Nick ..

Um, did you read the link in my message?http://www.digitalhome.ca/content/view/1691/1/

The CRTC allows Global television (actually any Canadian television station that buys the rights to a program) to substitute their signal on every channel (CBS, Fox, etc). This is called sim-subbing, and happens no matter what Bell says on their web page.

While this feed originates in the States, it's been well documented that Global is processing the feed in real time to add logos, voice-overs, and the reason for the sim-sub - commercial substition. This is the reason some of the plays get missed, among may other problems (have you ever seen you show disappear just before the end or before the credit roll, as if someone changed the channel?)

In last weeks game, the pre-game show was flawless, but at kick-off the quality dropped through the floor.

People are screaming, and several newspapers have picked up on the story.

Again, read the link if you want the details.

Well, if you're Canadian with a high def tv, you're cable/satellite company will probally replace the signal with absolute trash.

Signal Substitution ruins football game for HD fans: http://www.digitalhome.ca/content/view/1691/1/

Can anybody tell me what a Lincoln is?
I assume it's a dollar bill or something?

Kids - Treehouse or Cartoon Channels
Teenagers - MTV etc

I'd suggest most families keep their cable & use a pvr, it will save them hundreds a month!

You know, I usually agree with you here, but I think you're under-estimating the amount of work it takes to download torrent files.

Last year, if I missed an episode of Lost (or god forbid my wife missed a Desperate Housewives or Gilmore Girls), I would download the episode and convert it to DVD. While the conversion was a bit of a hassle it was worth it.

Half way through the year, I bought an LG DVD player that does Divx/Xvid. Now there's huge ease of use. I can download a whole season of 24 overnight (I never watched before because I missed the opening) and drop all 24 files right on 2 DVDs -- nice, surround sound on my 32 inch tv. (non-HD, I'm more of the average user and can't justify current HD prices, although I'd love to upgrade). There's no video conversion to do with one of these players.

Here's the kicker, whenever my wives friends would miss an episode of Lost they'd freak - and I'd be downloading and converting again. Divx DVD players are everywhere in Canada now.
Everyone we know has broadband, and several of them have gone out and bought cheapo $35 Divx DVD players at Walmart. Within 1/2 a seaon at least 15 average suburban families have been exposed to it!

Now, a nice Divx rip of a dvd movie at full quality and AC3 surround takes two hours to download over a 'light' (low speed) broadband connection (about 2gig). Although I don't generally condone this, the download is probally easier than dragging my wife to the video store. It's definitely as easy or fast as netflix.

By the way: I'm 35, have 2 kids, don't play video games and generally spend all my spare time with my family. Uncondoned downloads are coming, I think they should be taken seriously.