HawthorneVillager.com

First of all, please forgive my ignorance with this issue. With only ever having analogue cable my entire life - I have some questions.....

With our new HDTV including ATSC tuner, we now get CP24 (channel 85.42) along with about 100 other channels using only our analogue cable.

- If we upgrade to digital cable with Cogeco, will we still be able to get all the channels I currently get (especially CP24)?

- Is the reception much better with digital cable vs analogue cable?

- And what about HD and PVR's? What is your experience with these?

- I think I remember reading that with the PVR or I guess it's called DVR - you can't record a digital channel while watching a digital channel? I'm not sure I understand why

Our old tv was hooked up to an audio receiver, speakers, vcr and dvd player - but we would like to rid ourselves of at least the vcr and dvd.

Thanks in advance for your assistance - and my apologies again for being absolutely clueless on this issue !!!!!!

Deborah

I don't think there's CP24 since I have Cogeco Digital, but what I like about the digital is that you can order movies on demand, more channels, you always have a TV Guide literally at the touch of a button (no more of those old-school subscriptions), and I also like having channels where there's no picture, just music (every kind of music from hip-hop, dinner jazz to 1970s and 1980s hits). Hacing the continuous music is nice when I'm cooking or cleaning. I'm paying just over $55/month for it.

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What is the difference between ignorance and apathy? I don't know and I don't care.

I have the analogue Cogeco too, and get those channels too. I was SO happy to find CP24, but I have it at 84-42. Weird.

As for Digital quality, you can get digital quality on those HD channels, but other than that, it's just not HD. You have to decide if HD is worth the money. We had Rogers Digital Cable for a long time in Mississauga when we lived there, and sure, I miss some channels for sure, it's not enough to make us pay the outrageous amount for the "box".

As for DVR, PVR, ect...

I have my one TV with the PVR built in to it. One word...AWESOME! We have a DVD-R as well hooked up to the TV in the bedroom. If you have a DVD-R already, I would just continue to use it since you have it already instead of getting a PVR or TiVo-ish thing. Same thing, only you can maybe record 2 things at once. I have yet to use my DVD-R to record something that is at the same time as something recording on my other TV.

Oh, and we can record digital channels on our PVR and our DVD-R. Both have time slip too, and with the PVR we can watch another channel, and channel surf while recording, and with the DVD-R we record on "VIDEO", and then just push the "TV/VIDEO" button, and we can surf on "TV".

Whether you can get CP24 on Cogeco DC, I would think so.

No CP24 on digital Cogeco...

HMMMM - So not really much difference in analoge vs digital, you say.

So I guess my question now is - Is it really worth the extra $35 per month or so when the only difference we would really see would be the dozen or so HD channels?

And what about recording? The Cogeco website advises set up either to "watch any channel while recording an analog channel" OR "record a digital channel while watching an analog channel". So what if I want to record a digital channel but watch another digital channel? Does that mean I can't? And, how am I supposed to know when I'm watching or taping digital channels vs analogue? I remember the days when all you had to do was plug in the cable and it worked! It all seems so complicated now

Well I believe starting next year everyone has to go digital anyways...

The standard HD/PVR box from Cogeco will allow you to watch/record any two channels at the same time, including HD broadcasts. As an added bonus for the true TV fanatics, you can even watch a third pre-recorded show while you're recording two new shows.

Um...Cogeco charge extra for the HD channels...just thought I'd point that out. So you'd be paying for the digital channels + the HD channels.

We have Cogeco's top package (pretty much every channel) + internet, and it works out to about $180 a month, which is ridiculous, especially since we've had audio drop outs and loss of picture on every tv since day 1...but there you go.

In some cases that can be related to improper splitters or cabling. If Cogeco installed it, they should fix it.

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Yikes!

I have digital cable+internet, but only the first TIER of HD (so no discovery or whatever). I think I have the thempack that includes all -- but my bill is $125 or so. I guess you have TMN, the additional HD pack and.. upgraded internet maybe? Thats some big bucks, for that much you should have the phone thrown in!

Hd only looks HD if your TV is also HD. Also I think Rogers is slowly buying out Cogeco