NBC and Superbowl Commercials - Page 3 - Canadian TV, Computing and Home Theatre Forums

Brent McKee · 2012-02-07, 03:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zod

It kind of sucks here in Victoria. The closest OTA tower for CTV is in the Vancouver area. In order to get CTV ota here you need a pretty decent outdoor antenna. You're average joe with an indoor antenna can't pick it up.

I would think Victoria is far enough away that shaw shouldn't have to simsub it, but unfortunately they are simsubbing it.

It kind of sucks as I got used to the US commercials the last 4 years while living in Edmonton (allthough it looks like CTV has gone OTA in HD in Edmonton now, so they're screwed too).

Maybe I'll send a complaint to the CRTC tomorrow asking why shaw is simsubbing where theres no local transmittor.

It's actually pretty simple. If Shaw in Victoria is carrying the CTV Vancouver HD channel then I'm pretty sure they have to simsub the Vancouver signal over the American signal. As I recall, the rule is that if there is a Canadian station in your time zone and which is carried by your local cable carrier, the cable carrier is required to simsub that signal. It has to be the same format of course - you can't simsub an SD signal over an HD signal, but other than that, as long as the station is in the same time zone as your city and is carrying a program at the same time it will be simsubbed.

Zod · 2012-02-07, 12:40 PM

The way I understand it, is that the channel has to be carried over the air to require the simsub.

IE. In Edmonton last year CTV had an HD station, but it wasn't OTA. Shaw didn't have to simsub it. Also Calgary already had an OTA CTV HD channel at the time (same time zone), they didn't have to simsub that into Edmonton either.

I'm pretty sure the simsub rules are directly tied to the channel being available over the air in your area. The problem with victoria is were right on the cusp of being able to get CTV HD. For the most part you can't, unless you're in a higher elevation and have a good outdoor antenna.

Brent McKee · 2012-02-08, 05:48 AM

Okay, you appear to be right about the OTA requirement (though I really would like to see the actual CRTC rule). However the law apparently also refers to regions and Victoria is within the Vancouver region. The maps at TV Fool show that you can receive the CTV station there.

I hate to say it but it seems that our national reliance on cable and satellite to deliver TV signals really falls down on this point. There's no incentive for a station like CIVT to provide good service to Vancouver Island if most people are using cable TV over IP or satellite. It therefore becomes a vicious circle.

Zod · 2012-02-08, 02:23 PM

The way I feel about it is, is the strength of CTV signal in Victoria is pretty weak. You need a fairly high quality outdoor antenna at a higher elevation to pick it up clearly.

It would be nice if the CRTC tighten up the rules a bit. Do some testing, if people can't pick it up with a simple indoor antenna setup, then maybe it shouldn't be considered a broadcast area. Maybe they would install repeaters if the cable companies didn't have to simsub in the area.

If i buy a house I might try to install a decent outdoor antenna. Depending where you live in Victoria you can pick up seattle stations. It only works in the higher elevated areas though.

downbeat · 2012-02-09, 12:37 PM

Let's end on this point: An OTA station's contour isn't based on your ability to receive a signal easily, rather a theoretical line at a predetermined signal strength called the "noise limiting bounding contour". So while it's a long shot for most Victoria residents to get Vancouver TV stations, most of those stations' contours lie just outside the Victoria city limits, or they might even cross the city a little. In any case, enough for a simsub to come into effect.
Now … we've gone far off topic — U.S. Super Bowl commercials and their non-availability on Shaw — and the Super Bowl is over for another year, so this thread is closing.
However, I encourage you to peruse the Canadian Television Industry forum, where there are plenty of discussion on the pros and (mostly) cons of simsibbing.
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=12
Thanks for your understanding.

2012-02-07, 12:40 PM	#32
Zod Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 590	The way I understand it, is that the channel has to be carried over the air to require the simsub. IE. In Edmonton last year CTV had an HD station, but it wasn't OTA. Shaw didn't have to simsub it. Also Calgary already had an OTA CTV HD channel at the time (same time zone), they didn't have to simsub that into Edmonton either. I'm pretty sure the simsub rules are directly tied to the channel being available over the air in your area. The problem with victoria is were right on the cusp of being able to get CTV HD. For the most part you can't, unless you're in a higher elevation and have a good outdoor antenna. Last edited by downbeat; 2012-02-09 at 12:33 PM. Reason: Quote removed

2012-02-08, 05:48 AM	#33
Brent McKee Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Saskatoon Posts: 76	Okay, you appear to be right about the OTA requirement (though I really would like to see the actual CRTC rule). However the law apparently also refers to regions and Victoria is within the Vancouver region. The maps at TV Fool show that you can receive the CTV station there. I hate to say it but it seems that our national reliance on cable and satellite to deliver TV signals really falls down on this point. There's no incentive for a station like CIVT to provide good service to Vancouver Island if most people are using cable TV over IP or satellite. It therefore becomes a vicious circle. Last edited by downbeat; 2012-02-09 at 12:33 PM. Reason: Quote removed

2012-02-08, 02:23 PM	#34
Zod Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 590	The way I feel about it is, is the strength of CTV signal in Victoria is pretty weak. You need a fairly high quality outdoor antenna at a higher elevation to pick it up clearly. It would be nice if the CRTC tighten up the rules a bit. Do some testing, if people can't pick it up with a simple indoor antenna setup, then maybe it shouldn't be considered a broadcast area. Maybe they would install repeaters if the cable companies didn't have to simsub in the area. If i buy a house I might try to install a decent outdoor antenna. Depending where you live in Victoria you can pick up seattle stations. It only works in the higher elevated areas though. Last edited by downbeat; 2012-02-09 at 12:32 PM. Reason: Quote removed

2012-02-09, 12:37 PM	#35
downbeat Moderator Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Calgary Posts: 3,564	Thread closing Let's end on this point: An OTA station's contour isn't based on your ability to receive a signal easily, rather a theoretical line at a predetermined signal strength called the "noise limiting bounding contour". So while it's a long shot for most Victoria residents to get Vancouver TV stations, most of those stations' contours lie just outside the Victoria city limits, or they might even cross the city a little. In any case, enough for a simsub to come into effect. Now … we've gone far off topic — U.S. Super Bowl commercials and their non-availability on Shaw — and the Super Bowl is over for another year, so this thread is closing. However, I encourage you to peruse the Canadian Television Industry forum, where there are plenty of discussion on the pros and (mostly) cons of simsibbing. http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=12 Thanks for your understanding.

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