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English-language satellite TV here at lakeside


gregweeks

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Ok , I've been following this thread trying to decide which TV service to get here. Anyone got any thoughts on Telecable service versus Direct TV? Went to speak to the Telecable people in Riberas on Friday but as they can't decide whether we live in Ajijic or Jocotepec (Los Charales) my options are still open! Guess we'd have to find the Jocotepec office if they decide we live there :wacko:

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There must be others living in Los Charales quite near your home. Why not ask if they have Telecable, and from which office? To see if cable is available at all, just look up; the cable lines and connections are pretty obvious. If there aren‘t any, you might as well start considering a satellite service.

If you can get Telecable, the basic package has lots of English channels if your TV is a modern one with SAP capability. They also have HD premium packages.

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Again, thanks all. The one *clearly* non-grey provider of north-of-border satellite TV that I read about above is "CP Electronics" in Guadalajara. (BUT I need to more closely read the recent entries above.) And if I just inadvertently maligned a provider, permit me to stress "inadvertently".

My current Shaw provider can not provide me with the following channels (which appear in my on-screen guide in grey):

130, 281 AMC Canada HD
147, 283 Movie Central 1 HD
148, 255 Movie Central 2 HD
150, 273 Encore Avenue 1 HD

375 Encore Avenue 2
612 TMN Encore
613 TMN Encore 2
624 Movie Central 3

Nor can I get these channels mentioned on one or both of the following web sites. (The channels with numbers are on the first site.)

"http://media.shawdirect.ca/uploadedfiles/shawdirect/content/promotions/most-hd/pdf/classic-channels.pdf"(Jan 2013)

"http://www.shaw.ca/television/channel-listings/full-channel-list/"

138 TCM HD (this doesn't seem to exist any more)
149 Movie Central 3 HD
156 WarnerFilms HD (The Hollywood Suite, like the 3 channels below)
157 MGM Channel HD
158 Sony Movie Channel HD
159 AXN Movies HD
Movie Central 4
Silver Screen Classics

Given that Shaw Direct isn't exactly bursting with movies, especially Hi-Def movies, this is quite a burn!!

I still appreciate the 200 movie-channel suggestion and the reminder that the trend is toward streaming! But given my technical backwardness and my fondness for one Canadian TV show ("This Hour has 22 Minutes"), I'm mostly looking for a better Shaw Direct provider -- which, so far as I know, is none other than "CP Electronics" in Guadalajara.

Thanks again.

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So, as a prisoner of PBS, who also watches CNN, do I have any other options, besides Francine? Officially speaking, I live in Tucson, Arizona, but in reality I live in Ajijic most of the time.

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I just went to the CP Electronics ("NEW LOCATION": Guadalajara) web page:

- https://www.cp-electronics.com/eng/contact.php

On this page are the words:

> "*FAQ: We give no advice on 'bins' nor activations of equipment. The end user is responsible for their equipment activation. We do not sell support."

So, their web page says that they are not in the business of activating channels on their hardware.

(I wonder if 'bins' refers to a bunch of people sharing an account and expenses.)

Sigh. This is harder than I thought.

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JayBearII asks if there are alternatives to Francine (presumably for north-of-border non-streamed TV). I'm curious too, given the discouraging content of the "CP Electronics" web page.

Meanwhile, speaking of Francine, I'd like to ask:

Do any of you receive from Francine "Encore Avenue", "Movie Central", "TMN Encore", or "AMC HD"?

Thanks

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Greg, a few of the channels you mention in your second list are only found on Shaw.

149 Movie Central 3 HD
159 AXN Movies HD
Movie Central 4

Also not that shawdirect.ca is the satellite service, and shaw.ca is the cable service.

Regarding Francine, she offers a limited selection, for a certain price. A single account can have six boxes, but each of the six has exactly the same channels. There is no picking and choosing, other than what she herself selects. I personally pay much more for my monthly usage and get a lot of movies, although I rarely watch them, because as with most services they are often out of date and/or repetitious.

Note that Movie Central is a western feed, and is not available on the eastern feed, along with a handful of other channels. On the other hand, there are movie channels on the eastern feed that pretty much match the western side.

Finally, CP Electronics only sells the equipment, and does not provide subscriptions. You might want to try Mike Merriman at Ajijic Electronics. I don't know how they do it, but they do it. http://www.chapala.com/ajijicelectronics.html

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Just a question? Should one publicly post on line how to subscribe to a North of the Border provider? Shouldn't such info be made via PMs? Or by first names. In the past, dealers have been raided down here by the Mexican Government.

You may remember when a local dealer lakeside was raided. Luckily no one could prove anything, but it was quite a distraction or hassle for the dealership.

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"johanson" implies that a satellite that provides content to Canada and the US cannot legally provide content to Mexico. I don't see why that should be true. I certainly didn't think that it was true when I started this topic.

But since starting this topic, indications have piled up that it *is* true. For one thing, people say it. For another, a certain electronics company declares one fact on the web and the contrary fact on the phone (apparently).

So, following the suggestion of "johanson", I'm going to let go of this interesting, but awkward, topic.

PS: I did receive a private message, but I'm interested only in what can be publicly stated.

PS: Two years ago I did receive Encore Avenue 1 and 2 from Shaw satellite. Perhaps something has changed.

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Shaw has not paid for the right to broadcast in either the USA or Mexico. The Canadian government agreed, and ordered Shaw to stop accepting account applications from Mexico or the USA. Shaw agreed that they would stop selling systems to addresses outside of Canada, and Shaw further agreed that when they determine that a Shaw customer is using the Shaw equipment in the USA or in Mexico, Shaw will shut down that access.

The contracts that Shaw users sign agree to abide by the terms of the agreement.

Some people choose to intentionally break signed agreements, others chose to honor their written promises.

2 of Shaw's satellites broadcast signals that bleed across the USA and down into Mexico.

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> Some people choose to intentionally break signed agreements, others chose to honor their written promises.

First, thanks for the info.

Second: Who among us can honestly say that they read the Terms of Use to which they declare their agreement whenever they download a piece of software?

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I still appreciate the 200 movie-channel suggestion and the reminder that the trend is toward streaming! But given my technical backwardness and my fondness for one Canadian TV show ("This Hour has 22 Minutes"), I'm mostly looking for a better Shaw Direct provider -- which, so far as I know, is none other than "CP Electronics" in Guadalajara.

Ajijic Electronics can help you. You can also get your own Shaw account. I have my own, billed to my credit card, no middle person. PM me for details.

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> Some people choose to intentionally break signed agreements, others chose to honor their written promises.

First, thanks for the info.

Second: Who among us can honestly say that they read the Terms of Use to which they declare their agreement whenever they download a piece of software?

Many people view written contracts, where we sign our name, agreeing to follow published national laws, and we agree to clear terms, to be a different matter than clicking on a box next to 10 pages of densely-worded fine print that is not national law.

I hope that people who sign contracts with us can trust us to keep our agreements, especially when it means breaking a published national law just to get something we want.

or, Is it up to each person's personal pecadillos that some laws are somehow OK to break, but we should follow others ?

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You know, we are all adults here, and I think we can all make our own decisions about our lives. We really don't come here to have someone else tell us what we should and should not be doing. Snowyco, you just love throwing your moral weight around, and really, no one gives a poop except your own choir. So why not simply make your opinion known (perfectly acceptable), and then forget about it. We got you the first time, in oh-so-many instances on this board.

I'll add another thought: these lengthy diatribes you tend to write/copy/paste: we aren't reading them.

"and I think we can all make our own decisions about our lives "

This sounds really good, but does not fit facts.

We've had 2 different Chapala posters write in just the last 2 weeks that they did not know it is illegal under Canadian law to use Shaw Direct equipment here in Mexico.

When people write that they don't know the rules or the laws, how can we "all make our own decisions about our lives"?

Sure, some people choose to break the legal contracts they sign.

Some people choose to break national laws.

How can we make a rational honest choice when we don't know the law ?

We use a combination of Slingbox and USTVNOW.

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It's not against Mexican law, it's against Canadian regulations. But as long as you are in Mexico you are OK.

Heck in the early days, maybe 2001 to 2004 I had phoned up then Star Choice tech support for dish pointing instructions when in Ajijic and as far south as Guatemala. It didn't matter in those days and then the CRTC (like the FCC) began to tighten the regulations about two years ago in April-May and Shaw had to comply. Heck they, Shaw, enjoyed the extra income

Oh, Anik F-1 went active and could be picked up by a small dish in Mexico on Feb 21, 2001 if I remember correctly.

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It's not exactly "law" but rather the telecommunications agreements between USA, Canada, and Mexico. It's not a big deal. In the USA citizens have the right to capture anything on the airwaves if they can get it done, so our attitude here is, if we can figure out a way to get Shaw we do it.

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Pretty much Shaw's attitude as well, as long as we're not blatant about it. And for those who are wondering, this topic comes up time and again in the courts, because no one can really figure out the answer... so I wouldn't put too much faith in any current "decision". They really don't care about enforcing it.

I was pleased to see today that the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission is allowing U.S. commercials during Canadian broadcasts of the SuperBowl... although it won't phase in until 2017.

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Well put Mike and El Saltos:

Here is an interesting point. When I am in the US and if I can find a way to descramble say a US DISH Network HBO signal, DISH &/or HBO could easily get me in trouble for doing so. Yet if I were in Mexico and I believe Canada etc because we are not breaking any Mexican or I think Canadian Laws I would be OK.

But should I steal Mexican signals down here in Mexico, and many people do it, I would be technically in trouble for breaking Mexican regulations, not that they seem to really care.

That is why I say, it is best to PM the names of persons who might offer such services, so as not to get anyone mad enough to complain to someone who cares enough to do something about it. :)

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