Rogers sucks; Bell sucks; which one sucks less?

wprager wrote:

Cap'n Clutch wrote:And unlimited downloads with Primus. :D

I got the unlimited with Rogers for an extra $10 a month.  My usage was 335 GB last month.  It used to be 8-12 GB before Netflix.

I pay $40 per month with Primus.

Cap'n Clutch wrote:

wprager wrote:

Cap'n Clutch wrote:And unlimited downloads with Primus. :D

I got the unlimited with Rogers for an extra $10 a month.  My usage was 335 GB last month.  It used to be 8-12 GB before Netflix.

I pay $40 per month with Primus.

What is your access speed and cap? Is it over cable?

BTW I'm getting out of Rogers some time this year or early next. FibeTV is coming and I'd be saving a bundle in the first 6 months, and a little bit after that. And I was pricing that for 3 TVs (I only use 2 now, but I've got my old rear CRT-RPTV in the basement still. I think that's an extra $7 that I may choose not to do (actually, with the whole-home PVR they can watch anything on either TV, plus the girls have Netflix on their tablets and the boys have their iPods, so I don't think I'll need the third TV).

My download speed is up to 7Mbps but that's a limitation that any provider I go with would stick me with due to location.

Also it's over the phone line because cable isn't offered where I live.

Bell is hooking up Fibe in my neighbourhood currently. I went on their website to check out the bundles. What a joke. Max speed is 25Mbps, which I can get through TekSavvy right now with my regular DSL. Also, the usage limit is 100GB/month, with 20GB extra costing $5. Currently I get 300GB/month, with unlimited between 2-8am.

TV service is a couple dollars cheaper than what I pay to Rogers currently.

If I bundled everything together, I'd end up paying between $30 to $40 than I do now. My internet would be a little faster (although it is currently fast enough for our purposes), and I'd get 200GB / month LESS than I do now. What. A. Joke.

tim1_2 wrote:Bell is hooking up Fibe in my neighbourhood currently.  I went on their website to check out the bundles.  What a joke.  Max speed is 25Mbps, which I can get through TekSavvy right now with my regular DSL.  Also, the usage limit is 100GB/month, with 20GB extra costing $5.  Currently I get 300GB/month, with unlimited between 2-8am.  

TV service is a couple dollars cheaper than what I pay to Rogers currently.  

If I bundled everything together, I'd end up paying between $30 to $40 than I do now.  My internet would be a little faster (although it is currently fast enough for our purposes), and I'd get 200GB / month LESS than I do now.  What.  A.  Joke.

More or less?

I thought the per-GB was $4 (double what Rogers charges) but you just have to go with unlimited ($10 more if you have three services with them, $30 more if you don't).

What you get with Bell is a much better PVR/Guide. The NextBox 2 is Next2Unusable. The 8300 was reliable but the interface was awful (and they haven't improved it much). The Nextbox 3 lets you record 8 shows. I really like that but then the disk should be made much larger (record everything during the regular season then switch to basic from May-August to save some $$$. The Bell PVR allows you to record 4 shows (although you may be limited to 3 simultaneous HD feeds -- still likely enough).

Right now my Rogers bill is $220/month and I struggle to understand why. I've got VIP for cable, rent-free PVR, discounted second box (I had rent-free SD box so they knock off $3), Express internet (supposedly up-to 18mbps) with unlimited, and home phone with 200 NA LD minutes and local service.

I priced out Bell and I'd be around $170 (less in the first 6 months) and likely better if I haggle (the guy was just looking at listed prices). Honestly, unless you want to cut the TV (and use Netflix/etc.) then the best option is to switch every couple of years to get the 6/12 month discounts and other "new" customer perks.

Bell is giving me 1 year free everything (I turned down home phone as I don't need or want one) and it is all FIBE as well. I am a very basic internet user as I don't game or really watch anything at all on it aside from some youtube stuff. As long as sporting events are coming through my TV as clear as possible then I am golden.

Also, how are you getting 25 mbps with "regular DSL"? Or is TekSavvy using cable?

wprager wrote:Also, how are you getting 25 mbps with "regular DSL"? Or is TekSavvy using cable?

I am not getting 25Mbps. I get 6Mbps, which is what I pay for. TekSavvy does offer different speeds, up to and including 25Mbps: http://www.teksavvy.com/en/residential/internet/dsl/high-speed-dsl-25-2

As for the TV / PVR topic, this is the least important service to me. I have the older-style Rogers PVRs, and while the interface isn't terrific, they function well and are quite reliable. If I ever need to record 5 shows at the same time, take me out back and put me out of my misery. Even with the PVR, I still usually download shows I regularly watch, because they all have the commercials cut out of them. The only thing I use cable for is live sports.

If ever you guys have the chance to see HD TV over your antenna, you'll see the best HD you've ever seen. Another reason Bell and Rogers suck. Hard.

SeawaySensFan wrote:If ever you guys have the chance to see HD TV over your antenna, you'll see the best HD you've ever seen. Another reason Bell and Rogers suck. Hard.

I agree. I've set up a HD antenna a couple times at home just to test it. It does look better, I guess because it's not compressed or whatever.

Honestly, I could cut my cable, get NHL Gamecentre, download whatever shows I want to watch, and save myself close to $90 per month. The only thing I would miss is other live sports (baseball playoffs, NFL, Olympics), but you can easily find streams for these things online, except the picture quality normally isn't as nice.

tim1_2 wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:If ever you guys have the chance to see HD TV over your antenna, you'll see the best HD you've ever seen. Another reason Bell and Rogers suck. Hard.

I agree.  I've set up a HD antenna a couple times at home just to test it.  It does look better, I guess because it's not compressed or whatever.  

Honestly, I could cut my cable, get NHL Gamecentre, download whatever shows I want to watch, and save myself close to $90 per month.  The only thing I would miss is other live sports (baseball playoffs, NFL, Olympics), but you can easily find streams for these things online, except the picture quality normally isn't as nice.  

I know it's not practical or whatever but it's just another kick in the teeth that we're getting a watered down product and paying through the nose for it.

SeawaySensFan wrote:If ever you guys have the chance to see HD TV over your antenna, you'll see the best HD you've ever seen. Another reason Bell and Rogers suck. Hard.

You insensitive clod. I live in Morgan's Grant. If I'm lucky, I can pick up Camp Fortune which gets me CBC.

Unfortunately OTA is not much of an option out here.

I'm on Carp road and I have one of those mammoth bastards shooting straight up the side of my house and above the roof.

Cap'n Clutch wrote:I'm on Carp road and I have one of those mammoth bastards shooting straight up the side of my house and above the roof.

Mammoth bastards? You mean a mast-mounted antenna or are you talking about a dish?

He's talking about an antenna.

And Prags, you'd be surprised at what you could get with a $100 antenna.

wprager wrote:

Cap'n Clutch wrote:I'm on Carp road and I have one of those mammoth bastards shooting straight up the side of my house and above the roof.

Mammoth bastards?  You mean a mast-mounted antenna or are you talking about a dish?

I was talking about the antenna but to be honest I also have a giant free standing Dish sitting amongst the trees doing nothing.

I have Teksaavy's 30$/month 8gb internet with 150GB max usage, NHL Game Center and Netflix. That's enough TV for me and that's less than $50 a month.

LeKing wrote:I have Teksaavy's 30$/month 8gb internet with 150GB max usage, NHL Game Center and Netflix. That's enough TV for me and that's less than $50 a month.

I've got 4 kids -- two of them have iPods, 2 of them have Acers tablets, all with Netflix/Youtube/etc. Also Netflix on the PS3 and LG TV54. Before Netflix out internet usage was 8-12 GB. Switching to Netflix (lowest quality settings) I started paying for extra downloads (on an 80 GB plan). After switching to unlimited I changed the PQ settings to best and last time I checked we were at 335 GB with a couple days to go in the billing period.

So, sure, I could make do with 150, but if I wanted better PQ from Netflix that simple wouldn't be enough.