Post by Scuba DiverHello everyone!
I live in an apartment in downtown Toronto. Over the Christmas
holidays, I received a flyer in my mail from Look. It appears that
[snip]
Post by Scuba DiverAny insights would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks everyone!
About 6 months ago I found myself in the same situation as you. I had
Rogers' Ultimate TV pack and High Speed Lite Internet. I finally had
it when they increased the Internet price by 20% (no extra service,
just a rate increase) with less than 10 days notice. Plus, the cable
rates increased twice in a 5 month period. Enough.
I initially considered satellite, and found that to be expensive,
largely because of the way the specialty channels are arranged. To
get my favourite channels from cable, it would have cost much more -
ExpressVu more than StarChoice. I hate the way you have to get a
bunch a garbage channels if you just want one channel like TLC. Then,
they don't even package similar channels together - If I want TLC and
Discovery, I have to get 2 separate bundles.
I did some research in Look, and found that I get more than Rogers
Ultimate TV Pack for less money. More channels (e.g. MoviePix is
included in Look Plus, you get the digital music channels and a decent
program guide) and an all digital picture (unlike Rogers digital
cable). Granted, there's the upfront cost of equipment and
installation, but I worked out the payoff to be within 6 months in my
case, after which I'm ahead of the game. I opted for the Look Plus
and DSL Internet combo and get additional savings for having them
both.
Post by Scuba Diver1) I've read on the group that people have had installation problems
(eg. issues with their antenna), but since I'm in a building, I assume
that this will not be an issue.
You're correct - only houses typically have the installation problems
that you hear about. 90% of the problems are because of two things:
Improper installation (The installer didn't install the antenna
correctly, usually causing the antenna to go out of alignment after
time) or bad line of sight (You need to see the tower to get a good
signal. Sometimes tress will grow too tall, or the antenna is
installed in the winter when there are no leaves, and these end up
blocking the signal when they grow back.) You won't have problems
like this in am apartment building.
Post by Scuba DiverHow is the quality?
In my opinion, the quality is way better than standard cable, but not
quite as good as Satellite. I think they're using higher compression
rates than satellite, so I find that I notice more artifacts than with
a friend's satellite, particularly during dark scenes with a lot of
motion. If you've got a newer large TV, this may be more noticeable.
I have a 27" flat screen less than a year old and I don't find this to
be a big deal - it's still way better than cable.
Post by Scuba DiverIs there much downtime (eg. during storms?)
I'm in a house (with presumably a smaller antenna the barbeque grill
style) and I have never had any downtime during storms at all. I have
never lost signal in any type of storm electrical, heavy rain, high
wind or blizzard - unlike my friends on Satellite who get frequent
outages during snow and rain - not to mention the problem of snow
buildup on the dish. I'm also in Mississauga, so I'm even further
away from the source (CN Tower) than you are.
Post by Scuba DiverWhat is the customer service like?
I've only had to call tech support once (about the VCR commander
cable), and the TV technician was very good. He seemed to know his
stuff and wasn't rushed or anything. My only complaint with their
service is the long wait on hold waiting for help. I waited for over
20 minutes before I got someone. As for billing, I've had a mistake
or two. Instead of waiting on the phone, I just send a fax and they
call back in a day or two to say that the problem has been corrected.
Post by Scuba Diver2) I know that I can purchase the receiver outright but I imagine
I can rent it as well. Any recommendations?
I don't think they rent the receivers anymore. According to their
website, a receiver will cost you $100, less $100 (Super) or $50
(Plus) in programming credits depending on the package you go with.
For $50 (or free), I'd say just get it it's not worth renting for
that price. Plus, you can always sell it when you cancel (Look allows
this, provided you notify them.) I've seen legitimate receivers with
cards go on eBay for $20 - $50, so I'm sure you'd get at least some of
your investment back.
Post by Scuba DiverI should also say that I'm not a huge TV watcher, so things like HDTV
compatibility aren't a huge concern right now.
I initially was concerned with the lack of HDTV and Dolby Digital /
DTS sound as well, but I don't think I'll be getting an HDTV within
the next 5 years, anyway. Plus, I'm happy with the sound on my old
Dolby pro-logic receiver. I know that in Look's heyday a few years
back, they had trials for HDTV and Digital sound receivers, but I
think that all got scrapped when the company took a nosedive. Who
knows, it might come back as the subscriber base and demand continues
to grow.
Another thing I like about Look TV is that there is no monthly charge
for additional receivers. You can buy one or two of these off of eBay
fairly cheap (as mentioned above) and hook them up yourself. Split it
the same way you'd split cable. Just a word of caution if you buy a
receiver off of eBay, make sure it comes with a card. You also want
to make sure that it is not stolen or rented and never returned by the
current owner. The current owner will also have to call Look and
provide the details prior to activation.
There are downsides, though:
- The financial stability of the company they were literally hours
away from bankruptcy in 2002. They are doing much better now, but are
still not in that great of financial shape. The Internet side has
helped their business a lot, but I would imagine there's still some
risk.
- They only carry a few of the new specialty channels. If you want
Xtreme Sports or Book TV or the like, look elsewhere. They also don't
currently carry the new Toronto TV channel "Toronto One" and I'm not
aware of any plans to introduce it.
- As mentioned above, they don't offer HDTV or Dolby Digital or DTS
sound.
- No built-in PVR or video on demand is available.
- Limited PPV channels. They only have a dozen or so PPV channels
compared to the 50 or so the others have. This means that there are
fewer movies and time options with Look.
- They only have 3 multicultural channels to choose from unlike the 30
or so the other offer.
- They don't offer those "sports packs", with the exception of Leafs
TV.
- You can't record one channel and watch another without a second
receiver (like satellite).
- They don't offer two network feeds (e.g. Timeshifting.)
As for upfront costs, in an apartment, you're looking at $34.95 for
installation and $50 for the receiver ($100 less $50 in credit) for a
total of $84.95. Monthly programming for Plus is $34.95, compared to
the Ultimate TV pack at $43.95. Based on these figures (setting aside
the better service from Look plus you own the equipment) your savings
will pay for the equipment in about 9 months. After that time, you'll
be saving $9 a month (roughly 20%) over the Rogers Ultimate TV pack.
Post by Scuba DiverMy logic for switching is simply this; if I can get more channels, similar
(or better quality), for less, then it's worth considering.
I totally agree for me, the choice was a no-brainer. I felt the
exact same way, and never looked back. I highly recommend Look TV,
especially as a replacement for Rogers' Ultimate TV analog cable
package.
Sorry for the long reply. I wish I had information like this when I
was considering Look TV, so I'm happy to share. And no, I don't work
for Look (although I should get a commission for this heh), I just
don't like Rogers and feel they don't offer very good value for the
money they charge, not to mention their business practices (remember
negative option billing, everyone?)
Finally, the Look TV website doesn't have a lot of information, so if
you have any other questions from a current subscriber or need any
other help, please email me or post a reply here and I'll try to
reply.
Cheers.