I can remove my old external HDD to add a larger one, but...

[Lightrain]

I can remove my old external HDD to add a larger one, but could I swap the old one back temporarily to watch old recordings?

Thanks for letting me pick your brain.

Norm

PS I'm learning a lot on this discussion.

[bostonbob]

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@Lightrain wrote:

Phew, I was worried it wouldn't work at all. Thank you bostonbob! 

So what did you, if anything, have to do to have the new channels appear in/on your old gateway? I have the bluecurve app on my cellphone but it's either confusing, or I am.

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Well now I'm a bit confused - are you switching to the BlueCurve or sticking with the Gateway ???? Anyway - as for any new channels ( I went from Medium TV to Total TV last April ) I was getting I had to go to the Channel List page and manually activate them just like I had to deactivate any channels ( TCM, Silver Screen Classics, Rewind and Documentary Canada ) that I was losing. If you are switching to the BlueCurve system I'll let somebody else tell you how to add/delete channels because I have no idea.

[bostonbob]

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@Lightrain wrote:

When you switched did you lose recordings on your old gateway?

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No - nothing changed there. 

[Lightrain]

That's grrrreat -- thank you very much for the info!!!

Norm

[bostonbob]

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@Lightrain wrote:

I can remove my old external HDD to add a larger one, but could I swap the old one back temporarily to watch old recordings?

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No - you would need to reformat your old HDD if you are going to use it on a different box then the one you had it on before. This would mean that you would definitely lose all your old recordings. If there is stuff on there you really want to watch or keep then ask SHAW if you can keep your old Gateway system active along with the new BlueCurve system but I'm pretty sure you will have to get a separate account for the Gateway which will cost you more.

[Lightrain]

10--4. Right, every new HDD gets formatted before use. 

Not sure about the gateway charges and separate account. I own my old gateway and portals outright, figured it'd be cheaper then renting and since I'v had it/them for several years I have saved money on that (until now?).

Thanks again!!

[Lightrain]

Sorry to confuse you, it's a habit I do to myself all the time.

I have a Arris MP 2150 Gateway with 3 portals, I also had a Hitron 2250 router/modem/wifi. My current TV lineup (Medium+) is being changed to Total TV. Shaw changed my router/modem/wifi to a Technicolor XB6 which is ironically named as a Bluecurve gateway (but it really do any gateway functions). In order to install it and change SSID/password I needed the Bluecurve app on my phone only to allow me to log in to it.

What I really want to do is keep my Arris gateway and 3 Arris portals, then change the list of channels from my previous channel lineup and install the total tv channels. My Arris gateway has changed a bit, it now asks if you want to watch in HD (if available) when you're watching in SD, also plops free preview channels into the guide. The only thing I know for sure was my TCM channel was removed by Shaw within days of my Shaw order being processed.   

[bostonbob]

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@Lightrain wrote:

What I really want to do is keep my Arris gateway and 3 Arris portals, then change the list of channels from my previous channel lineup and install the total tv channels. My Arris gateway has changed a bit, it now asks if you want to watch in HD (if available) when you're watching in SD, also plops free preview channels into the guide. The only thing I know for sure was my TCM channel was removed by Shaw within days of my Shaw order being processed.   

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OK - now I got it. So it sounds like you are going to get what I already have so this is what I can tell you:

- your channel numbers will remain the same.

- you will lose a few channels: TCM, Silver Screen Classics, Rewind and Documentary were the channels I lost but it all depends of which Theme Packs you had with the Medium TV package.

- you will definitely add a bunch of channels again depending on which Theme Packs you had before.

One thing about the Total TV package for Gateway customers that I really don't like and that nobody can tell me why is the fact that although we do get the Much Music SD channel we don't get the Much Music HD channel. Every other channel in the Total TV package that SHAW carries both an HD version and a SD version has both versions included EXCEPT for Much Music. Every CSR I've talked says the same thing: there's really no explanation as to why the HD version is not included. 

Anyway - outside of the above nothing will really change for you by switching over to the Total TV package. It's just like before when you switched up one of your Theme Packs - outside of gaining / losing some channels you will see no difference in how your Gateway system works.

EDIT: As far as the Gateway now asking if you want to switch to an HD channel and the Free Preview channels now appearing in your guide ( you still have to activate them on the Channel List page ) that has nothing to do with the switch to the Total TV package. Those changes took place for all Gateway customers ( and maybe BlueCurve customers ) last October.

https://support.shaw.ca/t5/tv-discussions/a-couple-of-new-features-added-with-recent-gateway-update/...

[Lightrain · Accepted solution]

I was totally confused by the printout that the Shaw rep gave me. It showed the list of removed channels using my Arris gateway numbering. But channels added or remaining were using the real bluecurve numbers starting at 0101. This made me think that I needed to somehow get these programmed to match those numbers, but alas they did stay at the Arris gateway numbering. Except in Bluecurve the channels are all available in HD whereas using an Arris gateway I see a lot of SD channels with no HD equivalent. If you look at the Shaw page showing total tv they show everything in HD with one or two only available in SD. I assume that our Arris gateway is not capable of receiving them somehow, but yet the Arris gateway can receive PPV, NFL, NHL etc. in HD. <sigh>

Thanks again for your help.

Norm

[Lightrain]

Same speed - 300 Mb The different channel numbers were confusing, the Shaw rep gave me a list of the channels using the 'real' bluecurve numbers that I was going to get/keep. But I saw some channels disappear showing the Arris gateway numbers, along with my new/retained channels starting at 0101 and I thought I had to do something to get them, but it turns out they stayed with their original Arris channels + a few more. 

You seem very knowledgeable about all this, so here's one last question. On the Shaw website the channels listed in the Total TV are all described as being in HD & SD with one or two only in HD. Yet in my Total TV there are many channels only available in SD? The Arris can receive hundreds of HD PPV, special events, NHL, NFL etc. but why don't they spread the HD in the empty/missing HD realms, like 500+ which the Arris can receive?