Thread: Review: AT&T U-VERSE

Here is the pricing information.


https://uma.sbc.com/assets/files/compare_offers.html

Not sure on the costs for Homezone.

Nice review Scott. Glad to see the pics of the back of the boxes. It looks like they are little more than NIC cards & hard drives. If at&t (please, AT&T does not exist anymore) would have gone for fiber to the prem, then this would have been a deadly blow to basically every other provider in the US.


When I was still working at Sprint, they had something similar to this called ION. Never really got out of the lab though.

So, those techs ran coax inside your house? (that NID should be against the law) I can see how these installs could easily crawl along at one per day, if they are going to that. Again, they should have just bit the bullet & put in FTTP. I mean, they had to call a lineman anyway.

Scott, good review... thanks!

Now, yeah, it's obvious that FTTP would fix all of their problems, but implementing that solution is quite expensive and time consuming.

FTTN has bandwidth constrains and the 25Mbps that AT&T is allocating for every one of these U-verse installs isn't very much, but at least is a start up. With the announcement of at least 50% more bandwidth by the beginning of Q3 of 2007 (thanks to pair bonding and a more mature VDSL2 implementation), the service should only improve in the future.

Also, in regards to the HD quality, the codec currently used needs more tweaking and it's been rumored that AT&T is even exploring the possibility of moving to a better codec that will allow them to bring a much higher PiQ, without really requiring much additional bandwidth. Of course, all of this isn't a reality now and as a result of this, the service will have a lot of critics, but even though some may call it a poor man's FIOS, it surely has the potential to bring the goods in the not so distant future.

PS = at least is becoming available in quite a few more cities lately... and that's good because it creates competition amongst the providers. Here in Houston, for example, TWC is finally (and openly) offering 12-month bundle packages, something that was pretty uncommon in years past.

Fantastic review. I was so excited while I was reading. You would thought I was getting the new service. Thanks Scott.......

Hey scott here is another link to learn more about ATT U-Verse and let me know what you think about it. I know some of the info is already in your review but i think there is little more there too:
http://www.krnv.com/global/story.asp...Type=Printable

Also more news:
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=109292

if you look closely there will be a map which it will show you were U-Verse will be available soon.

I hope this helps.

Plenty of questions: What is an AT&T U-Verse TV? In the fine print of the comparision chart it states you must have one. Also, could you explain the differences between AT&T Dish Network, AT&T HomeZone, and AT&T U-Verse as far as technology, etc.? Is one fiber optic versus cooper wire, or something else? Next is the TV service with U-Verse Dish Network? Finally, why is AT&T doing these other systems when it has so much invested in AT&T Dish Network?

Thanks Scott for the review. I just upgraded with DTV and got the slim line dish and 2 HD boxes at no cost. I knew U-Verse would take awhile to sort out never mind coming out to rural CT.

Originally Posted by AT&TDishman

What is an AT&T U-Verse TV?

If is a cable television type service that is 100% digital, it comes over your standard copper phone lines into your house. It uses VDSL and is an IPTV service.

What is the folling... AT&T Dish Network,

Just standard Dish Network satellite service but your bill and install is done via AT&T.

AT&T HomeZone,

This combines Dish Network Satellite Service with Video on Demand services by using a 2WIRE Homezone receiver. All your regular channels come via satellite, however the movies on demand are downloaded over your standard AT&T DSL line.

and AT&T U-Verse as far as technology, etc.?

100% Digital, IPTV which is delivered over standard copper telephone lines. Also since it uses a different version of DSL (VDSL) the connection speeds are better, faster and higher quality then standard DSL. There is fiber run into every neighborhood and from there the signals are muxed onto your standard telephone line.

Finally, why is AT&T doing these other systems when it has so much invested in AT&T Dish Network?

Because they can cut out the middleman and they can possibly offer a better product. So instead of making $1 or $2 a month on a customer paired with Dish Network, they can instead maybe make $40 or more per U-Verse subscriber.

Interesting that the boxes do not have digital coax out for sound, only optical. I assume the reason for 2 sets of composite audio and video outputs would be one for a TV and one to a recording devise.