New Bell HD Packages (formerly titled: Bell HD Price Increase)

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Shaw Direct and Shaw Digital Cable both require that you have TSN/TSN2 to get the HD versions of those channels, but it provides TSN/TSN2 in the Digital Basic tier in almost all areas.

I just wish that Bell would get with the program and launch a "fatter" Digital Basic package that does include TSN/TSN2 and some other channels normally offered in Basic packages.
 
I think it was a little premature to start creating the bundles, at least so many of them. There simply aren't enough HD specialty channels to warrant it in my opinion.

I'm thinking of dropping the HD package and simply keeping the free HD channels. I don't really want any of the specialty channels anyhow, and if Bell is going to offer the networks for free i think i'm going to take advantage of it.
 
Bravo. At last we have someone standing up for BEV. I've come to the conclusion that this forum is frequented primarily by Bell haters. There is an old adage about the grass being greener etc. etc. That seems to be the case around here.

Having said that I do have one question. How can you say that HD themes are unrestricted when TSN SD is a requirement to receive TSN HD in one pack and RSN SD is a requirement to require RSN HD in the other pack? Am I missing something?
 
Take Sports 1 SD and get both RSN HD and TSN HD when subsribing to the $10 HD Pick 4. So yes, what can happen now is $32 Digital Standard + Sports 1 SD + Free HD + 4 HD themes (not inc. World) = $50 for an fairly HD heavy programming offerring.

Rogers VIP $61.97 + HD Free + HD Extra ($8.97) = $71 to get HD pack. Basically, when I was a customer they gave me 1 very poor option that would save me a $2 with so many less channels.
 
I added the term because they are called the High Fidelity channels:

http://www.hifihdtv.ca/
 
TSN SD and TSN HD are obviously linked by contract as is Raps and RSN HD. Other BDU's have linkages too but disguise them in tiers - must take large pack to qualify for the $8.95 extended pack at Rogers. The linkages are all embedded in the large tiered pack, i.e. Raps, TSN, RSN, Showcase, and Nat Geo in SD are all in their VIP pack at $61.97 thus allwoing for HD pack of $8.95. I understand that they have more linkages than the current BEV HD structure but just not apparent to the average consumer. Sports 1 SD for the most part covers off the linkages for all the HD packs which is not that bad given the landscape of competition. Besides, one more $5 SD theme, gives you 1 more HD theme + HD US nets, plus a drop in price of $5 on HD theme packs. I do agree that a future friendly landscape of HD and SD is required...any idea's how?
 
You still have to get sd sports theme plus the hd theme (For tsn, raptors and score only)
For Raptors HD you have to get sd sports 2
So to get TSN and Raptors HD in HD theme 1 you have to get sd sports themes 1 and 2 first
 
I may be wrong but aren't all channels in Digital Basics on Bell actually locals or OTA services? TSN is a cable/sat. service only as we find out every year at Grey Cup time. Based on Bell's definition TSN could never be part of Digital Basics as we know it.
 
Dont forget that you are getting somethin to the tune of 15 free HD channels on top of the 13-14 HD with the $10 pack. Total $10 - total HD 30....
 
BEV has put me into the old "HD value pack" for $10 to get the channels that would now cost me $15 since I don't have sports. I did not call to order this. I had the second satellite added last fall for "free" to get a new local channel, and the installer left this card "Nimiq 2 upgrade offer" to get $90 credit if I order HD for 6 months. I came across it last week after I got my new HD receiver, so I decided to send it in. I logged into Bell the other day to order 2 HD packs for $10, I figured who cares if I basically get them for free. When I tried to order them, the system showed I already had those channels! I guess that offer was still good.
 
If you're going to create theme packs then they should at least have enough channels to fill a theme like a normal programming pack. 2 channels is kind of rediculas. (Correct me if i'm wrong on the number per pack).

I just upgraded last month to HD. Honestly i'm not overly impressed with it. Aside from watching sports events i've rarely tuned into anything else that seems to be on HD. Most of it is due to the fact that i have a 6142 receiver and not a PVR version and i record everything on the SD Tv. But even then i'm not motivated to try and find it on the HD version because most of it seems to be in SD anyways.

Basically paying $10 more for the same programming that i'm already getting in SD is quite enough. I'd be happier if they up'd the rate on the standard theme packs and included the HD channel version within them instead of being seperate. Unfortunatly it would likly make a lot of ppl angry because they're paying more for SD when they don't have HD but it might give them the motivation to upgrade to an HD reciever.

I'm already over $100 a month for BEV and i'm not really any happier with it then when i was at $83 a month. I might just drop it all when we get the usual mandatory $3 or so increase to bring us inline with what new customers are paying. It seems to happen about every 6 months or so.
 
This also follows EV's practice of clawing back free channels from legacy packages. I had Sportsnet HD and Raptors HD free with the legacy HD package (no SD sports bundles required.) The current HD package doesn't include them unless you sub to the SD sports packages. Now they are clawing back WGN HD (also in the SD sports bundle.) Most other BDUs include WGN with the US Superstations package.
 
Hi,

I recently subscribed to bell's HD basics package. At the time, I also requested a 4 HD pack package ($10/month) in order to get the TSN-HD/TSN2HD/SportsnetHD. I was informed that I would be forced to subscribe to those channels in SD (for extra $8/month) before the HD packs could be added to my account - apparently there is no other way to receive those channels in HD - that doesn't make much sense to me, can somebody confirm whether or not there's such requirement or some way around it? I mean why would I want to subscribe to TSN in SD? I obviously only wish to watch it in HD. Is that one of Bell's dirty tricks?
 
wich is or was for me at least 10$ extra to get HD equivlients to your standard and themed stardard choises..... (i use equivilent loosly)
 
Ok, but does Shaw charge you again to get the HD feeds of TSN / TSN2 like Bell does?

I found out today that Videotron charges 3$ for TSN, TSN2 and Sportsnet HD feeds (3$ for all three), but I am not sure if the SD feeds are a requirement also.

I guess I would not mind paying for the SD feed if they gave me the HD feed free (just like they do for all the other channels). It's this paying twice for the same channel that kills me, especially since I will never watch in SD in the first place.

I contacted Bell Chat today and they confirmed that I needed Sports 1 in SD to get TSN in HD, no way around it.
 
I am soooo against the concept of "theme packs". In the past, for new digital channels, it has been a CRTC mandated thing (I also hate the CRTC), however, from the looks of these packs, this is a Bell thing.

I am sick and tired of being forced to buy 4 theme packs because the only 4 channels I watch are conveniently split into 4 different packs. Splitting Score and TSN into two different packs is clearly meant to make any sports minded person purchase two different packs.
 
That's why I just left Bell. Service should cease on thursday. I now have Videotron digital cable and I can pick any 15, 20, or 30 channels that I want, for 15$,20$ or 30$. You can add extra channels for minimal prices. And you get the HD version if you picked it in the SD version for most channels. TSN HD and Sportsnet HD are 2.99 for both. I am no longer stuck having to chose theme packs.
Bell has been very sneaky in the last few years with their price increases.

cheers!
 
do you think they might even charge a separate time shifting fee for the hd channels?
 
Myself, I don't trust Bell and I could see them taking this off of my programming. I'm on the old $10 HD package which should give me all the SD programming I subscribe to in HD. I subscribe to National Geo SD and it was on free preview for a while and than it went off of free preview and I still had it, later it went on free preview again and when it went off free preview this time I lost it and no arguing would get it back. It could be just another ploy to get us on the HD theme pack.
 
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