AT&T's U-Verse Push in Milwaukee

[Tom Snyder]

AT&T Wisconsin announced it will create up to 200 new jobs in downtown Milwaukee to help the company launch U-verse TV, its new Internet-based video service.

Article is HERE

[Chinatown]

No........not the weather, but the picture. That has been my experience with watching videos on the internet, and that is with AT & T DSL.

 Would this also be a problem with "U" Serve? If so, why would:confused:  anyone want it?

[Gregg Lengling]

No........not the weather, but the picture. That has been my experience with watching videos on the internet, and that is with AT & T DSL.

 Would this also be a problem with "U" Serve? If so, why would:confused:  anyone want it?

First off they do from what I understand buffer quite a bit, so with that they can make up for a couple seconds of problems.  I don't know how much delay is built into the system.  It's like having 2 tv's going with one OTA and the digital cable or Sat, echo city and sometimes like with a DVR and it's buffering it can be up to 5 seconds.

[mhz40]

I wonder what the maximum bit rate will be to the home.  Down the road I don't think it will be unusual to have two HD TV's and/or a DVR all requiring different feeds.  This in addition to maybe one SD feed plus web browsing --- all going on at once.
My guess it would take up around 50 mb/s (15 x3 for HD + 5 for 1 SD & Internet)... and 15 mb/s is pretty conservative for HD, IMO.  Deploying mpeg 4 however would drop the bandwidth requirements down considerably.

[TPK]

I wonder what the maximum bit rate will be to the home.  Down the road I don't think it will be unusual to have two HD TV's and/or a DVR all requiring different feeds.  This in addition to maybe one SD feed plus web browsing --- all going on at once.
My guess it would take up around 50 mb/s (15 x3 for HD + 5 for 1 SD & Internet)... and 15 mb/s is pretty conservative for HD, IMO.  Deploying mpeg 4 however would drop the bandwidth requirements down considerably.

Looks like it will support 3 SD and 1 HD stream according to what I am reading here, if I am understanding it correctly (and if this post is actually talking about the same thing):

http://enigmaticmonk.blogspot.com/2006/06/att-uverse-iptv.html

SBC is Using the release 1.1 of Microsoft’s IPTV middleware for IPTV launch offers four standard-definition streams. It also will support three standard-definition and one high-definition video stream, and will offer more than 200 channels.

Which isn't very future proof, if it will truly only support a single HD stream....

Perhaps later on they will offer a service with 2 twisted pairs to the home to double the bandwidth??  Or maybe they will do fibre to the node for now, and perhaps in the future (when we all have multiple HD televisions) they will switch over to fiber to the home??

[kevbeck122]

I first heard only 1 HD stream also.. but I've also heard up to 3.  I've also heard people getting between 50 and 100 mbps to their house for all services.. though internet is limited to a max of 6.  I think I saw that at uverseusers.com.

[gparris]

AT&T is just having some growing pains-maybe they are going into a learning curve with the technology and to survive, they will have to employ better techologies in the end for HD delivery.

The more effective IPTV methods discussed are probably going to be implemented with those customers demanding more HD channels at a time and  the bandwidth to their homes as needed.

If the reports of more than 1 HD channel per premise holds as true already, that could be the case even now...let's all be positive about TWC' new competitor!;)

[NB HD User]

TWC is a complete joke.  Not adding any HD channels all year, come on.

They should be very worried about AT&T.  I think UVerse will be here sooner rather than later.  A ton of activity out here in New Berlin.

I talked to a rep and a nice feature is that you can set up DVR through the internet.  Even if you are not home, you can hop on the net and program your DVR.  That and the fact you'll have over 25 HD channels to start with is a big selling point.

I am counting the days.  TWC is going to face a big hit on this deal..

[LoadStar]

Honestly, if 1 HD stream is the best they can do, it's just not good enough. I wouldn't switch unless they could guarantee at LEAST 4 simultaneous HD streams into the home. I know that I often record at least two at the same time, and may want to watch a third on another set... and that's just for me, that's not others in my place.

U-Verse is such a joke compared to FIOS. Fiber to the node is just plain lame when fiber to the premises is clearly doable. It's just another in a long line of "do it now and do it cheap" plans from AT&T, rather than do it right the first time.

[gparris]

For many applications, this competiton will help out those whose needs for TV and other products will a good thing, even those with one HDTV and watch without need for more bandwidth... then there is us, including LoadStar and me, who require more than that.

I don't think AT&T is unaware of the HD channel situation and has not addressed it.
But then again, their track record is not the best, either, from what I have read.

Will AT&T affect me - no - not directly - only if it gets TWC off its butt with more HD channel additions and better pricing stategies.

You see, I live in a Verizon area.

I have signed up for FIOS when and IF it ever comes to me..

[Bebop]

The official word is 3 HD channels, but they are have problem with their network/software right now.

http://www.uverseusers.com/article.php/Bandwidth-increase-coming-in-2nd-half

[LoadStar]

The official word is 3 HD channels, but they have problem with their network/software right now.

http://www.uverseusers.com/article.php/Bandwidth-increase-coming-in-2nd-half

Even at 3, color me less than impressed when compared to cable or fiber-to-the-home. I might be able to get by on just 3, but it's still incredibly disappointing.

I don't think I would be able to get U-Verse myself. I'd continually be thinking about how much better it'd be if they had actually gone and done things right the first time and ran fiber-to-the-home instead of fiber-to-the-node.

[TPK]

From the sound of it, U-verse certainly sounds like a good option to me, since as of right now I only have 1 HD television and being able to record 2 (or perhaps 3) HD streams on a DVR is all I would need (for now)...

In the future, I'm sure I will have a second HD television and will probably want a second DVR, which is when I will probably feel the pinch of only being able to receive 3 HD streams at a time...  Perhaps by then U-verse will have improved its bandwith situation, perhaps by running fiber to the home, or expanding the bandwith via 2 pairs instead of a single pair (all homes are already wired for at least 2 pairs anyhow)...

I was going to switch to Dish network, but I put that on hold when I heard about U-verse...

Now I don't know what to do...  switch to Dish Network now or wait for this U-verse to come through...

Does anyone have any idea when it is supposed to be available to the North Shore area??  If its going to be more than a year, then I may as well switch over to Dish Network (they require at least a 1 year contract)...  If its going to be sooner than that, then I will stick with TWC a while longer until U-verse comes through..

I am definitely quite motivated to switch from TWC...  Its going to take quite a bit for them to get me back...

[gparris]

What TWC forgets all the time is once a customer ditches them and starts putting up antennas, sat dishes and the like, including the cabling, they don't want to go back.
Getting a customer is one thing.
Then keeping them is another.
Once they are lost, it is much more difficult to regain them.

You find this sort of written on a plaque (written differently, of course)

in some customer service centers, but I guess that is not the case at TWC.

(They seem to be indifferent to HD channel additions and their employees tell us stories at their store kiosks, how sad).

[Gregg Lengling]

This is called "Churn" and you read about it more dealing with Wireless Phone companies but is very very important to any Technology.  Stockholders hate Churn and it kills the market value of stock.  I think Cable, Telco, Sat providers need to start advertising their churn rates instead of Market Research reports!Badger