[Eternith]

Hi there, I'm planning on calling Telus tomorrow to switch to Optic from Bell Satellite and I have a few questions that I want to ask before. I found this forum and decided it would be easier to type it out then to ask a rep on the phone again.

1) Does the PVR box or the digital box have a built in splitter for the video? One of my current Bell box's setup is s-video to an HDTV, and a coaxial out to a wall plug which leads to a TV upstairs. Both TVs can play simultaneously with the same content.

Can I still do this with the Telus box or do I have to get another box for the upstairs TV?

2) From what I read, the box can get input from the old coaxial wall plugs? Because I'm pretty sure my house does not have ethernet running through it.

3) I'm also getting the Optik internet and when I talked with a rep earlier, he said I could get the free xbox as well, even though I was not a "new clients who have not signed up for TELUS High Speed Internet in the past 90 days." (We've been with Telus for phone and internet for over 4 years). The guy was saying how they're going to be setting it up as a PVR though and that there would be a monthly charge (5$ I think it was) for using it as such. Can I cancel this later on if I decide I don't need it?

4) How stable is the connection? Does my internet slow down drastically when someones using the TV or vise-versa? There probably won't be over 2 TV streams happening at once.

Thanks in advance.

 

[yvrwindsor]

1. The PVR has multiple outputs. Yes, you can distribute to multiple units.
http://www.telus.com/imagineportal/Upload/Binaries/TELUS_TV_user_guide.pdf?_region=BC see page 4.

2. The technician will first check if the coax meets the standard. If it does, he will use it. Otherwise, he will install an ethernet line.

3. Usually, the free xbox requires a 2 year internet commitment. Am not sure of your arrangement.

 

[Eternith]

I plan to keep internet for awhile as long as it meets or exceeds my current (6Mbps). I'm just wondering if there's a separate monthly fee for using the Xbox as a PVR.

 

[Dr.Dave]

$5/month. See the thread "Watch Optik TV on the Xbox 360".

Your internet speed will depend on your profile (how many HD and SD channels you can receive at once). You can check availability on the Telus web site by putting in your phone number.

RE: post 1, the remote needs line-of-sight so you can't change channels from the other room. You control the STB from the room where the STB is located.

 

[Eternith]

Yep I didn't expect the remote to be able to work like with the old one. My mom likes watching TV in her bedroom except she really only watches one channel. Anyways, it doesn't matter. I called to order and there was a promotion where I can get a free PVR and a digital box rental as well as the xbox. Which covers my 3 TVs.

I have 2HD and 1SD according to the site.

 

[Dr.Dave]

2 HD / 1 SD means you are on the 19.2 profile and have 15 Mbps internet. Based on speed tests reported on this site, you will get about 15 Mbps with no TVs on, 10 Mbps with 1 HD stream, 7 Mbps with 1 HD and 1 SD, etc.

 

[gavorney]

2 HD / 1 SD means you are on the 19.2 profile and have 15 Mbps internet. Based on speed tests reported on this site, you will get about 15 Mbps with no TVs on, 10 Mbps with 1 HD stream, 7 Mbps with 1 HD and 1 SD, etc.

I haven't noticed that much of a drop in internet speed with the TV on. I get about 14.3 Mbps with the TV off, and about 12.3 Mbps while recording 3 HD and 1 SD streams at the same time.

 

[netBEUI]

gavorney - I'm the same. I was expecting speedtest.org to drop significantly while testing 2 or 3 HD channel recording based on what I read on these forums but it barely went down even when I was recording 3 different HD channels plus an SD channel. Not trying to brag but letting people know in case they're thinking of switching; the network speed doesn't drop as drastically as some are reporting. YMMV

 

[Dr.Dave]

The last 2 posters get 3 HD / 1 SD which means they are on the 26 Mbps profile. Since they have a higher line speed to start with, they will have a higher internet speed when the TVs are on.

That's why it's important to know which profile you will be on if you're concerned about your internet speed when your TVs are in use (especially with HD). Your profile is determined mainly by your distance from the fibre optic node and whether your have been converted from ADSL to VDSL2.

 

[netBEUI]

@Dr.Dave - do you know how close someone needs to be to the fibre optic node to get the 26 Mbps profile?

 

[Dr.Dave]

@netBEUI, sorry I can't give you a good answer to that. A lot of factors can affect the line speed such as the copper wire gauge, splices, bridge taps, etc. Also the copper wire may not travel in a straight line between your house and the node.

There's a good chance that if you have 2HD/1SD with ADSL, you can get 3HD/1SD and the 26 Mbps profile with VDSL.

 

[ae_collector]

The main requirement to go from 2HD/1SD to 3HD/1SD is that the RDAC box in your neighbourhood has been upgraded to provide VDSL service. I believe that all of the cards have to be replaced which means that it isn't always on the top or the "to do" list as money is better spent getting Optik TV to areas that don't yet have access to it. However, it will happen.

--Telus Employee--