Rogers IPTV

[gp-se]

When Rogers launches the new 4k STB's, will they be using IPTV? I was at a friends house who has Bell Fibe TV, and man what a difference! The User Interface is Fast\Smooth, no Lag at all, also the Picture Quality is much better than Rogers. I know Fibe is using MPEG 4, and that Rogers currently uses MPEG 2, but with the launch of 4k they'll have to use MPEG 4 because of bandwith limitations. Will normal customers with the Nextbox 3.0 also be getting MPEG 4, or will it be reserved for only 4k content\STB? I hate the Rogers MPEG 2 Compression, the quality is terrible, fast moving scenes always have tons of Macroblocking, this is not evident at all on Bell.

Also are the new 4k STB's shipping with Navigator or has Rogers created a different Guide for them? The Speed\Quality of Rogers current Guide is unexceptable compared to what Bell has, Rogers really needs to get a Bell Fibe Box and see how fast and smooth a STB should be.

***Edited Labels***

[Datalink]

Interesting solution to Rogers Nextbox problems alright, "Rogers really needs to get a Bell Fibe Box.... ". Lol

[Gdkitty]

I wonder which box you have?  Wondering if the 8642.

If then yes the speed of the box is painfully slow on any of the guides now.

The 9865 though, is pretty fast.  Just about as fast as my brother in laws Fibe.
(the major speed difference i have seen it the actual channel tuning.. but that is just a limitation of cable tuning vs IPTV)

I have not yet found out myself if the new one is IPTV.  I know its something the are looking at/working on.. but not sure on it.  As it draws closer, we may find out. 

The current boxes, ARE suposed to be using MPEG4 now when recording.. which i would guess that the feed is MPEG4 then.

[RogersMoin]

Hello, @gp-se

Thank you for your interest in 4K Ultra HD TV experience and I appreciate your feedback. At this moment, we are unable to comment on the product/service which is not released yet. Please stay tuned, we will update the Community as the information becomes available. 

Cheers,

RogersMoin

[Datalink]

Announced at the 2016 Annual General Meeting by CEO Guy Laurence, Rogers will be launching IPTV by the end of the year.  

http://www.therecord.com/news-story/6504583-rogers-plans-new-tv-service-launch-this-year/

[gp-se]

I cannot wait for Rogers to launch IPTV. I wonder if they're gonna release new STB's also? Hopefully they can increase the picture quality, as the current compression is terrible.

[Meowmix]

Hello @gp-se

It seems the 4K boxes are compatible of it but won't be turned on until then. I could be wrong but when I got both of my 4K boxes, the tech saw it and it was disabled for the time being. He did say something was in the works.

[gp-se]

I have discovered Rogers is replacing their old Cisco gear with Casa Systems gear. Areas that have been upgraded to support Gigabit Internet are running the new Casa Systems gear. You can check if your area is upgrading by logining into your modem and checking if you have 24 downstream channels and 3 upload channels. Also in the DOCSIS Event Logs you can get the Mac Address of your CMTS and check it here: http://www.coffer.com/mac_find/

If it says Cisco, you're on the old equipment, if it's Casa you're on the new equipment that supports Gigabit Internet, and in the future IPTV.

So why did I post this in the IPTV thread, because the Casa Systems Hardware supports IPTV, and I'm confident this is how Rogers will deploy IPTV. A VERY interesting read is here on how Time Warner Cable did it using the same hardware.

Time Warner Cable C100G Case Study >

[Meowmix]

Hey guys.

Here is more information on this topic.

" Rather than continue the research and development of its own proprietary IPTV platform in the vein of Bell’s Fibe TV, Rogers has opted to go with a U.S.-based Comcast platform for its next-generation of video services.

As a result of this shift, Rogers states it is discontinuing any further investment in its own IPTV product and is preparing to record a non-cash asset impairment charge that ranges between $475 million CAD and $525 million in its upcoming fourth quarter results

The Canadian telecommunications giant expects the new service, which is set to utilize Comcast technology, won’t launch until 2018."

http://mobilesyrup.com/2016/12/16/rogers-abandons-iptv-research-in-favour-of-comcasts-platform-faces...

[toolcubed]

They're finally learning 🙂

I've always questioned why Rogers tries to do a lot of their own internal development when there are already reliable solutions in-use. Similar to Bell using Microsoft's (now Ericsson's) Mediaroom platform for their Fibe service, Rogers will use Comcast's X1 product. I think that's a smart move on their part but they should've made that decision years ago. Delaying until 2018 will cause even more cable tv customer churn.