logo3.jpg (5448 bytes) masthead.jpg (28449 bytes) top3.jpg (4983 bytes)

 

Register  |  Forum Home  | Make a Topic Suggestion  |

THE TIME IS NOW 07:41 PM
You are not logged in. Log in OR Register
OTA in Vancouver > DTV Vancouver > Replies - Add Reply     Sort by newest posting on top
cdtv_admin@cdtv.ca 02/28/2004
10:47 AM
Recently the CRTC granted a DTV license to CTV for CIVT-DT, Vancouver on ch. 33. Iti is anticipated to be on the air in Q4 of this year. It will be receivable with simple antennas througout the Vancouver area.With a suitable antenna, you may be able to receive the Bellingham stations on ch. 19 and 35 currently on-air. HD signals are also available on cable and satellite.

hackinsat@hotmail.com
05/30/2004
8:35 PM
CIVT goes Live on June 2, 2021 according to the slide that is already running on Bell Expressvu.

cdtv_admin@cdtv.ca
02/14/2005
10:52 AM
rogue_spear69@hotmail.com wrote on 2021/02/11

Over the Air in Vancouver BC i was wondering when over the air high definition is coming to Vancouver BC. and what do you need to receive over the air hd . Do you need the antenna? or do you just need (for our setup) the HDTV and the hd set-top box which I have is the Shaw DCT5 6200. Thx

Comment from Admin.

CTV advises that CIVT-DT will begin transmitting OTA in Vancouver around Jun/05. It is expected that Shaw-Vancouver will carry this signal, but it is not known yet when they plan to add the CTV network to their HD line up.

To receive the HD signals OTA from CIVT-DT (or possibly from the Bellingham stations in the US) you will need to install and antenna, an indoor one might suffice for the local station, and purchase either an ATSC OTA set-top box to work with the existing HD Ready set or an integrated HD television with an ATSC tuner built in. The Motorola DCT-6200 does not receive off-air signals and works only with cable.

cdtv_admin@cdtv.ca
08/31/2005
8:56 PM
cheema_sangha@hotmail.com wrote on 2021/08/31

OTA in Vancouver
Can anyone provide me with which indoor antennas can pick up the OTA CTV signal? Not the expensive ones. Thanks

Comment from Admin.
First have a look at the section Getting HDTV in the Antennas section. If you are close to the transmitter and have a clear path to it, a simple dipole or loop will suffice. Alternatively, a commercial indoor UHF unit is also quite small and inexpensive. Further away, you may need more antenna and perhaps a small amplifier to get good reception. Antenna orientation is also important. Rotate the antenna for best reception when you set it up.

shane-hdtv@cm.nu
09/12/2021
3:32 PM
Hello all,

I have a couple of questions regarding HDTV in
Vancouver. I'd like to try to receive
the CTV feed and am wondering what atsc tuners
are available. I've checked the big box stores
such as radioshack, FutureShop, and Best Buy but
their sales force only seems to be selling the
digital cable and satalite terminals. Are any
atsc tuners available from Canadian retailers
either online or otherwise.

Also, what type of antenna would you recommend
for the Surrey(guildford) area in a four story
building. Could a standard uhf antenna do the
trick or would a good amplified antenna pick up
the U.S. stations?
Thanks in advance,
Shane

cdtv_admin@cdtv.ca
09/12/2021
5:33 PM
Hi Shane:

I am afraid you may have to go to Bellingham to find an ATSC set-top to receive the off-air signals, as Canadian retailers do not seem interested in supplying them. Good units are available there from Samsung, LGE/Zenith, Panasonic and others.

The CTV transmitter is on Mount Seymour and if you have line-of-sight there the antenna needed can be a simple UHF loop or dipole. Further out a small yagi with antenna amplifier may be a good investment,\. Take a look at the CDTV site in Getting HDTV in the Antennas section for inspiration. Don’t forget to point the antenna for best reception when you connect it up.

cdtv_admin@cdtv.ca
09/12/2021
8:58 PM
drbrain99@yahoo.com wrote on 2021/09/10

Bought an HDTV-Ready LCD TV....

I bought an HDTV-ready LCD TV.

When it comes to watching 16:9 widescreen DVD's the quality is out of this world.

However, TV is a huge disappointment. Not only is the image quality poor, but I'm forced to watch with the black bars on either side of the picture because none of the stretch modes are good.

I've seen that Shaw offers an HDTV-receiver in the Vancouver area for $398 (not including programming credits): http://www.shaw.ca/en-ca/ProductsServices/Television/DigitalTV/Shaw+HDTV.htm .

I'm wondering what others in the Vancouver area think of the HDTV offering by Shaw? Is it worth the money? Are there a lot of HDTV broadcasts/channels?

Comment from Admin.
There is no doubt that HDTV programs on an HD television in wide screen are spectacular and even DVD’s can look very good, even though they are not really HD. Upconverted NTSC analog programming, on the other hand, is never good on an HD set as the aspect ratio is wrong (bars at the side), the artifacts that are masked in the NTSC television are painfully obvious on an HD television and the soft picture on the large screen is disappointing. Sadly, there is still much up-converted material on HD channels, as programmers cannot fill their schedules with the available HD material, but this is slowly improving as more production comes on line. Now that you have an HD television, best find the HD programming that you will need to enjoy it. In Vancouver you have a choice, cable (Shaw), satellite (ExpressVu or Star Choice) and off-air (CTV and some US border stations). Check out the number and content of the HD channels on each and then take the leap into the world of HD. I am sure you will be pleased with HD programs.

cdtv_admin@cdtv.ca
10/12/2021
9:24 PM
rbhermon@shaw.ca wrote on 2021/10/09

HDTV in North Vancouver
What HD programming is available now from Shaw? What further HD programming is now scheduled?

murano@shaw.ca
10/25/2005
7:29 PM
From reading the thread, my understanding is there is only one Canadian OTA HDTV - CTV currently available in Vancouver area. Will there be more Canadian OTA HDTV coming out in Vancouver area soon? At present time, if I want to watch OTA HDTV on a HDTV set with built-in HD tuner, do I have to change the antenna direction everytime I want to switch between the US HD stations (down in the south) and CTV HD (up in the north on Mount Seymour). Why can't the built-in HD tuner in my HDTV set received HD channel lineups from Shaw Cable?

cdtv_admin@cdtv.ca
11/03/2021
9:15 PM
murano@shaw.ca wrote on 2005/120/25
OTA HDTV in Greater Vancouver
I live in Richmond, B.C., which is within Greater Vancouver Area (GVR). The cable operator Shaw provides HDTV channels which requires purchase of their HDTV Terminal (going for $599). I purchased a HDTV set with built-in HD tuner.
1) What are the OTA channels available in GVR and what are their transmission power?

2) Will I be able to receive OTA HD channel from the border cities in the States?

3) What kind of antenna would you recommend?

Much obliged.

Comment from Admin.

1. Currently the only DTV channel on air in Vancouver is CTV on channel 33 with an ERP of 319 watts. It is located on Mt. Seymour. It should give you a usable signal in Richmond if you are not shaded by other objects.
2. You will be able to get US border stations with an outside antenna, antenna preamp and a little installation work. See the section Getting HDTV in the Antennas sub-section of this web site for more info and look in the HDTV Coverage and in the Terrestrial Broadcast and Reception parts of this forum for more info.
3. See comment in 2 above.

jasonbyers7@yahoo.com
01/16/2006
4:28 PM
I just wanted to add to the DTV OTA in Vancouver discussion. I work for the CBC (transmission dept) and can assure you we are broadcasting DTV on Ch 58 from Mount Seymour (north van).
There isn't that much HD programming right now http://www.cbc.ca/hdtv/schedule/CBC_HD_currentweek.pdf.
But I did watch the Tor Vs. Phx hockey game (Jan 14 06) in HD and it was fantastic. I watched it using a 20" Sony LCD monitor and a samsung ATSC tuner box (only available to purchase in the states right now). I used a old cheap and nasty UHF loop and placed it outside my place in vancouver and pointed it to mount seymour and was able to get good signal (viewing the channel strength on the tuner box).
If your TV has a built-in ATSC you're in business you just need a UHF antenna. The signal is covering quite a large area as my boss has recieved calls from people getting it in langley and all the way out to Nanaimo.
CTV is broadcasting on Ch 33 (also from Mount seymour) they have quite a bit of HD programming http://www.ctv.ca/generic/generated/tvlist/CFTOtvlist.html
Enjoy!
-Jason

zeroram@gmail.com
02/03/2021
9:07 PM
i just bought a Samsung Slimfit TV wich come with a HDTV tuner and a Philips indoor antenna i setup the things and dindt get any signal

i live in North vancouver with an apartmetn facing south and really close to Mt seymour , just wondering to the experts what i am doing wrong for not getting any HDTV signal over the air ?

shortee@hotmail.com
02/12/2021
2:49 PM
I need some help. I think I'm going to purchase a tv with a built in ATSC tuner. I'm trying to find out what I need to buy in order to set up my tv for HD channels. I'm reading that you can get OTA channels (offered in my area - Burnaby, Lower Mainland), with just an antenna? I'm assuming this means I do not need to buy the HD box from Shaw for $398.

But do I need (at least) the regular digital box? Or, can I just plug the cable into the wall straight from the tv and get these HD OTA channels (with an antenna)?

Also, are all the HD channels that are available through Shaw available OTA? Or is is just the one channel (CTV)? If not, what is available OTA?

Also, do you know anything about the quality of Dell LCD tvs? On their website, they state that all their tvs (bigger than 32") are coming in with built-in ATSC tuners.

Thanks!
Annie

jonathankstacey@yahoo.ca
03/02/2021
4:49 PM
I've just purchased a Sharp LCD (LC32D6U: NTSC/ATSC with a 8VSB/QAM tuner) which apparently is "Digital Cable Ready" and "can 'plug and play' with any HDTV cable-tv system without a separate cable set-top box"
not as easy as it sounds apparently ...

I live in Vancouver and I'm trying to figure out how to get the most channels (including HDTV) for the least amount of money.
Seeing as i've alredy paid for some built-tuning capability i want to avoid giving Shaw more money than i have to for additional set-top boxes.

Based on the TV that i have, the services provided by Shaw in Vancouver and the current OTA HD channels (CBC, CTV and soon Global?) can anyone help me with suggesting the best combination of service, STB and OTA HD antenna to make the most of my new toy?

-i've already been told by Shaw that i need their HD box if i want to get HD from them (my built-in Cable Card tuner is of no use in Vancouver)
-do i need a STB if i just want to subscribe to Digital
Cable? (can my built in tuner handle the shaw feed or is it encrypted so that i'm forced to buy yet another piece of hardware)
-what type of HD antenna is recommended? (unfortunately i live in a south facing apartment. Not sure if i'll need to try an outdoor antenna on the roof or whether an internal one will work)

thanks for your advice
jonathan

cdtv_admin@cdtv.ca
03/02/2021
8:18 PM
Comment from Admin. for jonathankstacey@yahoo.ca

1. Plug-and-Play digital interfaces with cable are not implemented in Canada at present and the industry is skeptical if the current version is viable in the Canadian environment, as it does not support two-way communication, necessary for PPV, etc. Thus any cable connection will require an external STB. Likely the barker channel in your cable connection is not encrypted and could be decoded but the rest need the box, so why not make a virtue of necessity and get an HD PVR?
2. The Vancouver DTV transmitters are on Mount Seymour and you really need an outdoor antenna that is unobstructed in that direction. A small UHF Yagi antenna with a 16db antenna preamp has been known to give good reception. The Winegard products have a good track record (www.winegard.com) but others also work.

Good luck with your HD watching and hope you enjoy it all.

Add Reply