Over the air HDTV in Toronto? (1 Viewer)

[Greg_Ritchie]

Hi,
I just bought my first RPTV, after lots of research here I finally broke and bought a 50hdx82. The set arrvies on friday, I've looked around and none of the HDTV offerings seem to be very good (Rogers Cable or Satellite) both of them seem pretty expensive for not a lot of variety. Is it possible to pick up any HD channels in the Toronto area using an antenna?

Thanks,
Greg

 

[Chris PC]

Not sure. Is there HD TV broadcast on satelitte?

 

[JohnnyG]

You can probably pick up CBS and ABC from Buffalo and CityTV will start broadcasting in mid-October from the CN Tower. However, a receiver for this is going to run you at least $700 and you'll only get those 3 channels for now.
On the other hand, if you subscribe to Rogers, you'll get a total of 10 full-time HD channels today. I'm paying $120/month for 'Bundle A' which includes all the analog specialty channels, my pick of 10 of the new 'digital' channels that launched last year, TMN pay-TV, rental of the HDTV digital receiver and high-speed internet service. As far as I'm concerned, this is a terrific value.
The HD channel line-up on Rogers as of today is:
280 - HD demo channel
281 - ABC
282 - CBS
283 - NBC
284 - PBS
285 - FOX
286 - Reserved for CityTV
287 - TMN
288 - Pay-per-view 1
289 - Pay-per-view 2
There is also recent word that Discovery HD Theater and the 2 new planned HDNet channels will come to Canada in early January. Rogers is apparently planning to offer them all, as pay channels.

 

[Greg_Ritchie]

How is the reception on the rest of the digital channels? Is the signal the same throughout all channels? I guess it's not that big of deal, it's an extra $35 a month. Right now I'm paying $85 for the VIP Package & Internet.

Greg

 

[JohnnyG]

The bulk of the digital channels are about the same quality you'll find on Star Choice or ExpressVu. Not bad overall, but some visible digital artifacts. At my house, the picture quality on the analog channels is actually better than on some of the digital channels.

 

[Greg_Ritchie]

I realized today I did the math wrong, I've been paying $91 with tax for Rogers the HD setup is $138 so I'm not sure if the $47 extra is justified right now. Actually my analog cable has been great recently, it's really improved in the last year. Would they have been doing upgrades in my neighbourhood to account for this or am I just lucky?

Greg

 

[John-Miles]

Damn..... I justr wish Rogers would start that kind of offering here in NF..... I havent gone HD yet cause theya re only offering one channel.

 

[JohnnyG]

Greg, keep in mind that most of that difference is for the rental of the HD set-top box ($20/month). You could buy the box for $600 and not pay the extra $20 but then you lose the major benefit of renting - free upgrades! You'll also get more channels than you do today, including your choice of 10 of the 'digital' specialty channels and 40 digital music stations. Not to mention all the nice benefits of the set-top box like the programme guide, Dolby Digital ouptut and WINK interactivity.

I sound like a Rogers salesperson for goodness sakes! And I only sell Star Choice!

 

[Greg_Ritchie]

Well your doing a good job, I'm going away for most of October but I figure when I get back I'll order the bundle and see how it plays out over the winter months. I figure the $20 a month is a good deal since the price of the boxes will probably drop faster than the payments they are charging.