[Fuzzy McGillicuddy]

Telus is offering me a decent incentive to switch. I'm looking for feedback from anyone who has left Bell.

Looks like the channels are similar. I can still program PVR remotely with smart phone.

Is there anything I should be aware of?

 

[rocking23nf]

i switched from belus expressvu 2 weeks ago, i love it so far.

picture quality is awesome, guide is awesome

remote buttons are bit different, the channel switching is 20x quicker then belus satelitte.

 

[dapr]

Quality on good HD channels isn't as sharp (CBC hockey for example). But its not huge.

Guide is slower, and not as configurable (only one favorites list that you have to re-select each time).

PVR function however is a lot nicer, it will group series recordings into a "folder", so its not as cluttered. Recording via PC is great as its much easier to search (although it won't search by description yet like bell could).

You should be able to get "pick your 9 pack" or whatever for ~$45/mo for 1 year. Much better than bell.

 

[merve04]

I'm considering the switch from bell as well. Whats these incentives your talking about? And to the last poster $45\month for 12 month for the pick 9 package ?!?!?!? I just looked and i see 48 for 3 month.. please explain this cause that may just do it for me.

 

[DIGITALEight]

You have to call them and negotiate. They're pretty easy going if you order all 3 services. I think the 15/15/15 deal is still going, until the end of the month.

You get phone/15mbps internet/Optik basic TV for $15/mo each for one year, no contract. HD box rental is extra though (or you can buy your own, they're pretty cheap at Best Buy or Future Shop). Modem rental for internet is free.

I am sure if you wanted to add additional packages to TV on top of this it would be pretty straight forward.

 

[merve04]

Kind of figured,, I really dont need the phone service though, I much perfer paying some $5 a month for voip.ms, but I do have Turbo 25, got that for a deal at 45\month for 12 month, maybe I should give them a call see what they can offer. If they make it attractive enough, I'm sure the sale of a 9242 and 6131 will buy me enough TTV hardware.

 

[eblend]

I switched myself. Was only half way through my 2 year with Bell but wanted optik, called them up and said I am moving to a condo which doesn't support satellite service (or their landline alternative) and was able to cancel without paying the $200 penalty. they didn't ask for proof, but I had my parent's townhouse as a backup should they need a proof, and still had some mail sent to my parents address to prove that I "moved". Sold all of my recievers from Bell which was enough to cover the purchase of new equipment from Telus. I have no regrets what so ever, been the best switch, switched my parents from Shaw as well

 

[merve04]

I'm currious to how much the service with telus would cost. I have bell with 7 themes, 4 hd pack and premium movies. how much would something comparable set me back with telus? whats some of the typical disscount offers there willing to give you. Bell seems to offer about $20 for a year.

 

[blatch13]

No HDNET on Optik, no CBC HD east feed on Optik. No MLB Extra innings on Optik (at least not yet)

 

[merve04]

considering Telus optik gets the bulk of its channels from bell, doesnt suprise me hdnet is gone as its been removed from bell as well.

 

[ttop]

Switched about 2 weeks ago. Still on the fence as to whether I'm sticking with it. Bought my boxes at BB, so have 30 days to try it out. I like the newness of the guide, PVR anywhere, and the internet speed/consistency. Don't like the slowness of the guide in comparison to Bell 9200 Guide. Good 1/2 second delay in most standard tasks, and even more when doing certain things like changing aspect ratio of the screen. Picture quality is slightly worse than Bell. Noticeable more on SD channels. My biggest issue though is the slowness of the STB. It seems majorly underpowered. I was expecting much more of a Media Center type "quickness." The remotes are another CON. iR isn't very strong. Won't bounce off walls. Has to be pointer directly at the box pretty much. Bell's UHF remotes have a huge advantage here.

Going to be a tough decision for me on which to go with.

 

[rocking23nf]

FYI HDNET was removed from Bell also around xmas.

I actually find the HD quality better so far.

 

[NinjaActionJeans]

Only thing i'm missing so far is Military Channel. Also a little annoyed at how slow the interface is on Telus.

HD quality is a toss up. I had the chance to compare side by side. Telus looked better in some situations Bell Looked better in others.

 

[jdilay]

I am getting ready to move and my new house isn't wired nearly as well as my current house so I may be doing the switch from Bell to Telus. I have had no issues with Bell and it is hard to make the move to the unknown. I really like my 9242 and I don't want to give it up.

I guess I see the positives to switching are:
- lower monthly cost
- no need to run new cables
- PVR anywhere (currently back feeding on Bell which is low picture quality and poor sound quality)

The cons:
- sounds like picture quality isn't as good
- Sounds like the interface is slow
- sounds like multiple HD streams being used at one time slow down internet speeds
- lots of reports of jerky video
- I need to switch to Telus phone and/or internet too
- need to buy new hardware
- need to deal with Telus CSRs and support
- crawling back to a company that basically forced me to leave them years ago due to poor service

Seems to me the cons outweigh the pros.

Surely Bell has to be coming out with a PVR anywhere solution soon. My guess it will be the day after I make the switch.

 

[Hilman]

^
- I find the PQ better than my Shaw Direct.
- I don't find the interface slow, could it be faster, yes, but it is much faster and responsive than when I had Shaw Direct.
- the multiple streams of HD still provide me with 5-10 Mbps downloading speeds.
- Never had any jerky video.
- I believe you don't require TELUS phone, only internet.
- Every CSR I have dealt with has been excellent and located in Alberta.
- Hardware is free on contract or very reasonable at $249 for the PVR for new customers, sure beats my $700 DVR530 on Starchoice.


Rumor has it that that early next week, you will be able to stream the contents of your recorded PVR to any PC or smartphone.

 

[rocking23nf]

The cons:
- sounds like picture quality isn't as good
I find it better, 8 year expressvu customer, 2 years on the 9242.
- Sounds like the interface is slow
I find it slow on first launch, but not slow when using it.
- sounds like multiple HD streams being used at one time slow down internet speeds
Im on fiber to the home, havent seen any internet slowdown, been downling at 1.5mb per sec on utorrent for last 48 hours without issue
- lots of reports of jerky video
havent had this
- I need to switch to Telus phone and/or internet too
no comment since i have all services
- need to buy new hardware
free hdpvr rental on 3 year contract
- need to deal with Telus CSRs and support
can be frustrating, can be good.
- crawling back to a company that basically forced me to leave them years ago due to poor service

Seems to me the cons outweigh the pros.

Surely Bell has to be coming out with a PVR anywhere solution soon. My guess it will be the day after I make the switch.

 

[merve04]

anyone have tips on getting a deal with ttv? i called a rep saying i was interested, and i had bell tv, told them the kind of programming and cost and they couldnt match it, i told them they werent very competative, rep says i guess not, told her atlease you know, click.