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COGECO Cable: Still Mostly Bad News
The Cogeco cable service is one of the larger broadcast providers in Canada -- and it happens to be the one I am saddled with.
While other television service providers are offering both the TSN-alternate feed channel and SPEED in high definition, we Cogeco cable subscribers are getting neither of these services.
Oh, yes, we have received the TSN-AF channel sporatically during the "playoffs" but not on a reliable, regular basis.
Today, I did get a call from Karen Badgio who was from the 'office of the president" of Cogeco.
She told me that TSN was in talks with TSN about providing TAN-AF on a regular basis but that she could not make any predictions on what form that service would take (e.g. Would it be part of the basis channel package or part of an added cost premium package?) or when the channel might become available, if ever. This uncertainty has to make this bad news for Cogeco subscribers.
A week ago, I had been told be a local customer service rep that TSN-AF would likely be made available as part of the Super Sports Pack (which costs an extra $30 a month.). That would be bad news indeed but Badgio indicated that this seemed to be unlikely.
On the question of when Cogeco would provide the SPEED channel in high definition, she Badgio said that no Canadian television provider was offering this SPEED-HD service. When I told her that Star Choice had been offereing SPEED-HD since February 7 (see below. I forgot that Shaw cable is also offering SPEED-HD as well), she said she would go check into this some more and get back to me. But for now the failure of Cogeco to provide this SPEED-HD service has to be bad news.
While this may sound like a self-serving grumble about the specific television service provider in my locality, it is just one example of the many cable service companies across Canada that provide neither TSN-Af or SPEED-HD. To the best of knowledge, only Star Choice satellite and Shaw cable (both have the same ownership) provide both of these services.
If your television service provider does not provide these value-added services, you should be continuing to lobby them vigourously and encouraging your rafe fan friends to do the same.
And, don't lose sight of the reality that your local cable service does have a competitor that offers both TSN-AF and SPEED-HD, that is, Star Choice satellite.
George Webster (Apr 29/08)
SPEED HD now available on Canada's Star
Choice satellite and Shaw cable services
Last week, just in time for the Daytona 500 weekend, two major television
providers in Canada -- Shaw cable and Star Choice satellite, added SPEED HD
(high defintion) to their channel lineup. Shaw cable is making the SPEED HD
channel (222) available as a free try-out until June 1st.
The Star Choice satellite service already offers the TSN
alternate feed (TSN-AF) channel (on channel 401) as part of its package.
Although the Shaw cable service and the Star Choice satellite service are both
owned by Shaw Communications, TSN-AF is not currently available on Shaw cable
(Shaw cable expects to restore the TSN-AF service in April).
As for the other television service providers in Canada,
the other satellite service, Bell ExpressVu, offers TSN-AF but not SPEED HD and
Rogers cable is the only major cable service which offers TSN-AF. So far no
other television provider beyond Shaw and Star Choice are offering SPEED HD.
Presumably television providers are trying to offer
channels that their customers want. Make sure your television provider hears
from YOU that you want both TSN-AF and SPEED HD (or that you will consider
switching to the available service which offers both of these channels – i.e.
Star Choice).
Even if you don't have a HD-capable television
today, with the tremendous way HD widescreen pictures enhance the experience of
watching racing and the rapidly dropping prices for HD television sets, you will
likely upgrade to HD soon – so it's worth your while to work at making sure that
all the HD racing is available from your television provider.
George Webster (Feb 20/08)
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