[Wiremonkey]

I can't help noticing how bad the intercepts are getting now that Shaw owns Global.

Last night for the second week in a row they didn't stop their Global intercept of Fox until 4 or 5 minutes into the start of Fringe, instead I was 'treated' to some of Haven that Global was then intercepting from elsewhere.

I didn't want to watch Haven I wanted to watch Fringe. I was tuned to Fox which was showing Fringe, but alas I was stuck with the Global feed, because the monkey over at Shaw was on potty break or some such idiocy and couldn't be trusted to push the correct button at the correct time.

If they can't do their switching correctly maybe the Shaw employees over at Global could just intercept the content from Fox and quit simsubbing their signal on Fox as well. If I wanted to watch Global I'd tune to it.

Just a thought. Any others want to chime in?


- another TELUS tech

 

[Beekas]

I've noticed the last 1 minute of The Office has been cut off for the past few weeks (Thursday night 10:00pm Mountain NBC Seattle). They always have a short bit at the very end of the program and it's been getting cutoff when they are switching back from the Canadian feed. Really annoying

 

[jminuk]

Horrible

yeah, that was pretty bad. any suggestion for next week? is there a different channel we can try or will it all be the same?

 

[Wiremonkey]

I don't think there's anything we can do. They (Global) intercept the signal from Fox for the show before Fringe, they substitute the Fox signal for their own as well, so when they don't stop their intercept of Fox, but switch the channel that they are intercepting, or their programming content, before they stop the intercept, we see their programming on Fox too. Its really annoying to miss the first opening of Fringe becasue it often sets up the entire show.

I think CITY runs Fringe too, on an intercept from Fox, maybe if we tune to CITY we can see Fringe untarnished, since they (CITY) would be getting the actual Fox feed not the adulterated Global feed we get until Global releases their Fox intercept.


- another TELUS tech

 

[jminuk]

East Feeds Too?

Is that the way it works on the eastern feeds as well? So we don't actually get any true american channels straight from their feed unadulterated? Sorry if this is common knowledge/dumb question.

 

[Wiremonkey]

I can't say. I make the equipment work for OptikTV customers, but the REAL mystery to me is how all the Canadian TV stations work. They all seem to intercept a growing amount of their content from American stations. It seems if they can't get a taxpayer funded grant to make their own programming it just doesn't happen. Productions costs are huge, that is why there is more and more 'Reality TV" dreck showing up on TV. Its generally unscripted and has your next door neighbour or some old washed up nobody starring in it so the costs are very low comparitively to a series like Boardwalk Empire or Fringe for instance. This leads to the sad situation we have today with several hundred stations and little or nothing to watch.

In the TV market in Canada, cancon seems to mean Canadian commercials more than it means Canadian production!


- another TELUS tech

 

[coffeehead]

Why not watch the Canadian channel? Or switch to a different provider?This has nothing to do with Shaw it a CRTC thing.. Even Telus TV has Sim subs and they screw up too like not take a sub out when it not the same show. Yes i Had telus TV.

 

[gzink]

Potty breaks and cutting off the end of programs has nothing to do with the CRTC and everything to do with the provider .

 

[Wiremonkey]

It has nothing to do with Optik or TELUS if thats what you mean by 'provider". Intercepts and simsubs are the work of the Canadian networks intercepting content from the US stations where it originates. They show the US content on their station then simsub their station (and their commercials) on the channel that would normally carry the US station. There is no way around it.

Yes it is the CRTC that has given the Canadian stations the right to do this, but I doubt they ever intended a station to intercept two channels at a time while only re-broadcasting one of them.

I can't watch a Canadian channel, because Fringe is on Fox. I can't watch Fox, because Global is still showing its content on the Fox channel 5 minutes AFTER they should have left to go intercept some other channel.

This is my issue and it is Global's (Shaw now owns Global) fault. If they can't afford to make their own content at least learn how to do intercepts properly. Release the channel when they're done intercepting it. Seems reasonable enough to me. Shouldn't be difficult either.


- another TELUS tech

 

[Dr.Dave]

Wiremonkey, the service provider is the only place where the simsub can be done. Telus get the signals from all the Canadian and foreign networks and does the simsub according to the schedule provided by the Canadian network. Telus may not get all their signals directly from the network For example Telus may get some signals via Bell or Shaw Direct which may also do the simsub.

 

[midnightglory]

I've suffered from this annoyance either. To the point where I changed all my series recording to the Canadian channel equivalent (i.e. CTV/Global/CityTV vs ABC/CBS/NBC/Fox) wherever possible. I'll see if this makes a difference.

 

[hugh]

The job of the BDU (in this case Telus) is to flip the switch at the appointed hour or half hour. The problem is the broadcasters are crossing the hour.

If Telus is NOT switching exactly at the top or bottom of the hour then blame Telus. If Telus is switching exactly at the top or bottom of the hour then blame Global.

 

[Costa]

They ruined NCIS on CBS today, so pissed off.

 

[Wiremonkey]

LOL, now I MUST get the number of OUR headend!

Got to have uninterupted Fringe.


Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm crow tastes sooooo fine


Why is it that there must be a Simsub anyway? I don't get it. If one station wants to intercept anothers programming, why does it also have to have its signal run over the other stations? If it ends up mauling the programming for viewers it seems a little silly, er stupid in fact.


- another TELUS tech
(with crow feathers in his teeth)

 

[Turtle6299]

Simsubs

Why do we have to pay for American channels if the Canadian providers slap their own crap over the American channels anyways? The picture quality of the American channels are 1000% better. I notice that I have to start the recording 2 minutes before, and stop 5 minutes after recording now because the American feeds sometimes start at 7:01 instead of 7:00. Global Calgary picture just plain sucks, where as Toronto Global is a bit better. I pvr the American shows at 11:00 because they are not simsubed. Canada better get with it because internet TV is going to take over.

 

[Cockroach]

Just watched my recording from Thursday.

Grey's Anatomy started out as Bones before switching over. Simultaneously CSI started as Grey's Anatomy.....

 

[Beekas]

I've noticed the last 1 minute of The Office has been cut off for the past few weeks (Thursday night 10:00pm Mountain NBC Seattle). They always have a short bit at the very end of the program and it's been getting cutoff when they are switching back from the Canadian feed. Really annoying

I recorded the Global Edmonton feed of The Office (instead of the Seattle NBC feed) Thursday and it worked fine. So I guess the rule of thumb is if a show is on both a US and Canadian channel to record the Canadian feed and avoid the simsub issue.

 

[glparker4]

Wiremonkey, have you considered switching to Telus Optik TV? I assume you would receive an employee discount.

My experience with Shaw was that simsubs were notoriously bad and would not revert until 15 minutes into the following show at times. Since I have been with Telus, the simsubs seem to occur in a more punctual manner.

I can confirm that Telus receives the "raw" US feeds and not pre-simsubbed versions from Bell. I never receive simsubbed US feeds on my DVR anymore. Read this thread.

Also, many US networks do not start shows on the hour or half hour mark. This has been the trend for the past 7 years when Tivo became popular. ABC and NBC were known as major offenders during the finales of Lost and Heroes. This created so much outrage among DVR viewers at the time. Many fans resorted to downloading and watching future episodes online. This practice is not as common today as it alienated many viewers.

 

[scottman]

I just noticed this tonight as well.
ABC taken over by Citytv

Why am I paying for ABC just to have Citytv's feed, when I already have the citytv feed?

this is going to mess up my superbowl isn't it

 

[57]

Please do a search for "simsub". this topic has been discussed many times before. Although some providers have not been subbing due to various "rules" and the fact that OTA is not that widespread in Canada, pretty soon, if you're within range of an OTA station, the channel will be subbed - probably for 90+% of the population.

Many of us have had the superbowl subbed for several years already.