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| Company type | SubsidiaryofBell Canada |
|---|---|
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Predecessor | Bell Entertainment Service |
| Founded | September 13, 2010 |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Canada |
| Products | IPTV |
| Parent | Bell Canada |
| Website | Bell Fibe TV |
Bell Fibe TV is an IP-based television service offered by Bell CanadainOntario and Quebec. It is bundled with a FTTN or FTTH Bell Internet service, and uses the Ericsson Mediaroom platform.
Bell Fibe TV officially launched on September 13, 2010 and is currently available only in select areas of Ontario and Quebec. Service will gradually be expanded and it is expected that Fibe TV will be available to nearly 5 million households by the end of 2015.[1]
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Bell began researching for a new television solution in 2004 in order to penetrate into urban markets where building owners restricted the installation of satellite dishes. The launch of Bell ExpressVu for Condos (VDSL service) proved to be ineffective since that service did not allow for customers to benefit from HD programming and PVR options. In 2006, after much research was done, Bell started testing a new technology called IPTV in Toronto, Quebec City and Montreal with Bell employees using the ADSL platform. In October 2007, Bell finally launched a pilot project of IPTV branded as Bell Entertainment Service in select areas and buildings of Toronto. Most of the features that are now available with Fibe TV were offered with Bell Entertainment Service. Some key traits of Bell Entertainment Service were internet and TV charges being billed as one service, "White Glove" customer service and media sharing. After finalizing testing for the new IPTV service in the following years, Bell finally rolled out a contained launch in Toronto and Montreal under the "Fibe TV" brand name in June 2010 followed by an official launch later that year in September.
Bell Fibe TV is currently available in select areas of Ontario and Quebec with ongoing expansion in both provinces. limited in specific neighbourhoods in London
| Ontario | Quebec |
|---|---|
| Almonte* | Gatineau |
| Carleton Place* | Montreal |
| Guelph | Quebec City |
| Kingston | Sherbrooke |
| Kitchener | |
| Ottawa | |
| Toronto | |
| Mississauga | |
| Waterloo |
Bell Fibe TV receivers are manufactured by Arris formerly Motorola. The three models that are currently being offered to subscribers are the whole home PVR (VIP 2262), wired HD Receiver (VIP 2202) and wireless HD Receiver (VIP 2502). The HD Receiver can only view programming and does not contain a hard drive, howerver it is able to record and access recorded programs through the networked whole home PVR.
The PVR includes an internal 500GB and 1TB hard disk drive for recording programs. The PVR and wired HD receivers can be connected to the network through either a coaxial cableorCategory 5 cable and the wireless HD receiver connects using 5 GHz 802.11n.[2]
| PVR (VIP 2262) | Wired HD Receiver (VIP2202) | Wireless HD Receiver (VIP2502) | |
| CPU | 1,000 DMIPS | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| DRAM | 256 MB | ||
| Flash | 64 MB | ||
| Hard Drive | 500 GB or 1 TB | None | |
| SD Video Outputs | Two composite video, one S-video and coaxial (using channel 3/4 output) | One composite video and one S-video | |
| HD Video Outputs | One HDMI with HDCP support and one Component video (Y PB PR) | ||
| Audio Outputs | Optical S/PDIF and L/R RCA stereo audio connectors (1 pair) | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 one front and one rear | USB 2.0 one front | |
| Connectivity | Coaxial and 10/100Base T Ethernet (RJ-45) | 10/100Base T Ethernet (RJ-45) and 802.11n wireless (2.4 GHz only) | |
| SD Resolution | 480i, 480p | ||
| HD Resolution | 720p, 1080i, 1080P | ||
| Dimension | Height: 5.6 cm (2.2 in), Width: 25.4 cm (10 in), Depth: 19.8 cm (7.8 in) | Height: 5.6 cm (2.2 in), Width: 25.4 cm (10 in), Depth: 19.8 cm (7.8 in) | |
| Weight | 1.3 kg (2.95 lbs) | ||
| Power | 95 to 130 VAC, 12 VDC | ||
| Power Consumption | 30 W | 20 W | 18 W |
Features of Bell Fibe TV include the following:[3]
Bell Fibe TV provides over 500 channels including all major Canadian and US networks, popular specialty services, PPV, sports packages, over 85 international services and over 115 high-definition channels.[5] Key services include:
Bell Fibe TV requires a Bell Internet subscription. The speed listed for the Internet connection remains unused for the television service. For example, the Fibe 175/175 plan actually has 200 Mbit/s symmetric bandwidth. Of this, 175 is dedicated for Internet usage, while up to 25 is set aside for TV.
With the 25 Mbit/s dedicated bandwidth, it is possible to watch or record up to four channels simultaneously but only up to three in HD. So to view four channels one of them must be in SD.
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2An additional 9.5% interest is held by the BCE Master Trust Fund (Bell's pension plan). | |
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Cable, satellite, and other specialty television providers in Canada
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Terrestrial and satellite | |||||
| Satellite |
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| Cable |
See also : Defunct cable and DBS companies of Canada | ||||
| IPTV |
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1More than 400,000 television service subscribers. | |||||
