BBC in Canada?
 

Hi all

I know it's a strange question .... but would I be able to get BBC/ITV etc when I move to Canada [B.C.] ? I know it's mostly cable, but could I get a Sky package to include these stations?

TV addict ..... :huh:

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

The short, no. It's a different country. And the satellites that Sky comes off don't point over North America, only Europe.

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

Thanks for replying so quickly! It's just that on another discussion board they were mentioning some technical gadget that you could use on your satellite system that enables you to view programmes from other countries?

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

Hi Shoequeen

In Canada there are alot of BBC shows shown - albeit I think more the drama type like Doctor Who, Torchwood and Life from Mars. If you are looking for premiership football then you should also be in luck as I think that FOX and TSN both show it - I do know that hubby has watched as good quality footie as we have in the UK if not better soem weekends.

I think that there is a way to watch some of the stuff via the internet - do a search on this subject on this forum and am sure that you will be able to find the thread.

Gaynor
xx

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

Thank you! I know that I can see Eastenders and Corrie, but I was wondering about other shows I really like over here. I suppose at the end of the day I will gain some new favourites when I move!

I love Canada :wub:

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

Hi Again Hun

The English soaps are really far behing - at the last count Corrie was over 6 months behind as they change the frequency alot (but they do an omnibus over the weekend) and Eastenders is apparantly a few years behind !!!!

You have to remember that the UK is now awash with "American" tv and alot of this you can get over in Canada - CSI, House (with Hugh laurie).

Gaynor

x

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

Thanks .... I'm now wondering where Lethbridge is!

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

Hi Shoequeen

Lethbridge is in Southern Alberta about 3/4 hour drive from the US or 2.5 hours south of Calgary

See here


Gay

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

TV is absolutely awful over here but I guess that's okay because probably not many people move here for that reason. We subscribe to BBC Canada which can be useful but even then 40% of shows have to be Canadian made.

I now appreciate just how good a job the Beeb (and even ITV) did, do. Thank goodness we can listen to some UK radio online because even the radio isn't up to all that much.

There you go. A moaning, whining Brit! :)

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

Have a look here at the Global TV website, and here for CHBC. Try Google Canada for more TV channels and listings :)

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

The answer is Sirius. $17 a month. Radio 1, BBC World Service, umpteen channels of commercial free radio offering all sorts of stuff. (At any given moment a channel is playing Amy Winehouse, whereas at any given moment one free station is playing Rush and another Led Zeppelin). I haven't listened to a Canadian station since I got it.

The news in particular has been a relevation, since I haven't been listening to the Canadian stations I've heard news from countries all over the world. It rather amuses me that to get away from the parochialism of "domestic" meaning Canada and "international" meaning USA, I subscribe to a US based service.

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

I know..... I hold the CRTC (partially) responsible for the garbage that is Canadian broadcasting... let's have proper competition and choice.

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

I've just seen a website that advertizes satallite tv from all over the world that you can view online. They want my email address, but I'm not sure how safe that would be?

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

This operation http://www.thetelly.net/home.cfm?CFI...TOKEN=11159949 now are advertising on BE. Basically they host a 'slingbox' media transmitter/extender thingy which you can use to send TV via internet to your PC (& potentially TV) in Canada. You obviously need a good broadband connection to use it. I have no idea how good the service is but it looks expensive particularly when the GBP prices are converted to CAD$. But I'spose if you miss terrestrial British TV that much then you might consider it a price worth paying?

One thing we find invaluable in navigating the vast array of dross that constitutes North American TV is a Personal Video Recorder (PVR). This enables us to pick those programmes we want to watch and record them for viewing at our convenience and more importantly fast forward through the interminable bloody adverts. It's particularly useful if timezones mean that programmes you want to watch are on too late, (More a function of being in the East than the West), although the 'timeshifting' option of numerous feeds of the same channel helps with this to an extent.

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

So it seems to be worth it? Had my kids at schools in the UK because of their early graduation from Canadian schools and we loved travelling back and forth to the schools and listening to Chris Moyles. Thought we could get this stuff on the computer though? Is it easier to go with Sirius than a wireless laptop for the World Service or Radio 1 for example. Have a short wave radio but unfortunately a few years ago BBC stopped sending us the World Service here in Canada

BBCCanada is boring with the Holmes/Debbie Travis stuff but more interesting things there than other networks. Even the PBS networks don't have anywhere near the good stuff any more.

We have to pay extra for the decent sports networks and BBC and our digital fee is $70 a month- not impressed with that amount. Though other than those, we do not watch anything really and neither do my kids. Annoying that I have to pay for another 100 channels that I don't watch. Computers/dvds are the main source of entertainment now.

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

Wow.... is this actually a legal way of doing it? They talk about the license fee (in effect, i would be paying for it, so it's like a 'grey market' subscription...) ? Anyone know?

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

I think it's well worth the money. It was originally for the car as an internet based facility won't work (or won't work well) there. Then we got the home adaptor (so my OH can listen to country music <sob>) and then the ghetto blaster adaptor so we can use it in the other vehicles and at the barn. I just know that, sooner or later, we'll need a second subscription as terrestial radio is now unbearable.

We don't subscribe to a TV service but use rabbit ears which are adequate to get American Idol, Jeopardy and similar and have a subscription to zip.ca for films and TV series.

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

Just sign up to www.uknova.com (whenever they next open up for registration). It's free, and you can usually download stuff within a day or two of it airing in the UK. Of course it's not legal but then neither are any sites which offer this kind of thing.

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

Yeah but "simply registering" is the problem... i've tried countless times...

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

Hi,

There is talk of the BBC launching a site on the web with a subscription.
I would imagine that this would be common practice in the near future so all problems solved:thumbsup:

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

Hardly so, you can't take that in the car and besides it'd need a much better internet connection than we can get.

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

Except that licencing issues will undoubtably restrict this service to UK based IP addresses only.

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

There was this on the bbc website, may be a help.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertain...io/4187036.stm

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

I've come close to taking the plunge a few times with this and it seems like good value. I must admit your glowing description is very enticing. :)

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

I'm delighted with it. The weirdness of the "all Elvis" channel is almost worth the money on its own "here's takes 7 and 8 of Marie's the Name", in take 8 Elvis forgot the name of his former flame. Then there's Radio Romania, Radio Netherlands International, Mojo Nixon's redneck trucking chat show (I loved the discussion "truckers what do you think of the Bush administration's initiative to open the industry to Mexican firms?" from which I learned new polysyallabic words. Multiple channnels of country, dance, hip hip, classical, on and on. Great stuff.

The process of hooking it up was odd though. I called a toll free number which got me a woman in Cape Breton who had to boot her pc to get me started. She tried to sell me some prepayment package costing hundreds of dollars, when I demurred she said "oh, ok then, it'll be $17". It remains to be seen what will happen when Sirius merges with XM, I'm hoping for even more channels for about the same money.

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

Gosh, I get really antsy when I think about TV and radio. I know I will REALLY miss UK TV and radio. Not just BBC, but ITV, Channel 4 and 5. At least in the Uk if I wanna watch Richard & Judy or Ready Steady Cook or whatever other crap is on I can. I'm not a telly addict really, I think you just get used to what you have. I'm going to wish very hard for a good solution to this problem......

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

I'm gonna miss 'I'm a Celebrity ....' I know it sounds strange, but I really love that show! Must find a way to see it [either that or one of the family will have to tape it and send it to me]

good luck with the move - you lucky thing!

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

Thanks - everything is going smoothly up to now.
I thought about getting some TV shows taped onto DVD and sent over, but wonder how long British TV will be relevant when you get used to Canadian channels? This is what I'm hoping anyway. I'll have to wait and see.
I'm really gonna miss Chris Moyles - dont think anything could replace him.
Good luck with your move etc.
Nik

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

I think a case of genital warts would provide pretty much the same effect.

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

My lad downloads British shows he wants to watch, and plays them on his PC or records them to disc so we can see them if we want. (Things like Top Gear and QI)

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

Hes obviously an acquired taste!
I like him, but I know loads of people dont.

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

Cool - sounds like a great idea.
Do you subscribe to something to get access to these shows?
Nik

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

He comes on the radio here just as I'm getting to work. I did hear the first twenty minutes of his show one morning but it was all about how famous he is and that just seemed kind of odd as I'd never heard of him before.

What does he do?

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

I am not a pop/rock fan but had to become one with the children growing up- hence the listening to Chris Moyles when I was in the UK with them but then listening to the pop/rock radios over here made me go off it all over again- very bland and boring radio show hosts and of course a lot of ads to listen to:ohmy:
Most of the radio shows over here are equally boring. Anyone heard the CBC overnight Radio 1 shows from around the world? Only BBC World Service and Deutsche Welle interesting on a regular basis in my opinion.
I think I shall go for the Sirius - it seems as if that might bring some fun into my life:lol:

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

Not sure if you are aware or not but it is already possible to download channel 4 programmes onto your PC.... www.channel4.com/4od

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

This morning I listened to Radio Romania on the house price boom in that country, the BBC World Report and then a station called Africa Central on which 2003 is pronounced twenty-oh-three. Last night I listened to OutRadio on the Christian Conservative campaign to halt the passage of the Hate Crimes Bill through congress and then Mojo Nixon, the redneck hero.

Enjoyment of Sirius is helped by a willingness to experiment!

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

Ah but check the first item in the 'are you ready to use this service' page http://www.channel4.com/4od/how2use4od.html which is are you a resident of UK or Eire? If no then do not pass go and collect your on demand TV!:frown:

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

surely you could type in a family members address.

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

Don't they recognise us by our IP addresses?

Re: BBC in Canada?
 

I rather suspect it's not so much your mailing address as your IP address. Not sure of the technical details but it is possible to identify where geographically you are located from your IP details. UK based broadcasters are not going to allow you to access content if you are not in the UK due to licensing/legal issues IMHO.

EDIT: Copy and paste from the 4OD website FAQ page:

Can I still watch your programmes if I live outside the UK?
Category: 4oD | Sub Category: Who can access 4oD

No. 4oD programming is only available to residents of the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The programme rights we hold are limited to these geographic regions and it is illegal for us to allow them to be downloaded elsewhere.


Go back to 4oD Help Home