Telus Optik TV Review - Optik TV Review Part 2 - Vancouver BC

Why is Telus Optik TV so great?

I don't want to answer this in a weak way, but everything makes Telus Optik TV great. I really actually don't know where to start on this. I sound like a fanboy and that's fine. I just don't want anyone to miss out on the next generation of television. Optik TV really is the evolution of TV.

Okay, so let me explain my reasons for saying why Telus Optik TV is so great. A lot of my likes are related to the PVR experience so I'll mention that right off the bat. Some of the things I mention may seem minor but until you get to experience them, you will not realize just how terrific the subtleties really are.

Reason 1 Why Telus Optik TV is great:

Main feature that is amazing? Your second TV and digital box is virtually identical in function to your main TV with the Telus Optik PVR. This means two main things. With Telus TV (not to be confused with Telus Optik TV) you had one TV that could run a PVR and HD channels. Your second TV could not run HD or have a PVR at the same time.

With Telus Optik TV the second box isn't a PVR, but it operates as a clone of the PVR on your main television. It acts like a PVR and does everything that your PVR does in the other room of your home. The digital box in the Telus Optik TV is networked to the main PVR. This means set recordings, pause TV, can view and watch HD programs, setup recordings, etc, etc, can all be done via the second digital box.

Make sense? Yes with Telus Optik TV you can't use 2 PVR's, but you only need the 1 because the basic digital box can operate the PVR through the network.

Reason 2 Why Optik TV is great:

The end of having to watch commercials! Fast forward on a PVR like never before! Telus TV had a PVR but it doesn't have the abilities of Telus Optik TV when it comes to smart fast forward. That's my name for it anyways.

Here is how it works. Like other PVR's on the market, each time you press the fast forward button, the speed increases. Usually it's like 1x, 2x, 4x, 8x, etc. Well with Telus Optik TV the fastforward is 1x, 2x, 3x or 4x. What makes this smart, is that if you use 2x or faster, the recording will rewind slightly once you press play to stop the fast forwarding. Remember though, on the first of 1x fast forward the smart fast forward will not be activated. So the faster you are fast forwarding, the longer the rewind will be when you press play. Make sense?

As an example, if you're watching a PVR recording and you get to a commercial, you will fast forward. Before Optik TV was available, you would be stuck trying to time the end of the commercial and the start of your show. Yes, 99% of the time you fast forward too far into the show and then you have to press play, then rewind, and then play. Well with Telus Optik TV your worries are over. If you're at the commercial and you fast forward at x2 speed, when you reach the start of the show and press play, the PVR will automatically rewind a second or two and most times, it's perfectly at the start of the show.

It's amazing. If you get really good at the timing you can fast forward at 3x and when you reach your show and press play, the rewind is a second or two longer than when you're doing this for 2x. Equally at 4x fast forward the rewind is even more generous. It's very intelligent!

Trust me. This may be the nicest feature of Telus Optik TV. You have no idea until you have it. You won't want to watch live TV programs. It just makes life so much easier. Afterall, watching TV is supposed to be easy. Using the smart fast forward is the only true way of appreciating it. Words can't really do it justice!

Reason 3 Why Telus Optik TV is great:

Two click recording! Here is how recording with the Optik TV PVR works. See a program in the guide you want to record? Click record and a red dot appears and it's set. Click the record button a second time and now the Telus Optik PVR will record that same show anytime it's on around the same time. It's just that easy folks!

Reason 4 Why Telus Optik TV is great:

More versatile remote control. This means you can use just 1 remote (Telus Optik TV remote) and not have to switch back and forth with your default television remote as often. With so many tvs on the market there are often issue with incompatibility regarding volume especially. With Optik TV you can adjust volume through the digital box. If you have an oddball television, for example a big 27" lcd monitor or similar which is designed for computers, you can use the Telus Optik remote for volume control. So now, thanks to Telus Optik TV you can stop worrying about compatibility issues and finding codes.

The other fantastic aspect of the Optik TV remote is that you can mute from the digital box. Trust me, using the one remote for volume and operating Telus Optik TV is a real treat. Of course I'm speaking to those people who use the television speakers and are not controlling their volume through an amplifier. You should be able to hit the mute from the Optik TV remote, but controlling your amp volume via the remote will not happen that I'm aware of. With that said, having the ability to mute is still very very handy.

Reason 5 Why Telus Optik TV is great:

It's user friendly! This means for those who aren't tech savy need not worry. My wife falls under the "opposite of tech savy" and she can utilize Optik TV with ease. You think all television and PVR's are simple to navigate and use? Try something like Telus Satellite and you will clearly see the difference. In addition, Telus has a section on your PVR that has video "how to's" and that is updated constantly as new features are added to Optik TV.

Reason 6 Why Telus Optik TV is great:

If you had the original Telus TV then you know this one. Remember powering on the PVR or digital box and the TV was supposed to power on at the same time? If the TV went on and the PVR didn't then what? Or perhaps the PVR turned on buy the TV didn't. Then of course they are out of synch and if you press the power button again, one will turn off and one will turn on. Kiss that irretation good by with Telus Optik TV. You can wake up the Telus Optik TV PVR or digital box by pressing OK on the remote. If your TV is on and the PVR is off, you will see a Telus green screensave type page and prompts you to press OK on the remote control. You may have to think about how beneficial this is, but trust me, it's a real treat not having to look around for the TV remote or manually turning it on.

Go to Telus Optik TV Cons

(adding content...please be patient. Updating August 2011 and in the days following)