A year ago someone gave the companies a comparison: 

"Watching the Leafs game on TSN tonight and it looks pretty good, no stuttering/lag. It does appear "softer" compared to Rogers though." 

"CP24 looks significantly worse though. On VMedia, it was basically the same as Rogers, but on Zazeen the text isn't crisp/sharp which makes it harder to read."


Opinion source: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/member-reviews/68650-review-zazeen-vmedia-iptv.html

Last edited by Radiowiz (February 22, 2016 4:22 pm)

Leslieville Bill wrote:

I assume to have to buy Internet from them or has that changed?

Skinny Basic shows no sign of needing to switch, but it looks like you'll need to take their internet if you want to go "Beyond basic". 

On the ordering page they have an add on section, which only allows the add ons if you are with them for internet, or agree to do so.

Plus also, the $9.99 deal is only good for one year. (paid in advance)
After that, skinny basic goes back to $19.99 plus $8 for an equipment rental fee. (currently free for the first year when paid in advance)

 

They've been printing money for SO long Mike that they don't know what to do with all of that ink and paper.  Bastards indeed.  They should be in JAIL.  They're thieves.  Out and out greedy crooks.  May they collapse under the weight of...no...wait.

It doesn't cost them much at all to offer the bit of crap they do.  They'll still makes TONS of dough.  Criminals.

Make sure you have an unlimited internet package or you'll get killed.   I don't know if you still have to buy your internet with them or not.  That was originally the rule, but I know a bunch of the BDU's are now allowing you to tie it to your IP address and get your internet from wherever.    

Either way, I've yet to see any that look half decent.   The CP24 example up there is as good as any.  Nobody is denying that Rogers and Bell compress the Jesus out of their ingested signals to get them to your tv, but what some of the IP distributors have to do to get you the signal is bordering on criminal.  pixelated and looking like it was running off a VHS head end.  Lots of people honestly dont' care, and to them, more power.  

Reminds me of the old XM and Sirius comparisons.  XM sounded like crappy 128k mp3's and Sirius sounded like 128k mp3's that had been re-encded at 96k .  But unless you compared then with the original, they were both 'cd quality'.  (Just shitty CD's).




 

Looks like Zazeen, Bell, Rogers etc now have some new competition!
Anyone know if Beanfield is any good? 
Their $20 Skinny Basic is ongoing, and not a limited time offer.
https://www.beanfield.com/residential/

Last edited by Radiowiz (August 4, 2016 2:37 am)

Some things...

Beanfield TV only works if your building has their fibre to my knowledge.

Zazeen only offers SKINNY BASIC without their internet... due to broadcaster licence limits they can not offer more than that if you don't have their/their partners internet when I inquired a bit ago.

 

Radiowiz wrote:

Looks like Zazeen, Bell, Rogers etc now have some new competition!
Anyone know if Beanfield is any good? 
Their $20 Skinny Basic is ongoing, and not a limited time offer.
https://www.beanfield.com/residential/

There was a very interesting decision issued by the CRTC on Monday in regard to Beanfield. 

Seems the big Blue and Red Meanies of the tech world, Bell and Rogers, have been openly trying to keep this company from getting access to a complex of residences located at 65, 75, and 85 East Liberty Street downtown. As you know, they offer competition to the larger companies at what appears to be a lower price. 

After more than two years of fighting them, the David of Liberty St. took its complaints about the Goliaths of telecom to the CRTC. And in a fairly technically complicated ruling, the Commission finally sided with David. It's ordered that Beanfield be given access to the buildings in question within the next 30-120 days or else:

What does the "or else" mean? Here's the text of their edict:

• if Beanfield is not granted access ... to the East Liberty Street MDUs [multiple dwelling units] within 60  the date of this decision, Bell Canada, Coextro, and Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (RCCI) will not be permitted to provide services to any new resident of the MDUs nor to any current resident who is not an existing customer of the applicable TSP [telecommunications service providers];
• if Beanfield is not granted access...within 90 days of the date of this decision, Bell Canada, Coextro, and RCCI will not be permitted to upgrade or otherwise modify the services they are providing to any current resident;

And, my personal favourite part of the ruling:

• if Beanfield is not granted access...within 120 days of the date of the decision, the Commission will explore all regulatory options available to it, including...issuing a decision that could result in Bell Canada, Coextro, and RCCI not being permitted to provide any services to residents of the East Liberty Street MDUs.

 
So if I read this right, Bell and Rogers could find themselves cut off completely from thousands of customers because of their refusal to allow competition. There are literally thousands of apartment buildings in this city where Rogers is the only choice for cable. I hope this decision sets a precedent for those localized companies that may want to challenge that monopoly once and for all. 

CRTC Decision

Last edited by RadioActive (August 15, 2016 11:39 am)

I know you love to defend everything Rogers, and you likely know I try to destroy everything Rogers. But it might surprise you to know I don't actually blame Big Red for this outrageous monopoly. I'd take advantage of this kind of protectionist situation if it was offered to me, too. It's the fault of whatever power-that-was which allowed this to fester (no relation to Uncle Fester) in the first place. 

As for your contention about Bell Fibe (not that switching from one greed-bloated monolith to another can be considered much of an improvement or real "choice") I can cite three examples that I personally know of that illustrate why Rogers is the only option for too many.

->A former broadcasting colleague of mine (who ironically now works for a Rogers-owned outlet) lives in a GTA apartment complex. He is forced to use Rogers as his only TV provider. The building either can't or won't let anyone else in. So it's Rogers or nothing. He's not crazy about the service but he has no choice. 

->A cousin of mine lives in a condo complex in Brampton. She's been there for decades and while she's not a big TV watcher, she's been forced to pay Rogers for years and years, since her building doesn't have any other access to cable. There are hundreds of families living there and as far as I know, there are no plans to let anyone else get access to them.

->My elderly mother lives in a retirement home. If she wants to have TV in her room, they only allow her to go through Rogers. I explored whether there was any alternative for her, but the answer came back an emphatic no. In the end, she no longer watches much TV, so we opted not to pay into what is essentially a monopolistic arrangement that leaves her - and all the other residents in the building - no other choice

Those are three small examples. As noted, there are thousands of others.