of combined recordings & viewings is either 7 or 8. 3. Yes 4. You can extend by: 5 minutes after 15 minutes after 30 minutes after 1 hour after 2 hours after 3 hours after You can specify the stop time for a series recording or an individual recording.

2012-05-02, 02:33 PM	#291
cacou Rookie Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 2	TV picture quality - live and recorded I'm considering switching from Videotron to Bell's Fibe package. The only thing holding me back is Bell's picture quality on HDTV. Can someone with hands-on experience with Videotron and Bell HDTV give me an assessment of image quality? Are the video streams highly compressed, is there blockiness or noise in the image? Are there a lot of video artifacts in high motion scenes? What about PVR-recorded shows? I've been very pleased with the picture quality on Videotron HD. Channels like NBC are sharp with vivid colors, no visible compression artifacts. The same goes for recorded shows on the Cisco PVR which I assume doesn't recompress the streams. Thanks.

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2012-04-23, 03:42 PM	#286
pmosher Rookie Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Oakville ON, Lakeshore & Ford Dr. Posts: 17	Just to reassure those planning to use Vonage or other VoIP services along with Bell Fibe TV and Bell Internet, this combination works just fine. We've used a BYOD VoIP service for quite awhile, originally with Fibe 25 service, and now with the Fibe 16+/TV service. No issues at all. Pauline

2012-04-25, 09:06 AM	#288
Dr.Dave Moderator Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 4,820	@QuantumFluxx, your exact location in southern Ontario shouldn't matter, as long as Fibe TV is available for your home. If you are having trouble ordering Fibe TV without Internet, try mentioning "Zero-rated" Internet, since that's the way Bell seem to refer to it. Let us know in the FibeTV without Internet Add-on thread if you are successful or not. Edit by 57. Please post comments/questions regarding the "Zero-Rate" Internet in the linked thread above to keep that topic separate. Thanks.

2012-04-26, 09:09 AM	#289
Harryhoo Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: GTA Posts: 142	I have 4 separate questions: 1. I have read that the number of streams can impact your internet speed. If you are watching a pre-recorded program is this considered a stream which will impact internet speed? 2. I understand that the max. recording at one time is 2 HD and 2 SD stations. If you have 4 TVs and the appropriate number of TV boxes can you be recording 4 programs and watching 4 pre-recored shows at the same time? 3. Can you start watching from the start a program which is still recording? 4. We frequently record baseball games. On Expressview I can extent the recording time up to 90 minutes. Is this possible on Fibre TV?

2012-05-02, 03:03 PM	#292
Rich Chambers Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Oakville Ontario Canada, Bell-FibeTV, VIP-2262, Toshiba 46XV540U Posts: 187	Cacou -- I do not have Videotron experience but switched from Bell Satellite to Fibe TV one week ago. I was very happy with Satellite. The main reason I switched was outages during storms and a lagging behind of HD content. Where pixilation was not uncommon on occassion on Satellite, I have had no pixilation at all on Fibe. PQ is superb, and most people who have posted here who have had good quality installation technicians would agree, I think. So far as I can tell, the quality on recorded shows is identical to the original. Rich

2012-05-02, 04:08 PM	#293
Bestman Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Quebec City Posts: 47	Cacou I switched to Fibe about 3 weeks ago from Videotron. I kept Videotron active for a few days so that I could do some comparisons. The bottom line is that Videotron definitely has a better HD quality, and I noticed it right away. The differences vary from channel to channel, though. For example, I could not see differences when I was looking at Radio-Canada. But TVA is much softer on Fibe. I also suscribe to Golf Channel, which was really nice at Videotron. Not so on Fibe. I was doing my tests on the same TV, on two identically calibrated HDMI inputs. But for me, the benefits (Whole Home PVR, 50mbps, less $$) outweighed the loss in quality. I've heard rumors that in the near future Bell are supposed to reduce the compression for clients that are on FTTH like in Quebec City. I'm hoping this is true, 'cause sometimes the over-compression can become quite annoying.

2012-05-02, 05:25 PM	#294
Gary320 Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 30	How were you able to keep both services? But it's true that there are some channels that look nicer on one service and others on the other service.. NBC hockey for example seems a little pixelated on Fibe, I didn't have much problem with that channel on Videotron.. so far, all other channels have been superior on Fibe for me.. (Just a personal opinion).. Even if I dont watch SD too much, SD looks great on Fibe... was nearly unwatchable on Videotron. In terms of the complete package... Fibe wins for TV.. IMO. The only thing I dont like is there is a limit to TV viewing. We have 5 receivers here, a big household.. and when everyone goes to their seperate rooms near bed time.. TV viewing is a little problem if two are watching HD.

2012-05-03, 08:30 AM	#295
Bestman Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Quebec City Posts: 47	Gary, To do my comparisons, I used a RJ-45 connection on the Fibe terminal while I kept the coax on my Videotron terminal. Does this answer your question? I rarely watch SD, and I didn't do any direct SD comparisons between Bell and Videotron... but yes, I think SD looks better on Fibe.

2012-05-03, 09:13 AM	#296
Gary320 Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 30	Thanks Bestman, yep it does. Sorry if I seemed like a snob on that post! I didn't know we could use an ethernet cable for that. I'm a noob when it comes to the deeper technology of these things.. Learning something new on this forum every day. Is signal better with the RJ45? It's nearly impossible for me to use that though, since all my receivers are far from the modem.

2012-05-07, 11:24 PM	#298
skads_187 Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 30	Just had a question that I keep getting different answers from bell, Ill be switching over from videotron, ill be getting the free hd pvr and renting 3 hd receivers. its going to be ftth, what model receivers do they give in this type of situation? what did you guys get? also, does anyone have any specs on the modems router capabilities? I currently have a linksys e3200 and want to compare.

2012-05-11, 08:19 PM	#299
Alex007qc Rookie Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 1	A quick one for those already on Fibe TV ... does Fibe TV have free kids shows on demand ? I'm on Videotron and I have a two year old little monster that absolutely loves Tchoupi & Doudou and she'd be sad to see it go as we switch. Thanks !

2012-05-12, 10:09 AM	#300
nitra Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 251	skads_187; If you get a Sagemcom, it's just as good as the e3200, it's missing the 5Ghz band, but spec for spec, it works great other than that. I have my e4200 configured as an access point to continue to use the 5Ghz, but it's router functions are disabled. Alex007qc, there's quite a bit of on demand, but you need to subscribe to it, you'll see on page 3 of the programming guide, Family gets you Family on demand and Disney as well, although you need to subscribe to Disney, Treehouse, will also get you Treehouse on demand, YTV, gets YTV on demand.