Switching to BEV from Shaw ... maybe

[ihdtv]

Hi..

I'm close to making the switch to BEV from Shaw. My main reason is the extra HD content that BEV carries and the HD timeshifts. I guess I'm looking for some opinions on a couple of things before I commit.

1. One of the common complaints that I'm reading on this forum is the issue of Global simsubbing. My thoughts on this are that it's not a deal killer for me and I would switch anyway but I'm curious as to how often this happens on HD. I don't really care about this issue on SD because I watch SD only rarely now. From what I've been reading here it seems to happen alot on the Eastern feed but not as often on the Western feed. Is the simsubbing happening only on the 4 major network shows? Would this be enough for you to stay with Shaw or is it just an annoyance that comes with the territory? I suspect that even though Shaw has resisted simsubbing in the past it's only a matter of time before they start allowing it.

2. Will I find the 9200 as easy to use as the 6412 PIII that I've been using?

3. I've read some complaints about signal interference but they mostly seem to be coming from the Vancouver area and I don't recall any coming from the Calgary area. Any Calgary area BEV users that have interference issues?

4. I moved into a new house in Sept and the former owners were Star Choice users and left the dish on my garage. Will the BEV installer be able to use the same dish location for the BEV dish? Do Star Choice dishes and BEV dishes point to the same area of the sky?

5. I'd be open to any other thoughts regarding my impending switch. I've been reading this forum alot and got some good info. I'm still debating a one year vs two year contract at this point. I'm also pretty sure I'm going to purchase the 9200 rather than rent. My neighbor is a BEV user ... I'm going to talk to him and see how things work for him too.

[SensualPoet]

Originally Posted by ihdtv

I'm close to making the switch to BEV from Shaw. My main reason is the extra HD content that BEV carries and the HD timeshifts.

Check the differences carefully. In Calgary, prime time US and Canadian Eastern feeds mean watching main stream dramas at 6 pm local time. You might find an HD PVR gets you what you are looking for. The additional channels Bell HD has may, or may not, be worth the switch. Don't assume more HD channels means there's actually anything more worth watching that YOU want to watch.

Originally Posted by ihdtv

4. I moved into a new house in Sept and the former owners were Star Choice users and left the dish on my garage. Will the BEV installer be able to use the same dish location for the BEV dish? Do Star Choice dishes and BEV dishes point to the same area of the sky?

BEV and Star Choice dishes, and equipment, are different and not interchangeable. They point to different "spots" in the sky; but most of Canada can adequately see both sets of satellites.

Originally Posted by ihdtv

5. I'd be open to any other thoughts regarding my impending switch. I've been reading this forum alot and got some good info. I'm still debating a one year vs two year contract at this point. I'm also pretty sure I'm going to purchase the 9200 rather than rent. My neighbor is a BEV user ... I'm going to talk to him and see how things work for him too.

BEV has all but abandoned 1 year contracts. If you switch, you'll get some hot offers for two years; none for one. If you are committed to two years anyway, that amortizes the cost of purchasing a (half price currently) receiver very nicely.

Take a hard look at moving to satellite if the motivation is mostly HD. You have a great opportunity to chat with your neighbour, see his set-up, compare picture quality and channel selection. You'll lose some channels (like Turner Classic Movies, MSNBC, National Geographic HD), and gain others. You'll lose Shaw On Demand. However, the point is, you have a great chance to "dig deep" and kick the tires in the way most of us don't by "leaning" on your neighbour to check out the everyday real world pros and cons.

[ihdtv]

Thanks SensualPoet for the reply. I left out some of the details you refer to in order to keep my post from becoming unnecessarily long.

Originally Posted by SensualPoet

Check the differences carefully. In Calgary, prime time US and Canadian Eastern feeds mean watching main stream dramas at 6 pm local time. You might find an HD PVR gets you what you are looking for. The additional channels Bell HD has may, or may not, be worth the switch. Don't assume more HD channels means there's actually anything more worth watching that YOU want to watch.

I actually own the PVR 6412 and use it. We hardly watch any live tv except sports. The problem is that we have run into some situations where there are 3 programs on at once and I have to record a timeshifted SD version of it. BEV does offer a few more HD channels and I have looked at the content they provide. HDNet has a few movies and concerts I would watch as well as some of the stuff on Oasis, Treasure etc.

BEV and Star Choice dishes, and equipment, are different and not interchangeable. They point to different "spots" in the sky; but most of Canada can adequately see both sets of satellites.

I realize this ... I'm more wondering if I'll have to place the BEV dish on a different part of the roof. If the Star Choice sats are in the same general part of the sky then I'm ok ... otherwise my garage has a "peak" that may get in the way and I'll have to set up the BEV dish somewhere else on the roof.

It's to bad that Rogers Cable isn't out this way in the west because they seem to have some decent HD offerings as well ... at least compared to Shaw.

Thanks for your thoughts ... I'll squirrel them away under "Research before spending your money dummy"

[Battscrew]

I went with Bev for the timeshifting originally and just went with the HDPVR recently.

If you are a primetime watcher then you will have more flexibility when it comes to watching or recording - keep in mind you can only record 2 shows at the same time while watching a previously recorded show on the HDtv, plus you can watch a different previously recorded show on a SDtv.

Easier to use? Have not used the Shaw - but use a Harmony remote and my wife and daughter have not had a problem.

My 9200 has been pretty stable - I have it raised about an inch in an unenclosed cabinet with a USB powered laptop cooler underneath - picked it up at one of those liquidation places in town (the one that sends out the big flyer?) for $10.00. However I sometimes get the stutter glitch in a recorded prog not often and does not bug me much.

Signal drops about 2-3 times ayear for about 10-15 min each

[ihdtv]

I'm still investigating whether it's feasible to move to BEV from Shaw. Part of that is assessing the 9200 pvr. I've read a number of posts regarding problems with the 9200 which I would be purchasing. I'm reading things about the NBR not always working properly and missing shows, crappy guide info, stuttering on HD playback of recorded shows, recordings going way beyond the set time and recording other shows past that time, having to to hard resets, green lines etc.

I realize that most times when a post is made about a piece of equipment it will tend to be about a problem of some sort. I also understand that any pvr is going to have problems. I'm currently using the Moto 6412 with Shaw. I haven't really had any of these problems and quite honestly it's been a very good piece of equipment and worked very well for me. There are others however who have posted with 6412 problems as well. True ... I've had to reset a couple of times but that was it.

I guess I'm wondering if anyone is using the 9200 without any of the above mentioned problems or at least maybe only one of them. I may still decide to live with the issues to get the better HD programming but I would like to see if anyone is using this pvr and loving it. I'm trying to make an educated choice here and just looking for some user opinions. Surely some people are using this box without many problems??

[Altaman]

Well I think love is a strong word. I will say that overall the 9200 is a good, solid machine that functions very well. NBR & the guide info are related, if the guide info is bad, then NBR is not going to work properly. I tend use NBR for the most part, but keep an eye on what is upcoming. The option to NBR is to remove the record new shows only and have it record all shows on a specific channel.

Other than that I and the odd lip-sync and simsub glitches I am relatively happy with my 9200's.

Alt

[ihdtv]

Thanks for that Altaman...

I'm just concerned that I might end up trading a bunch of PVR problems for the extra HD content that I'm after. Overall BEV looks like it might work for me better with what I want.

ihdtv

[bailey4363]

Well I have switched from StarChoice to BEV and the 9200. I will never go back to a non pvr, but I think your Shaw Moto is a pvr. My principal reasons for moving was more HD. Even with the addition of National Geographic HD and Showcase HD on Star/Shaw, BEV still has way more HD. The biggest differences are ABC West HD, 2nd feed on PBS (not a big deal), HD NET (a big deal), WGN WB, Treasure, Equator, and a 2 nd feed of MC to name just a few. Basically if you want choice of more HD, BEV has way more anyway you cut it.

The 9200 works well, I did have the freezing on HD recordings and with a knowlegable CSR it was fixed in 10 mins. I also have been able to help people with that problem now here on the forums now (which is what should do here). Overall a good experience, my goals have been met, also I think the picture quality is better on BEV as compared to StarChoice.

[ctown6412]

I too am looking at swithing over from shaw but due to the crappy pvr. Im on my 5th unit and I still have issues.
FYI Shaw will buy back your HDPVR for $397 ( a credit to your account). So just return the pvr then cancell your account the next day and they mail you a check for the remaining balance.

I find I only watch hd channels now with the exception of Space channel.
My plan is to visit the Bell store and see what HD channels I can get with just the basic digital, and the HD option then add space to my bill.

I really hate having too many extra channels that I dont watch,

[ihdtv]

I've actually decided to stay with Shaw for the time being. My 6412 PVR is working great. I know some people have had problems with them though. It seems to be the same thing with the 9200 ... some people they work great and others have lots of issues.

I posted a reason for my decision in this thread --> http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=21216

If Shaw adds HD Timeshift to their lineup soon as is rumored that helps. Check out Bell's website ... they explain their packages pretty well there.

ihdtv