Delta Cable (Eastlink / Persona Company in BC) Discussion

[LDW]

Has anyone out there had any experience with Delta's digital cable service ? I am trying to decide between that and Star Choice.

[stampeder]

I gave up on Delta Cable Digital due to their murky HD plans. Keep in mind that I think they are a terrific company, and I continued my DCCNET Internet connection as well since its ATM-technology modems give one of the fastest Internet connections in North America. I want my HD, so I went with BEV. I think if you check around this site you'll see that their HD plans and services are rated much better than *C so be careful about which one you choose.

cheers,
stampeder

[Chairman Aeon]

ARISE FROM THE GRAVE!!!

In late August I got my KDL40XBR2 and plugged in my Delta Cable coax. After about half an hour I had some interesting digital cable. The most interesting thing for me is getting HD channels and digital music. The reason though I said interesting is that Delta Cable uses Motorola STB for their digital cable and the tuner in my XBR2 is doing the best that it can. While according to Delta Cable's official channel line up all the HD channels live from channels 170 to 179, in reality they are subchannel starting at 60 and going up to 70. They aren't even in the same order. And while I get information on the TV shows (Program name and rating) , it doesn't know what the channel is. As I said, I get the digital music channels, but I don't know which is which and again they don't even seem to be in the same order as the channel listing.

OK, less about my TV and more about Delta Cable HDTV. Delta I guess gets it's feed from Shaw?!? We get PBS East and ABC East. NBC, CBS and Fox are all West. Movie Central, Sportsnet, TSN, CBC and CTV round out the HD channels. Sometimes I think Delta Cable only exists to make Shaw look good. So while you all are clamouring over A&E HD or such, I'm still wondering when or if I'll ever get Discovery HD, The Score HD, Global HD, or City HD.

Iain.

[57]

It looks as though Delta is not encrypting its digital channels, like other Canadian Cable companies do and your QAM tuner is picking up the unencrypted channels. The digital music stations are often unencrypted.

See the Digital Home FAQ (under help). "Can I get digital cable?"

Where the channels appear on QAM bears no resemblance to ATSC frequencies or channel numbers.

[Chairman Aeon]

Discovery HD just appeared on 62.12 on Delta Cable. Maybe in a few years we'll get Global or A&E in HD.

Iain.

[NewsyL]

Saw that last night and I was VERY surprised as the QAM tuner in my Panasonic TH42PX60U picked it up automatically and configured itself to show the channel. I had 62.12 set so it would not display when I was channel surfing and all of a sudden it was there.

What I like even more is that it is coming in as 720p when all the other Delta HD channels are 1080i.

As to the digital music, I disabled them all as there are no graphics showing the artist, title, etc.

Delta HDTV channels to date:

60.1 PBS Detroit
60.2 CBS

61.1 NBC
61.2 FOX
61.3 ABC East

62.1 CBC
62.2 TSN
62.12 Discover

69.2 SportsNet
69.3 CTV

No cable box here but I sure am enjoying most of these. I find the PQ on PBS to be poor at times.

.

[stampeder]

I have to wonder if Persona has taken over operations at DCC yet (pending CRTC approval). If not, I wonder if this Clear QAM service will continue afterwards:

http://www.delta-optimist.com/issues...081206nn1.html

[critter]

Hi all!

I called Delta Cable customer service today and asked specifically if any of their digital channels were unencrypted. The lady I was talking to said maybe one or two of them were, but the rest required the use of a STB. She didn't sound too sure of herself, and given that I had to explain to her what I meant by "unencrypted", I took her response with a grain of salt.

Then, I found this thead.

NewsyL reported back in October that Delta Cable is broadcasting 10 HD channels unencrypted. Is this still the case? The reason I ask is that I'm agonizing over whether or not to buy one of those OnAir USB HDTV GT gadgets. I'm very curious to experience HD, but want to be sure it's available unencrypted before I splash out the requisite cash.

[NewsyL]

LOL.... Xmas tech support.

All 10 HD channels are still unencrypted for me in North Delta. I also have a buddy here who, since my last post, has bought a plasma and he gets 10 unencrypted.

Just ensure that your HDTV set has a built-in QAM tuner.

Let me warn you though.... once you have savoured HDTV you will not want to watch standard analog. Kinda spoils the enjoyment for the few channels that I do enjoy for their content such as History and the Space channels. Battlestar Galactica is just so icky in SDTV, with washed out colours, that I think I prefer to download it via Bit Torrent, burn it to a DVD, and then watch it.

Enjoy!

PS.... I've seen Delta Cable trucks all around the neighborhood just before Xmas. Looks like they were upgrading filters or electronics in the enclosures at the pole and in the pedestals on the ground. I sure hope it was not part of a future encryption scheme.

[stampeder]

Yep, I was chatting with the contractors that did my neighbourhood and its a complete overhaul of their equipment up on the poles.

Delta Cable is still waiting for CRTC approval for Persona Cable (of Newfoundland) to take them over. The family ownership made a deal with Persona rather than fold under the Shaw onslaught. If Persona takes over, I think at that point the clear QAM signals might disappear, but who knows for sure...

[critter]

Well, my OnAir HDTV GT was delivered yesterday and here's the channels I'm receiving:

62.1 CBC HD
62.2 TSN HD
62.12 Discovery HD

64.1 World Fishing Network
64.2 Cool TV
64.3 Wild TV
64.12 National Geographic HD

69.2 SportsNet HD
69.3 CTV HD

I'm also getting 35 music channels on 59.* and 76.* that I've yet to identify. Unfortunately, I'm not picking up any of the American channels on 60 or 61; I was really hoping I'd get those...

[NewsyL]

All of a sudden

61.1 NBC HD

is not working on my set. Any of you other Deltians seeing the same?

.

[critter]

As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm not getting any signal whatsoever on channels 60 or 61. (I'm in Tsawwassen.)

Perhaps Delta Cable is shuffling those channels around and/or encrypting them?

[stampeder]

The Commission approves the applications by Persona Communications Corp. (Persona), on its behalf or on behalf of a partnership comprised of Persona and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Persona, to acquire the assets of the cable distribution undertakings serving Delta, and Sechelt and Gibsons, British Columbia.

http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/De.../db2007-28.htm

This is the end of an era in Delta and on the Sunshine Coast. The original owner of DCC had retired a couple of years ago, but in his time at the helm DCC was one of the CATV technology leaders in all of Canada for new features and service.

Here's hoping Persona can keep up the good work.

[bbear]

I was interested to read that 'Newsyl' and 'Critter' have been successful in receiving unencrypted HD channels from Delta Cable using QAM.

I have been building a MythTV box for a number of weeks. I am fed up with my unreliable Motorola DCT6412 and the crazy 120GB limitation which it has. (oh, and the fact it doesn't save to DVD, stream internet radio, play my MP3's etc, etc)

I went out an bought two Airstar capture cards, these work with 8-VSB, QAM64,128,256. With this I am able to view HD no problem, but I cannot seem to get the SD channels other than those which Critter reported (World Fishing Network, cool TV & Wild TV).

I am wondering if Delta Cable are only transmitting the majority of the SD channels as NTSC analogue, if so then my Airstar cards are not going to be of any use.

For those three channels mentions above, perhaps Delta Cable are converting them to digital and then sending them out.

Does anyone know if Delta Cable are transmitting the SD channels as digital?

I would try phoning them but as many others have experienced you usually get someone who doesn't seem to know the answers or are avoiding giving you the answer.

thanks