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I have been reading about a lot about people in the US somehow getting one of the Canadian services for CBC, sports, and other stuff that is either not available or too expensive here.
I would want the most Canadian networks, American networks, and sports channels. Also more music video channels would be cool.
Which service would be recommended and what is the best way to go about getting one? I don't know anybody in Canada either, so finding an address to set up the account would be very difficult. I live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, so not very far away geographically.
If this kind of question is frowned upon here please accept my apology and feel free to delete it.
Thank you for any assistance you can give.
I would want the most Canadian networks, American networks, and sports channels. Also more music video channels would be cool.
Which service would be recommended and what is the best way to go about getting one? I don't know anybody in Canada either, so finding an address to set up the account would be very difficult. I live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, so not very far away geographically.
If this kind of question is frowned upon here please accept my apology and feel free to delete it.
Thank you for any assistance you can give.
18 Replies
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25566 views
L
Canadian satellite service in the U.S.
If I may add my "two cents" (or 1.75 cents Canadian). I live in southern Maine and have been an ExpressVu "customer" for almost seven (7) years. Yes, the decline of the U.S. dollar against the "Loonie" has meant that my monthly bill has gone from $40-something to $65 at last statement during this time, but still it worth it.
With our ExpressVu service not only can we receive the U.S. network affiliates in Boston and Seattle, but CNN, BBCWorld (24 hour news) and many of the standard U.S. channels, but also CBC, CTV and Global (the Canadian networks), several "public-like" broadcasters, like TVOntario, which carries a lot of British drama productions and sitcoms, not seen in the U.S. I can't speak for the sports offerings, but certainly hockey and soccer are plentiful via Canada. We appreciate the different perspective on the news and politics we get through Canada and the BBC. If you are French speaking, there's a whole world of excellent (and I mean quality) programming for young and old. There is a wide-selection of music channels and various Canadian radio stations, across the country available, as well.
They allow you to watch all networks in all five Canadian time zones and the U.S. networks in the Eastern and Pacific time zones. So, if you're in Dallas and miss the ABC Evenings News at 5:30, you can watch it two hours later from the Seattle ABC affiliate. If you're watching a Canadian program, you can watch it one or two hours earlier from the Atlantic time zone (Halifax) or Eastern time zone (Montreal) or two hours later from the Pacific time zone (Vancouver).
Both ExpressVu and StarChoice are good services, but ExpressVu (being part of the much bigger Bell Canada) has a policy of being very aggressive about cutting off any U.S. viewer it discovers--even if we're paying our bills. So you have to be careful. From what I've heard, StarChoice is a "friendlier" company and has chosen a "don't ask; don't tell" attitude. No, you can't just call them up from Tulsa and order service. You still need to "appear" to reside in Canada, and that's where the "programming brokers" come in.
Exercise caution in selection your programming broker, not all "brokers" are the same. For the first few years, I was "serviced" by an outfit in Winnipeg, with a U.S. 800 number. They charged me $100 a year and did the monthly processing of my credit card to pay the ExpressVu bill. Then, ever few months, I'd lose my service, call them, and by the end of the day, I was back up. What I later discovered was that they were not not paying my bill with ExpressVu, and keeping the money and I was being cut off for non-payment. I left them for a woman in Ontario, who merely acts as my "Canadian address". My Visa card is on my account with ExpressVu and they bill me each month and I've never lost service under this arrangement. If I have a problem or need to make a programming change, I send her email, she contacts ExpressVu and the matter is handed.
You will never been able to "own" your service completely, since you can't be seen to not be in Canada. So, for example, you cannot hook the receiver to your phone line and take advantage of pay-per-view movies or other interactive programming. You cannot call ExpressVu or StarChoice yourself and change your programming or report trouble. All this must pass through your broker.
That said, I found that my VoIP phone provider gives me up to four phone numbers in the U.S. and Canada and any one can be set as my Caller ID number. So, my programming broker lives in Ontario. I added a phone number to my VoIP service in that same town, where my ExpressVu account is set up. I arranged with my broker to add my Canadian caller id number to my ExpressVu account. I set my VoIP to display the Canadian phone number as my caller ID. I hooked up my receiver to my phone line. Now, I can use pay per view and interactive service, the receiver can "phone home" when it wants to, because the ExpressVu computer sees a Canadian phone number coming in. The broker won't provide me the necessary information to be able to dial up and speak with ExpressVu myself, as that would knock the broker out of her revenue. The one thing about having a Canadian phone number as you caller id, anyone else you call thinks someone from an unknown area code is calling and should they happen to use that number to redial you, they may be paying a higher rate to "call Canada." So, use with care.
LIke I said, it's worth it, if you consider a few points. If I can be of any further help, let me know. Good luck and good (I mean it) viewing...
Michael in Maine
If I may add my "two cents" (or 1.75 cents Canadian). I live in southern Maine and have been an ExpressVu "customer" for almost seven (7) years. Yes, the decline of the U.S. dollar against the "Loonie" has meant that my monthly bill has gone from $40-something to $65 at last statement during this time, but still it worth it.
With our ExpressVu service not only can we receive the U.S. network affiliates in Boston and Seattle, but CNN, BBCWorld (24 hour news) and many of the standard U.S. channels, but also CBC, CTV and Global (the Canadian networks), several "public-like" broadcasters, like TVOntario, which carries a lot of British drama productions and sitcoms, not seen in the U.S. I can't speak for the sports offerings, but certainly hockey and soccer are plentiful via Canada. We appreciate the different perspective on the news and politics we get through Canada and the BBC. If you are French speaking, there's a whole world of excellent (and I mean quality) programming for young and old. There is a wide-selection of music channels and various Canadian radio stations, across the country available, as well.
They allow you to watch all networks in all five Canadian time zones and the U.S. networks in the Eastern and Pacific time zones. So, if you're in Dallas and miss the ABC Evenings News at 5:30, you can watch it two hours later from the Seattle ABC affiliate. If you're watching a Canadian program, you can watch it one or two hours earlier from the Atlantic time zone (Halifax) or Eastern time zone (Montreal) or two hours later from the Pacific time zone (Vancouver).
Both ExpressVu and StarChoice are good services, but ExpressVu (being part of the much bigger Bell Canada) has a policy of being very aggressive about cutting off any U.S. viewer it discovers--even if we're paying our bills. So you have to be careful. From what I've heard, StarChoice is a "friendlier" company and has chosen a "don't ask; don't tell" attitude. No, you can't just call them up from Tulsa and order service. You still need to "appear" to reside in Canada, and that's where the "programming brokers" come in.
Exercise caution in selection your programming broker, not all "brokers" are the same. For the first few years, I was "serviced" by an outfit in Winnipeg, with a U.S. 800 number. They charged me $100 a year and did the monthly processing of my credit card to pay the ExpressVu bill. Then, ever few months, I'd lose my service, call them, and by the end of the day, I was back up. What I later discovered was that they were not not paying my bill with ExpressVu, and keeping the money and I was being cut off for non-payment. I left them for a woman in Ontario, who merely acts as my "Canadian address". My Visa card is on my account with ExpressVu and they bill me each month and I've never lost service under this arrangement. If I have a problem or need to make a programming change, I send her email, she contacts ExpressVu and the matter is handed.
You will never been able to "own" your service completely, since you can't be seen to not be in Canada. So, for example, you cannot hook the receiver to your phone line and take advantage of pay-per-view movies or other interactive programming. You cannot call ExpressVu or StarChoice yourself and change your programming or report trouble. All this must pass through your broker.
That said, I found that my VoIP phone provider gives me up to four phone numbers in the U.S. and Canada and any one can be set as my Caller ID number. So, my programming broker lives in Ontario. I added a phone number to my VoIP service in that same town, where my ExpressVu account is set up. I arranged with my broker to add my Canadian caller id number to my ExpressVu account. I set my VoIP to display the Canadian phone number as my caller ID. I hooked up my receiver to my phone line. Now, I can use pay per view and interactive service, the receiver can "phone home" when it wants to, because the ExpressVu computer sees a Canadian phone number coming in. The broker won't provide me the necessary information to be able to dial up and speak with ExpressVu myself, as that would knock the broker out of her revenue. The one thing about having a Canadian phone number as you caller id, anyone else you call thinks someone from an unknown area code is calling and should they happen to use that number to redial you, they may be paying a higher rate to "call Canada." So, use with care.
LIke I said, it's worth it, if you consider a few points. If I can be of any further help, let me know. Good luck and good (I mean it) viewing...
Michael in Maine
2
Is your "lady in CA" a broker that will deal with other people? I really want to get this setup soon! And would they be willing to ship the equipment down (at my cost of course)? I just want to rent the equipment and get my Hockey Night in Canada back!
Also, since I dont have a VOIP service, I cannot connect the phone line obviously. Do they really try to call and ask for some number periodically? We have Dish Network now and we never have the phone line connected because we were under the impression it was for PPV only. All the interactive content downloads over the sat connection...
I am trying to grasp the concept of how this is done. I know the programming I want, I know what equiptment I want to rent, I just dont know how to get the stuff to me, and the money to Bell... Any help would be nice.
If I may add my "two cents" (or 1.75 cents Canadian). I live in southern Maine and have been an ExpressVu "customer" for almost seven (7) years. Yes, the decline of the U.S. dollar against the "Loonie" has meant that my monthly bill has gone from $40-something to $65 at last statement during this time, but still it worth it.
With our ExpressVu service not only can we receive the U.S. network affiliates in Boston and Seattle, but CNN, BBCWorld (24 hour news) and many of the standard U.S. channels, but also CBC, CTV and Global (the Canadian networks), several "public-like" broadcasters, like TVOntario, which carries a lot of British drama productions and sitcoms, not seen in the U.S. I can't speak for the sports offerings, but certainly hockey and soccer are plentiful via Canada. We appreciate the different perspective on the news and politics we get through Canada and the BBC. If you are French speaking, there's a whole world of excellent (and I mean quality) programming for young and old. There is a wide-selection of music channels and various Canadian radio stations, across the country available, as well.
They allow you to watch all networks in all five Canadian time zones and the U.S. networks in the Eastern and Pacific time zones. So, if you're in Dallas and miss the ABC Evenings News at 5:30, you can watch it two hours later from the Seattle ABC affiliate. If you're watching a Canadian program, you can watch it one or two hours earlier from the Atlantic time zone (Halifax) or Eastern time zone (Montreal) or two hours later from the Pacific time zone (Vancouver).
Both ExpressVu and StarChoice are good services, but ExpressVu (being part of the much bigger Bell Canada) has a policy of being very aggressive about cutting off any U.S. viewer it discovers--even if we're paying our bills. So you have to be careful. From what I've heard, StarChoice is a "friendlier" company and has chosen a "don't ask; don't tell" attitude. No, you can't just call them up from Tulsa and order service. You still need to "appear" to reside in Canada, and that's where the "programming brokers" come in.
Exercise caution in selection your programming broker, not all "brokers" are the same. For the first few years, I was "serviced" by an outfit in Winnipeg, with a U.S. 800 number. They charged me $100 a year and did the monthly processing of my credit card to pay the ExpressVu bill. Then, ever few months, I'd lose my service, call them, and by the end of the day, I was back up. What I later discovered was that they were not not paying my bill with ExpressVu, and keeping the money and I was being cut off for non-payment. I left them for a woman in Ontario, who merely acts as my "Canadian address". My Visa card is on my account with ExpressVu and they bill me each month and I've never lost service under this arrangement. If I have a problem or need to make a programming change, I send her email, she contacts ExpressVu and the matter is handed.
You will never been able to "own" your service completely, since you can't be seen to not be in Canada. So, for example, you cannot hook the receiver to your phone line and take advantage of pay-per-view movies or other interactive programming. You cannot call ExpressVu or StarChoice yourself and change your programming or report trouble. All this must pass through your broker.
That said, I found that my VoIP phone provider gives me up to four phone numbers in the U.S. and Canada and any one can be set as my Caller ID number. So, my programming broker lives in Ontario. I added a phone number to my VoIP service in that same town, where my ExpressVu account is set up. I arranged with my broker to add my Canadian caller id number to my ExpressVu account. I set my VoIP to display the Canadian phone number as my caller ID. I hooked up my receiver to my phone line. Now, I can use pay per view and interactive service, the receiver can "phone home" when it wants to, because the ExpressVu computer sees a Canadian phone number coming in. The broker won't provide me the necessary information to be able to dial up and speak with ExpressVu myself, as that would knock the broker out of her revenue. The one thing about having a Canadian phone number as you caller id, anyone else you call thinks someone from an unknown area code is calling and should they happen to use that number to redial you, they may be paying a higher rate to "call Canada." So, use with care.
LIke I said, it's worth it, if you consider a few points. If I can be of any further help, let me know. Good luck and good (I mean it) viewing...
Michael in Maine
Is your "lady in CA" a broker that will deal with other people? I really want to get this setup soon! And would they be willing to ship the equipment down (at my cost of course)? I just want to rent the equipment and get my Hockey Night in Canada back!
Also, since I dont have a VOIP service, I cannot connect the phone line obviously. Do they really try to call and ask for some number periodically? We have Dish Network now and we never have the phone line connected because we were under the impression it was for PPV only. All the interactive content downloads over the sat connection...
I am trying to grasp the concept of how this is done. I know the programming I want, I know what equiptment I want to rent, I just dont know how to get the stuff to me, and the money to Bell... Any help would be nice.
Pub Member / Supporter
Lifetime Supporter
I've always been super interested in things space related so this is a pretty cool event coming up. Nov 18, 2026 early in the morning, Voyager 1 will reach the distance of one full light day from Earth. Took almost 50 yrs. I was 13 when it launched.
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gjHK3clOwIw?feature=share
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gjHK3clOwIw?feature=share
1 Replies
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46 views
Supporting Founder
Lifetime Supporter
This thread is a place to discuss the 4K events that appear on channel 540. We are getting, at this point, one college football game a week. Let's hope there is more coming.
1936 Replies
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299603 views
Even though it didn't work out for the Hoosiers, this event recorded and I was able to watch it in full 4K HDR.
Timer is set to Record the Series. Thanks, Bobby!
Staff member
HERE TO HELP YOU!
So...DirecTV advertises the Choice package with 95+ bonus channels for Satellite customers. You don't want 90+ of the 95...
Excluding PPV, premium networks, infomercial, shopping, religion, and non-English programming, there are 7 channels on satellite that are not on streaming:
NFL Network, MavTV, FE TV, Free Speech, NASA, INSP, and Pursuit. I'm pretty sure a couple of those are public interest that they have to carry to meet an FCC quota on satellite.
I hope they get called out for this advertising because that is ridiculous. One big network, NFL, will probably get added to streaming when their next agreement comes up, and the rest are likely very low viewership.
What about streaming, what do you get extra with the Choice package that isn't on Satellite:
Two stations - one of which is an internet TV - Fox Weather, and Heros & Icons (a diginet). Nothing special here to look at either.
If they cleaned up a couple of their agreements, added a few public interest stations to streaming, they could probably have their lineups match. It's close now, if you take out all the garbage on satellite that they earn money on. If they can sell infomercials on satellite, why can't they on streaming, seems like a miss. A bigger miss, including those stations in the "bonus channels just for satellite customers." Pretty sad marketing right there.
Attached is a comparison sheet of satellite vs streaming for the three main packages if anyone is interested.
MOD EDIT: See Post #3 for an up to date list of what channels are available on sat but not on streaming/internet, see Post #21 for an up to date list of what's available in the app for streaming customers, but not for sat customers.
Excluding PPV, premium networks, infomercial, shopping, religion, and non-English programming, there are 7 channels on satellite that are not on streaming:
NFL Network, MavTV, FE TV, Free Speech, NASA, INSP, and Pursuit. I'm pretty sure a couple of those are public interest that they have to carry to meet an FCC quota on satellite.
I hope they get called out for this advertising because that is ridiculous. One big network, NFL, will probably get added to streaming when their next agreement comes up, and the rest are likely very low viewership.
What about streaming, what do you get extra with the Choice package that isn't on Satellite:
Two stations - one of which is an internet TV - Fox Weather, and Heros & Icons (a diginet). Nothing special here to look at either.
If they cleaned up a couple of their agreements, added a few public interest stations to streaming, they could probably have their lineups match. It's close now, if you take out all the garbage on satellite that they earn money on. If they can sell infomercials on satellite, why can't they on streaming, seems like a miss. A bigger miss, including those stations in the "bonus channels just for satellite customers." Pretty sad marketing right there.
Attached is a comparison sheet of satellite vs streaming for the three main packages if anyone is interested.
MOD EDIT: See Post #3 for an up to date list of what channels are available on sat but not on streaming/internet, see Post #21 for an up to date list of what's available in the app for streaming customers, but not for sat customers.
241 Replies
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31722 views
My OTA is not working anymore. This started after the latest update. I have the OTA dongle with a OTA antenna that I've been using for years. My hopper does not recognize the dongle anymore and when I go to the OTA setting, it has a screen that says to plug a dongle into the USB. I tried unplugging and plugging back, in the same usb port and other ports. The Hopper does not recognize it. Anyone have same issue?
203 Replies
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5381 views
Hi all. If you were using a single tuner USB OTA adapter that is no longer working, please PM me. Thanks.
I have the dual tuner OTA adapter currently connected, but I have 2 of the single tuner OTA adapters that I can quickly connect - neither is seen by my H3.Hi all. If you were using a single tuner USB OTA adapter that is no longer working, please PM me. Thanks.
Lifetime Supporter
I know HipKat said that they were working on conversions but we got the official news yesterday right from Dish that starting next month all DMA's will be on the western arc, and all customers will be assigned to that. That's gonna mean a lot of customers around here aren't gonna get Dish unless there are exceptions. Too many mountains and trees.
148 Replies
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3816 views
Pub Member / Supporter
Lifetime Supporter
I'm surprised Walmart hasn't banned this guy from all of their stores. He has been on their CASE the past few months.
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/f3zr37ekgKM?feature=share
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/f3zr37ekgKM?feature=share
50 Replies
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468 views
Unless the specific product or its packaging is known at the time of weighing, estimating the tare weight for a PoS system is a tall order.
I'm pretty sure that produce bags can't get any thinner.
You certainly don't want to put unbagged produce on a belt, scale, or in a clerk's hands (gloved or not).
I would think that all the packaging would already be accounted for ... they weigh the container, subtract that from the scale, then add the product , so its weighing the Product onlyUnless the specific product or its packaging is known at the time of weighing, estimating the tare weight for a PoS system is a tall order.
I'm pretty sure that produce bags can't get any thinner.
You certainly don't want to put unbagged produce on a belt, scale, or in a clerk's hands (gloved or not).
Why are ViP922s So rare? like its crazy how ebay has none, i checked everywhere, also, i got a ViP222k now, which is actually activated!
33 Replies
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937 views
I remember this in the news too...
www.nbcnews.com
$14,000 spent on rented rotary phone
A widow rented a rotary dial telephone for 42 years, paying what her family calculates as more than $14,000 for a now- outdated phone.
www.nbcnews.com
That is a misnomer. In the old days you subscribed to telephone service. That included the telephone line and one telephone. An extension cost $1 a month extra. So that $14,000 over 42 years was for the service not the leased telephone. There is no way they paid $28 a month for 42 years for a leased telephone.I remember this in the news too...
$14,000 spent on rented rotary phone
A widow rented a rotary dial telephone for 42 years, paying what her family calculates as more than $14,000 for a now- outdated phone.
Staff member
HERE TO HELP YOU!
Cutting Edge
Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
68588 Replies
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2676643 views
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/kBKUeLHP3zY
Direct YouTube Link - Foursquare's Hidden Location Data Became a Game #shorts
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/kBKUeLHP3zY
Direct YouTube Link - Foursquare's Hidden Location Data Became a Game #shorts
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
0 Replies
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8 views
Hi guys, is anyone getting any quality on transponder 4135 L 30000 I'm not getting any quality few weeks now.
0 Replies
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23 views