Ignite TV Casting

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I’m confused with comments on Rogers Ignite TV website about casting from a mobile device or IPad that has the Rogers Ignite App installed on it. The website says you have to have a set top box for each TV ( $10 a month). Previous we didn’t have a Smart TV that had Chromecast or Apple Airplay built in. We went out and bought a Google Chromecast device set it up to our wifi and no issues casting Rogers Ignite TV channels or recordings. When you open the Rogers app at the top right hand corner there are two symbols one is Chromecast the other is Apple Airplay. So why is Rogers still say on their website that you need a set top box per TV. We have be using the Rogers app and casting on other TVs in our home since we signed onto Ignite. This saves us $120 a year per box. Also if you subscribe to Stingray Plus @ $3 a month which we were paying with our Flex 10 package until last spring and it was an add on. If you go to the All Channel Guide you will see how Stingray used to come up on the guide, but if you click on the channel you want it kicks you to the Stingray app.  I suggest you cancel save your $3 a month as it is a available through the Stingray app which is included with your subscription to Flex 5, 10, and 20 with Sports. I don’t how many music channels ( I remember about 40 ) we had now with the Stingray TV app 2000+ channels commercial free. And if you want to have the Stingray app on your Phone or IPad download it you can connect through to you TV provider commercial free. You can also get the Stingray app free and content without going through your TV. But you may hear an announcement every once in a while example “ This is Stingray Music you are listening to Flashback 70’s”

Now if we can only get Rogers to remove the $3 a month charge for the 4+1 U.S. stations from Buffalo as they called the distant stations with Flex packages back in 2021. ( Prime Time Package). They weren’t distant stations on Digital ( Legacy) annd were included in packages and they aren’t distant stations on Roger's New and Improved Starter, Popular and Total Packages they are included which were recently released.

The internet has opened another form of delivery of content to subscribers and consumers a lot of apps free and content free. Start discovering what else is available besides your TV Provider.

Hope some of these concerns help others.

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@Flavour1 wrote:

I’m confused with comments on Rogers Ignite TV website about casting from a mobile device or IPad that has the Rogers Ignite App installed on it. The website says you have to have a set top box for each TV ( $10 a month). Previous we didn’t have a Smart TV that had Chromecast or Apple Airplay built in. We went out and bought a Google Chromecast device set it up to our wifi and no issues casting Rogers Ignite TV channels or recordings. When you open the Rogers app at the top right hand corner there are two symbols one is Chromecast the other is Apple Airplay. So why is Rogers still say on their website that you need a set top box per TV.

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I checked https://www.rogers.com/bundles/offers and not see any such requirement shown there.  If any such wording is used anywhere, it should only be in the context that an Ignite Entertainment set-top box can only be connected to one TV.

Now if we can only get Rogers to remove the $3 a month charge for the 4+1 U.S. stations from Buffalo as they called the distant stations with Flex packages back in 2021. ( Prime Time Package). They weren’t distant stations on Digital ( Legacy) annd were included in packages and they aren’t distant stations on Roger's New and Improved Starter, Popular and Total Packages they are included which were recently released.

The internet has opened another form of delivery of content to subscribers and consumers a lot of apps free and content free. Start discovering what else is available besides your TV Provider.

Hope some of these concerns help others.

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Pulling the "distant" US networks from the lineup never made any sense to me.  Sure, some customers subscribed to the Prime Time Pack but I also wonder how many customers left (or that chose not to subscribe to Ignite) because of this.

That said, having made this change, I seriously doubt that Rogers will reverse course AND lose the $3/month that they are getting from their current Prime Time Pack subscribers.  It also provides added incentive for customers to switch to one of the new in-market bundles.

[57]

I also have a few comments:

1. I never concern myself with what an individual theme or package or channel costs.  I look at the overall cost of the package that I want from Rogers and decide if it's worthwhile and what I want.  If something (channel or theme) is more than I wish to pay, I don't pay it.

2. The Prime Time Pack price came into being a few years ago, but at the same time the pricing for certain packages like the Flex(es) or Premier, etc may have gone down, in which case the overall package including The Prime Time Pack, may have been lower for certain people, or for all.

3. Buffalo/Detroit "network" channels (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS) are available Over the Air (OTA) to millions of people, so they might have been pleased to see that they didn't need to pay for them subsidizing other people who want them on "Cable"...

4. I do agree that charging $3/mo for Stingray, if it's actually included for all is deceitful.  I'm not convinced that's the case and it may simply be an oversight.

5. If you are happy casting to a TV instead of using an IgniteTV box, please feel free to do so.  I prefer to have a box because casting has lower video quality, lower audio quality and the interface can be "clunky" compared to using a box, especially when it comes to voice commands, etc.

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Hi 57 - This was on Rogers website “ If you have more than one TV in your home you will need an Ignite Entertainment set top box plus remote control for each TV you would like to use on this service. To order more for an additional cost please contact us. For more information, please visit rogers.com/support-streaming. Now if this is something old it needs to be removed from the website. I find no decrease in video or audio quality and for families that may have 2 or 3 TV’ s that could be a saving of between $120 and $240. As the first set top box is included with your Ignite Bundle.

As far as Stingray Music now with the app Stingray Plus should be eliminated completely.

Now with the 4+1 U.S. Buffalo channels biggest mistake Rogers ever made with the Flex system which I believe is not available to new customers only existing ones. How Rogers came with this idea that they were distant stations is beyond me. 
if Rogers can tell me where I could find PBS programming on a Canadian channel is beyond me. The only other TV provider that removed the 4+1 Buffalo, Detroit, Boston etc. COMPLETELY was Bell after the Basic or Starter Packages were introduced back in 2016 by the CRTC and they then told their employees to down play  The Starter or Basic Package and up sell larger packages.

[57]

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@Flavour1 wrote:

1. This was on Rogers website “ If you have more than one TV in your home you will need an Ignite Entertainment set top box plus remote control for each TV you would like to use on this service.

2. For more information, please visit rogers.com/support-streaming.

3. I find no decrease in video or audio quality and for families that may have 2 or 3 TV’ s that could be a saving of between $120 and $240.

4. How Rogers came with this idea that they were distant stations is beyond me. 

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1. Information on websites does become stale or outdated.  The only thing you can do is your research and advise the website when the information is incorrect.  The information provided is probably acceptable for most households, since casting is not something done by very many people.  People who have a device like a phone or tablet, probably watch on that device.  Remember also devices and Chromecast are not zero-cost items.

2. That link provides a 404 error. Here's information on casting:

https://www.rogers.com/support/choose-tv/casting-ignite-tv-with-chromecast

3. The max resolution for Rogers streaming/casting using a device is typically 720P, which has only half the pixels of an HD channel on the box (1080P) and only 1/8th the pixels of 4K on the box.  Device streaming is also typically limited to 2-channel audio instead of DD5.1.  There is a huge difference for me, but I do understand that some people don't care about, or notice, the audio/video quality.

4. I don't ever recall those channels being called distant.  On this forum and the Rogers website they were always known as "Prime Time Pack" or similar.

[Flavour1]

https://www.rogers.com/support/iptv/ignite-tv-distant-channels

i have included the link

[57]

Thanks for the link.  It was still called "Prime Time Pack", but now I see where the "distant" reference comes from.

One interesting point that they mention at the bottom is "² Customers have found that they can get most of the shows they want from Canadian TV stations that remain available in the Ignite TV bundles.  This is true for much of the prime time viewing due to simsubs on the Canadian channels, although those do not exist for PBS, as you have mentioned.  PBS is the main reason for my interest in the Prime Time Pack, although there are very occasional other programmes.

[Flavour1]

Hi 57 Happy New Year,

I think the key word with all this is “CHOICE” what I may want others may not. Those 4+1 U.S. Buffalo border stations have been with most TV providers for many years and likely were there when Ted Rogers started Rogers Cable back in 1967. 
Yes simulcast plays a big part (except PBS) . You can subscribe to PBS Passport streaming service for as low as $5 a month in our case WNED Buffalo or WQLN Erie

I have done some comparisons especially with sports ( we don’t have any sports channels our choice) on the weekend looking through the TV Guide ei Basketball, Football with games that are ei. Fox or CBS. TSN is also carrying them. Why would I pay a higher price for TSN or SportsNet packages when they are one of the U.S. 4+1 which prior to the Flex packages were included and now with the New and Improved packages Starter, Popular and Total. All other TV providers have the 4+1 included in any package that I can find on line.

I may be the exception, but recently CP 24 and CTV News channel have their own app through the App Store. This may apply to some subscribers on a Flex package like we are ( Flex 10) and don’t want to have them included all the time with their Flex package even though you can swap them both with Flex as they are included to swap. Now you can keep the 10 channels you like the most, now you use the CP24 and CTV News channel app ei IPad, IPhone or watch them on your mobile device, or cast them to your TV as in our case you likely aren’t going to watch them for a long time as they are news channels pretty well on a loop. Just an option!!! To give you more choice for some other channels that are available in the list of Flex channels.

When writing the CRTC about the 4+1 U.S. stations their response was it was not mandated by them this was Rogers decision and they had received a lot of

complaints. So this may be one reason Flex was grandfathered ( existing customers get to keep ) and these new packages were introduced in November 2023, include the 4+1. U.S.

Our TV viewing is been drastically reduced over the years since the streaming services were introduced. ( our choice). Our bundled four services TV, Internet, Home Phone and Cell runs around $114 a month before taxes, for Flex 10 with The Prime Time Pack with $3 a month included with that price. So moving to even the new Popular Package economically wouldn’t be worth it and again would be getting a lot of unwanted channels. We will stay with Flex with our choices.