What's the status of ordering Starchoice (Shaw Direct) in the U.S.?

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rburriel

rburriel

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Original poster
Aug 25, 2009
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Oregon
I followed this great thread but it dates back to 2006. Have there been any major changes? I have family in Canada (but not in the same time zone), so I have a Canadian address and a phone number (although I can't be reach at that phone number, of course). There was talk of changes coming near the end of the thread.

- Will they require that the receiver be connected to a phone line to validate the phone number?
- Is *c still indifferent about U.S. customers (i.e. don't ask, don't tell)?
- Can you still get equipment from KUSat?
- How is U.S. customs treating Canadian satellite equipment?
- Is the HD PVR still as bad as people say?
- And - for the love of God - can *c UPGRADE THEIR EQUIPMENT?! I mean, has Canada never heard of HDMI?!
- Oh, and who do you have to talk to in order to get the Bilingual package? There's some French programming I want, but if I get the French package, then I lose some English programming. The Bilingual package offers some of both and I can live without the channels it doesn't offer.

Thanks!
 
my phonelines arent connected here in mn my account is setup in ontario cst.

dont ask dont tell is still policy

yes kusat still does sales

unknown how canadian customs is, i think they wont mind at all as your helping thier economy

the starchoice hd dvr is slow and clunky but works fine for me, their hd dvr is a motorola box similar to what many cable companies use

rumors of upgraded equipment lines are coming, when i have no idea

to get bilingual pack you must call and talk to a represenative from starchoice and ask

if looking for equipment i have a few basic sd boxes for sale in classifieds
 
With regard to the Bilingual Package question, once you have an account with Shaw and have chosen the package you want, you can access that account on line. At that point, you can include additional channels to your package a la carte. You can even make these changes interactively on line. Of course, everything you add costs you more $.
 
rburriel said:
- Can you still get equipment from KUSat?
- How is U.S. customs treating Canadian satellite equipment?
Click to expand...
I just ordered the gear / got signed up a month ago so I can answer these.

I ordered through KUSat, no issues whatsoever. They called to confirm the order and asked if I needed broker service. (I didn't -- I'm using a friend's Toronto address and a VoIP Toronto DID)

The gear I received had all been opened and resealed by US Customs & Border Protection (clearly labeled on the tape of everything they cut open) and from the looks of it their inspection was pretty darn thorough. So clearly they don't care that you're getting Canadian sat equipment, so long as there aren't any actual illegal items shipped in with it.
 
Iceberg said:
Parfait Bilingue still shows as an option on the French pdf which I just downloaded (45.99)
same with Essentials bilingue (39.99)
Click to expand...

The PDF is still my Bible when I browse Shaw's offerings, but they're making it increasingly hard to find. And, as others have testified, while the Bilingual package is still mentioned in places, the places where you are offered the opportunity to choose it no longer exist. I expect that - like the Home Away From Home offer - it exists, but only when speaking to a CSR. I wonder if you can even get the Anglo- package with a Quebec address. It may only be Franco- or Bi-.

Shaw's got a lot of advantages, including time-shifted U.S. networks and I can even get The Daily Show on CTV, meaning I could probably cancel my premium cable!

I'm eager to get a Shaw system so I can watch hockey, for one, but also so I can watch the Olympics, for another. I remember a stand-up comedian who once remarked "I went to Canada during the Olympics and turned on the TV. Turns out, countries other than the U.S. participate in some events."

I'm waiting until October to pull the trigger because of certain job uncertainties, but if I go ahead with it, I sit right next to the best damn TV engineer in the state, so I'm sure he can help me with the install. I live in a rental house so putting the dish on the roof is a no-no. I'm gonna have to get a tripod and stuff. I'm not excited about that.

Anyway, thanks for all the info guys!
 
rburriel said:
I wonder if you can even get the Anglo- package with a Quebec address. It may only be Franco- or Bi-.
Click to expand...

I'm sure there are pleantly of english speaking people in Quebec that have anglophone programming. That for sure will not be a problem.
 
Legal Shaw Direct in the US

So this thread is a year old, and just wondered what the (new) story was.

Recently retired Veteran here and waiting on my Canadian immigration papers to finalize so I can move to Vancouver once I turn 65.

A few years ago, Bell ExpressVue had a partnership going with U.S. Dish Network that allowed U.S. Government employees or retirees/disabled therefrom to purchase LEGAL services and equipment, but they terminated that agreement a few years later.

Would like to get LEGAL ShawDirect service and equipment in the Greater Bay Area during the three years it takes for papers to finalize before retirees can move there. They say it can move faster for retired or disabled Veterans such as myself, but there's never anything on U.S. satellite services worth paying 69.99 a month for.

Been doing a little research and found out there's programming, equipment and service brokers in most states that begin with M: Michigan, Manhattan, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Massachusetts etc, etc etc. but trying to navigate through their maze is an problem for a man who has to have his grandsons over to program his VCR and then furnish pop and pizza thereto everytime he turns around. Pizza's getting expensive and pop is bad for their teeth, so they're all getting Technology Belly like their granddad.

Any ideas for an old salt before he has to start finding a car carcass to house the four inflating tires (three boys and me)?

rburriel said:
I followed this great thread but it dates back to 2006. Have there been any major changes? I have family in Canada (but not in the same time zone), so I have a Canadian address and a phone number (although I can't be reach at that phone number, of course). There was talk of changes coming near the end of the thread.

- Will they require that the receiver be connected to a phone line to validate the phone number?
- Is *c still indifferent about U.S. customers (i.e. don't ask, don't tell)?
- Can you still get equipment from KUSat?
- How is U.S. customs treating Canadian satellite equipment?
- Is the HD PVR still as bad as people say?
- And - for the love of God - can *c UPGRADE THEIR EQUIPMENT?! I mean, has Canada never heard of HDMI?!
- Oh, and who do you have to talk to in order to get the Bilingual package? There's some French programming I want, but if I get the French package, then I lose some English programming. The Bilingual package offers some of both and I can live without the channels it doesn't offer.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Little has changed. Perhaps the only thing is that they are coming out "soon" with replacements for the 505 HDef receiver & 530 HDef/PVR.

The current SDef Receivers are the DSR-209 & DSR-319. Anything older than these two will soon be obselete as they are changing certain things about their signal in order to create more bandwidth. Receivers older than the 209 & 319 will not be able to decode the new format. The channels will disappear from those older receivers a few at a time.....and they have already begun the process. Rumor has it that the French channels will change format before the English.

People having the older receivers will be forced to upgrade, as I have already done. Since my former hardware vendor is no longer doing business, I contacted Kusat and they were very helpful. I would recommend you contact them and tell them about your situation. They shipped directly to me via UPS and there were no customs "problems", except that the UPS guy had to collect about $30 from me on delivery as the "customs brokerage fee". (This covered an upgraded receiver & upgraded dish). The freight on the dish was over $120, but it was the only way I could do the deal.

This is 'way off topic, so don't pursue it here in this forum, but I'd be interested in hearing in a Personal E-Mail about your dealings with Canadian Immigration.....I was told by them that Canada "has no provision for accepting US retirees as citizens"......
 

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