Delta Cable (Eastlink in BC) Discussion

ARISE FROM THE GRAVE!!!

In late August I got my KDL40XBR2 and plugged in my Delta Cable coax. After about half an hour I had some interesting digital cable. The most interesting thing for me is getting HD channels and digital music. The reason though I said interesting is that Delta Cable uses Motorola STB for their digital cable and the tuner in my XBR2 is doing the best that it can. While according to Delta Cable's official channel line up all the HD channels live from channels 170 to 179, in reality they are subchannel starting at 60 and going up to 70. They aren't even in the same order. And while I get information on the TV shows (Program name and rating) , it doesn't know what the channel is. As I said, I get the digital music channels, but I don't know which is which and again they don't even seem to be in the same order as the channel listing.

OK, less about my TV and more about Delta Cable HDTV. Delta I guess gets it's feed from Shaw?!? We get PBS East and ABC East. NBC, CBS and Fox are all West. Movie Central, Sportsnet, TSN, CBC and CTV round out the HD channels. Sometimes I think Delta Cable only exists to make Shaw look good. So while you all are clamouring over A&E HD or such, I'm still wondering when or if I'll ever get Discovery HD, The Score HD, Global HD, or City HD.

Iain.

Saw that last night and I was VERY surprised as the QAM tuner in my Panasonic TH42PX60U picked it up automatically and configured itself to show the channel. I had 62.12 set so it would not display when I was channel surfing and all of a sudden it was there.

What I like even more is that it is coming in as 720p when all the other Delta HD channels are 1080i.

As to the digital music, I disabled them all as there are no graphics showing the artist, title, etc.

Delta HDTV channels to date:

60.1 PBS Detroit
60.2 CBS

61.1 NBC
61.2 FOX
61.3 ABC East

62.1 CBC
62.2 TSN
62.12 Discover

69.2 SportsNet
69.3 CTV

No cable box here but I sure am enjoying most of these. I find the PQ on PBS to be poor at times.

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LOL.... Xmas tech support.

All 10 HD channels are still unencrypted for me in North Delta. I also have a buddy here who, since my last post, has bought a plasma and he gets 10 unencrypted.

Just ensure that your HDTV set has a built-in QAM tuner.

Let me warn you though.... once you have savoured HDTV you will not want to watch standard analog. Kinda spoils the enjoyment for the few channels that I do enjoy for their content such as History and the Space channels. Battlestar Galactica is just so icky in SDTV, with washed out colours, that I think I prefer to download it via Bit Torrent, burn it to a DVD, and then watch it.

Enjoy!

PS.... I've seen Delta Cable trucks all around the neighborhood just before Xmas. Looks like they were upgrading filters or electronics in the enclosures at the pole and in the pedestals on the ground. I sure hope it was not part of a future encryption scheme.

Well, my OnAir HDTV GT was delivered yesterday and here's the channels I'm receiving:

62.1 CBC HD
62.2 TSN HD
62.12 Discovery HD

64.1 World Fishing Network
64.2 Cool TV
64.3 Wild TV
64.12 National Geographic HD

69.2 SportsNet HD
69.3 CTV HD

I'm also getting 35 music channels on 59.* and 76.* that I've yet to identify. Unfortunately, I'm not picking up any of the American channels on 60 or 61; I was really hoping I'd get those...

Are Delta Cable's SD channels analogue?

I was interested to read that 'Newsyl' and 'Critter' have been successful in receiving unencrypted HD channels from Delta Cable using QAM.

I have been building a MythTV box for a number of weeks. I am fed up with my unreliable Motorola DCT6412 and the crazy 120GB limitation which it has. (oh, and the fact it doesn't save to DVD, stream internet radio, play my MP3's etc, etc)

I went out an bought two Airstar capture cards, these work with 8-VSB, QAM64,128,256. With this I am able to view HD no problem, but I cannot seem to get the SD channels other than those which Critter reported (World Fishing Network, cool TV & Wild TV).

I am wondering if Delta Cable are only transmitting the majority of the SD channels as NTSC analogue, if so then my Airstar cards are not going to be of any use.

For those three channels mentions above, perhaps Delta Cable are converting them to digital and then sending them out.

Does anyone know if Delta Cable are transmitting the SD channels as digital?

I would try phoning them but as many others have experienced you usually get someone who doesn't seem to know the answers or are avoiding giving you the answer.

thanks

critter,
I have not checked for a couple of weeks as I have been struggling with searching for the SD channels but at one point I was able to receive all of the 'non-premium' HD channels, that is ..

Ch 170 WTVSDT (pbs)
Ch 171 KIRODT (kiro)
Ch 173 KINGDT (nbc)
Ch 174 KCPQDT (fox)
Ch 175 WXYZDT (abc)
Ch 176 SPOHDTV (Rogers Sportsnet)
Ch 177 CIVTDT (CTV)
Ch 178 TSNHD (The Sports Network)
Ch 179 CBLTDT (cbc)
Ch 180 TDCHD (discovery channel)
Ch 181 AETVHD (a&e)
Ch 182 NGCHD (National Geographic)
Ch 183 SHCSCHD (Showcase)

I am sorry that I don't have the actual tuner channel numbers to hand, the channel numbers are the equivalent ones which I would see when I watch the same channels through my Motorola DCT6412, and are also the channel numbers listed on zap2it listings for Delta cable.

I am very happy that I can watch these channels on my Myth box but it is a real disappointment that I can't watch the analogue ones. For some time to come I think I am still going to want to watch some of the SD channels so with my current setup my Myth box is not viable. Now I need to look at forking out more cash to buy a analogue capture card or return my HD capture cards and replace with HD ones which can also do analogue (pcHDTV HD-5500 can do this I believe but I am not sure if it is a hardware encoder for SD capture).

BTW I am using Airstar HD5000AV-PCI

I do hope that Persona/Delta Cable don't start encrypting these HD channels. I pay my regular cable TV bills on time, have done for many years. I would also quite happily continue to rent a HD PVR from Delta Cable except that the DCT6412 is not reliable and does not provide anywhere near the storage space or features which I need. I am not trying to get out of paying them for whatever they provide to me so I don't see why they would need to deliberately block me from using a 3rd party HD PVR/HTTPC.

Kevin

Here's the latest update. I rescanned my channels yesterday. The following are being received by the QAM tuner in the TV for the North Delta area.


HDTV channels
- all 1080i except where noted
-----------------------------------------

58.15 A&E (720p)

60.1 PBS Detroit
60.2 CBS

61.1 NBC
61.2 FOX
61.3 ABC East

62.1 CBC
62.2 TSN
62.12 Discover (720p)

64.12 National Geographic

69.2 SportsNet
69.3 CTV

77.14 Showcase



SDTV Channels (480i)
-----------------------------------------

58.10 GOLTV (Soccer)

64.1 World Fishing Network
64.2 Cool TV
64.3 Wild TV (Hunting)

.

Hmmmm....

The NHL playoffs start up and suddenly CBC HDTV no longer works just when Canucks fever hits town.

I sit down to watch the Canucks game on Tuesday night but CBC on 62.1 is gone. It was there the previous game. I find it after the game is over on 58.12. The next day 58.12 and GOLTV on 58.10 are gone and I'm seeing a poor signal strength message. Now, GOLTV has done that a few times in the past 3 months. Goes away for a couple of days and then comes back.

But geeezzz!! If I'm not watching the Canucks I'd like to watch the FA Cup highlights. I almost think it's a plot to tell me the reception would be better with one of their pricey black boxes.

Anyone else in Delta having issues with CBC HDTV??

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