[Tommy123]

Hello,

I'm thinking of switching from Shaw to Telus to take advantage of the 15/15/15 deal. I have 2 options:

1. 3-year contract and get a free HD PVR rental
2. No contract and buy a HD PVR from BestBuy / Futureshop for $200.

Which one would you prefer and why?

Thanks!

 

[x katt x]

Are you just installing 1 tv or 2?

Right now, telus has a sweetner deal until the end of march where if you're signing up on a 3 year term to get a HD PVR 430 rental free, they will throw in a second box for the entire term, a HD 330. This is a great option if you want 2 tv's installed.


Otherwise, if you have the cash, buying is a better option. When you take the purchase price and divide it by the rental price, the box will pay for itself in a year and 2 months.

200 / 15 = 1 year 1 month.

Then you're not locked into a term. You can always sell the equipment on kijiji if you decide the grass is greener without cancellation penalty.

As well, buying the box at a best buy or future shop on a new activation will also get you a $50 programing credit

 

[Tommy123]

Thanks.

I'm only installing 1 TV.

What do you mean by programming credit? Can I use it on theme packs? Also, when does this BB / Futureshop credit promotion end?

 

[yvrwindsor]

I would recommend renting (free with a 3yr contract). This way any problem with the PVR will be looked after by TELUS.

 

[Tommy123]

But that means I won't be able to switch to a better deal if Telus does offer one. Does Telus offer good deals to existing customers?

 

[PrimeBane]

I bought... assuming I stick with Optik for more than 3 years, it shoudl be less in the long run.

But then I got my PVR at FS during Boxing Day for $100, so it was low risk

 

[joudbren]

I bought as well. $250 is cheap and I didn't want to be tied into any contract. If I ever leave Telus it should be easy enough to unload the box on Kijiji. In my case though I also lucked out at BB a couple of weeks ago. They had an in store promo and were selling the 430 for $250 and throwing in a free 330 with the purchase so I got both for $250. BB and FS seem to do sales periodically so you may want to watch for that.

 

[Tommy123]

Thanks for the reply. I am leaning towards buying the PVR now. Too bad I just missed the FS / BB $99 sale. Hopefully there will be another one soon.

 

[WarrenC12]

$50 programming credit for purchasing STB

I understand this only applies to new customers, but can you combine it with other offers?

 

[merve04]

i think im just gonna go ahead and buy a hd box, $99 cant go wrong, plus can return it if things dont work out,, but can i just hook this up straight to my switch?? ALU->Router->Switch, or should i swap it with my actiontech and feed my box from the modem router and then go to router->switch??

 

[joudbren]

Thanks for the reply. I am leaning towards buying the PVR now. Too bad I just missed the FS / BB $99 sale. Hopefully there will be another one soon.

FS flyer this week has the 430 for $199 and the 330 for $99. Cheers!

 

[rocking23nf]

i would rent, i have several satelitte dishs fail over the years, and remember, hard drives spin, they will fail.

 

[Tommy123]

Yup, I saw that too. I'm waiting for the $99 deal

 

[Tommy123]

Interesting point on hard drive failure. Something to think about for sure.

 

[BillA]

I would not buy unless it was only $99. The CIS430 is obviously inadequate for Media Room 2.02 already, with the time lags on the "Option" button. I often have to repeat my selection since the PVR is so laggy. Also, a 320GB drive is inadequate when a 1 TB drive now goes for less than $100. In three years that CIS430 will be totally outdated, and hard drives and ram are still getting cheaper. I only got mine Dec 4, 2010 and it is already overwhelmed by MR 2.02. The 3 year contract was a good deal that made me jump from Shaw who always wanted more $$ for digital TV hardware. That and 50 channels of reality analog TV made me jump to Telus. I have had a few problems in Telus billing that had me annoyed but I have no regrets now that these appear to be ironed out. Telus is trying hard and I like the fact they are opening a "call center" for Optik support in BC rather than some third world country.

 

[DIGITALEight]

Hey Tommy. Have you ordered Optik yet? I thought the 15/15/15 deal expired on Feb. 28th?

 

[Tommy123]

Hi BillA, what do you mean by overwhelmed? Does MR 2.02 not work on the CIS430?
If I rent the PVR for 3 years now, I would be stuck on having the CIS430 for 3 years right? I don't think Telus will update my PVR in the middle of the contract.

 

[Tommy123]

Hello DIGITALEight, my coupon doesn't have an expiration date.

 

[merve04]

i think im just gonna go ahead and buy a hd box, $99 cant go wrong, plus can return it if things dont work out,, but can i just hook this up straight to my switch?? ALU->Router->Switch, or should i swap it with my actiontech and feed my box from the modem router and then go to router->switch??

well bought the box today, but looks like telus wont budge on activating it over the phone,, so now we play the waiting game. I hope i dont screw myself over with this, if me buying a box cash, and trying it out for the first month and like it, if i sign for 3yrs will they offer the pvr box and possibly like many mention throw in another hd box??

 

[BillA]

To Tommy123: I am making an assumption on my part that the sluggishness is due to lack of memory and/or processing power. There are definitely some software issues that never should have happened with thorough testing. They released 2.02 too early. My series recording simply does not work properly. I get the double red dot but it records only one programm even though settings are okay. Also, certain button sequences crash the 430 and it shuts off even though I have not touched the power button. Reminds me of Windows Me in year 2000 that was terrible. There is a possibility that the sluggishness can be overcome with better programming optimization but the slowness on the "Options" button is very annoying. I would rather have the older software at this point in time. I guess we will find out in April whether it can be fixed on the current CIS430 platform.