[XCSSA] AT&T IPTV
xcssa@xcssa.org
xcssa@xcssa.org
Mon, 04 Jun 2007 09:40:29 -0500
Feel free to quote me anywhere you like. Those of you stuck doing tech
support for your relatives may be interested in http://www.uverseusers.com/
Nick
xcssa-admin@xcssa.org wrote:
> 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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