Cable choices in Toronto suburbs (1 Viewer)

[Kevin/Da]

Hi.

Moving to Richmond Hill, ON (just north of Toronto) soon, and I'm wondering who's the best choice for cable (can't do satellite 'cause I'm renting for now). It looks like Rogers is going to be it, but wondering if there are other choices.

Also need an ISP: Rogers? Bell Sympatico? Here in the US (and particularly in the big cities), cable broadband has a (deservedly) bad reputation...wondering if it's any better up there.

Thanks for any help!

 

[Dave Gilbert]

For cable, you're pretty much stuck with Rogers.
For a broadband ISP, I would probably stick with Rogers as well. Cable internet access is fine up here, and you can probably get a deal bundling the services, especially if you add a cellphone from the Rogers network to the mix.

I can't comment specifically on Rogers service. Although I work in Richmond Hill, I live in St. Catharines, where the cable is supplied by Cogeco.

Welcome to the neighbourhood!

 

[Gui A]

TV wise, I think Bell also offers ExpressVU through the phone line. but that may be for condos only.
There's also look TV (http://www.look.ca/page.asp?intNodeID=2429) but I'm not really sure how they work.
Rogers cable internet isnt that bad, but they do have a 60 gig limit per month (combined up & down).

 

[Dave.S]

When it works rogers cable/internet is fine, but if you anything goes wrong/want to speak to them it takes ages on the phone to talk to someone.

I was with bell for internet before (sympatico) and I thought that was better, a tad faster, but I don't have any hard figures to back up my 'feelings'. I only switched to rogers because I moved in with some one who already had rogers connected.

How long are you going to be here for? just because if you get a cheaper deal in a bundle from rogers, you have to sign up for 2 years, if you break out of it early they charge you for all the savings you've had up to that point from the bundle.

Since you have no choice (probably) for cable then if you have a big TV/projector then the HD channels that rogers offers are good when they do show HD shows.

 

[Rob T]

That's quite the drive.

and yes, Rogers is pretty much it for up there.

 

[Sebastien S]

For Internet Access your best off with "Sympatico High Speed".

For your TV viewing pleasure though, I find that nothing beats "Bell ExpressVu"!

 

[Moe Maishlish]

I have Rogers Extreme, and don't subscribe to any plan for cable TV (there's nothing good on these days anyway, and if I want to watch a show I'll wait for the season DVDs to come out). Rogers is faster than Bell, but does have the 60GB cap, which can suck if you do a lot of downloading or if you work from home & do a lot of data transfer.

My cellular phone is currently with Telus, but they SUCK and I'm planning on changing as soon as we have the ability to keep our phone numbers when transferring to new providers.

Moe.

 

[Dave Gilbert]

It is, but I take transit so I don't come home with road rage every day. It takes longer still, but I can read, watch a movie or take a nap while someone else drives. I've been doing it for close to eight years now.

 

[EricW]

i thought Bell was the one with the cap?

 

[Jonny_L]

You're in for a bit of a shock if you've never lived here before. Just about whatever service you pick (Rogers Digital Cable, Bell ExpressVU or Star Choice), they're all the same in the end. Same channels, near same rates, same bad service, etc...

Rogers is a monopoly in many areas so if you want cable TV, you're stuck with them. If you want fast internet, you're also stuck with them. AVOID THEIR CELLPHONES. Also try to avoid bell. Search for alternatives if you want a little value for your buck. There isn't a lot of competition and prices are MUCH higher for the basic features then in the US.

Also, I hope you aren't attached to watching TV, because you can count on getting maybe 1/3 of the shows you can watch now, almost none of the channels and what canadian equivilents there are show old, untimely episodes of shows over and over again.

But hey, there's always DVD

Good luck!

 

[James T]

Rogers started this about two months ago. I think they said it only affects 1% of the total users, so most people won't have to worry. They also have a three strikes rule. I think the first is just a kind e-mail notice, second is suspension and third is a year long ban.

Rogers is probably the best way to go, but I'm a bit biased, working for the company.

They own pretty much every form of communication, so if you get your home phone, cell phone, television and internet, you can save 15% off your bill.

I don't have any problems with my internet broadband, but as mentioned above, if you do, the call centres aren't the best.

 

[Sebastien S]

All I know is that in 2000 I switched to ExpressVu (for TV programing) and have never looked back... One of my best purchases!

 

[Ken Chui]

It's definitely Rogers that instituted the 60GB cap; not sure if there's something similar in place with Bell.

 

[EricW]

on an unrelated note, Rogers just offered to switch me to digital cable for free. should i take it? i'd still get the same channels (most basic, no MM or TSN). i don't watch that much TV. is the PQ better? are there any unseen advantages/disadvantages?

 

[Jonny_L]

Hmmm, that doesn't sound like Rogers. I just made the switch a while ago. The quality is definately better, but I had to have my whole house torn apart and 3 or 4 different contractors come over (most of whom lacked basic english skills) and put newer, higher grade cable in place of the old. Then they overcharged rogers who in-turn overcharged us, several times, taking days to sort out. So you'll probably go through some pain to get it. Then I'm sure there are hidden fee's that they arent telling you about.

On the plus side, if you want to upgrade in the future to HDTV or any other service they might offer, you'll be equipped. If you like the Leafs, you'll need LeafsTV to watch 16 of their regular season games I think, plus all of their pre-season.

However personally, I'm not at all impressed by their service or the quality of the extra channels they offer. Oh and just to be clear, their 100% digital claim is BS. All the standard cable channels are indeed available in digital on channels 02 through 81 or whatever you get on analog, but the channels 802 through 881 ARE THE ANALOG CHANNELS, just with the built-in guide put overtop. You can tell they are analog because they instantly pop-up without the need for mpeg2 decoding and the quality of the image is poor compared to the digital one. Take that as a warning, if they blantant lie in their advertising, they probably won't hesitate in doing it directly to a potential customer.

Good luck!

 

[EricW]

i'm in a condo so the infrastructure is proabaly all there. however, my TV has two component inputs; one's used up for the xbox and the other for DVD.

 

[Jonny_L]

Unless you're going HD right away, you'll only need S-Video connections. The standard boxes don't have any better

 

[Francois Caron]

I do between 80 and 100 GB of transfers per month (combined up/down). I've yet to receive a letter from bell saying "cut that out!"

 

[Felipe S]

ditto... i didnt even know about the 60GB cap from Rogers. I guess they're popping routers and switches at the main offices and its getting expensive for them since there are too many people downloading like animals...

 

[Kevin/Da]

Wow...so many responses!

Finally got around to looking at HTF for the first time since I moved here (in SEPTEMBER!!).

Thanks for all the advice. Turns out the only option I have is Aurora Cable (I'm at the north end of Richmond Hill in the Oak Ridges area), so no Rogers (or so they told me when I tried to get it.) Aurora Cable seems OK, although the Motorola PVR leaves much to be desired. I had Tivo in the states and let's just say I really miss it. [rant]Now I find out Tivo finally discovered Canada, but I sold mine before I moved and now I'd have to start all over, which means many $$$!! [/rant]

But I digress...
I got Sympatico High Speed Ultra, and it's been fine. Good thing I didn't have the option for Rogers, 'cause I work from home and I'm downloading/uploading all day...definitely would've hit the cap.

Anyway, I'm set for now. I did get a Rogers cell phone because I went there first thinking I could get everything from them. :frowning:

Thanks everyone!