Thanks for the info MarshMalo about the 360. I've been wondering how the 360 would fair With the Optik system. Your info will save me from having a minor freakout. 
Rookie Optik Questions
Optik noob questions
I am planning to pull the trigger and switch from Shaw to Optik in the next week or two. I've been browsing the forums but haven't found the answers to these questions: should hopefully be easy and any Optik user can answer them.
1) The install: I understand they put in their router or whatever near a phone outlet and connect it to a coax outlet, and then every coax outlet in the house becomes 'active' for Optik. Does every TV then require a 'set top box'. Is this like a box that takes the signal from coax and then gives component / HDMI output?
2) How many set top boxes do you get with an Optik install?
3) How many remotes do you get? No real issues with the Harmony One that anyone is aware of? (I did see this thread, but don't know what flavor of Harmony remote)
Thanks and sorry if this info is posted elsewhere- it seems so basic but I couldn't find it.
I am planning to pull the trigger and switch from Shaw to Optik in the next week or two. I've been browsing the forums but haven't found the answers to these questions: should hopefully be easy and any Optik user can answer them.
1) The install: I understand they put in their router or whatever near a phone outlet and connect it to a coax outlet, and then every coax outlet in the house becomes 'active' for Optik. Does every TV then require a 'set top box'. Is this like a box that takes the signal from coax and then gives component / HDMI output?
2) How many set top boxes do you get with an Optik install?
3) How many remotes do you get? No real issues with the Harmony One that anyone is aware of? (I did see this thread, but don't know what flavor of Harmony remote)
Thanks and sorry if this info is posted elsewhere- it seems so basic but I couldn't find it.
41 - 60 of 85 Posts
Im getting installed tomorrow (wont be able to try it out for a few days though...
HD pvr and xbox as my receivers. I am coming from bell expressvu so i will comment in a few days as to how the picture quality matches up!
HD pvr and xbox as my receivers. I am coming from bell expressvu so i will comment in a few days as to how the picture quality matches up!
i was on bell for 6 years. all standard digital. never high def. so i cant comment on HD but for standard def channels. telus optik is slightly better quality. i can tell a difference forsure. and one thing i notice as well, on bell their sound wasnt always great on some channels, some would be soft, some would be really loud.. and on telus the sound is great, the levels dont change much from channel to channel. which i was happy about.
SD TV hookup
I have one HD tv and several SD TV's scattered about the house. How does Telus hookup the SD tvs. My house is currently wired with coax.
I have one HD tv and several SD TV's scattered about the house. How does Telus hookup the SD tvs. My house is currently wired with coax.
Telus uses the existing coax in your house as the network cable. So if things are wired properly with coax, they likely can just use that and avoid running network cable around.
dpolites, do I require a STB box at each SDTV or are they wired directly to the coax. If a "box" is required what is the cost per SD set.Telus uses the existing coax in your house as the network cable. So if things are wired properly with coax, they likely can just use that and avoid running network cable around.
Yep you need an STP at each TV. Not sure if their are any deals going on for boxes right now or if you can negotiate a deal but standard rate is $10 a month for the receivers, $15 for the PVR receiver unless you on 3 year contract then no charge. For me, I did the 3 year for the PVR and bought my second STB for 149. Then no rental charges.dpolites, do I require a STB box at each SDTV or are they wired directly to the coax. If a "box" is required what is the cost per SD set.
Rdew, all the STBs are HD capable so if you upgrade your TVs in the future you don't have to change the boxes. You can also watch HD channels and the STB will downgrade the video to SD depending on your connection.
Optik TV - Version of MediaRoom being used?
Hi there! I have a bunch of questions:
1) Does anyone know what version of MediaRoom Optik TV uses?
2) What plans, if any, there are to upgrade to v2.0, and when that might happen?
3) Also, any chance of being able to stream to PC, once that upgrade happens?
4) Is the Media Center MR plug-in available anywhere to install?
5) As much as I understand that this forum isn't about 'hacking' per se, has anyone had an luck with getting the streams onto their PC's?
Thanks for any answers you can provide!
Hi there! I have a bunch of questions:
1) Does anyone know what version of MediaRoom Optik TV uses?
2) What plans, if any, there are to upgrade to v2.0, and when that might happen?
3) Also, any chance of being able to stream to PC, once that upgrade happens?
4) Is the Media Center MR plug-in available anywhere to install?
5) As much as I understand that this forum isn't about 'hacking' per se, has anyone had an luck with getting the streams onto their PC's?
Thanks for any answers you can provide!
@kssxs, Telus is running version 1.6.25075. To the best of my knowledge no telco has v2.0 in production yet, so it's probably a little early to speculate as to which features Telus will enable and when.
The encryption in Mediaroom is very tight, so the only way to stream to a PC would be analog.
Microsoft has written an Xbox STB emulator so you can use an Xbox instead of a STB to view live or recorded content from the central PVR.
The encryption in Mediaroom is very tight, so the only way to stream to a PC would be analog.
Microsoft has written an Xbox STB emulator so you can use an Xbox instead of a STB to view live or recorded content from the central PVR.
@Dr.Dave
Great, thanks for the info. I had read somewhere else that Telus is testing out the v2.0 update, but there was no info on when it would be released.
I guess we'll have to just wait and see (I don't expect the Telus CSR's to know the answer to that either, but I'll try asking the installer when he shows up on Monday).
Great, thanks for the info. I had read somewhere else that Telus is testing out the v2.0 update, but there was no info on when it would be released.
I guess we'll have to just wait and see (I don't expect the Telus CSR's to know the answer to that either, but I'll try asking the installer when he shows up on Monday).
Optik TV vs Shaw HD picture quality
I searched and read through the threads on this subject but they didn't really answer my questions. I'm very close to switching over to Optik TV from Shaw and I'm wondering how the picture quality compares. I have a 50" Panasonic TV in a large living room and I'm not sitting close to it so I don't see any artifacts at all unless I get off the couch and walk up to the TV. It's currently connected to the Shaw PVR via HDMI and will be connected to the Optik TV PVR with the same HDMI cable.
I'm wondering how close the picture quality will be, or if it will be even better. Also I'm not 100% sure but please confirm if the Shaw and Optik PVRs both output 1080i.
I think I read that Optik TV HD is 6 mbps. How does that compare to the Shaw feed or is that comparing apples to oranges?
Finally if anyone knows where I can find screen shots comparing the two I would really appreciate it.
I searched and read through the threads on this subject but they didn't really answer my questions. I'm very close to switching over to Optik TV from Shaw and I'm wondering how the picture quality compares. I have a 50" Panasonic TV in a large living room and I'm not sitting close to it so I don't see any artifacts at all unless I get off the couch and walk up to the TV. It's currently connected to the Shaw PVR via HDMI and will be connected to the Optik TV PVR with the same HDMI cable.
I'm wondering how close the picture quality will be, or if it will be even better. Also I'm not 100% sure but please confirm if the Shaw and Optik PVRs both output 1080i.
I think I read that Optik TV HD is 6 mbps. How does that compare to the Shaw feed or is that comparing apples to oranges?
Finally if anyone knows where I can find screen shots comparing the two I would really appreciate it.
The picture quality is relatively equal. On some channels better, on others a little worse, so on average, it's about the same. You shouldn't see any artifacts, just like your current Shaw setup (I just switched from Shaw on Monday). Optik does, in fact, output 1080i (not sure if it's capable of doing 1080p).
The Optik HD stream takes up 6Mbit/s of your Internet bandwidth. So, depending on how much bandwidth you have in your area, you may be able to do 3HD and 1SD stream at once (that's a total number, at once), and also depends on what 'profile' you've been assigned. So, for example, if you have a 19Mbit profile, you'll be able to do 2HD and 1SD streams at once. If you have a 15Mbit profile, you'll be able to 1HD and 1SD stream at once. Again, that depends on how much bandwidth is available in your area, and if Telus has upgraded it. They're currently working on upgrading all of Vancouver so that everyone can do 3HD and 1SD at once, and possibly more. You can find out how much your area can do by checking the availability page. If that page doesn't tell you, just call Telus and ask them to check your address.
Now keep in mind, as I said previously, that it can affect your Internet speed, if you've signed up for Internet service from Telus as well. They have multiple packages, and you can get Internet speeds of anywhere between 15 and 25Mbit download and 1 to 2Mbit upload.
Hope that answers all of your questions!
The Optik HD stream takes up 6Mbit/s of your Internet bandwidth. So, depending on how much bandwidth you have in your area, you may be able to do 3HD and 1SD stream at once (that's a total number, at once), and also depends on what 'profile' you've been assigned. So, for example, if you have a 19Mbit profile, you'll be able to do 2HD and 1SD streams at once. If you have a 15Mbit profile, you'll be able to 1HD and 1SD stream at once. Again, that depends on how much bandwidth is available in your area, and if Telus has upgraded it. They're currently working on upgrading all of Vancouver so that everyone can do 3HD and 1SD at once, and possibly more. You can find out how much your area can do by checking the availability page. If that page doesn't tell you, just call Telus and ask them to check your address.
Now keep in mind, as I said previously, that it can affect your Internet speed, if you've signed up for Internet service from Telus as well. They have multiple packages, and you can get Internet speeds of anywhere between 15 and 25Mbit download and 1 to 2Mbit upload.
Hope that answers all of your questions!
That is comparing a apples to oranges since Optik uses Mpeg-4 which is about twice as efficient as Mpeg-2 which Shaw uses for it's TV channels.I think I read that Optik TV HD is 6 mbps. How does that compare to the Shaw feed or is that comparing apples to oranges?
You can choose to have the STB output either 1080i or 720p, depending on which looks better on your TV.
Thanks for the replies kssxs and Dr.Dave. I'm in a new neighbourhood (1 yr old) and I've confirmed that all the houses are on fiber. I checked the Telus website and it says "Based on the information that you have provided, you can watch Optik TV on up to 6 TVs in your home. And you can watch 3 live programs in HD and 1 in standard definition at the same time". We are not heavy users for either TV or internet so I'm assuming we won't have any issues? I'm nervous though because I'll be signing a 3 year contract if I take the leap..
I didn't know the Optik PVR uses MPEG4 compared to MPEG2 on the DCT6416. Without researching the subject I have to assume that MPEG4 is going to result in better quality than MPEG2?
I didn't know the Optik PVR uses MPEG4 compared to MPEG2 on the DCT6416. Without researching the subject I have to assume that MPEG4 is going to result in better quality than MPEG2?
@netBEUI, MPEG-4 is more modern and efficient than MPEG-2 which means that Telus can get similar picture quality while using much less bandwidth. If both were using the same bandwidth, MPEG-4 would produce higher quality. Incidentally, Blu-ray uses MPEG-4 at higher bit rates to produce better quality than DVD using MPEG-2.
MPEG-4 compression on TTV compression and motion artifacts
Sort of related topic, can anyone comment on the amount of motion artifacts you are seeing with current Optik/Mediaroom configuration on TTV? When we first got TTV a couple years ago on the old SA 330 box, there seemed to be a distracting amount motion artifacts, evident for example if you were watching a newscast - announcer in foreground against a stationary background. Parts of the announcers face seem to move slightly out of sync. Other effects are the picture blurring with fast movement, for example on hockey telecasts. I've read these are some of the motion artifacts due to the way MPEG compression works. Since getting upgraded to Optik with the Cisco PVR and Mediaroom, thess effects seem to be less noticeable. Perhaps with MPEG-4 and more bandwidth, the artifacts are less (or maybe I'm just getting used to it). Comments anyone?
Sort of related topic, can anyone comment on the amount of motion artifacts you are seeing with current Optik/Mediaroom configuration on TTV? When we first got TTV a couple years ago on the old SA 330 box, there seemed to be a distracting amount motion artifacts, evident for example if you were watching a newscast - announcer in foreground against a stationary background. Parts of the announcers face seem to move slightly out of sync. Other effects are the picture blurring with fast movement, for example on hockey telecasts. I've read these are some of the motion artifacts due to the way MPEG compression works. Since getting upgraded to Optik with the Cisco PVR and Mediaroom, thess effects seem to be less noticeable. Perhaps with MPEG-4 and more bandwidth, the artifacts are less (or maybe I'm just getting used to it). Comments anyone?
I know I still get a little annoyed by what I would also call artifacts. I didn't see them when I was on Shaw's Motorola boxes, but I do see it on Telus. It is not really bad, but still to me it makes it look like the picture isn't as clear as Shaw. I notice on SD and HD channels. I only had it installed 2 weeks ago so I am still getting used to it. Seems like it might be worse when using HDMI, which Telus says still isn't officially supported...??? Maybe somewhat better using component cables. Just my 2 cents.Sort of related topic, can anyone comment on the amount of motion artifacts you are seeing with current Optik/Mediaroom configuration on TTV? When we first got TTV a couple years ago on the old SA 330 box, there seemed to be a distracting amount motion artifacts, evident for example if you were watching a newscast - announcer in foreground against a stationary background. Parts of the announcers face seem to move slightly out of sync. Other effects are the picture blurring with fast movement, for example on hockey telecasts. I've read these are some of the motion artifacts due to the way MPEG compression works. Since getting upgraded to Optik with the Cisco PVR and Mediaroom, thess effects seem to be less noticeable. Perhaps with MPEG-4 and more bandwidth, the artifacts are less (or maybe I'm just getting used to it). Comments anyone?
Check out the following post on this topic. It's in the SD forum, but it is perhaps applicable:...Seems like it might be worse when using HDMI, which Telus says still isn't officially supported...??? Maybe somewhat better using component cables.
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?p=1164030#post1164030
Recording shows - Questions and Capabilities
1) How do I set my PVR to record new instances of a show regardless of what channel it airs on? Right now I have to find the show I want, select the channel, and say record the series on that particular channel.
2) With remote recording on the telus website, when I setup a series to record, I only get the option to record 'First run & re-run' in the drop down box. Is there a way to setup remote recordings of series so they only record 'First run'?
3) Is there a way to only keep 'x' number of episodes in a series recorded? For instance, can I setup a series to record the noon hour news daily, but only keep one episode of it? If I didn't watch yesterday’s news, I don't need to keep it after today’s episode aired.
Thanks
1) How do I set my PVR to record new instances of a show regardless of what channel it airs on? Right now I have to find the show I want, select the channel, and say record the series on that particular channel.
2) With remote recording on the telus website, when I setup a series to record, I only get the option to record 'First run & re-run' in the drop down box. Is there a way to setup remote recordings of series so they only record 'First run'?
3) Is there a way to only keep 'x' number of episodes in a series recorded? For instance, can I setup a series to record the noon hour news daily, but only keep one episode of it? If I didn't watch yesterday’s news, I don't need to keep it after today’s episode aired.
Thanks
41 - 60 of 85 Posts
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