To All Canadian Shaw Direct Subscribers.

[Hamops]

This pertains to Canadian Shaw Direct Customers who use Shaw Direct Customers. I called Shaw Direct to purchase a 75CM dish and in the course of the conversation, I learned that Shaw Direct, as of May 30, 2013, will no longer assist any Shaw Direct customers who are temporarily located outside of Canada. I asked if that meant that I'll be shutdown like Bell ExpresVu did to me, if Shaw Direct becomes aware of me viewing Shaw Direct service in the US and the answer was NO, but they would no longer help with setup etc. While the fellow, who I was doing business with, wasn't sure, he thought that is was a CRTC directive. After I finished up my business with Shaw Direct, I contacted the CRTC and I was told that they did not issue any directive to Shaw Direct in this regard and that it was probably a simple business decision because they have a new satellite that does not shine very far south of the Canadian Border. It seems to me to be a business decision with no regard for the customer. I also emailed Industry Canada and asked for any specific regulation that applies to this situation.
I left an email with SHAW DIRECT asking them to explain their decision and to provide any Directives and/or Regulations that support it. I would suggest that all Canadian RV'rs who use SHAW DIRECT Satellite service get on their case immediately. The more the merrier.

[SCVJeff]

EXACTLY!

They are a delivery service and ultimately under the direction of the program suppliers and sponsors who in turn are under the direction of other delivery service (cable, DirecTV, etc) who are also competiting for eyeballs.

RV'ers are hardly a blip on the radar, but there is significant cross border bootlegging from both sides in winter and summer residences

[RedRocket204]

Hamops wrote:
We all, on both sides of the border, would find that a bit restrictive and makes no sense to RV'rs.

It may not be Shaw. Broadcasters, content providers, are very stingy about what they allow and all MSOs, Shaw included, are subject to strict legal agreements when they purchase licensing to carry the content.

I am strictly guessing here as I do not have direct knowledge of this situation but don't necessarily be so hard on Shaw as it may not be coming from them. It may be contractual why they can't help you south of the border.

And, BTW, I have done some work at Shaw's engineering lab in the past along with many other MSOs so my information is not entirely without merit.

[joebedford]

robatthelake wrote:
Stop worrying about nothing!
We have both Old and New series receivers and Both Types of LNB's . We are confident that We will receive all the same channels next Winter that We have been receiving for the past ten Years or so while down south.

Up until a couple of weeks ago I would have been 100% with you. Now, I'm not so sure.

On a forum dedicated to sat. and other digital stuff (not RV) there is a theory that now that Shaw Direct has stated that you are NOT PERMITTED to receive south of the border, they may cut you off if they find out.

How will they find out? Well, if you call them and tell them is one way. Another way is that if you upgrade your LNB to receive the new G1 signal. Getting signal from the old birds but not the new one pretty much means you're not in Canada.

I guess we'll find out this winter how aggressive they're going to be.

Oh yeah - what difference does it make why they're doing it? We're not going to change what they're doing.

[Hamops]

SCVJeff wrote:

Hamops wrote:
---snip---

Dish actually made a deal with Bell ExpresVu in Canada to lock out any Canadian Bell subscriber who is watching Bell service in the US. I've yet to learn of any US Dish customer having been cut off because that customer was watching his Dish Service on the Canadian side of the border.

---snip---

How would Shaw even know. Are they GPS enabled?

Apparently the receivers for the new satellite will be but not those of the original 2 satellites. The CRTC did say that satellite reception was to take place at the subscribers billing address and no where else but he couldn't give me a specific directive regarding that. We all, on both sides of the border, would find that a bit restrictive and makes no sense to RV'rs.

[SCVJeff]

Hamops wrote:
---snip---

Dish actually made a deal with Bell ExpresVu in Canada to lock out any Canadian Bell subscriber who is watching Bell service in the US. I've yet to learn of any US Dish customer having been cut off because that customer was watching his Dish Service on the Canadian side of the border.

---snip---

How would Shaw even know. Are they GPS enabled?

[Gadget_Guy1]

robatthelake wrote:
Stop worrying about nothing!
We have both Old and New series receivers and Both Types of LNB's . We are confident that We will receive all the same channels next Winter that We have been receiving for the past ten Years or so while down south.

Well said and times 2 for me.

[robatthelake]

Stop worrying about nothing!
We have both Old and New series receivers and Both Types of LNB's . We are confident that We will receive all the same channels next Winter that We have been receiving for the past ten Years or so while down south.

[Gadget_Guy1]

Shaw has NEVER sent replacement receivers, remotes or any other kind of equipment to the US or Mexico if a replacement was needed for a unit that stopped working. You always had to have them send it to a Canadian address and then have that person send it on to you. As far as setting up a dish, I would think that any snowbird would learn to do this before you head south but even if you don't I am sure that any Canadian down south would be more than willing to help and a lot of us have more experience in this than most techs have that you would speak to anyway. I can understand why the company is reluctant to carry on exactly as before because people will have the high def in their home and regardless of what they are told they will expect reception from the new satellite any where they go. A lot of people will just not listen regardless of how many times they are told something. You just can not fix or teach stupid and stubborn people. I really don't expect anything different than before from Shaw with what they have told me in writing. I guess time will tell and I will deal with it then. I am watching the flood news on Global TV in the US as I am writing this. It is not high def but I did not have it before, so no big deal for me.

[Hamops]

SCVJeff wrote:
They’re a private company and can do what they want and don’t need to justify it. They probably decided that this is out of their service area, so why waste time dealing with people not within the country buying the goods and products of the vendors in Canada that support Shaw in the 1st places. ie- There is nothing at all in it for them, and it’s a time waster for staff.

This is the same reason that in the US, you cannot see out of market feeds unless you have a waiver to do so. The advertisers want the eyeballs in the local market, not some other out of market carrier that steals the eyeballs. It’s also entirely possible that the US networks are involved in the Shaw decision for the same reasons, and is likely partially responsible for the realignment of the footprint.

In all likelihood, Dish and Direct TV went to the FCC and cried the blues but I doubt it. Dish actually made a deal with Bell ExpresVu in Canada to lock out any Canadian Bell subscriber who is watching Bell service in the US. I've yet to learn of any US Dish customer having been cut off because that customer was watching his Dish Service on the Canadian side of the border.

As I previously mentioned Shaw has 3 satellites in service and the 3rd is the new one with higher shine or footprint. The other 2 shine as far south as Mexico City and those footprints aren't going to change.

[Hamops]

fpresto wrote:
I am confused, if their new satellite's signal footprint doesn't extend south of the border what assistance do you expect them to give you? If your receiver can't see a signal there nothing customer service could do. It would seem to me that their only option would be to launch a new satellite with coverage into the US but that is not where their customer base is located.

Shaw Direct has 3 satellites with the third one being the new one. There is no intention by Shaw of taking the original 2 satellites out of service. These two satellites shine as far south as Mexico City and these are the ones that Canadian customers use when traveling in the US. Shaw had in the past, helped Canadian customers with the setup of the dish while in the US and even Mexico. All Shaw Direct customers are from Canada with Canadian addresses. Just like Dish or Direct TV is not allowed to have out of country subscribers, the same goes for Shaw Direct.

[SCVJeff]

They’re a private company and can do what they want and don’t need to justify it. They probably decided that this is out of their service area, so why waste time dealing with people not within the country buying the goods and products of the vendors in Canada that support Shaw in the 1st places. ie- There is nothing at all in it for them, and it’s a time waster for staff.

This is the same reason that in the US, you cannot see out of market feeds unless you have a waiver to do so. The advertisers want the eyeballs in the local market, not some other out of market carrier that steals the eyeballs. It’s also entirely possible that the US networks are involved in the Shaw decision for the same reasons, and is likely partially responsible for the realignment of the footprint.

[fpresto]

I am confused, if their new satellite's signal footprint doesn't extend south of the border what assistance do you expect them to give you? If your receiver can't see a signal there nothing customer service could do. It would seem to me that their only option would be to launch a new satellite with coverage into the US but that is not where their customer base is located.