The CBC.ca reports on the digital TV transition in the U.S. and how Canada is still years away from following suit.
U.S. Digital TV Transition Day While Canada Still Years Away
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Not much of a surprise
When you consider C-61 only had provisions for recording with a VCR.
Except…
…if you live in a border city. Windsor, for example, only gets broadcast TV from the US since the CBC bailed. Alternatively, I guess you can pay the exorbitant fees for cable.
OTA shunned?
Go into any big box store in Canada, do they have any outdoor antennas, or do the salespeople even mention what that ATSC tuner is for? Why is it impossible to buy a digital set-top box or DVD recorder w/ATSC tuner in any major Canadian retailer? Think I’m blowing smoke, check out toshiba’s website, both the US site, then the Canadian site, and look up their line of DVD recorders.
Re: OTA shunned?
Digital tuners are starting to show up in Canada. However, given that a majority of Canadians get their TV through cable or satellite, having a digital tuner is not normally necessary (I get my TV off the air and thus could make use of one).
Getting an antenna. That is difficult, depending on where you live. If you want one, don’t go to a big-box electronics store. In the towns nearest to where I live, I can get antennae (an independent store and an affliate to “The Source by Circuit City”)… and that is near Ottawa. It is easier to get a digital tuner; I recently say them in one of the Big Box stores in Kanata.
DVD recorder? A friend of mine was looking for one; difficult to find, period. It was explained to her that because the bulk of the customers are looking for one that can be connected to a satellite system or to cable, you pretty much need to go to the satellite or cable provider to get one that works with them; thus it really doesn’t make much economic sense for them to carry a “generic” one, certainly it would be that way for the big box stores.
Montreal? Doing well? Hah!
“B.C. is doing pretty well. Montreal’s doing pretty well. The worst spot seems to be the East Coast. Those poor guys only pick up one or two stations,” says Sunderani.”
I live in Montreal, and until a few weeks ago, only watched OTA television.
I got zero digital signals. As far as I’m aware, there is only ONE English digital station in Montreal, CBC. I believe there is one or two French stations.
Programmer IT
I use an antenna now and its great cancelled cable read an article in the toronto star that led me to http://www.saveandreplay.com now i get local tv same as basic cable mostly in HD for free with OTA