roku canada?

[tkillian]

when we lose shaw satellite could roku canada be a solution? ctv just announced all of its channels will be on roku canada, there are already several canadian channels on roku canada. my simple way to watch canada is buy the roku device in canada, have a secure vpn and then live happily everafter. what about cbc though? are they ( gem ) on roku? of course i will need a new smart tv and then somebody that knows more about this than myself to hook the streaming roku to the tv. is any of this possible?

 

[catamount]

It would be entirely possible. I just added CTV and CBC on my Roku TV. Ctv asked me to sign in, which I didn't bother doing. Cbc had no sign-in and there were 14 live stations from across Canada. Didn't see Cbc gem.

Catamount

 

[harshness]

Ctv asked me to sign in, which I didn't bother doing.

If CTV requires authentication, you'll need a subscription to some Canadian pay TV service.

 

[westcoastsatviewer]

Unless you use a VPN, you'll run into problems with geofencing.

 

[joshuals]

Unless you use a VPN, you'll run into problems with geofencing.

I was a southern subscriber to Shaw for many years. My purpose was for the French channels, most notably RDS, TVASports, ICITele, TVA, Canal D, etc. Cancelled when most French programming was lost to Anik G1 a year ago.

Visited Roku's website tonite. Only Canada-French channels in the Roku Canada package that I saw are ICITele & TeleQuebec. Doubtful any of the other networks mentioned above will ever be on Roku due to rights issues/CTRC. Are you staying that if I go to all the trouble/expense to join/subscribe to Roku Canada I will STILL get the "not available in your country" message for the majority of their programming unless I use a VPN????? That's a ripoff and should be clearly stated on their website. Maybe it IS, in the phrase "available programming", but it should be more clearly explained.

Would like to hear from someone with actual experience at subscribing to CBC or CTV in the US.

Thank you

 

[harshness]

Are you staying that if I go to all the trouble/expense to join/subscribe to Roku Canada I will STILL get the "not available in your country" message for the majority of their programming unless I use a VPN?????

And maybe not even if you use a VPN.

Because the Canadian provider's licenses for programming do not extend beyond the Canadian borders, they would be in violation of their carriage agreements to deliver programming outside Canada. This has been the case for a long time.

Perhaps a more strongly worded disclaimer should be there, but it isn't something that's suddenly been taken away -- it is just better enforced as the technology required has been refined.

 

[joshuals]

This has been the case for a long time

Yes. I became familiar with all that legal stuff during the Shaw years. So, from that, I would conclude that the Roku solution is just a streaming version of the satellite "grey market"....?

The very strange thing about all this is that, with regard to ICITele, their programming is available in the US via their Website, some programming "in the clear" (news, documetaries, e.g.) and the all rest of their programming can be viewed with a VPN in real time. That begs the question, with regard to that particular network, of what value is the Roku service?

That having been said, I was unable to watch CBC (ICITele's English-language counterpart) with just a VPN.

So, putting all this together, prospective Roku clients may find that, once subscribed, the VPN will not solve the problem?? Still very interested to know about all that.

 

[harshness]

That begs the question, with regard to that particular network, of what value is the Roku service?

It is about having everything in one place for those currently residing in Canada (CRTC regulations and all). "Value" implies that there is a monetary cost and since TRC has no fee, the question of value really isn't an issue.