Is Shaw Direct Satellite TV Going the Way of Bell?
I'm hearing rumours that Shaw Direct is no longer going to broadcast their signal into the U.S. for us Canadian snowbirds who winter in the southern US. Has anyone heard the details?
Forum Discussion
I'm not a Shaw exec either, I'm simply trying to set up a system that works for me as a Snowbirder.
Bell worked fine for me for years until they put up the new satellite that didn't cover the popular Snowbird areas. There are many theories out there about why Bell did this but I believe it's this simple, Bell was not authorized/licensed to sell its signal outside Canada so wisely decided not to spend the extra money on a sat that would cover all of North America and, instead, decided to try and enhance the signal for its more northerly legit customers. Bell, I believe, also depends to some extent on an American hardware supplier for its receivers etc. (ever wonder why your splitters/switches etc. are labelled Dish Network?) So might have had additional pressure from that end that led to its former cut-off policy if you were found to be in the US.
Now to Shaw. It seems to me that there a multiple things going on. Firstly, for now the channels that they have chosen to put on the new sat (that will not be available in the Snowbird areas) will not be a great hardship for most Snowbirds. Most of your programming will still be available as it was before. You will lose some channels that you had at home if you have Shaw at home and have updated your dish/receivers to receive the new sat.
Secondly, they have modified the old "Home Away From Home" to the point that it is almost akin to getting a new separate account (either a 50% premium if you can talk them into it, or 70% if you can't). The premise was that you would either use your account at home, or at the cottage, but not both locations at once. I believe that the reason for the policy change is, at least in part, that folks were taking advantage of the program, getting a second dish and giving it to their tenant/brother-in-law and getting a second TV site for free. Contrary to the service agreement and probably illegal. The only way they really had to police this was the "must be hooked up to the phone line" clause that is in the service agreement. Neither Bell nor Shaw ever enforced this for practical reasons. Many houses, including mine, don't have a phone connection anywhere near the TV's. They weren't willing to pay for the extra wiring, nor was I, or I suppose anyone in rental accommodation. Nowadays, more and more folks don't even have a landline. So...I think that demise of the "Home Away From Home" might have been a policy decision to try and get control of the illegal accounts.
So, assuming that you have a legit account that you are only going use in one location at a time, here are some suggestions.
Scenario One: You have an account that you only use in the south and place it dormant when you are home. Call Shaw before you leave home and have them re-activate your account without mentioning that your actual service location is elsewhere. Re-boot your receiver online when you get south without calling Shaw. Do not call Shaw from a US number to have them do this for you. If you haven't upgraded your dish/receiver for the new sat....don't since there is no apparent advantage to do so for now.
Scenario Two: You have Shaw at home but also use it on the road and/or down south. If you've upgraded your system (receivers/dish LNB) at home for the new sat, you must update your mobile equipment as well. Shaw will understand that you have two locations if you are trying to run two versions of the receiver software and will charge you accordingly. Take an upgraded receiver with you along with a new LNB appropriate for the size of dish you have down south or replace your RV LNB before you go. If you need a new LNB, I would try to get it from a dealer rather than Shaw.
That's what I got for now.
Bell worked fine for me for years until they put up the new satellite that didn't cover the popular Snowbird areas. There are many theories out there about why Bell did this but I believe it's this simple, Bell was not authorized/licensed to sell its signal outside Canada so wisely decided not to spend the extra money on a sat that would cover all of North America and, instead, decided to try and enhance the signal for its more northerly legit customers. Bell, I believe, also depends to some extent on an American hardware supplier for its receivers etc. (ever wonder why your splitters/switches etc. are labelled Dish Network?) So might have had additional pressure from that end that led to its former cut-off policy if you were found to be in the US.
Now to Shaw. It seems to me that there a multiple things going on. Firstly, for now the channels that they have chosen to put on the new sat (that will not be available in the Snowbird areas) will not be a great hardship for most Snowbirds. Most of your programming will still be available as it was before. You will lose some channels that you had at home if you have Shaw at home and have updated your dish/receivers to receive the new sat.
Secondly, they have modified the old "Home Away From Home" to the point that it is almost akin to getting a new separate account (either a 50% premium if you can talk them into it, or 70% if you can't). The premise was that you would either use your account at home, or at the cottage, but not both locations at once. I believe that the reason for the policy change is, at least in part, that folks were taking advantage of the program, getting a second dish and giving it to their tenant/brother-in-law and getting a second TV site for free. Contrary to the service agreement and probably illegal. The only way they really had to police this was the "must be hooked up to the phone line" clause that is in the service agreement. Neither Bell nor Shaw ever enforced this for practical reasons. Many houses, including mine, don't have a phone connection anywhere near the TV's. They weren't willing to pay for the extra wiring, nor was I, or I suppose anyone in rental accommodation. Nowadays, more and more folks don't even have a landline. So...I think that demise of the "Home Away From Home" might have been a policy decision to try and get control of the illegal accounts.
So, assuming that you have a legit account that you are only going use in one location at a time, here are some suggestions.
Scenario One: You have an account that you only use in the south and place it dormant when you are home. Call Shaw before you leave home and have them re-activate your account without mentioning that your actual service location is elsewhere. Re-boot your receiver online when you get south without calling Shaw. Do not call Shaw from a US number to have them do this for you. If you haven't upgraded your dish/receiver for the new sat....don't since there is no apparent advantage to do so for now.
Scenario Two: You have Shaw at home but also use it on the road and/or down south. If you've upgraded your system (receivers/dish LNB) at home for the new sat, you must update your mobile equipment as well. Shaw will understand that you have two locations if you are trying to run two versions of the receiver software and will charge you accordingly. Take an upgraded receiver with you along with a new LNB appropriate for the size of dish you have down south or replace your RV LNB before you go. If you need a new LNB, I would try to get it from a dealer rather than Shaw.
That's what I got for now.
