HD OTA in Canada

[hobie16]

Does anyone know the status of OTA HD in Canada? I have a summer home in the Ontario (Kawartha Lakes area) and have read that HD is coming but no details. I receive one local channel CHEX, and several other stations that come off of repeaters. I use Dish for most of my viewing but its only SD, many of the US HD network shows are on the Canadian stations but there doesn't seem to be a digital tranmissions yet.

 

[Mr Tony]

I think Canada has until 2011 to upgrade but if they use the same rules there as we use here which is low powered & translator stations DONT have the 2009 mandate it may be a while

Also, there are very few DT channels in Canada. Once you get out of Toronto, MOntreal or Vancouver there aren't many stations on DT (if any)

 

[wizard101]

Try this link for OTA in Cananda;
Eastern Ontario, Western Quebec HDTV Channel Map

 

[Derwin0]

Does anyone know the status of OTA HD in Canada? I have a summer home in the Ontario (Kawartha Lakes area) and have read that HD is coming but no details. I receive one local channel CHEX, and several other stations that come off of repeaters. I use Dish for most of my viewing but its only SD, many of the US HD network shows are on the Canadian stations but there doesn't seem to be a digital tranmissions yet.

My father-in-law lives in Cameron, right on Sturgeon Lake.

You're probably out of luck pulling anything in from Toronto, we tried at his place and failed miserably.

 

[Larry1]

I think it was earlier this year that the broadcasters patitioned the CRTC for they could remove their antennas and go to cable/satellite only. That way they could get revenue for each subscriber. Another option mentioned was to tax cable/satellite for they could be compensated. I do not know if any decision was made about this. As it is now, the stations that have digital antennas (mostly in Toronto area) are broadcasting with very weak signals. I'm lucky enough to be on the north shore of Lake Ontario, (about 35 miles south of CHEX) and find that the Canadian channels are very hard to receive, but the American channels come in strong. No wounder when the Canadian channels broadcast their digital signal at 2-35kw, and the American channels are up to 1000kw. Just speculation, but we just might see the end of those repeater stations, as satellite is just more easier to get the signal to the people, at a cost though.

 

[jegrant]

I like the FreeSat plan offered by Bell ExpressVu that would offer "must carry" for national (formerly OTA) networks in HD, with the restrictions that they could not charge Bell (retransmission consent) - in exchange, Bell would offer such HD nets to anyone with a dish and receiver, with no ongoing monthly fee.

Bell ExpressVu mulls 'free' HD TV - CableTV.com Forums