nlt6mor Posted April 9, 2016 Share Posted April 9, 2016 What speed is/will be required to stream 4k content? My phone company is brining fiber into the house! ( 150 year old sitting on a new basement ). They of course want to sell their TV service, phone and internet. I am only interested in the internet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fjd Posted April 9, 2016 Share Posted April 9, 2016 Is ATT U-verse, provided over fiber optic, worth the hassle of dealing with AT&T? Our neighbors have some pretty deep pockets. We live 15 miles out of town, they are developing 40 acres and wanted internet access for the neighborhood (theirs). I'm told they are paying for AT&T to bring a fiber optic line to them. (I've not yet spoken with them to verify this) They're going to run it down the road (the conduit was installed this past week). It's going up their hill and to the "back side" of their property. Their back side, butts up against our back side. Without having measured, I'm guessing the distance from their terminal point to my house would be 1/8-1/4 mile as the crow flies. They're trying to contact someone to find out the incremental cost to bring the line on over to us. I'll admit I'm intrigued on tapping into a fiber optic line however: 1. I have detested dealing with AT&T over the years 2. I understand that I would have to pay for the laying of the fiber optic line to us (and as of yet, have no idea of what that might cost) I told the wife, If it's $1,000 then it might be no big deal.... if it's $25,000, well, I can buy a lot of months using my satellite internet for that kind of cash, even if it is slower. Anyone know if making the homeowner pay to install the fiber optic line is typical? Anyone have Uverse over fiber optic able to brag on how great it is? I haven't had much time to follow this transition since I wrote the post below and will be interested in the actual experiences people have when they start using the fiber optics services. Fiber optics is a very logical conclusion since it can provide exponential bandwidth over what was previously possible with copper; however, as you noticed, we are still dealing with the massive corporations and it will be difficult to determine what will ultimately be provided to the end user and at what cost.. IPTV, the new 'cable' coming soon Quality IPTV is coming on strong so much sooner than most realize. However, I believe that there is still some “posturing” going on over the actual infrastructure that will deliver all of the “content” and “streaming services” that needs to resolve itself before we see a large scale adoption. I do believe it will be here and in place before the driverless cars in the other thread and once the infrastructure falls into place and becomes more efficient and profitable, you will see many more content providers and more equipment providers enter the marketplace. If interested in why I believe Google may play a large role in the backdrop needed for this next revolution or frontier of internet technologies, search “dark fiber” and look who has been quietly buying all of the unused fiber optic cable around the world. You will find that Google and Facebook have been buying much of the unused fiber optics. Google started purchasing on a large scale back in 2005 and now owns over 100,000 miles of fiber optic cable routes globally. The demarcation point was probably the “Telecommunications Act of 1996,” which is described as an “Act to promote competition and reduce regulation in order to secure lower prices and higher quality services for American telecommunications consumers and encourage the rapid deployment of new telecommunications technologies.” Before 1996, the telecommunication companies were regulated; however, with the Internet and new technology on a steep and consistent spiraling rise toward the sky, the government "handed over" the regulation of the telecommunications companies to regulate themselves and develop the U.S. data infrastructure. After about $25 billion in tax breaks, this extensive fiber optics network was developed; however, the dot-com crash brought many of these companies down and many underwent mergers and bankruptcies, essentially, eliminating these companies before they even had a chance to set up the necessary hardware to interact with the fiber-optic lines. Essentially, there are hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of miles of “dark fiber” related to the network of fiber-optic cable built in the late 1990s and early 2000s. During that period of time, telecom giants such as AT&T and Verizon (formerly GTE) bought up many of these companies for pennies on the dollar (including the respective fiber optic networks) and the interesting aspect here is that both had huge vested interests in keeping copper wires around for a while longer, since copper wire was used by their "cash cows" known as DSL and wire-line telephone services. For years now this expansive network of ultrafast cabling has gone essentially unused with a huge upside of untapped potential. Only recently has the “copper cash cow” essentially run its course where you are finding that these companies have begun offering consumer-level fiber-optic television, phone and Internet services. Essentially, copper is fast becoming obsolete due to demand that is driven by "skyrocketing Internet video traffic, requests from the financial sector for ever-faster trading connections, and soaring mobile phone use - which has to be tied into landline networks." This brings us back to Google and Facebook buying up huge portions of unused fiber optic cable that the huge telecoms don't own. However, while the “faces will change,” we all will still be dealing with massive corporations in the end. Progress at its finest! http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303863404577285260615058538 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Travis In Austin Posted April 9, 2016 Moderators Share Posted April 9, 2016 Best summary I have found so far: http://www.dallasnews.com/business/technology/headlines/20140814-att-s-ultra-fast-gigapower-internet-service-is-it-right-for-you.ece Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Travis In Austin Posted April 9, 2016 Moderators Share Posted April 9, 2016 What speed is/will be required to stream 4k content? My phone company is brining fiber into the house! ( 150 year old sitting on a new basement ). They of course want to sell their TV service, phone and internet. I am only interested in the internet. 15 mbps, only about 20% of homes currently have that is U.S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Travis In Austin Posted April 9, 2016 Moderators Share Posted April 9, 2016 I don't know what all those numbers mean but I just tested my WiFi cable service and got 53.14Mbps down and 4.35Mbps up. It costs $50 a month. How does that compare to At&T Uverse? Keith It is awesone. The only thing better is like what Carl is getting 300 mbps, which is very limited availability in US, or the 1 gig service which is even more limited. Uverse does have some 75 and 100 options in select areas, but I would doubt it would be worth the jump unless you are streaming multiple 4K programs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted April 9, 2016 Share Posted April 9, 2016 Geez I only get 3 megs with land line phone for $72.00 per month. JJK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindman Posted April 9, 2016 Share Posted April 9, 2016 (edited) I am totally frustrated. The only internet service that I can get is DSL via copper twisted pair. At least it is better than dial-up. But just barely. I average 1.3 Mbps download and 313 Kbps upload. AT&T is the only internet service provider that I can choose from in my neck of the woods. My monthly bill is $45.89 for what AT&T calls High Speed Internet Express. My home was built in 1965. The telephone line between the nearest utility pole and the back of my house is direct buried copper (i.e. it is not in a conduit). The copper feeder line is aerial (from one utility pole to the next pole). My buried copper service line has been replaced multiple times due to ongoing corrosion but I still lose service if it has been raining for more than a day or two. The only cable provider in the area is Time Warner and they are on record that they cannot justify investing in the cable infrastructure to provide their coax cable unless there is at least a minimum of 50 potential customers per linear mile. I have contacted AT&T and they say the same thing about providing fiber to my neighborhood. I would be happy if they would just install a fiber backbone to their node. Let alone installing fiber to the premises. Verizon does not have any FiOS service anywhere nearby. Due to the location of my house on a narrow peninsula jutting out into a large lake it is physically impossible for there to be 50 homes per linear mile along the length of any cable run. Also since this peninsula is heavily wooded my home is surrounded by trees . Therefore every satellite provider I have contacted has informed me that a satellite dish would not work since there is not an unobstructed line-of-sight. [Note: I have looked at the south facing exteriors of the homes in my neighborhood and none of them have a satellite dish.] One of the main selling points of my home are the mature trees and since I grew up in a part of the country that did not have ANY trees I am very resistant to cutting down any of my trees. I have lived here since 1977 and have NEVER had any type of television service other than OTA via an antenna mounted on a high mast. Fortunately OTA television broadcast signals are able to penetrate the tree canopy. The majority of my neighbors are older folks who don't live here full time yet (in other words my neighbors homes are their "second" homes or "retreats".) When these neighbors are around they prefer to mainly just spend their time relaxing (fishing, gardening, reading, walking/hiking/bicycling/boating or gazing at the sunrises/sunsets/stars) and "UNPLUGGING" from the hustle and bustle of everyday life in the city. Since I was able to retire at an early age I live here full time and I choose to live here; 1) because my home is paid for, 2) it is very peaceful and quiet and 3) for the same activities that my neighbors enjoy (see above). I would gladly pay my fair share for the cable run to an internet/cable television service provider who was willing to run a fiber/coax cable to my house. Just like the OP I would be thrilled if the cost was around $1000. Not so much if it cost $25,000. But since having high-speed internet or cable/satellite TV is not a priority for me or my neighbors I doubt it will ever happen during my lifetime. By the way, 1.3 Mbps is actually more than adequate for my needs at my home. My career for 42 years was in Information Technology/Telecommunications. So I am not afraid of technology. But when I listen to music I play vinyl records or reel-to-reel tapes through Klipsch speakers. I have NEVER streamed audio or video nor do I want to. I am able to surf the internet just fine to follow the threads on this and a few other websites, for my online shopping and to plan/book my travel itineraries. I spend less than 90 minutes total per week (15 minutes per day) on the internet due to other priorities in life. Edited to add: By the way, like others have already mentioned, I have used Ooma for my home phone for the past 5 years. I can not recommend it highly enough. Wonderful! Even with a signal booster I can rarely get more than one bar for cell phone service (no nearby cell towers). [NOTE: I have tried almost every cell phone provider and experienced the same results (e.g. AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, Metro PCS, Cingular, Consumer Cellular, etc.] Edited April 10, 2016 by blindman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted April 10, 2016 Share Posted April 10, 2016 At least you have your priorities straight. I would not cut trees for it either. If you really need high speed you might see how close the nearest hotspot or library is, keep a running list of things to search and visit, and just dedicate part of your time to going there and getting it done. Then go back home to paradise. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted April 10, 2016 Share Posted April 10, 2016 Also---you might have better luck with a wireless carrier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richieb Posted April 10, 2016 Share Posted April 10, 2016 Kansas City, Kansas side, was the first city in the country where Google began their fiber service. Google laid infrastructure in my area just west of KC last summer. They offered a free hook up service for early sign up, around $375 I think. After this gratis sign up you are charged the $375 hook up fee. We passed, high speed Internet is not a priority for me and my wife. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_Guy Posted April 10, 2016 Share Posted April 10, 2016 With Time Warner Cable I have their standard internet plan which is still high at $59.99 for internet service only. It's all fiber optic and my download speed is always around 59 megabits per second which I am very happy with. Time Warner Cable also has a discount internet TOO SLOW and a more expensive pay more internet which is supposed to be around 300 megabits per second, nice but I feel $59.99 is already more than I'd like to spend. Again for home phone Ooma is awesome. I am a cable cutter for TV service using an antenna I get everything available with an antenna no problem and with a 4 tuner DVR I always have too much to watch. I use RedBox and also stream some movies as well as Game of Thrones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted April 10, 2016 Share Posted April 10, 2016 Our power company in Chattanooga does fiber to your house. You can get 100Mbit, 1 Gbit, or 10Gbit. The cost for 1G starts at $69.99 a month. You can add tv, phone for more. Upload speed is the same as the download speed. 10G is $299.00 month. Service is superb. They pull a single pair (takes a pair for fiull duplex). The large orange is conduit. A 32 pair fiber would only be about 1/2 in. diameter. Richard, they may only be pulling a single pair, or (hard to belive) be pulling a multipair cable thinking ahead. Bruce I used to do fiber terminastion at my last job. In fact, I was terminated myself on Friday and looking for new work. Going to be difficult at 66. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted April 10, 2016 Share Posted April 10, 2016 Our power company in Chattanooga does fiber to your house. You can get 100Mbit, 1 Gbit, or 10Gbit. The cost for 1G starts at $69.99 a month. You can add tv, phone for more. Upload speed is the same as the download speed. 10G is $299.00 month. Service is superb. They pull a single pair (takes a pair for fiull duplex). The large orange is conduit. A 32 pair fiber would only be about 1/2 in. diameter. Richard, they may only be pulling a single pair, or (hard to belive) be pulling a multipair cable thinking ahead. Bruce I used to do fiber terminastion at my last job. In fact, I was terminated myself on Friday and looking for new work. Going to be difficult at 66. dude you're ready for retirement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted April 10, 2016 Share Posted April 10, 2016 Now pick up that guitar and play! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted April 10, 2016 Share Posted April 10, 2016 Just like yesterday 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted April 10, 2016 Share Posted April 10, 2016 dude you're ready for retirement. Friend had a sign in her office... "God has a certain number of things for me to do in this life. Right now I am so far behind I will never die." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted April 10, 2016 Share Posted April 10, 2016 Yeah but sometimes you just need to let go. God will make sure you die. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted April 10, 2016 Share Posted April 10, 2016 Yeah but sometimes you just need to let go. God will make sure you die. Yeah, says you and my ex wife Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted April 10, 2016 Share Posted April 10, 2016 Well, I don't know about her, but If not God someone else will.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted April 10, 2016 Share Posted April 10, 2016 God will make sure you die. No doubt about that on my part. I surrendered a long time ago. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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