[XCSSA] AT&T IPTV
xcssa@xcssa.org
xcssa@xcssa.org
Sat, 2 Jun 2007 17:24:16 -0500
Nick,
Thanks for the write up on this man. I have heard "things" about it but
your write up is the best I have seen. I encourage you to share it out on a
board or two. Oh and my Mom has it too and I am already getting calls.
Word,
Chad Smykay
-----Original Message-----
From: xcssa-admin@xcssa.org [mailto:xcssa-admin@xcssa.org]
Sent: Monday, May 28, 2007 8:12 AM
To: xcssa@xcssa.org
Subject: Re: [XCSSA] AT&T IPTV
On 5/27/07 11:53 PM, "xcssa-admin@xcssa.org" <xcssa-admin@xcssa.org> wrote:
> Since a story appeared on /. today
> (http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/27/2315239&from=rss), I
> decided to pass on my experiences with it.
>
> To explain what it is for those not aware, AT&T U-Verse service is FTTN
> (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FTTN), that is, fiber to your neighborhood
> and copper to your house. Basically they bring in your phone and
> network over a single dedicated pair, which they bridge to an existing
> coax line. That comes into a VDSL modem (dubbed "residential gateway"),
> which distributes IPTV over your existing coax network. Each TV
> requires a set top box to decode the stream to your TV. They provide as
> part of the service 2 set top boxes plus one DVR (for a total of 3
> viewable monitors). I have a package of a 200 channel line-up (no
> premium channels), plus HD service, and a 6Mb/1Mb internet service.
>
> First, the good. The network is pretty reliable, and I can usually get
> fully 6Mb down and 1Mb up to any endpoint at
> http://speakeasy.net/speedtest. Not bad. The SD service is as good as
> satellite, and the set top box does a decent job of deinterlacing and
> scaling (not great, just not bad). Since it's much better than the
> crappy analog signal coming from Time Warner, this is a big plus for me.
> Also, I pay $89/month for the service I'm getting, which is
> significantly cheaper than the Time Warner package I had, which was over
> $130/month.
>
> OK, that's where the good ends. Let's start with the installation. I
> had to have 3 different crews come out over the course of the day to
> even get the cabling from the node to my house straightened out. The
> in-home install went OK, but I've had 3 techs back here in the past
> month, and I've had 1 set top box replaced and my DVR replaced. They've
> been pretty responsive, but it's been a HUGE hassle. But then there was
> the time my phone was out for 3 days, and when they finally came out
> there was a blown fuse at the node, directly related to the uverse
install.
>
> Now let's talk about the equipment. It sucks. Really horrible.
> They're manufactured by Motorola and run Microsoft's IPTV software.
> Think Media Center on WinCE. Really slow, buggy, non-configurable, and
> the list goes on. The DVR is neigh unusable, but thank god you can
> schedule recordings through the internet. It's actually faster to get
> the computer, turn it on, connect to Yahoo, and search and schedule
> recordings through a web browser than to use the remote for the set top
> box. Yes, it's that horrible.
>
> The software is pretty unconfigurable. They picked a nice white on
> light blue interface that is transparent with the current channel
> playing behind it. So it's nice and unreadable, especially for my wife
> who needs more contrast to read it. It's completely unusable to her.
> You can't change the colors at all. The closed captioning is
> implemented incorrectly, is buggy, and is completely unconfigurable.
> It's the only digital TV equipment I have ever used that can't be
> configured according to the EIA-708 standard.
>
> As for the VDSL modem, it's fairly capable as a router, but one of the
> features is built-in Wifi, and it sucks. It drops packets like mad, at
> a rate of 6-9% nominally. I have yet to disable it and connect my
> Linksys up for wireless access, but I may cancel the service before I
> get to it. You can't disable http access to it, even over wireless. It
> does have an https service running, but that doesn't change the fact
> that it comes preconfigured for WEP, not WPA, and you just can't off
> wireless admin access.
>
> Now on to the television service. Fortunately, AT&T is offering free HD
> service for a year to new subscribers. Unfortunately I have been
> charged every month for it, and I have to call and argue to have it
> refunded. Because I wouldn't pay for it, given the choice. It's
> HEAVILY compressed and is at best 720p, even the 1080i HDNet channels.
> The picture quality is significantly worse than cable, and it pixelates
> drops frames like mad. Sometimes the audio is off from the video,
> sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. I have a very clean signal, and
> I'm using HDMI cables. The FTTN just can't support good HDTV. Oh, and
> you can only get 1 HD stream at a time. Period. It's good about just
> NOT recording your shows without warning on the DVR if you're watching
> HD on another TV.
>
> The DVR has so many problems I don't even know where to start. It can't
> even do simple things like record an entire series of shows at any time.
> Yes, it has an option to do so, but it's a known issue that it doesn't
> work. You have to manually set up the recordings throughout the week.
> Even then it just won't record sometimes, or not start at the right
> time. I missed recording the season finale of Heroes. Twice.
> Sometimes it says I'm not subscribed to the channel and I can't watch
> the recording. That brings me to DRM. Yep, it's got integrated DRM.
> It's Microsoft. You cannot record some programs, period. They're
> restricted. No TV for you!
>
> Generally speaking, the technical support has been very responsive, and
> I can get to tier 2 fairly quickly. Unfortunately for the most part all
> they can do is either send someone out to replace the equipment or say,
> "Yes, we know it sucks, but there's not much we can do about it." I
> don't knock them for it, because they really try to get to the bottom of
> things, and they are continually hearing about new problems. When they
> go through the troubleshooting list, they've got about 6-8 known issues
> they go through with me until they give up and pass me on to 2nd tier.
> That's a lot of problems.
>
> In conclusion, I have to recommend against anyone getting this service
> unless you just don't care about the issues I've described. That is, if
> you're just looking for a cheaper alternative to SDTV+Internet and don't
> care about a reliable DVR, then this CAN be a cheaper alternative to
> TWC. Packages start at $74/month. On the other hand, if you are, as I
> suspect most people on this list are, a techie looking for the next
> great technology, this isn't it. It sucks. It's worse than cable. I'm
> going to cancel as soon as I get my installation rebates. It's just not
> worth the hassle. I'd rather pay the higher price of cable for a
> service that works rather than a half-assed, rushed, buggy, crippled
> service.
>
> If you like, I can tell you what I REALLY think :)
> Nick
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Thanks for the info, my mother-in-law just got service yesterday in her new
house, I can already imagine the calls I'm going to get now, especially the
wireless if it is as bad as you say. She does have a wireless modem that I
might just go ahead and make use of. At least she isn't anywhere near ready
for HD so I don't have to worry about that.
Zeb
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