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 .....

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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.

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

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?

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.

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.