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paraone

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So my wife and I are really growing frustrated with paying huge fees for HD content through Rogers, basically we are paying an arm and a leg for the HD channels and getting a ton we don't watch just for the pleasure of getting normal content in HD. So we've been looking into getting an OTA antenna and ditching cable all together.

I don't want to turn this into a rogers vs ctv arguement, I'm looking to hear from anyone who currently uses OTA for HD. Is the quality good, are there any channels you don't get?
Basically we only watch news, and hockey night in canada. My 3 year old likes treehouse but I have a problem with him having access to a 24 cartoon channel. I grew up without TV at all and am much happier for it.

how about it, anyone here ditch the cable and go with OTA?
 
Is the quality good,
Click to expand...

Yes, though it depends on the number of subchannels broadcast, but the bitrate is usually higher then cable or sattelite.

are there any channels you don't get?
Click to expand...

You'll only get broadcast channels, not specialty, like Treehouse TV.
 
I've tested an OTA paraone, if you go back two or three pages under "General Discussion" you'll find a similar header on this topic. Test for a month or so before you dump cable so that you know your satisfied and that your reception holds up during weather events.
I've tested a Terk HDTVi inside the window of my living room and the signal I get looks better than Rogers. I've got a professionally calibrated 50" Panasonic Viera plasma panel and a good eye for what I see. I've not hooked up the audio to my receiver, it's one of those big jobs of moving out the entertainment centre and hooking it up which I haven't got around to so I can't comment on the audio quality. I live on a high floor, 2 miles from the CN tower with no obstructions.
Remember that if you dump cable you'll loose some great HD channels like TLC, Discovery, National Geographic etc.
For more information go to the Canadian Home Theatre Forum and hit the OTA forum under the sub-heading "Canadian Cable and Satellite Television" - http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/index.php
 
While I don't use it at home, I have set it up for my In-laws, as well as some other people. You'll get about 15-25 channels, depending on your location in the GTA. Like others mentioned, no specialty channels just the basics like CBC, CTV, CityTV, SunTV, ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, PBS-ThinkBright, OMNI1, OMNI2, etc ... There's a couple of lifestyle channels also available from the US. If you're a casual TV viewer, it's worth getting. The antenna is about $50. It helps if you live close to the lake as well.
 
paraone said:
So my wife and I are really growing frustrated with paying huge fees for HD content through Rogers, basically we are paying an arm and a leg for the HD channels and getting a ton we don't watch just for the pleasure of getting normal content in HD.
Click to expand...
I thought the basic HD channels on Rogers were a pretty good deal, as you can get all the Toronto and Buffalo HD channels as part of the basic cable package. $29.99 a month .. plus tax. I can't remember if that includes the $2.99 digital fee or not ... I'll have to check my bill at home. It's all I have, plus a couple of ala carte channels, and the $1.99 SD timeshifting package.
 
I count about 23 stations being available OTA in the GTA.

They would include:
  • WGRZ (NBC-Buffalo)
  • CKVR (A Channel-Barrie)
  • WIVB (CBS-Buffalo)
  • CBLT (CBC-Toronto)
  • WKBW (ABC-Buffalo)
  • CFTO (CTV-Toronto)
  • CHCH (Ind-Hamilton)
  • CKCO (CTV-Kitchener)
  • WNED (PBS-Buffalo)
  • CICA (TVO-Toronto)
  • CBLFT (Radio-Canada - Toronto)
  • WUTV (Fox-Buffalo)
  • CITS (Crossroads-Burlington)
  • WNLO (CW-Buffalo)
  • WNYO (MyNetworkTV-Buffalo)
  • CIII (Global-Toronto)
  • CFMT (OMNI I-Toronto)
  • CJMT (OMNI II-Toronto)
  • CITY (Toronto)
  • CKXT (Sun-TV - Toronto)
  • CHEX (CBC/Ind-Peterborough)
  • WDTB (Religious-Buffalo)
  • Star-Ray TV (Ind - Toronto pirate station)

It may also be possible to pick up London, ON and Rochester, NY stations, but genearlly not.
 
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Thanks for all the responses guys....

We just bought a new place and are expecting a second child so it's time for some belt tightening. I'm not a big TV watcher, so it's kind of a waste of money for us, also I work for a TV network, so naturally I HATE TV. The place we bought is at Queen and Jones, I have a straight shot to the CN tower, with no obstructions from the roof, minus the odd tree.
We thought of keeping the basic package for things like sportsnet but to get TSN hd they fleece you, so why pay $30 a month just to watch the leafs lose once a week. If we ditch it we pay nothing and I can still get my fix on saturday night.

Anyone know of some good brands of antenna? A co-worker uses a channel master 4221 and says he gets all canadian/us broadcasters the only one he has a problem getting is NBC (no sunday night football)
I'm just really sick of cable bills for no real value, to me at least.
 
tissot said:
I know you're looking for OTA HD. But have you considered Bell Entertainment Service? It's IPTV+internet access
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Yikes, that starts at $99 a month once the special pricing ends! Rogers HD Cable is only $30 a month, and apparently that is too expensive!

If you can live without cable, all the power too you! TSN is indeed a complete rip-off, you more than double your cable bill, just to add that one channel (because you have to take so much else as well). Fortunately all the sports I watch seem to be on Sportsnet lately ... or a la carte channels.

Tell us how it works, I'm not that far east of you, and perhaps slightly higher ... clear view of the CN tower ... though I'd need a tower to get above my neighbours to see Buffalo (or is line-of-site not necessary ...).
 
nfitz said:
Yikes, that starts at $99 a month once the special pricing ends! Rogers HD Cable is only $30 a month, and apparently that is too expensive!

If you can live without cable, all the power too you! TSN is indeed a complete rip-off, you more than double your cable bill, just to add that one channel (because you have to take so much else as well). Fortunately all the sports I watch seem to be on Sportsnet lately ... or a la carte channels.

Tell us how it works, I'm not that far east of you, and perhaps slightly higher ... clear view of the CN tower ... though I'd need a tower to get above my neighbours to see Buffalo (or is line-of-site not necessary ...).
Click to expand...

Well BES comes with internet access. Bell sells 16Mbps d/l for $60 and most people who has BES are getting 16+Mbps d/l and 7-8Mbps uploads, which is 7 times faster than the $60 package. You get BES for $50 on a 1 year commitment. Since the service is still in the early phases, I would think Bell will have a similar promotion next year for renewels.
 
with Bell we are pretty much in the same boat. It's not that it's "too expensive' but all I watch is sports and news, I work for TSN hence why I'd like to see the work I do actually used but for the price it'sjust not worth it. And to tell the truth, tv steals your ambition. If I want to watch a game, I'll stream it off the net or go to my local watering hole and sip a beer. I'll still get HNIC which is really the only night I set aside for strict hockey watching anyway.

I'm going to borrow a set up from one of our techs at work who swears by it, I'll let you guys know how the service is. for $70 intial investment I don't think you can go wrong.


I still find it hilarious that Rogers makes you buy all the other crap just to get TSN HD, it's total BS, they are using thier position as the distributor to leverage against thier biggest competition as a broadcaster. The two, rogers cableand rogers broadcasting should really be split into two entirely seperate companies
 
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