cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

How do you like Ignite TV compared to Digital Cable?

OLDYELLR
I'm a senior advisor

First of all, I'm not an Ignite customer.  In fact, I cancelled Rogers digital cable when I went to an IPTV package from my ISP using fibre that was installed in my area last summer.

 

My transition was more of a surprise than for most of you moving from Rogers Digital Cable to Ignite TV because I had a SA8300HD PVR on the SARA system, with none of the fancy shmancy graphics of the NAVIGATR interface, but it was simple, user friendly and had several features the later interfaces had dropped.  My legacy VIP also had way more channels, although, unfortunately, not the ones I really wanted.

 

Here are a couple of annoyances I found switching from Digital Cable to IPTV.

1. When playing cloud recordings I find the FF button skips in bigger steps than it did  with digital recordings on my hard drive.  Do you also see that on Ignite?

2. With my new IPTV service, I find that some SD channels do not display or record with the correct aspect ratio.  TV Ontario is weird because it displays correctly live, but record in SD, horizontally compressed. How is it on Ignite TV?

 

I ask these questions not only for my own edification, but so Rogers customers switching from Digital Cable to Ignite TV know what they'll be getting, because you can't switch back.

 

 

***Added Labels*** 

 


Rogers PayGo. Location: S-W Ontario
125 REPLIES 125

Re: How do you like Ignite TV compared to Digital Cable?

jjjjy7
I'm a reliable contributor

@toolcubed   I would disagree with your comment that if the network and wi-fi are working well, Ignite TV will also work well.  I have great wi-fi and no (major) network issues... but have had many issues with Ignite TV.  99% of them relate to the set top boxes.  I have had every box in my house replaced at least three times over the last 2 plus years. 

Re: How do you like Ignite TV compared to Digital Cable?

57
Resident Expert
Resident Expert

@jjjjy7 wrote:

... but have had many issues with Ignite TV.  99% of them relate to the set top boxes.  I have had every box in my house replaced at least three times over the last 2 plus years. 


It is highly unlikely that this many boxes had problems.  There are simply not that many bad boxes.  I strongly suggest that you have another issue in your neighbourhood (signal?) or home (WiFi?), which may have come up after switching, or which didn't manifest itself with Legacy Digital Cable.

 

As with Digital Cable, a new IgniteTV box may temporarily work because of a borderline signal (to the home or WiFi), but it is not a permanent solution.

Re: How do you like Ignite TV compared to Digital Cable?

jjjjy7
I'm a reliable contributor

@57   I can guarantee you it was the STBs.   Initially they were all replaced because they froze - I believe Rogers then switched to a new manufacturer.  And Its always one box at a time that causes issues and needs to be replaced.  

Re: How do you like Ignite TV compared to Digital Cable?

Sailorman
I plan to stick around

This pretty well sums up my feelings as well. I’m a customer who has given Rogers $000’s over many years.  

Re: How do you like Ignite TV compared to Digital Cable?

-G-
Resident Expert
Resident Expert

@MS3  You are going to get a wide range of reactions from people.  Some regret the switch to Ignite TV; others regret not switching sooner.  I have been a happy Ignite TV customer for the past 2+ years.

 


My appointment is set for this weekend but now I am thinking more and more that I shouldn't do it. After reading all the posts here about this topic, I figured that...

1) I dont want to brick my 5 boxes that I paid a lot for when it was in its prime. (even though I know it is absolutely painful to use ROD with them)

3) Cable is so stable and not subject to wifi/network issues.

4) My young ones already know how to use the old set up. (3 & 6 yo)

5) I dont want to lose the ability to store shows FOR AS LONG AS I WANT locally. 


Assuming that your Ignite TV service works well, you will still at some point (almost certainly) miss not having a local PVR in your home.  With the Cloud PVR, you only get 200 hours of storage and recordings will disappear after one year.  If you like to record lots of programs, you will find yourself constantly going through your Recorded Programs list looking for content to erase to make room for new recordings.

 

The biggest limitation, compared to a local PVR, is that if you want to record a program in its entirety, you must do so in advance.  You cannot watch the first 10 minutes of a show, decide that you want to record it, and then simply press Record; recording in the cloud starts at the point where you press Record, and will not save those first 10 minutes.

 

The biggest advantage to the cloud PVR is that you can watch recorded content on any set-top box, or on a mobile device outside your home.  You can also schedule a program to record at any time, from anywhere, through the Ignite TV app.  You also will not have to worry about your PVR dying and losing all recorded content.

 

Ignite TV is also great for watching On-demand content, and Ignite TV is also great when it comes to finding program content.  It does a great job of unifying what is available with broadcast TV with content that is available on streaming services.

 

2) I dont want to use up wifi/data just to watch tv. Imagine all those extra signals going through our brains! lol 


Having good Wi-Fi is a necessity these days, and Ignite TV only uses approximately 10 Mb/s of bandwidth for an HD stream.  This is comparable to the bandwidth used by other streaming services.

 

Since the set-top boxes do not require a coax connection, you are also free to place your TV anywhere.

 

 

I was in the Roger's store recently, and i tried to turn the box off and on again just to see how long it takes to boot up. With cable its instant.  I was shocked to see that I cant even power down without having to do so many steps to do it! WTH! I wish there was a way I can revert back to digital if I wasnt happy with IGNITE. Otherwise, I would have no problems giving it a try. But the fact that I would lose cable forever, doesnt sit well with me. 


I have my TVs and set-top boxes set up such that when I turn the TV off, the set-top box gets turned off as well.  (This is done through HDMI CEC.)

 

 

Anyone on legacy digital able to get promo discounts? I will call one more time, if nothing can be done, I am just gonna cut the cable all together. I am tired of calling Rogers every year to renegotiate. Tired of having features being taken away while costs keep going up. Just tired. After Oct 10 I cant even use Anyplace TV anymore. I use it a lot when I am not home. With this gone, no point of keeping my subscription. I wish Rogers did things for loyal long time customers instead of being essential forced to switch even though I have no need to. Out with the old and in with the new (customers). 


I don't think that Rogers is giving any more loyalty discounts for any legacy TV, Internet or Home Phone services, not even to their most loyal long-time customers.

 

I also think that Rogers should announce an end-date for Digital TV.  At least that way, Digital TV customers can come to terms with making a switch, knowing that a decision will have to be made by a certain time.

 

The world is also moving to a model where all services get delivered over an Internet connection.  Digital TV has become obsolete and the technology that delivers it has reached end-of-life.  Next-generation Fibre-to-the-Home technologies will not even be capable or carrying the legacy Rogers services.  At some point, Digital TV will need to be retired.

Re: How do you like Ignite TV compared to Digital Cable?

57
Resident Expert
Resident Expert

@MS3 wrote:   ...What I like about ignite is the talk into remote feature. 

 

...I was shocked to see that I cant even power down without having to do so many steps to do it! WTH!


Since you say you'll like the Voice Commands, simply say "Power Down" and the box will do so (The actual state is Standby).  The box can also be programmed to go into standby after a certain period of remote inactivity, so you really don't have to do anything, which is one step less than with Legacy Digital Cable.  😉  The box can also be configured for HDMI-CEC, which the Digital Cable ones cannot.

 

There are many pluses and minuses to any provider or system. Everyone has to make up their minds if the pluses to switching outweigh the minuses, however, it's extremely important to to research any provider/system in order to preclude buyer's remorse.  Don't make any assumptions, especially if switching providers.

 

Of course, as mentioned before, it's also a matter of when, not if, legacy digital cable will no longer be available.

Re: How do you like Ignite TV compared to Digital Cable?

toolcubed
I'm a senior contributor
@jjjjy7

I don’t know what to tell you. The amount of issues you claim to have had with your Xi6 boxes is not normal. I haven’t had any issues with mine and I haven’t heard of others having any issues with theirs (apart from you). I’m not saying problems with the Xi6 don’t exist, but your experience is not normal.

Re: How do you like Ignite TV compared to Digital Cable?

-G-
Resident Expert
Resident Expert

I had all of my Arris set-top boxes replaced with Xi6-T's (back in fall, 2019) because, one by one, I started experiencing issues with Apps behaving strangely or freezing.  I then had to get one of the Xi6-T's replaced a few months later due to a problematic Wi-Fi module.  However, I have not run into any issues since then.

Re: How do you like Ignite TV compared to Digital Cable?

MS3
I plan to stick around

Thanks for your insight RE57. Very close to taking the plunge. Went into the rogers store again to take at look at the ignite hardware. Saddened to see the ignite modem only allows 2 hardwired ethernet connections. This poses yet another problem for me migrating as I currently using all 4 ports in my current rogers modem. They are all required for working from home functions. 

 

RE my HD PVR 8300s, when digital is deactivated as a result of migration to ignite, will I still be able to access the PVRs stored recordings? 2 of the pvrs only run on the internal HD, my main one has a SATA drive connected to it. 

Re: How do you like Ignite TV compared to Digital Cable?

-G-
Resident Expert
Resident Expert

@MS3 wrote:

Thanks for your insight RE57. Very close to taking the plunge. Went into the rogers store again to take at look at the ignite hardware. Saddened to see the ignite modem only allows 2 hardwired ethernet connections. This poses yet another problem for me migrating as I currently using all 4 ports in my current rogers modem. They are all required for working from home functions.  


Rogers currently has two different Ignite modem/gateways:  the dark grey-coloured XB6, which has two Ethernet ports and the white/silver-coloured XB7, which has four.  As far as I know, the XB7 is only offered to those on the highest speed tiers.

 

If you do get an XB6, there is nothing wrong with it.  I have one.  Other members of my family have an XB7, and I think that the XB6 may be the (slightly) more stable of the two.  The Rogers field techs used to (and may still) carry Gigabit Ethernet LAN switches in their trucks, and can provide one to you free of charge to increase the number of Ethernet ports on the XB6.

 

RE my HD PVR 8300s, when digital is deactivated as a result of migration to ignite, will I still be able to access the PVRs stored recordings? 2 of the pvrs only run on the internal HD, my main one has a SATA drive connected to it. 


Yes, temporarily at least, if you take precautions.  Make sure that you disconnect the coaxial cables from your PVRs before activating any of your Ignite services.  If you leave them connected, Rogers will de-authorize the boxes when your Digital TV service gets cancelled.  However, don't expect to be able to access them indefinitely.  If your old PVRs crash, reset or you lose power, you will no longer be able to access the recordings after they restart.  Some customers have connected their old PVRs to a UPS, to keep them alive if there should be a power outage, but at some point they will inevitably reset.

 

I would watch and enjoy the content that you have stored on them now, before making the switch, while you still can.

Re: How do you like Ignite TV compared to Digital Cable?

toolcubed
I'm a senior contributor

Just FYI.  The XB7 is now being given out to users on the 500Mbps plans as well (in addition to the gigabit plans).  Customers on 150Mbps plans will still get the XB6 for now.  Eventually, the XB7 will be the only gateway in circulation, completely replacing the XB6.  This is what I've been told by a senior Rogers network tech.

Re: How do you like Ignite TV compared to Digital Cable?

-G-
Resident Expert
Resident Expert

@toolcubed wrote:

Just FYI.  The XB7 is now being given out to users on the 500Mbps plans as well (in addition to the gigabit plans).  Customers on 150Mbps plans will still get the XB6 for now.


Yes, that is my understanding as well.  500Mb/s customers are eligible to get (and should be getting) the XB7.  However, my understanding is that it also depends on available supply, and (next-gen) FTTH customers are currently at the head of the line to get the XB7.

 

Eventually, the XB7 will be the only gateway in circulation, completely replacing the XB6.  This is what I've been told by a senior Rogers network tech.


It certainly does not make sense for Rogers to purchase any more new XB6's.  Will be interesting to see what they end up doing with their existing stock.  Fido customers?  ...and if so, will there ever be a Fido TV offering?

Re: How do you like Ignite TV compared to Digital Cable?

toolcubed
I'm a senior contributor

I would say there will probably eventually be a Fido tv offering so that they can compete with Virgin tv 🙂

Re: How do you like Ignite TV compared to Digital Cable?

57
Resident Expert
Resident Expert

I’ve had IgniteTV for about 3 weeks.  It takes a bit of time to get used to different ways of doing things, but overall, the experience of IgniteTV has been positive, even better than positive.  I like it more than I thought I would, and my wife loves it.

 

Since I had read almost every post in the forum regarding IgniteTV, along with the KnowledgeBase articles, I was well prepared for the migration and the results. The migration went fairly smoothly with only minor issues with Disney+ and Crave, probably due to the fact they are promotions rather than regular subscriptions.

 

IgniteTV Likes:

 

- Skip 30 seconds option (programmable, Page+) is nice. If you go a bit too far, you can use the skip back 15 seconds (Page-)

- Voice control is wonderful.  Use it to skip ahead or back any time amount you like.  Use it to find programming anywhere.  Use it to find/watch channels.  Use it to turn CC on/off.  Very intuitive, accurate, very easy to use, and fast. My wife loves it!

- Picture quality is excellent.

- Flex channels are great – allows me to choose all the channels I need. (I’m on Premier)

- Turning CC on or off is easier and more intuitive than with legacy digital cable, especially live.

- Programmability/Guide 2 weeks out is better than one week.

- Guide is more accurate than digital cable, but still has some inconsistencies/errors.

- FF & REW is not as difficult to use as some people report.  I use skip or voice mostly anyway.

- Reminders only need to be programmed once instead of every day.

- Replay function works surprisingly well on the channels/programming that have/has it.

- The IgniteTV app (or browser) is good.  Can set favourites, recordings, etc. from there.

 

Items that do irk me a bit:

 

- Improperly encoded DD5.1 on all recordings.  Also on live TV that is not originally DD5.1.  Workaround is to use “stereo” output and DPLII in my AVR.

- No start up channel (goes to last channel instead).  I’m getting used to that.

- I’m getting used to the fact that I need to press “enter” to change channels live or in guide.  Of course, I can use Voice Control instead.

Re: How do you like Ignite TV compared to Digital Cable?

Bplayer
I'm a trusted contributor

It has been a long time since I was on digital so do not know if the following is unique to Ignite.

A feature that I find useful with Ignite is the ability to see episodes already broadcast using the "Watch Options". These versions have minimal ads, like only 30 seconds, between sections of the program. So even if I have recorded the episode I will check if it is available from Watch Options and use that version instead of the recorded one.

This is also very useful for programs that started late and the "PVR" recording is incomplete.

Re: How do you like Ignite TV compared to Digital Cable?

57
Resident Expert
Resident Expert

@Bplayer wrote:

A feature that I find useful with Ignite is the ability to see episodes already broadcast using the "Watch Options".


I agree, this is most useful.  If I come in part way through a programme that has the blue right arrow in the guide, it's possible to watch the entire programme.

If I'm scanning the guide for things I wish to record (I do this for about 10 minutes each night for programming two days out) and I see a programme with the blue right arrow, I don't even need to bother recording it.  I can watch it then, or make note of it and watch it some other time.

If I record such a programme and it's part of a series that I've missed in the past, I can view the series episodes that are free to me, etc.  

I have found the guide to be much more accurate than with Legacy Digital Cable.  Although it's not perfect, it's pretty close to it and often any issues can be traced back to the broadcaster, not Rogers.

Once I set my series recordings, I can pretty well forget them since they usually record properly.  Using the IgniteTV app to quickly check recordings is also very useful.  I do not put too much stock in what is scheduled more than a week out because this often changes due to last minute corrections that occur automatically.

Re: How do you like Ignite TV compared to Digital Cable?

OLDYELLR
I'm a senior advisor

@57 wrote:

I’ve had IgniteTV for about 3 weeks.  It takes a bit of time to get used to different ways of doing things, but overall, the experience of IgniteTV has been positive, even better than positive.  I like it more than I thought I would, and my wife loves it.


I don't have Ignite, but a similar IPTV app from my ISP.  Compared to Rogers Digital Cable, I find a couple of annoyances and I wonder if Ignite is similar.

First, when I FF or rewind a recording, it's not as precise and jumps in steps. I FF through commercials at 16X, which overshoots, then rewind at 4X and press Play where the programme resumes.

The second is that occasionally a recording in progress does not show in my Recordings and have to go to it live from the Guide and rewind to the beginning.

Is this typical for IPTV and do you see anything like that with Ignite?


Rogers PayGo. Location: S-W Ontario

Re: How do you like Ignite TV compared to Digital Cable?

-G-
Resident Expert
Resident Expert

@OLDYELLR wrote:

@57 wrote:

I’ve had IgniteTV for about 3 weeks.  It takes a bit of time to get used to different ways of doing things, but overall, the experience of IgniteTV has been positive, even better than positive.  I like it more than I thought I would, and my wife loves it.


I don't have Ignite, but a similar IPTV app from my ISP.  Compared to Rogers Digital Cable, I find a couple of annoyances and I wonder if Ignite is similar.

First, when I FF or rewind a recording, it's not as precise and jumps in steps. I FF through commercials at 16X, which overshoots, then rewind at 4X and press Play where the programme resumes.

Is this typical for IPTV and do you see anything like that with Ignite?


The issues with FF/Rew not stopping at a precise point is not necessarily specific to IPTV, and is more problematic with some providers/implementations than others.  (For the technical reasons why, see here.)  Ignite TV suffered from this problem as well but things also seem to have gotten better in recent months.

The second is that occasionally a recording in progress does not show in my Recordings and have to go to it live from the Guide and rewind to the beginning.


This is not a problem that I have seen with Ignite TV but if you have a cloud PVR, it is possible for the cached state on the STB to get out of sync with the PVR service in the back-end.  Ignite TV has a "Sync PVR" function in Settings to get things back into sync again.

Re: How do you like Ignite TV compared to Digital Cable?

57
Resident Expert
Resident Expert

@OLDYELLR wrote:


1. First, when I FF or rewind a recording, it's not as precise and jumps in steps. I FF through commercials at 16X, which overshoots, then rewind at 4X and press Play where the programme resumes.

2. The second is that occasionally a recording in progress does not show in my Recordings and have to go to it live from the Guide and rewind to the beginning.


1. There are several ways to skip commercials with IgniteTV: A) skip in 30 second increments using PgUp,  B) Use voice control to say "skip ahead 3 minutes" (for example), or FF at various speeds.  If I invoke FF, I  use the second click of FF on IgniteTV which is fast enough and I can stop it at the appropriate time. The second click is about 15X (40 seconds to go 10 minutes on CP24).  When I click "play", it skips back a few seconds so that I rarely miss anything.  Some people had complained about the FF on IgniteTV not stopping in the correct place, however, I have not encountered that issue. Perhaps others are FF too fast or it's functioning better now as @-G- mentioned.   Which method I use depends on the programme and I use all three methods at one time or another.

The FF on Ignite is "quantized" so it's not as smooth as the 8300HD PVR was for you. The 9865 PVR on Rogers Digital Cable was also quantized and not smooth.

2. Have not seen this in IgniteTV.

Re: How do you like Ignite TV compared to Digital Cable?

Geron
I've been around

What is the difference between Rogers Cable and 'Ignite'?

Re: How do you like Ignite TV compared to Digital Cable?

-G-
Resident Expert
Resident Expert

@Geron wrote:

What is the difference between Rogers Cable and 'Ignite'?


"Digital Cable" and "Ignite TV" are based on completely different technologies.  With Digital Cable, you have coax-connected set-top boxes.  With Ignite TV, you have set-top boxes that are connected to your in-home network, and the TV service is now delivered/streamed over your Rogers Internet connection.  "Ignite" is the brand name that Rogers is now using for their TV, Internet and Home Phone services to differentiate them from the legacy services that they are phasing out over time.

Topic Stats