Why not Ku?

[ZetaMale]

I suppose this has been asked before but I'm wondering why DCII isn't on Ku instead of C. It would be a lot easier and cheaper to put in a smaller dish and we might get more DCII subscribers as a result of the lower cost. Since my 90cm dish receives DVB-S2/8PSK on Ku very well, I would imagine that DCII would come in just fine, both SD and HD. Of course, Ku is more susceptible to rain fade and other weather conditions like ice. Heavy rains aren't a big problem around here but ice and snow in the dish would be. Of course, snow and ice issues can be reduced with a decent heat blanket on the back of a Ku dish or a radome.

 

[Larry1]

Shaw Direct is on Ku, HITS was on Ku. The Skyvision package was on Ku but transitioned to C-band. For providing a service to cable companies, C-band is the prefered choice due to rain fade issues. There was also a thought that former C-band users would switch over to a DC-II receiver and a lot did not have Ku capability, only C-band.

 

[tdti1]

Get Shaw Direct if you want DCII ku-band subscription services.

 

[Dishman Dan]

Get Shaw Direct if you want DCII ku-band subscription services.

We are not allowed to get Shaw Direct in the states!

We get food and medicine from places we never knew existed and who

knows what is in the stuff! Sensitive manufacturing is dependent on

foreign and not so freindly places too but we still cannot receive TV from a

good neighbor!!!...

Where is "free trade" when and where we need it???

 

[Mr Tony]

We are not allowed to get Shaw Direct in the states!

hmmm...I live in Minnesota and have Shaw....I didnt know MN was part of Canada now
You can get Shaw in the states...there is just an "extra step" about getting it some times. If you dont have a Canadian address you need to go through a program broker

 

[Dishman Dan]

hmmm...I live in Minnesota and have Shaw....I didnt know MN was part of Canada now
You can get Shaw in the states...there is just an "extra step" about getting it some times. If you dont have a Canadian address you need to go through a program broker

Oooookaaaaay.

Canada is pretty far away to run a phone cord to keep the receiver plugged

in!!!...

 

[tvropro]

You don't need a *Choice receiver plugged into the phone line for regular programming. Many people in the states use them that way.

 

[ZetaMale]

hmmm...I live in Minnesota and have Shaw....I didnt know MN was part of Canada now
You can get Shaw in the states...there is just an "extra step" about getting it some times. If you dont have a Canadian address you need to go through a program broker

Short of calling Shaw, what do you mean by an "extra step" and "program broker"? Who would this program broker be? Near as I can tell from the Shaw website, this isn't a 4DTV service but requires an FTA receiver?

 

[Mr Tony]

Shaw Direct uses their own receiver. The HD version is the 505 which looks like a 4DTV (except fixed to 107.3 & 111.1) and looks almost identical to a Voom 550 receiver except no OTA option

To subscribe to Shaw (or Bell) you either need a Canadian address or have to use a broker to subscribe. They wont activate the receiver to a US address. You buy the equipment from a supplier in Canada and if you have a Canadian address you call Shaw and activate.
Program brokers are the "middle man" per se...they activate the accoutn and manage it if you want to make changes. They call Shaw for you. You pay a yearly fee to them. Most good brokers set your cc up on auto pay with the provider so you get billed directly from Shaw.
"Shady" ones make you pay them then they pay Shaw. Too many issues with that

 

[ZetaMale]

Shaw Direct uses their own receiver. The HD version is the 505 which looks like a 4DTV (except fixed to 107.3 & 111.1) and looks almost identical to a Voom 550 receiver except no OTA option

To subscribe to Shaw (or Bell) you either need a Canadian address or have to use a broker to subscribe. They wont activate the receiver to a US address. You buy the equipment from a supplier in Canada and if you have a Canadian address you call Shaw and activate.
Program brokers are the "middle man" per se...they activate the accoutn and manage it if you want to make changes. They call Shaw for you. You pay a yearly fee to them. Most good brokers set your cc up on auto pay with the provider so you get billed directly from Shaw.
"Shady" ones make you pay them then they pay Shaw. Too many issues with that

OK, thanks Ice. I wonder if telling them that I'm Canadian born will make a difference? lol. Anyway, I have Canadian relatives but lost touch with them many years ago - I suppose that would help with the Canadian address if I can find my relatives again. But, I don't like paying for programming anyway.