[XCSSA] AT&T IPTV
xcssa@xcssa.org
xcssa@xcssa.org
Mon, 04 Jun 2007 11:01:16 -0500
Just to be clear, though...
My goal is NOT to hurt AT&T's business. It has the potential to be a good
service, but right now it's just not ready for prime time. I will certainly
send an update if they improve the service, as long as I remain a customer.
Nick
xcssa-admin@xcssa.org wrote:
> I've already passed on your comments to my grandmother. She called me
> up and asked if I knew what "U-Verse" was. ATT was going door to door
> in her neighborhood asking people to sign up. It just so happened that
> the day before I read your post and told her to NOT sign up for it.
>
> --
> Jeremy
>
> On 6/4/07, xcssa-admin@xcssa.org <xcssa-admin@xcssa.org> wrote:
>> 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
>> >> _______________________________________________
>> >> XCSSA mailing list
>> >> XCSSA@xcssa.org
>> >> http://xcssa.org/mailman/listinfo/xcssa
>> >
>> > 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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