Rogers is not yet ready for 4KTV

So the hype has finally arrived for 4KTV in Canada, and it seems to be a race to meet consumer demands. Last week the first ever NHL game was broadcast and produced in 4KTV by Rogers.

Hoping to catch my Leafs take on the Canadians in 4K, I decided to order the 4KTV box from Rogers as I felt some major FOLO during the first ever sports broadcast last week when the Toronto Raptors game was televised from London England in 4K. And seeing that every home game of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2016 will also be broadcast in 4K, I just couldn’t sit back and wait.

I headed to the local Rogers Plus location to pick up a 4KTV box. I was greeted right away and placed into a queue when I told them I was looking to pick up the 4KTV Nextbox. After about 10 minutes I was told that they are out of stock on the boxes and that I could go to Scarborough Town Centre to get a box. The gentleman behind me was also looking for a box and was also advised to make the 25 minute drive. Feeling confident about this, I picked up the tv on my way to the STC. I also decided to call a few closer stores before making the drive and I was also told over the phone that I would need to go to STC to pick up the next Nextbox.

With about 2 hours to spare before puck drop I thought I was doing good for time and couldn’t wait to get home and swap in the new cable box. That was until I was told that the store doesn’t stock the 4KTV box and that I was mislead not once, but twice. I didn’t want to take no for an answer so I called into the always helpful customer relations to ask if my trek to Scarborough was indeed in error.

The very helpful rep understood my situation and was apologetic about the information that I had received, but also assured me that in her system it shows that the location has stock and that I could even go online and look myself at the stores that are carrying the 4KTV boxes. Well, I will cut to the chase, all of this information was incorrect. No stores carry the 4KTV boxes, and I was suggested to place a service call to have a technician deliver the box.

I ended up going home and settling for some 1080P Leafs vs Habs action and unfortunately felt defeated and was reminded of my defeat every few minutes when the Rogers 4KTV branding appeared in the top corner of the screen making me think I was missing out on the experience similar to sitting in a 3D movie theatre without 3D glasses.

Luckily, Rogers was able to set up an appointment for two weeks out to have a technician deliver a 4KTV box. Sometime in February I will be able to share my 4KTV experience with you if all goes well!

Now here is a few things I would like to share that I learned during this journey.

1. At the moment, Rogers is offering 4KTV on only one channel, channel 999 and only during select dates.
2. To get 4KTV, you need the Nextbox 4KTV and the price is $12.95/month to rent the box. This box replaces the Nextbox 3.0 that you currently use, but unfortunately none of the features you expect from the 3.0 are ready in the 4.0. There is no PVR functionality and cannot be connected to your WholeHome experience.
3. By requesting the 4KTV service, you cannot be receiving any discounts or promotions on your cable TV service so the existing promotions you may have will be removed. This is also the case if you are interested in the 1Gbps Ignite internet service.
4. Oh, and don’t forget you will need a new HDMI cable that handles 4K. (hdmi v2.0)

Rogers seems to be very overwhelmed at the response they have received with 4KTV and the fact its being promoted so heavily is most likely the reasoning. I was very skeptical to pick up a 4K TV as there is still very little content available, but as I suffer from FOLO, I made the decision and am very excited to catch some sports action soon! Please share your experiences with 4KTV, and if you were able to catch the Raptors or Leafs games, was it worth the effort?