I know this is a question aimed probably at Canadians only as I do not think Shaw is in the US...however does anyone have any experience with it, and if so, what do you think about it?
Canada has some of the worlds most expensive tech services. We tend to pay a lot for cell phone services, as we do for TV services. I was at the local Shaw Cable office paying my monthly bill when I noted that they had Blue Sky advertised. I asked if it was satellite TV, as I was with Bell and will never ever go back to those hounds. Nothing worse then not being able to watch TV during a snow storm because the snow covers your dish (PAM spay works wonders here)...not to mention dealing with Bell was too much on multiple levels. They truly are too big for their own good. Anyways, I found out that Blue Sky gives you a PVR, faster internet and better integration with Netflix, for a cheaper price then I was previously paying. I pay $170 a month for basic cable + 1 theme channel package, house phone, and internet 75 with 300 to 500 GB/month of data. Now, I have never gone over my limits in regards to the internet, but I don't hit the Netflix services that much either. Shaw told me I could upgrade to Blue Sky for less than I am paying now. They told me I would be paying $144 dollars a month including my home phone services. Say what?
I agreed, and after a week of wait, the installer came to my home yesterday and installed it. With Blue Sky, I now have basic cable with 5 theme channel packages, faster 150 internet with unlimited data, and my humble phone service. I still find talking to the remote somewhat stupid but I am sure I will get used to it. A great side benefit, I absolutely hate my LG smart TV way of using Netflix. My remote has motion sensors on it and you have to point the cursor at what you want. The front end is abysmal, and I never liked it. I bought an Android box and tried to access TV and Netflix from that, but found that the interface was very similar to my built in smart TV interface. The implementation of Blue Sky with Netflix is far better. Still not as good as that from my computer however, but the menus are smart, colourful, and more importantly, informational. This is a big plus in my books.
I know that the Guide front end is quite different from my previous Shaw HD box, which I think I like a little more than this new one except for one thing and that is the new guide will give you channel info on the same page...which I think is another big plus compared to the older HD service box guide (although I like the look of the older guide better). I found that accessing Shaw On Demand is harder with Blue Sky. On the old HD box, I just had to press the remote to the far left whenever I was on a channel with a play symbol next to it. Doing so would access that channel's content to view stuff on your own time. With Blue Sky, it is more complex and not as easily accessible. I have never used a PVR either...and playing with that might prove interesting...although I have never seen a need to tape anything before.
Anyhow, just curious to see if anyone has Blue Sky and to find out what you think about this service? I signed up for a 2 year contract, but that is ok as I never will go back to Bell in this life time.
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