HD Content Canada

[Not Bman]

I watch many sci-fi type of shows, Stargate Atlantis, Lost, Battlestar Galatica and many other HBO type of shows as well. The issue is that most of the time I download my shows, because other people are watching it or I don't get the channels playing it on HD. And even the HBOHD channel here seems to have many non real HD shows playing, so its not even worth it.

The problem.

The most I want to really download for one episode is about 1.2GB, which is a slighty compressed 720P video, not that great. I would download more but most shows and most of the time the 720p is the only one available. I have the Rogers Cable HD package, with basically all the HD channels and lots of the normal ones. Many of my shows are only on non HD channels here in Canada. Also I think many of the shows I want to show in HD are only available on US stations, like SCi-FI HD and others like that.

I was wondering how and what I can do to get most of my shows in full 1080i/p HD, legit or not, either live or afterwards. Suggestions?

Thanks.

 

[Xie]

So you want shows in 1080i/p? You'd have to join an HD tracker or use Usenet and hope your ISP doesn't mind the crazy bandwidth your going to use.

Or I guess change TV providers, but I've no idea what's offered in Canada.

 

[Not Bman]

I do use a usenet, but of the shows I watch, 99% are 1.2GB 720p videos, and even the ones that are at higher size and 1080i, they aren't true 1080i, so you can see the compression and such. I know you were going to say change providers but it's not really an option. I guess I really want to be able to do the following question.

Is there away to get US Channels in Canada?

 

[epk]

mm.. wait till blu ray gets more tv show support

 

[Not Bman]

Well that would be good, but that is not LIVE, nor even a day later.

Currently I download most of my shows, from a usenet, the next day at 720p, or at least the almost 720p quality you can get of the internet. And my father just got the HD package from Rogers, so I have been watching some other things like Discovery and such, and seeing the big difference in the 1080i video, with no compression or anything, making me want higher quality in the shows I watch. And when I look around, many of those shows are US only, or some issue like that. I even downloaded a show I don't watch that was a much larger file size and said it was 1080i, and when I watched that compared to the LIVE HD TV my father got, big difference in compression, making me want a legit source.

So I am asking if there are other Canadian options to get these HD shows, online services or anything. And if there is away to get US Channels in Canada. I was earlier on asking around if there was a service like Hulu in Canada, but there isnt.

I dunno, I was hoping there were more options. Then again, maybe asking you guys isnt the best idea, since most of you are UK or US peeps lol

 

[Racer_600]

I think the only way to get US tv to an address in Canada is satellite, DirectTV or something like that, not sure what there is there as I am in Canada.
I have to get Atlantis via a different means then live on tv as its on Sci-fi HD. I don't think Canada gets if for a while after unless the one on TMN was current but I don't want to pay extra for a movie channel.
Sometimes you just have to settle for the best option you can get, US satellite or usenet, and enjoy it.
1080p you wont get as no cable uses that. Then there is the argument 0f 1080i vs 720p, but we'll skip that as the downloaded version is also compressed.
Matt

 

[Not Bman]

So if I were to get a DirectTV plan or BellExpressV plan, I would get US Channels as well? I bet you it's quite expensive for there HD packages.

And I guess I might be stuck with usenet, which isn't all that great for quality. And yea, I knew no Cable uses 1080p, only 1080i.

 

[Racer_600]

When I say satellite, I mean from a US company. Not starchoice or Bell ExpressVu or any canadian company but an american provider.