mr weather
Premium
join:2002-02-27
Mississauga, ON
| Bell Canada gets green light for tv-over-copper Decision by CRTC here:
»www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decis···-496.htm
So looks like Bell can start rolling out it's television distribution services. Of course the cable tv industry objected, but for once the CRTC used common sense (yeah, hard to believe I know). Having a wireline competitor for CATV is a good thing.
This is a service above and beyond the current "condo" VDSL.
But I have to wonder if it'll gut some of ExpressVu's subs? Sure they're all under the BCE umbrella but technically they're separate companies.
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Lest we forget. | |
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noelstrom
meh.
Premium
join:2003-04-07
London, ON
| Re: Bell Canada gets green light for tv-over-copper I think that it's the perfect combo for ExpressVu. TV over copper allows Bell to provide digital TV to those who for one reason or another (condo, line of sight issues, etc) cannot install ExpressVu.
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Consider the source. Get informed. Then debate. My blog: noelstrom.blogspot.com | |
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donoreo
Premium
join:2002-05-30
North York, ON
| Re: Bell Canada gets green light for tv-over-coppe said by mr weather  :But I have to wonder if it'll gut some of ExpressVu's subs? Sure they're all under the BCE umbrella but technically they're separate companies. Not anymore. ExpressVu was fully "assimilated" (Bell's term) earlier this year. They are now just another business unit like Mobility, Sympatico, and LifeLine (LOL, this one kills me - that is the wire line POTS phone service)
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I cannot deny anything I did not say | |
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 | mr weather
Premium
join:2002-02-27
Mississauga, ON
| Re: Bell Canada gets green light for tv-over-coppe said by donoreo :LifeLine (LOL, this one kills me - that is the wire line POTS phone service) Should be wireline POS phone service, given the experience I had a few months ago.
Back in the day when I lived at home my folks had phone troubles. They called 611 from a neighbour's house and literally within an hour a tech was out to fix the problem. My experience recently? "Oh, we'll send someone around tomorrow between 12 and 5". 
But I digress.
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donoreo
Premium
join:2002-05-30
North York, ON
| Re: Bell Canada gets green light for tv-over-coppe said by mr weather :Back in the day when I lived at home my folks had phone troubles. They called 611 from a neighbour's house and literally within an hour a tech was out to fix the problem. My experience recently? "Oh, we'll send someone around tomorrow between 12 and 5". But I digress. Oddly, they used to have better service when they were a monopoly.
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I cannot deny anything I did not say | |
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nitzguy
Premium
join:2002-07-11
Sudbury, ON
 ·TekSavvy Solutions..
 ·Rogers Hi-Speed
| Re: Bell Canada gets green light for tv-over-copper said by mr weather :Decision by CRTC here: » www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decis···-496.htmSo looks like Bell can start rolling out it's television distribution services. Of course the cable tv industry objected, but for once the CRTC used common sense (yeah, hard to believe I know). Having a wireline competitor for CATV is a good thing. This is a service above and beyond the current "condo" VDSL. But I have to wonder if it'll gut some of ExpressVu's subs? Sure they're all under the BCE umbrella but technically they're separate companies. One wonders about Shaw and Starchoice whether or not they cannibalize each other's subscribers.
I'm sure it'll have some impact, but I'm sure if the customer cancels Expressvu and goes to Bell's VDSL service (or whatever they end up calling it) that Expressvu's Winback team would not call them....and vice versa  | |
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| Simcoe
join:2004-11-29
Newmarket, ON
| Re: Bell Canada gets green light for tv-over-coppe said by nitzguy :Decision by CRTC here: One wonders about Shaw and Starchoice whether or not they cannibalize each other's subscribers. They do, Shaw kept on calling me when I had *choice.
I'm sure it'll have some impact, but I'm sure if the customer cancels Expressvu and goes to Bell's VDSL service (or whatever they end up calling it) that Expressvu's Winback team would not call them....and vice versa | |
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petegh
@aei.ca | Re: Bell Canada gets green light for tv-over-coppe my big question is what will they be charging for these set top boxes ? The same as a tivo, or rent to you for like $20
a month? | |
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chriskay
Premium
join:2004-03-09
Toronto, ON
| Re: Bell Canada gets green light for tv-over-coppe said by petegh:
my big question is what will they be charging for these set top boxes ? The same as a tivo, or rent to you for like $20 a month? It will be interesting to see the price point.
Interestingly enough, a few of the survey questions had to do with pricing. IIRC, one of them was along the lines of "would you use a service like this if it was priced the same as your current digital cable offering" (yes/no), the next was "would you use a service like this if it was $10 more per month than your current digital cable offering" (yes/no), and the next one was would you dish out if it was $20 more than digital cable. I said yes to the first two, but no to the last one.
-Chris | |
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thebaron
Premium
join:2003-12-09
Stittsville, ON
| Thats great, we need more competition to drive the prices down... Here in Ottawa (East anyways) Rogers has the monopoly and it's no fun at all.
My friends down in Nevada have 90 cable channels (wich is basic cable btw) for 8,50USD/month because there is so much competition... we pay about 45$+ a month for about 50channels... and some a dupes. | |
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dirtyjeffer
Lest We Forget
Premium
join:2002-02-21
London, ON
·Rogers Hi-Speed
| Re: Bell Canada gets green light for tv-over-copper said by nitzguy :I think because they were heavily regulated back then  Since there was no other option their service had to be amazing or otherwise the government may have sanctioned them? With more competition they're hoping that maybe the market forces will drive service. 12 and 5pm...I wish that was mine, mine was 9am to 9pm  it probably had more to do with the profitability of the service back then...when there was only bell canada, they received ALL the local and long distance revneues...since there are many companies now, their revenues and profits have dwindled in that area...a lot of costs were cut to still maintain profitability in that area, and "customer service features" like "immediate response", bill payment offices and cheap STS feature prices went with it as customers chose the lowest price, without any regard for world class service.
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"The only thing more greedy than a corporation, are its customers." | |
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Doci
Toothless Fairy
join:2003-02-01 | Re: Bell Canada gets green light for tv-over-coppe their appointments are whole day. no three hour windoze like r0g3rs
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GWB - 4 more wars! | |
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| mr weather
Premium
join:2002-02-27
Mississauga, ON
| Re: Bell Canada gets green light for tv-over-copper My regular Sympatico is pretty stable. But to carry video they'll have to deploy a boatload more Stingers.
Hell, when they increased Ultra to 4 meg a lot of previously happy Ultra users couldn't handle the new speed.
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Lest we forget. | |
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Deadpool
Go Sens Go
Premium,VIP
join:2001-03-29
Canada
·Bell Sympatico
| Re: Bell Canada gets green light for tv-over-copper said by mr weather :My regular Sympatico is pretty stable. But to carry video they'll have to deploy a boatload more Stingers. Hell, when they increased Ultra to 4 meg a lot of previously happy Ultra users couldn't handle the new speed. That, or FOTC, which would the smarter alternative.
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F*ckin' NHLPA - wrecking the game for all of us... | |
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dirtyjeffer
Lest We Forget
Premium
join:2002-02-21
London, ON | bell released a statement the other day where they are testing FTTH...it was a 40mbps connection...i wish i could have got in on that trial.
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"The only thing more greedy than a corporation, are its customers." | |
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Snickerdo
Premium
join:2001-02-28
Niagara Falls, ON
| Re: Bell Canada gets green light for tv-over-coppe said by dirtyjeffer :bell released a statement the other day where they are testing FTTH...it was a 40mbps connection...i wish i could have got in on that trial. Aren't they doing the FTTH trials in London?
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Bigot - Someone that has won an argument with a Liberal.
Yes, I CanChat. Can You? www.fiberal.ca | |
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dirtyjeffer
Lest We Forget
Premium
join:2002-02-21
London, ON
·Rogers Hi-Speed
| Re: Bell Canada gets green light for tv-over-coppe said by Snickerdo : said by dirtyjeffer :bell released a statement the other day where they are testing FTTH...it was a 40mbps connection...i wish i could have got in on that trial. Aren't they doing the FTTH trials in London? no, i think it was only in TO somewhere.
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"The only thing more greedy than a corporation, are its customers." | |
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chriskay
Premium
join:2004-03-09
Toronto, ON
1 edit | Not to resurrect an old topic, but...
Today I received some info about trials of the new service. It appears (from some screenshots) that it uses the MS Entertainment Centre platform, and it will include a lot of cool features... if it actually is released with all of them. Things like:
- the ability to check traffic cameras from your tv.
- being able to view instantaneous ratings of the shows that are on right now (i.e. "15% of viewers are watching X").
- call display on the screen
- video conferencing through your tv/phone line
- order products through the tv (i.e. pizza)
- the ability to customize your tv guide info
- being able to add different people so that everyone who uses the tv has their customized viewing settings
- ability to add to your home network
- tv recommendations (a la TiVo).
- you can play along with your favourite game shows
- video on demand
- PVR service
- remote management (through mobile phone or Internet).
- multiple camera angles for sporting events
- ability to check voice mail on your home phone and mobile phone, text messages, and emails.
- can order/change your service and check your bill.
Whew. That's a lot. I have a feeling that it's just a "feeler" and that many of those features would not be available right from the start.
I have screens if anyone is interested. Let me know and I'll post them.
-Chris | |
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Corvus
Flaming Tards Since 2003
Premium,VIP
join:2003-11-26
| Re: Bell Canada gets green light for tv-over-copper said by chriskay :Not to resurrect an old topic, but... Today I received some info about trials of the new service. It appears (from some screenshots) that it uses the MS Entertainment Centre platform, Nice, it could hacked! 
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Jesus saves, but only Buddha makes incremental backups. | |
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| yabos
join:2003-02-16
Ingersoll, ON
| said by chriskay :I have screens if anyone is interested. Let me know and I'll post them. Do you even have to ask | |
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chriskay
Premium
join:2004-03-09
Toronto, ON
| Re: Bell Canada gets green light for tv-over-coppe Here we go... | |
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SK
The member formerly known as Cow
Premium
join:2001-05-18
Toronto
clubs:  | Re: Bell Canada gets green light for tv-over-coppe Mmm... me likey! | |
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chriskay
Premium
join:2004-03-09
Toronto, ON | There are also PVR functions, but I don't have the screenshot for that one. Sorry! | |
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SK
The member formerly known as Cow
Premium
join:2001-05-18
Toronto
clubs: | Re: Bell Canada gets green light for tv-over-coppe You should be!
Just kidding, so are you part of a trial? | |
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chriskay
Premium
join:2004-03-09
Toronto, ON
1 edit | Re: Bell Canada gets green light for tv-over-coppe No, just some market research.
EDIT: I HOPE I can become part of the trial! But I think it's already well underway. | |
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nitzguy
Premium
join:2002-07-11
Sudbury, ON
·TekSavvy Solutions..
·Rogers Hi-Speed
| Re: Bell Canada gets green light for tv-over-copper said by jeffster1970 :Oh please let it be so!! It will be like, see ya later Rogers! Rogers is getting worse every day. Now the analog channels pixelate..ANALOG! What the hell? Only the true analog channels don't pixelate, they just get snowy every so often... That simply means that they pull it from a Digital source and at some point its converted into an Analogue signal. Most companies will do that these days. | |
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chriskay
Premium
join:2004-03-09
Toronto, ON
| said by jeffster1970 :Oh please let it be so!! It will be like, see ya later Rogers! Rogers is getting worse every day. Now the analog channels pixelate..ANALOG! What the hell? Only the true analog channels don't pixelate, they just get snowy every so often... You must have a digital box. All of the lower channels which used to be analog are now swapped for a digital feed.
If you're getting pixelation, it probably means that your signal has degraded somewhere in your wiring. Call Rogers and they'll come over and probably install a signal booster for free. That fixed my problem.
-Chris | |
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mr weather
Premium
join:2002-02-27
Mississauga, ON
| Not meaning to sound like a carmudgeon... This interactive tv is all fine and good but whatever happened to the days when all I asked of tv was to sit there and provide entertainment without much input from me.
If I wanted to interact I'd go on my computer.
Is this the modern incarnation of Web TV that crashed and burned just before the dot-com bubble burst?
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Gundam_MX
Stomping Robot
join:2003-06-27
| If Bell is offering the same channels and content that other cable companies are offering then I'm not too interested.
They should offer channels that other companies can't get.
Personally I think they should pick up some channels like G4techTV (same as US) and the Anime Network. | |
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Gundam_MX
Stomping Robot
join:2003-06-27 | If Bell is going on copper now, would they have to install their own lines or are they going to use existing ones like Rogers? | |
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| Wes C Addle
Man Of The Hour
join:2003-07-28
Canada
·Acanac
·Bell Sympatico
| Re: Bell Canada gets green light for tv-over-coppe said by Gundam_MX :If Bell is going on copper now, would they have to install their own lines or are they going to use existing ones like Rogers? You are confused. They already have copper going to every home in their service area. | |
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Corvus
Flaming Tards Since 2003
Premium,VIP
join:2003-11-26
| said by Gundam_MX :If Bell is going on copper now, would they have to install their own lines or are they going to use existing ones like Rogers? It's based on current POTS lines! We can guess that if you have problems with DSL right now, you'll have problems with this too.
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Jesus saves, but only Buddha makes incremental backups. | |
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Gundam_MX
Stomping Robot
join:2003-06-27
1 edit | Re: Bell Canada gets green light for tv-over-coppe said by Corvus :It's based on current POTS lines! We can guess that if you have problems with DSL right now, you'll have problems with this too. Okay so the medium of transmission is through the telephone lines. The "copper over wire" expression confused me.
Since I gave up cable a long time ago then what do you plug into your TV? What do the ends look like?
A telephone cable or a end that looks like coaxial cable?  | |
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| | | TemporalFlux
Premium
join:2003-08-07
Ont, Canada | Re: Bell Canada gets green light for tv-over-coppe Ethernet to M$/Bell PVR thingy from XDSL modem/router/whatever. From M$/Bell thingy to TV over Coax RCA or SVIDEO or DVI cables I would assume. | |
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Corvus
Flaming Tards Since 2003
Premium,VIP
join:2003-11-26 | The end is a set-top box connected to the phone line with "usual" audio/viddeo outputs.
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Jesus saves, but only Buddha makes incremental backups. | |
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MustardMan
join:2003-05-22
Sealand
| I have been looking into VDSL which makes this whole TV over POTS possible. IMHO a lot of this TV over copper stuff is just marketecture BS to make stockholders happy.
The numbers just don't add up.
With DSL you have to be within about 3 miles of fibre or exchange building. With VDSL the theoretical distance is about 1 mile but practically it is less than about 1/2 mile if you want to do more than watch 1 channel simultaneously with high speed internet or whatever. Actually, to get the full theoretical limit of 54Mb/s of VDSL you have be within about 1000feet or less. No matter how you look at it, you have to be REAL close to fibre for VDSL to work well.
MTS in Manitoba has been running VDSL for about a year now I think. Currently, only about 40% of their biggest city can get the service. It has a limitation of 3 standard definition channels simultaneously.
Don't even get me started about set top boxes run with M$ software (LOL!). No matter how you slice it, it is going to be a looooong time and a lot of expensive infrastructure upgrading (and M$ software upgrading/bug fixing) before a system like this can compete with cable which has WAY more bandwidth capability and can reach WAY more people right now. | |
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