another thing i noticed about the dvr, every program we recorded stutters when watched from another tv. it is fine on the tv connected to the dvr but it will pause and stutter on the other tv's, is this common? forgive me if this has already been discussed. I am trying to read through most of this tread but there are a lot of posts and i don't want to burn my only day off reading through 59 pages of posts.......

another thing i noticed about the dvr, every program we recorded stutters when watched from another tv. it is fine on the tv connected to the dvr but it will pause and stutter on the other tv's, is this common? forgive me if this has already been discussed. I am trying to read through most of this tread but there are a lot of posts and i don't want to burn my only day off reading through 59 pages of posts.......
Sounds like you got a crappy install--your existing coax seems to be interfering with your STBs, and your profile is wrong. You weren't told of a specific problem at installation that would prevent you from receiving full service?

another thing i noticed about the dvr, every program we recorded stutters when watched from another tv. it is fine on the tv connected to the dvr but it will pause and stutter on the other tv's, is this common? forgive me if this has already been discussed. I am trying to read through most of this tread but there are a lot of posts and i don't want to burn my only day off reading through 59 pages of posts.......
You got a sh*t install. The problem on the other TV's is obviously because of the coax used. You should have had a full Cat-5e install done. I would call back up and demand to be escalated to someone in upper management and demand a reinstall be done. Also, to clear up the 2HD problem, PM AuroraProject. He works for U-Verse and can get a buddy of his in another department to change your settings to be the full 2HD/2SD setup.

Seriously though, your install was F'ed up to the highest degree it sounds like. You need an installation manager to come by your house to see it and do it right.

And if you do go back to Dish, you'll have to pay them to come out and re-wire it back up.

You got a sh*t install. The problem on the other TV's is obviously because of the coax used. You should have had a full Cat-5e install done. I would call back up and demand to be escalated to someone in upper management and demand a reinstall be done. Also, to clear up the 2HD problem, PM AuroraProject. He works for U-Verse and can get a buddy of his in another department to change your settings to be the full 2HD/2SD setup.

Seriously though, your install was F'ed up to the highest degree it sounds like. You need an installation manager to come by your house to see it and do it right.

I did PM auroraproject with my info, I hope he will be able to help.

And if you do go back to Dish, you'll have to pay them to come out and re-wire it back up.
Why would he have to pay for them to rewire it back up? He most likely can see where the wires were unscrewed from and redo it himself. The only case I can see where he might have to pay for a restart on Dish is if the AT&T guy was an ass and cut his wires. I might be giving them more credit than I should, but I would think Dish would work with returning customers and help him out regardless of what happened.

I did PM auroraproject with my info, I hope he will be able to help.
I still say you need to call and talk to a supervisor about the install. They really need to come out and redo it with Cat-5e cable. How it was done was the lazy way to install and should have never passed your inspection. You are the boss when you get an install done, you should have been able to tell him to do Cat-5e and have it done right in the first place.

so the cat5 cable is better than the dish cable. I asked him about it and he said there was no difference,I guess i should not have believed him..

so the cat5 cable is better than the dish cable. I asked him about it and he said there was no difference,I guess i should not have believed him..

In this case it might be, but I have seen no real technical evidence that if the if you have good RG6(coax) you will see any real improvement from Cat5. There is a lot of anecdotal comments and if you have a choice I would choose Cat5 but I have RG6 and my system works great my correction count is like 85 in 60 days of service.

If the RG6 is bad or has bad ends it could cause problems but they should have tested it and replaced all of the ends.

The problem is that most people don't have "good RG6". Especially if its from a cable company installed setup. In that case its probably RG59 and pretty low quality that would just barely cover the bandwidth needed for the system to work right.

Not all satellite installs have good RG6 either. Depending on who the contractor is and how cheap they want to do things, you could wind up with some pretty bad crap.

At least with Cat5 run through the house, you have a pretty good chance that it might be good quality (yeah, I know there's bad quality stuff out there too). With AT&T doing the install, it's probably going to be pretty good quality stuff. Not guaranteed, but should be.

The problem is that most people don't have "good RG6". Especially if its from a cable company installed setup. In that case its probably RG59 and pretty low quality that would just barely cover the bandwidth needed for the system to work right.

Not all satellite installs have good RG6 either. Depending on who the contractor is and how cheap they want to do things, you could wind up with some pretty bad crap.

At least with Cat5 run through the house, you have a pretty good chance that it might be good quality (yeah, I know there's bad quality stuff out there too). With AT&T doing the install, it's probably going to be pretty good quality stuff. Not guaranteed, but should be.

I have good quality rG6, dish uses the good stuff. I talked to retention and tier 2 support, they tried to change mine to 2hd and said the system would not let them and that it is something about the hub down the street. I am the only one connected to this outside hub that has U-verse.I guess this is what i get for being the guinea pig. They said they would knock an additional 25$ off my bill for the next 6 months, so i said i would give them a chance to correct the problem. the only thing is they couldn't give me any kind of timeline.That kind of bothered me.

I looked into your account today, there is nothing wrong inside the house. However, there is 1250 feet of bridge tap on the line, you need a repair ticket made and a splicer tech has to come out and remove the bridge tap. That's why you're getting the odd issues. You wont need to be home while the work is done, it's all outside line issues.

I looked into your account today, there is nothing wrong inside the house. However, there is 1250 feet of bridge tap on the line, you need a repair ticket made and a splicer tech has to come out and remove the bridge tap. That's why you're getting the odd issues. You wont need to be home while the work is done, it's all outside line issues.

Is this something i will be able to get them to do?Who would i need to talk to ?I just have a feeling that since i seem to be the only connected to this box my complaining may not be that big of an issue to them.I got my wife to agree to give them 3 month trial to see if they can fix the problem, it just sucks not being able to watch 2hd channels at the same time.

AuroraProject i appreciate all your help, if everyone at AT&T cared as much as you this U-verse would win on customer service alone.

You're welcome, happy to help.

Your best bet would be to call in and tell them you are having freezing and pixelation, and that they need to send a tech out. When the tech gets there ask him to run a quality check in bbt, and that will show him the bridge tap. He will create the splicer tech ticket from there.

I have a question. I'm gettin UVerse installed on the 8th. Do they run new cable in your house? They said they run new cable from the pole to your house, I was wondering what they do inside

Wow, talking about a question that has been asked a bunch of times.

Anybody know if UVerse for Business (Internet only service) is coming to the Cleveland metro area any time soon? Got new VRADs all around me collecting dust and ATT knows nothing.

Just saw the first bill on the web site.

My account is set for paperless billing and my profile said my preferred method of contact is email.

But no notification of the bill.

So I'm getting bill for prorated partial month plus the upcoming month. My Products shows only the Internet service (Elite), the TV service having been canceled.

The bill is due a month after the billing date. I've set up automatic payments with my credit card. So they should charge me on the due date, I assume.

But I don't know if they will email. Comcast would at least email when they billed, prompting you to log on to the web site.

AT&T web site has the PDF of the bills. Doesn't appear that there is a notification mechanism.

Update: ATT is sending out an INR tech on fri. to remove the bridge tap and hopefully everything will be fine. They said it will all be outside work and i won't need to be home, and then after that they will send a tech for inside to make everything the way it should be. My existing wiring is fine, he only put new terminal screw ends on the ends that hook into the boxes and it can be unscrewed from the adapter back into the dish outlet if i needed to do that.

U-verse just flipped the switch on a few new HD channels here in Columbus at least. G4, E!, Bravo, Style and maybe AP but maybe I just never noticed AP before.

edit: Looks like we already had Bravo.

Inexplicably, I was contacted by another division of AT&T this week that is selling DirecTV service, packaged with phone and internet service!?

What the heck? Isn't this in direct competition to U-Verse? My U-Verse is doing much better at this point, but the only lasting appeal to the service is the Whole House DVR. Otherwise, the sound does not sync up with the picture most times - which is really annoying - and the sub-par HD service is really beginning to get to me - especially watching hockey or basketball games - (and I'm not even an HD aficionado!)

So, I may take them up on their offer of DirecTV, although AT&T only installed the service a few weeks ago.

Any thoughts on making the switch so soon? Any thoughts on At&T offering DirecTV service when they are also pushing U-Verse?

Well, this has been in the works since late last year, when AT&T announced that they would be switching away from Dish as their sat partner. Personally, my answer to AT&T, when they pitched a package that included Dish to go along with my existing AT&T phone/DSL, was that I would never be a Dish sub again, but if they went with D* instead, to give me a call. I thought about Uverse briefly, but it appears that I would be taking a step back, with regard to TV, so I have been sitting pat.

What kind of speeds are they quoting on the internet hookup, and what kind of pricing are they talking about?

What kind of speeds are they quoting on the internet hookup, and what kind of pricing are they talking about?

3/1 = $30/month
6/1 = $35
10/1.5 = $55
18/1.5 = $65

I have used each of the bottom three tiers at various times and found the speeds to be as advertised.

Well, this has been in the works since late last year, when AT&T announced that they would be switching away from Dish as their sat partner. Personally, my answer to AT&T, when they pitched a package that included Dish to go along with my existing AT&T phone/DSL, was that I would never be a Dish sub again, but if they went with D* instead, to give me a call. I thought about Uverse briefly, but it appears that I would be taking a step back, with regard to TV, so I have been sitting pat.

What kind of speeds are they quoting on the internet hookup, and what kind of pricing are they talking about?

I believe it's the "Elite" internet package, and it has speed of 6.0mb d/l. Not sure about the u/l (which is as important as I understand it).

The sales rep. has been awesome so far and has called me three times over two days. She keeps working with the DirecTV reps to put together the best package possible.

She is supposed to call me this morning to discuss all the pricing, so I will post specifics then. However, I believe she briefly mentioned it would be a total of about $140/month for unlimited phone ($30) (which I don't have currently), Internet ($35) (these two prices reflect a $10 discount as a package deal), and the rest was DirecTV for an HD DVR box, and three other TVs.

She mentioned that the DirecTV folks told her that I only need one HD box to watch HD channels on the second HD tv. Does that sound right? Standard box on the second HD tv will receive HD channels because of the other HD box in the house?

She mentioned that the DirecTV folks told her that I only need one HD box to watch HD channels on the second HD tv. Does that sound right? Standard box on the second HD tv will receive HD channels because of the other HD box in the house?

That's not been my experience with D*, but maybe something has changed. I was always told each set needs an HD box for HD.

My current rate is 19200 down,2048 up, max down 58528 kbs. if that matters. I do love that the channel changes instantly when you change channels. on dish there would be a 3 to 4 second delay....

After removing the bridge tap my current rate is 25216 down/2048 up,with a max of 62148. that should be fast enought for 2 hd streams, well not yet.For some reason the system will take another 24hrs. because they have to put an order through.so it should be automatic by 5pm this afternoon or i will call them back.

The rep. from AT&T got back earlier this morning.

She was told directly by a DirecTV supervisor, and two different reps (who she asked separately to confirm her understanding), and she was told that the SD boxes have a HDMI plug that will allow the box to display HD, provided you have a HD TV and the HD dish.

However, I just called DirecTV myself and they told me that the SD boxes do not have a HDMI plug at all, so that this information is inaccurate.

So, now, I don't know what to think. I would love to get DirecTV but I refuse to pay $99 for the second HD box. U-Verse was installed for free and they gave me $175 in cash rebates (in the form of debit cards). DirecTV, on the other hand, wants me to pay them $99 to become their customer.

And that, m'friend, is the best intro to AT&T/DirecTV you are ever going to get. Not only does the left not know what the right hand is doing, they don't even have any idea they are attached to the same body! :mad:

gotta love that...an SD box, but if you use the right cable it magically changes to an HD box ;)

After removing the bridge tap my current rate is 25216 down/2048 up,with a max of 62148. that should be fast enought for 2 hd streams, well not yet.For some reason the system will take another 24hrs. because they have to put an order through.so it should be automatic by 5pm this afternoon or i will call them back.

fast enough?....that's screaming :), you must be really close to the VRAD (ie the neighborhood hub where ATT's fiber terminates).

ps...not that I like rumors, but a couple techs have posted elsewhere that they are upgrading the systems on Monday to

a) WHDVR-Phase 2, which allows you to schedule and delete recordings from the regular (non-DVR) boxes.

b) 3 HD channels for those within about ~2400ft of the VRAD (which you would be)...

I'd consider a) likely (we've known is was coming soon)...and b) would be a big bonus for those that fall within the range if it's true

gotta love that...an SD box, but if you use the right cable it magically changes to an HD box ;)
Thats just CSR's that don't know what the frak they are talking about. They never ever ever do, they just spout off crap to sound good and make sales. Yes, it usually costs extra for DirecTV's HD equipment, but sometimes, if you talk to them just right, they will hook you up with the stuff for free. I have never liked paying for something I am leasing from them, but you just have no choice sometimes unless you go out and buy the crap yourself at Buy More. Even then they will try to take it away from you even though you bought it and paid taxes on it and everything.

In any case, lets get back on topic of AT&T U-Verse HD TV.

fast enough?....that's screaming :), you must be really close to the VRAD (ie the neighborhood hub where ATT's fiber terminates).

ps...not that I like rumors, but a couple techs have posted elsewhere that they are upgrading the systems on Monday to

a) WHDVR-Phase 2, which allows you to schedule and delete recordings from the regular (non-DVR) boxes.

b) 3 HD channels for those within about ~2400ft of the VRAD (which you would be)...

I'd consider a) likely (we've known is was coming soon)...and b) would be a big bonus for those that fall within the range if it's true
a) would be damn nice. Been wanting that for a while now. Figures they would get that as I am about to go back to DirecTV.

b) would be nice in some cases I think, but most people don't really need that and will end up filling up their hard drives that much faster with 1 more HD stream.

fast enough?....that's screaming :), you must be really close to the VRAD (ie the neighborhood hub where ATT's fiber terminates).

ps...not that I like rumors, but a couple techs have posted elsewhere that they are upgrading the systems on Monday to

a) WHDVR-Phase 2, which allows you to schedule and delete recordings from the regular (non-DVR) boxes.

b) 3 HD channels for those within about ~2400ft of the VRAD (which you would be)...

I'd consider a) likely (we've known is was coming soon)...and b) would be a big bonus for those that fall within the range if it's true

I was told i was under 2000 ft away. well 7pm est. and still not able to watch 2hdstreams on 2 separate tv's. I guess i will be calling, i will post back later

Thats just CSR's that don't know what the frak they are talking about. They never ever ever do, they just spout off crap to sound good and make sales. Yes, it usually costs extra for DirecTV's HD equipment, but sometimes, if you talk to them just right, they will hook you up with the stuff for free. I have never liked paying for something I am leasing from them, but you just have no choice sometimes unless you go out and buy the crap yourself at Buy More. Even then they will try to take it away from you even though you bought it and paid taxes on it and everything.

In any case, lets get back on topic of AT&T U-Verse HD TV.

Well, I just spoke to the DirecTV rep that setup an install for next Saturday and he confirmed that the SD boxes will support HD viewing. They are not supposed to tell customers this, but apparently it's true. If it's not, then I will reject the installation and not make the switch from U-Verse to DirecTV.

One of the big reasons for going to DirecTV is that U-Verse does not have the MLB Network. Plus, I understand the HD picture is better.

I was told i was under 2000 ft away. well 7pm est. and still not able to watch 2hdstreams on 2 separate tv's. I guess i will be calling, i will post back later

Try powercycling your set top boxes, then hit menu, go to options, system settings, system information, and system resources. Should say 2sd/2hd.

As noted in past postings, my initial U-verse installation was originally scheduled for Feb. 9 but was delayed to Feb. 23 due to outside plant issues. Today I received a call further delaying it as a result of "no installs being scheduled on February 23 due to system upgrades". Anyone know if this is valid and, if so, what this might be about?

they do have scheduled maintenance on their system that started yesterday and ends tomorrow (website is down etc...), not sure how that affects installs but hopefully something good is coming and not just beyond the scenes stuff

As noted in past postings, my initial U-verse installation was originally scheduled for Feb. 9 but was delayed to Feb. 23 due to outside plant issues. Today I received a call further delaying it as a result of "no installs being scheduled on February 23 due to system upgrades". Anyone know if this is valid and, if so, what this might be about?

That is correct, we are doing release 9 this weekend, installs cannot be done until the 24th at the earliest. Assuming release 9 flows correctly, that is!

Try powercycling your set top boxes, then hit menu, go to options, system settings, system information, and system resources. Should say 2sd/2hd.

that did it , thanks again. saved me a phone call.

That is correct, we are doing release 9 this weekend, installs cannot be done until the 24th at the earliest. Assuming release 9 flows correctly, that is!

what does release 9 entail?
I am happy now that we can watch 2 hd channels on 2 different televisions. The only thing is they may have to move my gate way, because the initial installer put it 2 ft. away from my main electrical panel and the guy who was out friday said that was no good and neede to be atleas 10ft. away. and that the electrical interference would screw up the incoming signal.

I've had U-verse for several months now after switching from Timewarner and I've been very pleased. Lately however, my box resets itself about half the time, taking 3-5 minutes before I can watch TV. I had the techs come out and they told me that it's because I am running the signal through the receiver. It doesn't seem to matter what order I turn things on, I am still getting a lot of resets. Question 1 - does it make sense that running the signal to my AVR and then to the TV should cause these problems? Question 2 - Is anyone else having these problems? Question 3 - Should this be happening or is there a way to fix it?

Thanks!

3/1 = $30/month
6/1 = $35
10/1.5 = $55
18/1.5 = $65

I have used each of the bottom three tiers at various times and found the speeds to be as advertised.

Posty -

Are those bundle prices or stand-alone prices?

Thanks,
Matt

I've had U-verse for several months now after switching from Timewarner and I've been very pleased. Lately however, my box resets itself about half the time, taking 3-5 minutes before I can watch TV. I had the techs come out and they told me that it's because I am running the signal through the receiver. It doesn't seem to matter what order I turn things on, I am still getting a lot of resets. Question 1 - does it make sense that running the signal to my AVR and then to the TV should cause these problems? Question 2 - Is anyone else having these problems? Question 3 - Should this be happening or is there a way to fix it?

Thanks!

Just to clear this up are you running the stb output to the receiver and then to the tv? If so no, that would have no effect on the box. Random resets usually indicate the box is defective.

Posty -

Are those bundle prices or stand-alone prices?

Thanks,
Matt

Those are stand alone prices. There is no bundle discount currently offered. The best deals these days are obtained by haggling from what I've been reading. There is now also a 1.5/1 for $25 a month.

Those are stand alone prices. There is no bundle discount currently offered. The best deals these days are obtained by haggling from what I've been reading. There is now also a 1.5/1 for $25 a month.

Thanks. I'm counting down the days (although I have no idea how many more days there are) when U-Verse is available, if nothing else for internet only. I pay $60 to Comcast every month for 6/1.

Matt

Just to clear this up are you running the stb output to the receiver and then to the tv? If so no, that would have no effect on the box. Random resets usually indicate the box is defective.

Not sure what stb is, but I'm running the red/green/blue cable to the receiver and then it goes to the TV through HDMI. Pretty standard setup I would think. Picture is great, sound is great, but it resets at least half the time when I turn everything on.

stb is set top box. By resets do you mean you get the blue att splash screen for several minutes?

stb is set top box. By resets do you mean you get the blue att splash screen for several minutes?

I get the three dots, then the Blue ATT screen for several minutes.

Where do you have it plugged into? The ac adapter should be in a wall outlet or power strip, not a switched outlet on the back of the receiver.

Edit: the reason for that is the sockets on a receiver are switched, so the box gets no power when the receiver is off, the box is never really off, it needs constant power to maintain the stream from the rg.

Where do you have it plugged into? The ac adapter should be in a wall outlet or power strip, not a switched outlet on the back of the receiver.

Edit: the reason for that is the sockets on a receiver are switched, so the box gets no power when the receiver is off, the box is never really off, it needs constant power to maintain the stream from the rg.

The stb (see, I'm teachable) is plugged into a Monster Power surge protector and has constant power. Getting very frustrated as I was DVRing 24, turned things on at 9:30 to watch and missed a big action part while the box was resetting. It's not related to recording though because it does it even when not recording. It's like there is some kind of handshake issue. Sometimes if I turn the receiver on, them the stb I have sound, but when I turn the TV on, then it resets. But sometimes it doesn't matter what order I turn things on, it just resets.

Wait, so you have component (red green blue) from the stb to the receiver, then hdmi from the receiver to the tv? Sounds good to me, does it ever reset while you're watching it?

The stb (see, I'm teachable) is plugged into a Monster Power surge protector and has constant power. Getting very frustrated as I was DVRing 24, turned things on at 9:30 to watch and missed a big action part while the box was resetting. It's not related to recording though because it does it even when not recording. It's like there is some kind of handshake issue. Sometimes if I turn the receiver on, them the stb I have sound, but when I turn the TV on, then it resets. But sometimes it doesn't matter what order I turn things on, it just resets.

I think you need to do some basic debugging. First take the receiver out of the equation and either go straight from the stb with component (r/g/b) ot with HDMI, see if that makes a difference. If not try plugging the stb into a wall outlet to take the surge protector out of the equation. If you still have a problem and have another stb you may want to swap and see if the problem follows the stb, if so then you need a new stb.

While your config should work going stb component (r/g/b) -> receiver -> TV HDMI is somewhat different as I expect most people would stay component or HDMI all of the way through and not mix.

Wait, so you have component (red green blue) from the stb to the receiver, then hdmi from the receiver to the tv? Sounds good to me, does it ever reset while you're watching it?

No, it NEVER resets while watching, only when powering on. This is a pretty standard set-up that was recommended by the knowledgeable folks on this and the Denon forums.

I think you need to do some basic debugging. First take the receiver out of the equation and either go straight from the stb with component (r/g/b) ot with HDMI, see if that makes a difference. If not try plugging the stb into a wall outlet to take the surge protector out of the equation. If you still have a problem and have another stb you may want to swap and see if the problem follows the stb, if so then you need a new stb.

While your config should work going stb component (r/g/b) -> receiver -> TV HDMI is somewhat different as I expect most people would stay component or HDMI all of the way through and not mix.

It was wired completely with HDMI to begin with and I would love to stay with HDMI all the way through, but the stb doesn't support dolby digital audio through the HDMI port yet. This may not be a valid concern, but I run everything through the receiver to avoid any possible lip synch issues, plus if I run the RGB from the receiver to the TV it's another input I have to try to teach the family how to use. I have all these HDMI cables lying around and really don't want to go buy another RGB cable to go from the receiver to the TV when, to be quite honest, I don't think it should make any difference. I can't be the only person with his system hooked up this way - can I? The techs said plugging into the surge protector was fine and the stb is receiving continuous power.

It was wired completely with HDMI to begin with and I would love to stay with HDMI all the way through, but the stb doesn't support dolby digital audio through the HDMI port yet. This may not be a valid concern, but I run everything through the receiver to avoid any possible lip synch issues, plus if I run the RGB from the receiver to the TV it's another input I have to try to teach the family how to use. I have all these HDMI cables lying around and really don't want to go buy another RGB cable to go from the receiver to the TV when, to be quite honest, I don't think it should make any difference. I can't be the only person with his system hooked up this way - can I? The techs said plugging into the surge protector was fine and the stb is receiving continuous power.

I understand and it should work. In my case I just bypass the receiver for the video switching and run an HDMI from the stb to the TV directly and an optical cable for audio to the receiver. Not optimal but it works with no problems and as I use a Harmony remote it is not too big of deal to switch TV inputs.

I understand and it should work. In my case I just bypass the receiver for the video switching and run an HDMI from the stb to the TV directly and an optical cable for audio to the receiver. Not optimal but it works with no problems and as I use a Harmony remote it is not too big of deal to switch TV inputs.

I'll try running the component cable straight to the TV tonight and at least see if it solves the reset issue, but then the family has to understand to change TV inputs and receiver outputs for cable and Blu-ray. I'd love to say that would be simple, but it might be easier dealing with the resets - LOL. I am using the optical cable for audio out of the stb to the AVR.

I'll try running the component cable straight to the TV tonight and at least see if it solves the reset issue, but then the family has to understand to change TV inputs and receiver outputs for cable and Blu-ray. I'd love to say that would be simple, but it might be easier dealing with the resets - LOL. I am using the optical cable for audio out of the stb to the AVR.

Of course the best thing is for AT&T to fix their DD 5.1 problems on HDMI

Of course the best thing is for AT&T to fix their DD 5.1 problems on HDMI

Absolutely right, but in the grand scheme of things, my understanding is that there is no real advantage to running HDMI vs component + optical since 1080 is the highest resolution available and dolby digital is the best audio available. I just want to be able to turn on my TV and watch it without having to wait 5 minutes for the box to get its act together.

Here's a quick initial update on my U-Verse install which happened this afternoon.....including TV, DSL, and VOIP. Feedback welcomed.....

The good:

- Everything is up and running after a 6.5 hour install (3 TVs, 1 PC, 1 phone line). Very diligent install tech.

- Distance to VRAD reads as about 1000-1100 feet. Profile is 25216 down/2048 up, 2HD/2SD.

- Wiring ended up using some new Cat5 and some existing CATV wiring due to complexity of certain runs to second floor. Not exactly what I preferred for various reasons previously reported, but OK and ended up having no add-on wiring install charges.

The not so good:

- U-Verse registration system was still down due to yesterday's Rls9 upgrade. Had to wait until 2 hours after install was done before DSL internet connectivity and email account could be activated.

- One STB seems to keep reverting to 4:3 non-HD picture format even after using the Menu to set it to 16:9 720p HD to match the HDTV it is connected to. Any suggestions on how to fix this problem?

The jury is still out on:

- Picture quality. Still observing.
- DSL speed. Will measure with speedtest.
- VOIP line functionality. Still testing.
- Whole House DVR -- no chance to play with it yet.

More info to come as I spend more time with the system.

Regaring this one issue I reported, a clarification...

- One STB seems to keep reverting to 4:3 non-HD picture format even after using the Menu to set it to 16:9 720p HD to match the HDTV it is connected to. Any suggestions on how to fix this problem?

This issue occurs even when the HDTV/STB in question is the only one that is delivering video. (In other words, it isn't happening because my other two HDTV STB's were already on and delivering HD signal.) I also checked to make sure I was watching an HD program source and that the HDTV itself was set properly.

When I use the Menu to try to set the STB to 720p 16:9 aspect ratio HDTV, it initially shows what appears to be a correctly formatted "if you can see this, please select OK" HD screen for a few seconds, then the screen goes black, and when it reappears the box has reset itself to 4:3 non-HD. This HDTV/STB was actually working properly when the installer left, but now is not.

Suggestions?

Now 2 of the 3 STB's are exhibiting this same problem with not outputting HD signals. The main DVR/STB downstairs is still working fine and outputting 1080 to my large HDTV, but the two STB's upstairs are only outputting 4:3 SD signals. Tried resetting these STB's -- no change. Looked on uversecentral for troubleshooting -- no info found on this issue.

When using the Menu to try to set to the proper format and aspect ratio (16:9 720p), a "proper looking" HD message screen shows up for a few seconds and the blue HD light on the STB illuminates. When I select "Keep this setting", the screen goes black, the blue HD light turns off, and a non-HD message screen reappears. Exit to TV shows only a 4:3 SD picture. Menu/Settings shows that the STB has put itself back into 4:3 mode. Both TV's are definitelyi 720p HDTV's whicih were working fine when connected to Comcast.

Weird.....

Hmm, just got home from NY and don't see anything different with my boxes. How do you know you got the new release or how do you force one or whatever? And what exactly are we supposed to see with this new release?

I've had dish for a few years now. I'm moving house so I'm debating whether to keep dish or switch to Uverse.

How does the HD quality compare? Both services are roughly the same price, but what looks better?

How's the whole house DVR?

I've had dish for a few years now. I'm moving house so I'm debating whether to keep dish or switch to Uverse.

How does the HD quality compare? Both services are roughly the same price, but what looks better?

How's the whole house DVR?
As has been stated time and time and time again on this very forum, you can't just ask a general question like that. Quality evidently varies wildly from one place to another. If I were suggesting anything about providers, I would say get rid of Dish, don't go to U-Verse, and get DirecTV. They offer the best image quality I have seen anywhere hands down. It really is no contest.

A quick update on my new U-verse install....

- The issue with two STB's reverting to 4:3 mode was resolved after a call to U-verse TechSupport yesterday. For some still unknown reason, during the "test mode" after selecting 720p, there is a screen on which I needed to press "OK" on the remote, but this screen was not being displayed on the two HDTV's in question. (The STB was apparently outputting the screen but for some reason the TV's were still showing a black screen.) If OK is not selected on that screen quickly, the settings cancel and revert to the default 4:3 SD. Problem solved.

- So far, PQ is reasonable when compared to my prior Comcast service -- perhaps a little "softer" but quite good by comparison. I've seen no audio sync problems so far. Have seen a few very sporadic picture freezes, but nothing frequent or drastic.

- No problems with VOIP or DSL service so far.

- For the techies out there, here are my RG statistics and xslt screens. How does this data look?

Diagnostics screen:

Transmit and Receive Data
IP Bytes Packets Errors
Transmit: 127149090 630192 0
Receive: 1457177928 16922864 0

Data Errors
Statistics
Collected for 1 day 15:22:07
Since Reset Current 24-Hour Interval Current 15-Minute Interval Time Since Last Event

DSL Link Retrains: 0 0 0 0:00:00

DSL Training Errors: 1 0 0 1 day 15:19:24

DSL Training Timeouts: 2 0 0 1 day 15:19:48

DSL Loss of Framing Failures: 0 0 0 0:00:00

DSL Loss of Signal Failures: 0 0 0 0:00:00

DSL Loss of Power Failures: 0 0 0 0:00:00

DSL Loss of Margin Failures: 0 0 0 0:00:00

DSL Cumulative Errored Seconds: 0 0 0 0:00:00

DSL Severely Errored Seconds: 0 0 0 0:00:00

DSL Corrected Blocks: 444 117 0 0:12:27

DSL Uncorrected Blocks: 0 0 0 0:00:00

xslt:

DSL Down Up
Current Rate: 25216 kbs 2048 kbs
Max Rate: 62660 kbs Not Available
Current Connection:
Current Noise Margin: 26.5 dB Not Available
Current Attenuation: 19.2 dB Not Available
Current Output Power: 14.1 dBm -17.1 dBm

IP Bytes Packets Errors %
Transmit: 168835679 631316 0 0
Receive: 23067400024 16996233 0 0

- 2HD+2SD is the max I can get on my profile, correct?

Thanks for any feedback or observations.

In the Miami area, U-Verse added ESPNews HD, ESPNU HD, Disney HD, and Disney XD HD today.

Still not seeing any newer version of the software for the boxes here. Wonder if the release that was done Monday is not just a regional thing that will take longer to hit here. Sure would like to be able to delete shows I am done with from these secondary boxes and not just on the web or the dvr.

In the Miami area, U-Verse added ESPNews HD, ESPNU HD, Disney HD, and Disney XD HD today.

Got em here too. Thanks for the heads up.

^Yup. In the L.A. area they've also added E! Channel, Style, and DisneyXD. Is there a way to find out how far I am to the VRAD?

Is there a way to find out how far I am to the VRAD?

This is what I was wondering. AuroraProject, any help with this.

If you have the sevice you can call them (or use the online support chat feature) and the level 1 support can run a test to find out how far you are...I dont think there is any good way (other than estimation) to find out before they install the service

^Okay, I'll do that. Thanks davis!

Edit: I just got off the chat with them and they said I am 2,425 feet away from the VRAD. Optimal should be 2,200 feet but he said I should be fine since it's "not that far away." Should I be concerned?

I had U-Verse installed yesterday in Saratoga California. I only go for the TV service. They first tried to reuse the Comcast cable lines in my house and the result was poor. Lost of blocking and freezes. But after they pulled in new cable lines, the blocking and freezes basically went away. Flipping channels is amazingly fast. Only occasionally it stuck for a couple of seconds similar to a buffering wait in watching a streaming video. I came in with a low expectation after I read past reviews on the HD quality. I have DirectTV in my old house but DirecTV does not have a line of sight in my new house. My only choices left are Comcast and U-Verse. I went for U-Verse based on their HD channels offering. The HD quality is not as sharp as DirecTV but acceptable. Except the MLB HD and the NBA HD channels, U-Verse offers many more HD channels than DirectTV. I originally subscribed U200 and I immediately upgraded to U450 because the number of HD premium movie channels available is unbelievable. They gave me $15 discount for 3 months plus $100 rebate. Not Bad. So far, U-Verse TV is better than I have expected.

^Okay, I'll do that. Thanks davis!

Edit: I just got off the chat with them and they said I am 2,425 feet away from the VRAD. Optimal should be 2,200 feet but he said I should be fine since it's "not that far away." Should I be concerned?

The service works out to 3200 feet, there is no "optimal" distance. Anyone interested in a loop length should pm me.

Does anyone know if/when they will be adding the MLB Network to U-Verse? Thanks.

Does anyone know if/when they will be adding the MLB Network to U-Verse? Thanks.
The term "when hell freezes over" comes to mind for some reason.

The term "when hell freezes over" comes to mind for some reason.

Why? Are they having a contract dispute?

Why? Are they having a contract dispute?
No, because you are expecting AT&T to get something that people actually want to watch. Sort of like waiting on them to get Cartoon Network in HD.

No, because you are expecting AT&T to get something that people actually want to watch. Sort of like waiting on them to get Cartoon Network in HD.

Ah, I get it.

If that is the tact AT&T uses, then I may have to switch to another provider.

Ah, I get it.

If that is the tact AT&T uses, then I may have to switch to another provider.
As soon as my wife hurries her butt up, thats exactly what I am doing! I am so sick of not being able to see what I want. I want my DirecTV back! :)

This is based on nothing. Mr Steveken has been whining about the same issues for pages. AT&T isn't screwing anyone over.

You have no contract - so switch if you don't like what you have (notice I said "what you have", and not "what they're giving you"). What's the big deal?

Every provider offers different lineups. You knew that going in - didn't you? (You should have.)

This is based on nothing. Mr Steveken has been whining about the same issues for pages. AT&T isn't screwing anyone over.
Never said they are screwing anyone over, they just aren't working expeditiously enough to get a couple of key channels like MLB Network (even if its just in SD) or another channel that I would think they should have, Cartoon Network HD. Those two are the only examples that readily pop into mind (well, those and the FSN's that I got on DirecTV in HD ALL THE TIME that I don't on AT&T), but I know there are others that I think about every now and then that I thought that everyone should have by now, but AT&T doesn't. Again, not saying they are screwing anyone over except themselves by driving customers like me back to DirecTV.

Why? Are they having a contract dispute?

You can't carry MLB Network without also carring MLB EI.

You have no contract - so switch if you don't like what you have (notice I said "what you have", and not "what they're giving you").

Every provider offers different lineups. You knew that going in - didn't you? (You should have.)
Working on it. For some reason the wife thinks that there is no big rush on it. Maybe cause we have 50-someodd recordings on the DVR. :) I DO love AT&T in that it has the Total Home DVR and has a couple of other nice points, its just the few channels that I would rather have that I don't get the way I want.

Plus, the HD quality just is kinda sucky every now and then. For instance, I was watching a "Dirty Jobs" the other day where they were in a place that did olives and with a scene with very low movement, there was pixelation all over the place. Looked like hell.

And I really don't appreciate your crap towards me. For one, I already have a contract with DirecTV. For another thing, I don't have an attitude about anything. I just have been simply stating channels I would like to see carried that they don't evidently care to carry. I just was giving this U-Verse TV a shot to see 1) what they would add that they were missing that I actually watch (which they have added very very little that would interest me), 2) to see how good the picture quality would be and if it is tolerable or close to DirecTV (it isn't), and 3) to hopefully save a little money along the way (which it looks like after doing all the math that it would be about the same as I was paying DirecTV for the TV part). I LOVE the Internet portion of U-Verse, so I will keep that. I didn't really want U-Verse TV to start off with, just the Internet, but they couldn't sell it to me like that.

So, with that, I will again state that I have had no attitude yet until I am accused of whining or having an attitude. I was merely stating what there is vs. what I would like to see that most other carriers around me appear to have.

You can't carry MLB Network without also carring MLB EI.
Does Time-Warner have EI? I ask because a friend in NY that I was visiting had MLBN on her Time-Warner cable in SD.

Maybe cause we have 50-some odd recordings on the DVR. :)Do you have a DVD recorder? Dump the stuff to -/+RW or -RAM. Even though it'll only be SD, at least you won't miss the programming.

Do you have a DVD recorder? Dump the stuff to -/+RW or -RAM. Even though it'll only be SD, at least you won't miss the programming.
Nope, don't have one of those. That is a great show in case you have never seen it. If you did like it, you would understand why I have been harping on them not having it. :)

Anyway, thanks for the suggestion. I will figure something out. ;)

I didn't really want U-Verse TV to start off with, just the Internet, but they couldn't sell it to me like that.

Same here. Don't want the TV, and they won't budge on just the internet. I'm not going to bother to get the TV install and cancel it, just to get the internet. In fact, I am slowly moving away from all things AT&T. Cancelled my credit card with them, probably moving to Verizon later this summer, and am looking into a different phone/internet provider. I have too many monthly AT&T bills, especially considering their no-budge stance on unbundling U-verse and early upgrade to an iPhone. (no and he** no, respectively)

Something to understand about the U-Verse hd is the heavy compression algorithm in use. You will see macroblocking and pixel shifting in areas without movement. Watch an hd football game for example, the field will show tons of it, while the players do not. There is a new 28mb profile on the horizon, with talks of 3hd streams, but if they compress them more then I think they are going the wrong way. Current hd stream is 6mb, so to fit 3 in plus sd (3mb), and 10mb for internet you're looking at 5mb hd streams.

Something to understand about the U-Verse hd is the heavy compression algorithm in use. You will see macroblocking and pixel shifting in areas without movement. Watch an hd football game for example, the field will show tons of it, while the players do not. There is a new 28mb profile on the horizon, with talks of 3hd streams, but if they compress them more then I think they are going the wrong way. Current hd stream is 6mb, so to fit 3 in plus sd (3mb), and 10mb for internet you're looking at 5mb hd streams.
That just smells of utter failure. Hmm, hope they can get it right.

That just smells of utter failure. Hmm, hope they can get it right.

They are talking of improved h264 algorithms to reduce the artifacting but we will have to wait and see. The problem is that Comcast started doing the same thing here in Nashville. It seems everyone is slowly turning into macroblock and artifact hell.

They are talking of improved h264 algorithms to reduce the artifacting but we will have to wait and see. The problem is that Comcast started doing the same thing here in Nashville. It seems everyone is slowly turning into macroblock and artifact hell.
Our Comcrap had a little problem like that last I heard. I guess if everyone keeps screwing with things like that, then they will experience a lot of customers switching around. If they can't maintain a solid customer base, maybe they will stop compressing it so much. *shrug*

Doubt anyone will compress less in the future.

People would rather have 100 HD crap channels than 80 really good clean ones. You can tell by the marketing from everyone. They all trumpet the numbers of channels and content, and no one tells you they have higher quality than the others. Except for Dish and their big push with 1080p VOD. And even then its just a number, because the quality is no Bluray or even close.

I wish we could have satellite dishes in my neighborhood, but they are against the regulations. Right now its Comcast or nothing. Thankfully U-verse is coming in soon.

Does Time-Warner have EI? I ask because a friend in NY that I was visiting had MLBN on her Time-Warner cable in SD.

Of course, they are a part owner of MLB Network.

I wish we could have satellite dishes in my neighborhood, but they are against the regulations.
They may be on paper, but any such blanket prohibition cannot be enforced against you. It cannot be enforced by covenant, provided you are not doing anything obnoxious. If you want satellite, go for it, and if the HOA complains, tell them to shove it.

http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html

They may be on paper, but any such blanket prohibition cannot be enforced against you. It cannot be enforced by covenant, provided you are not doing anything obnoxious. If you want satellite, go for it, and if the HOA complains, tell them to shove it.

http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html

+1. Go ahead and put that dish up, they can't stop you.

They may be on paper, but any such blanket prohibition cannot be enforced against you. It cannot be enforced by covenant, provided you are not doing anything obnoxious. If you want satellite, go for it, and if the HOA complains, tell them to shove it.

http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html
+2 What they are telling you is illegal. They can't even tell you that you can't at an apartment complex. As long as it is not in a common or public area (i.e. on your porch), you can even put one up at an apartment. So, get you some DirecTV action and tell them to screw off after you hand them a copy of that FCC regulation page.

But do your neighbors a favor, and find a place for the dish that is out of sight. The installers that showed up at our house wanted to put the dish as close to the comms box on the house, so they wouldn't have to run wire; saving them time and money, but subjecting myself and my neighbors to looking at a gawd-awful dish on the front corner of the house. When I told them they weren't going to put it there, and showing them where I wanted it, they tried to say they couldn't run the wire that high, (2 story house). I installed cable myself, back in the "I want my MTV" days, and told them that I didn't want the wire that high either; I wanted it run to the ground, and buried to the comms box, keeping the install clean. They said they don't bury, so I told them I have a freakin' shovel, just lay enough wire out, and I would do it. They did, I did, and everything is fine. Well, except for the work ethic and pride in a good job done in this country, but that's another thread....

AT&T U-verse TV Lineup Expands To 100 Or More High Definition Channels In Every U-verse TV Market

March 02, 2009: 09:30 AM ET

DALLAS, March 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- For viewers who want more High Definition (HD) channels at a great value, cable isn’t even a question. AT&T* today announced that AT&T U-verse(SM) TV now offers 100 HD channels -- exceeding the HD channel lineups offered by the local cable providers in every U-verse TV market.

With recent expansions to the U-verse TV HD lineup, customers can now enjoy ABC Family HD, Disney Channel HD, Disney XD HD, ESPNews HD and ESPNU HD as part of their existing HD service subscription, depending on their programming package. With the additions, U-verse TV offers 100 or more HD channels in every U-verse TV market.

"In this economy, consumers are turning to home entertainment to save money and get better value, and they should pick a provider that offers them more HD bang for their buck. That’s U-verse TV," said Dan York, executive vice president of content and programming, AT&T Converged Services. "These great HD additions from the Walt Disney Company help us with important strategic content initiatives and allow us to deliver an even bigger HD lineup to customers. With spectacular picture quality, HD-ready equipment included in every U-verse TV package, and the ability to watch your favorite HD recordings when and where you want with Total Home DVR - you can’t beat the U-verse TV HD experience."

AT&T U-verse TV has two HD subscription options. HD service is included with the U450 programming package and available for $10 a month with any other U-verse TV programming package. U-verse HD customers can get even more HD-exclusive channels with the HD Premium package for an additional $5 a month. All U-verse TV packages include HD-ready equipment, and most packages include an HD-ready Total Home DVR, which gives you the ability to record your HD programs from a single DVR and watch them on any connected TV.

AT&T U-verse TV is the only 100 percent Internet Protocol-based television (IPTV) service offered by a national service provider, making AT&T U-verse one of the most dynamic and feature-rich services available today. AT&T U-verse TV ranked "Highest in Residential Television Service Satisfaction in the North Central, South, and West Regions," according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Residential Television Service Provider Satisfaction Study(SM).

For additional information on AT&T U-verse -- or to find out if it’s available in your area -- visit http://uverse.att.com. Customers can get more information about U-verse TV programming and television events by visiting http://uverse.att.com/uconnect.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates, AT&T operating companies, are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. Among their offerings are the world’s most advanced IP-based business communications services and the nation’s leading wireless, high speed Internet access and voice services. In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As part of its three-screen integration strategy, AT&T is expanding its TV entertainment offerings. In 2008, AT&T again ranked No. 1 on Fortune magazine’s World’s Most Admired Telecommunications Company list and No. 1 on America’s Most Admired Telecommunications Company list. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com.

(C) 2009 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Note: This AT&T news release and other announcements are available as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. For more information and detailed disclaimer information, please review this announcement in the AT&T newsroom at http://www.att.com/newsroom.

SOURCE AT&T Inc.

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/200903020930PR_NEWS_USPR_____CG76972.htm

Speaking of new HD channels....I have a question for AuroraProject and any other SF Bay Area U-verse'rs.

I noticed a new channel listing while browsing the U-verse program guide last night -- Channel 1770, Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area HD (CSNBA HD). It has no program listings on it for the foreseeable future, but it is tunable.

Some time ago, I had asked the forum about CSNBA (which carries my beloved San Jose Sharks hockey as well as other teams like the Warriors and Giants), and was told it was only available in SD on Channel 770 and there were no plans to make this channel available in HD in the future on U-verse.

Is the appearance of HD Channel 1770 in the Guide an indication that this will possibly be changing and we will start getting CSNBA in HD?

AT&T U-verse TV Lineup Expands To 100 Or More High Definition Channels In Every U-verse TV Market

I'm not sure what's going on with 1770, I'm happy to see CSNBA-HD finally, but with no programming what's the point? I'll see what I can find out.

I'm not sure what's going on with 1770, I'm happy to see CSNBA-HD finally, but with no programming what's the point? I'll see what I can find out.

AuroraProject, thanks for the help. BTW, I just found some recent entries on the AT&T "utalk" forum regarding this same topic. Several people claimed that they saw a Warriors game on 1770 around the end of January in HD.

If this is true and 1770 will start carrying all the scheduled CSN-BA HD programming, this would be fantastic news! The lack of this channel caused me a great deal of hesitation in considering U-verse.

Perchance I can even see my beloved Sharks tomorrow night vs. Dallas in HD?

Let us know what you can find out.

Does this sound right to anyone? Look back to my post #1791 to get details on my stb resetting every time I turn the power on. I called U-verse today because my internet was not connecting. That got fixed quickly, but while I had him on the phone I asked about my stb resetting all the time. He walked me through a "disaster recovery" reset, which only accomplished my losing all dvr'ed recordings. After that they called me back and asked me to turn everything off and turn it back on, and the box reset. We turned it off and back on, and it reset again. Then he left for a couple of minutes, came back on and basically told me that all dvr stb's will take 4 or 5 minutes every time they get turned on because the stb is downloading updated software and loading the hard drive. Is that true? Does everybody here who has a dvr box have to wait 4 or 5 minutes for the system to load before they can watch TV - every time they turn it on?

^Sorry Mark not me. Once I turn it on, it goes own. I have a few recordings on the DVR right now and I do a clean up at least once a week.

Me neither, Mark. No problems with DVR STB turn-on time here either.

AuroraProject, thanks for the help. BTW, I just found some recent entries on the AT&T "utalk" forum regarding this same topic. Several people claimed that they saw a Warriors game on 1770 around the end of January in HD.

If this is true and 1770 will start carrying all the scheduled CSN-BA HD programming, this would be fantastic news! The lack of this channel caused me a great deal of hesitation in considering U-verse.

Perchance I can even see my beloved Sharks tomorrow night vs. Dallas in HD?

Let us know what you can find out.

CSNBA-HD (1770) was added a month or so ago...It's only active when HD shows are on, so it doesnt have anything normally...but when CSNBA is broadcasting HD games (sharks, warriors etc...) it does show them (I've watched several). It was a welcome addition to the bay area lineup (finally)

Does this sound right to anyone? Look back to my post #1791 to get details on my stb resetting every time I turn the power on. I called U-verse today because my internet was not connecting. That got fixed quickly, but while I had him on the phone I asked about my stb resetting all the time. He walked me through a "disaster recovery" reset, which only accomplished my losing all dvr'ed recordings. After that they called me back and asked me to turn everything off and turn it back on, and the box reset. We turned it off and back on, and it reset again. Then he left for a couple of minutes, came back on and basically told me that all dvr stb's will take 4 or 5 minutes every time they get turned on because the stb is downloading updated software and loading the hard drive. Is that true? Does everybody here who has a dvr box have to wait 4 or 5 minutes for the system to load before they can watch TV - every time they turn it on?
You have a crap box and, evidently, crap technical support. I have to say that never, ever, not once has any of my boxes restarted on their own since I have had U-Verse. That moron evidently didn't know what the hell he was talking about and probably hasn't ever used U-Verse. I am leaving U-Verse now back to the happy confines of my DirecTV. Via Condios Muchachos.

As long as it is not in a common or public area (i.e. on your porch), you can even put one up at an apartment.
Well, that gets a little trickier. They have every right to prevent you drilling holes in their building, so while you can technically have a satellite dish, you may not be allowed to mount it on the roof or exterior walls, and you may not be able to drill a hole for the cable run.

Same thing with condos--if the only place you can mount the dish is on the roof or on the street-facing side, you might be out of luck. Housing developments can also prohibit the street-facing installation, so if your house points the wrong direction, no satellite.

There are other exceptions as well. It's not an unlimited right to have a dish, but they can't simply ban them. They can use certain limitations, and if that limitation completely prevents you individually from having a dish on your property, that's legal. They just can't tell everyone that they can't do it.

Well, that gets a little trickier. They have every right to prevent you drilling holes in their building, so while you can technically have a satellite dish, you may not be allowed to mount it on the roof or exterior walls, and you may not be able to drill a hole for the cable run.

Same thing with condos--if the only place you can mount the dish is on the roof or on the street-facing side, you might be out of luck. Housing developments can also prohibit the street-facing installation, so if your house points the wrong direction, no satellite.

There are other exceptions as well. It's not an unlimited right to have a dish, but they can't simply ban them. They can use certain limitations, and if that limitation completely prevents you individually from having a dish on your property, that's legal. They just can't tell everyone that they can't do it.

Bingo.

It needs to point forwards (toward the street). However we are not allowed to mount them visible from the street. And the backyard has trees about 10-20 feet away from the house, and its 3 stories tall, so it would need to be about 50 feet back to work. Neighbors across the street have dishes, its just an unlucky positioning of our house and the trees.

I had the DirecTV guy out here and we looked it over for a while but no go. And the fine for a dish is 25 dollars per day of violation, my next door neighbor suffered through it for a few days so I know they are serious. As a concession they are looking into making a deal with DirecTV to place a central large dish in a secluded area of the neighborhood and wire whomever is interested. They are not ignorant to the problem, but they take the rules seriously. I was almost on the board, but then I got a tough new job and decided it would take too much time to worry about it.

Does everybody here who has a dvr box have to wait 4 or 5 minutes for the system to load before they can watch TV - every time they turn it on?

No, the dvr should come on immediately, no wait at all. They fed you some bs, call in and tell them you want a new dvr.

CSNBA-HD (1770) was added a month or so ago...It's only active when HD shows are on, so it doesnt have anything normally...but when CSNBA is broadcasting HD games (sharks, warriors etc...) it does show them (I've watched several). It was a welcome addition to the bay area lineup (finally)

Cool! I will give it a try tonight when the SJ Sharks game is scheduled to be carried in HD. The program guide is still devoid of information about programming on 1770, but perhaps that's just a detail they need to follow-up as they roll it out?

This is just a follow up to my previous post about the focusing issue (for anyone that cares).

Saturday's (2/28/2009) game against the Rockets, which according to the guide was an away game but in reality was a home game, did not exhibit the issue I previously described.

It looks like they finally fixed the problem. Good news for all Bulls fans!

I am ready to dump TW again. I tried the great Dish experiment last year with disasterous results, so I'm back with TW again.

My neighbor catty-corner to me has U-verse. When I check my address, it says it's not available in my area yet. When I check my next door neighbor's address, which is farther down the street from the neighbor that has it, the U-verse bot tells me it's available for them. WTF?

So I got a Customer No Service Chat room guy and he tells me he can't answer my question because it's a violation of the Terms and Agreements of the chat room. WTF?

So I called AT&T. Got a real, live Customer No Service person on the line and explain the issue. She checks my address again, b/c she has a different system that I can access, and says I can't get it, but that she can open up an account for me and that my question will get forwarded to the "address resolution" people. She asks me all the typical questions again and then all of a sudden asks me for my Social Security Number. I asked her why she needed it and she says in order to set up the dummy account, she has to run a soft credit check on me. WTF?

Can't we get a company in this country that can provide reliable, reasonably priced Internet, TV and telephone service? Please? Hell, spend some of the stimulus bill on that and you might actually stimulate the economy.

I am ready to dump TW again. I tried the great Dish experiment last year with disasterous results, so I'm back with TW again.

My neighbor catty-corner to me has U-verse. When I check my address, it says it's not available in my area yet. When I check my next door neighbor's address, which is farther down the street from the neighbor that has it, the U-verse bot tells me it's available for them. WTF?

So I got a Customer No Service Chat room guy and he tells me he can't answer my question because it's a violation of the Terms and Agreements of the chat room. WTF?

So I called AT&T. Got a real, live Customer No Service person on the line and explain the issue. She checks my address again, b/c she has a different system that I can access, and says I can't get it, but that she can open up an account for me and that my question will get forwarded to the "address resolution" people. She asks me all the typical questions again and then all of a sudden asks me for my Social Security Number. I asked her why she needed it and she says in order to set up the dummy account, she has to run a soft credit check on me. WTF?

Can't we get a company in this country that can provide reliable, reasonably priced Internet, TV and telephone service? Please? Hell, spend some of the stimulus bill on that and you might actually stimulate the economy.

Another option is if you AT&T for local or long distance go ahead and create a login for your phone account. It should show you if you qualify for UVerse when you log on and look at your account. This is how I found out.

Does this sound right to anyone? Look back to my post #1791 to get details on my stb resetting every time I turn the power on. I called U-verse today because my internet was not connecting. That got fixed quickly, but while I had him on the phone I asked about my stb resetting all the time. He walked me through a "disaster recovery" reset, which only accomplished my losing all dvr'ed recordings. After that they called me back and asked me to turn everything off and turn it back on, and the box reset. We turned it off and back on, and it reset again. Then he left for a couple of minutes, came back on and basically told me that all dvr stb's will take 4 or 5 minutes every time they get turned on because the stb is downloading updated software and loading the hard drive. Is that true? Does everybody here who has a dvr box have to wait 4 or 5 minutes for the system to load before they can watch TV - every time they turn it on?
Probably a dumb question, but you're not completely cutting power to the STB when you turn it off are you? (i.e. with a power strip or receiver outlet or something).

Probably a dumb question, but you're not completely cutting power to the STB when you turn it off are you? (i.e. with a power strip or receiver outlet or something).

No, it is receiving constant power, recording when not turned on, etc. It's great all except when it powers on. But, I turned it on this morning to catch a little Sportscenter before work and it came right on. The customer service guy went through this long speech about the difference between turning it off with the remote or the button on the stb, but I can assure you I have tried both many times and neither makes a difference. I am going to see what happens tonight and if it still does it I will keep going to supervisors until somebody agrees to bring me a new box to try. Thanks to everybody.

Umm, thats pretty stupid (pushing the button on the stb vs. pushing power on the remote). They both do the same damn thing. You push the button on the remote, it puts it in "standby" mode. You push the button on the stb, it puts it in "standby" mode. I am really beginning to think you found the dumbest call center in the country.

I am ready to dump TW again. I tried the great Dish experiment last year with disasterous results, so I'm back with TW again.

My neighbor catty-corner to me has U-verse. When I check my address, it says it's not available in my area yet. When I check my next door neighbor's address, which is farther down the street from the neighbor that has it, the U-verse bot tells me it's available for them. WTF?

So I got a Customer No Service Chat room guy and he tells me he can't answer my question because it's a violation of the Terms and Agreements of the chat room. WTF?

So I called AT&T. Got a real, live Customer No Service person on the line and explain the issue. She checks my address again, b/c she has a different system that I can access, and says I can't get it, but that she can open up an account for me and that my question will get forwarded to the "address resolution" people. She asks me all the typical questions again and then all of a sudden asks me for my Social Security Number. I asked her why she needed it and she says in order to set up the dummy account, she has to run a soft credit check on me. WTF?

Can't we get a company in this country that can provide reliable, reasonably priced Internet, TV and telephone service? Please? Hell, spend some of the stimulus bill on that and you might actually stimulate the economy.

Maybe you're too far from the VRAD?:confused:

Was tonights Sharks game shown on 1770?

Was tonights Sharks game shown on 1770?

I missed it, just got home...But the Guide for 1770 does show it having the Game in HD starting at 7:30 (and then no programming after the game)...So I'd assume so.

I missed it, just got home...But the Guide for 1770 does show it having the Game in HD starting at 7:30 (and then no programming after the game)...So I'd assume so.

Indeed, the game was on in glorious HD which IMHO is the only way to watch hockey. :cool: Sadly, the result of the game was not so good for the Sharks. :eek:

This pretty much "seals the deal" for me with U-verse. So far so good relative to features, quality, programming, etc. We've had a few very minor audio and video glitches but nothing to really complain about. And now that they are carrying CSNBA-HD, that's an added bonus.

Bye bye Comcast!

So, my wife called on Valentine's day and setup the U-Verse service to be installed yesterday here at my home in Austin TX (they confirmed it was available at my address). I took the day off for the installer (Gregory) to come and do a 3 hour install with new Cat-5 runs and new outlets, boxes, modems, etc (really professional looking install from a really polite guy) only to find out he wasn't getting a signal from the pole in my back yard, he calls in the "outside" team to come take a look...24 hours later they get here and say that my address is so far from the Hub (VRAD?) that I will be severely bandwidth limited and won't be able to get HD or internet and that he appreciated my giving them a shot and that I should resume service with my old provider (which I had none), have a nice day.

On the one hand, I'm really glad I got the Cat-5 run through my house for nothing and I kind of feel like I dodged a bullet by getting into bed with a company/service that is this sketchy. On the other hand...are you freaking kidding me? Their systems can't tell them this sort of info in advance? How are you going to sell a service that you don't even know if you can provide (and spend a bunch of money in install labor and equipment just to end up giving it away!). I also know that there is an AT&T green box on my jogging trail about 1/4 mile from my house and its much closer than the one they are trying to use...

Looks like I'll be a Dish customer soon as that's the only option I really have.

Someone PM me and tell me if AT&T is smoking crack or if their system is really this incompetent.:eek: and if there's anything I can do (I literally have the UVERSE HD-DVR and Wireless modem sitting in my entertainment cabinet just waiting to do their thing.

So, my wife called on Valentine's day and setup the U-Verse service to be installed yesterday here at my home in Austin TX (they confirmed it was available at my address). I took the day off for the installer (Gregory) to come and do a 3 hour install with new Cat-5 runs and new outlets, boxes, modems, etc (really professional looking install from a really polite guy) only to find out he wasn't getting a signal from the pole in my back yard, he calls in the "outside" team to come take a look...24 hours later they get here and say that my address is so far from the Hub (VRAD?) that I will be severely bandwidth limited and won't be able to get HD or internet and that he appreciated my giving them a shot and that I should resume service with my old provider (which I had none), have a nice day.

On the one hand, I'm really glad I got the Cat-5 run through my house for nothing and I kind of feel like I dodged a bullet by getting into bed with a company/service that is this sketchy. On the other hand...are you freaking kidding me? Their systems can't tell them this sort of info in advance? How are you going to sell a service that you don't even know if you can provide (and spend a bunch of money in install labor and equipment just to end up giving it away!). I also know that there is an AT&T green box on my jogging trail about 1/4 mile from my house and its much closer than the one they are trying to use...

Looks like I'll be a Dish customer soon as that's the only option I really have.

Someone PM me and tell me if AT&T is smoking crack or if their system is really this incompetent.:eek: and if there's anything I can do (I literally have the UVERSE HD-DVR and Wireless modem sitting in my entertainment cabinet just waiting to do their thing.

Someone dropped the ball, in my case the outside team came in first established and checked the line 2 days prior to the inside install. Also the installer checked the connection prior to starting the installation, looks like some assumptions where made in your case. I am sure AT&T would prefer not to wire a whole house and spend the onsite time of an installer so this is a lose/lose for everyone.

So, my wife called on Valentine's day and setup the U-Verse service to be installed yesterday here at my home in Austin TX (they confirmed it was available at my address). I took the day off for the installer (Gregory) to come and do a 3 hour install with new Cat-5 runs and new outlets, boxes, modems, etc (really professional looking install from a really polite guy) only to find out he wasn't getting a signal from the pole in my back yard, he calls in the "outside" team to come take a look...24 hours later they get here and say that my address is so far from the Hub (VRAD?) that I will be severely bandwidth limited and won't be able to get HD or internet and that he appreciated my giving them a shot and that I should resume service with my old provider (which I had none), have a nice day.

On the one hand, I'm really glad I got the Cat-5 run through my house for nothing and I kind of feel like I dodged a bullet by getting into bed with a company/service that is this sketchy. On the other hand...are you freaking kidding me? Their systems can't tell them this sort of info in advance? How are you going to sell a service that you don't even know if you can provide (and spend a bunch of money in install labor and equipment just to end up giving it away!). I also know that there is an AT&T green box on my jogging trail about 1/4 mile from my house and its much closer than the one they are trying to use...

Looks like I'll be a Dish customer soon as that's the only option I really have.

Someone PM me and tell me if AT&T is smoking crack or if their system is really this incompetent.:eek: and if there's anything I can do (I literally have the UVERSE HD-DVR and Wireless modem sitting in my entertainment cabinet just waiting to do their thing.
They should have told you that you were outside of range well before someone coming over to do the install. You are probably just outside the range. It would be nice to know how many feet you are from the VRAD.

Just because you see a "green box" on your jogging trail doesn't mean its for U-Verse. It could very well be just a regular phone box. The U-Verse boxes are a bit bigger and much different looking. If that box IS a U-Verse box, then just because it is closer than the other VRAD doesn't mean much either.

With my install, I am like right at 3000' from the VRAD they are using to get it to me. There is another VRAD right around 850' from my house that I would rather them use. The only problem with that is that when they set up those boxes, they run the cables underground way ahead of time and there is no way to re-route new cables to a house. The one 850' from me just happens to serve the other half of the sub-division across the road from me. The one 3000' from me serves all my area. Why they couldn't run shorter runs to my street when they put in the new box is completely beyond me, but they didn't, so I am stuck with what I have.

I would advise highly against going with Dish for satellite service. You will have better customer service experiences and better quality picture if you choose DirecTV instead. They are just leaps and bounds better than Dish will ever be. I know you might have to pay a little for equipment up front, but it is still far better than anything Dish could provide you although I have heard that some people love their DVR's, I don't particularly like their DVR's. They just aren't that nice. Just thought I would throw in that advisement to try to help.

I must not be explaining this correctly.

Neighbor 1 has Uverse and is X feet away from the VRAD.

My house is 100 feet away from Neighbor 1 and thus is 100 + X feet away from the VRAD. The Uverse online bot says I can't get Uverse.

Neighbor 2 is 200 feet away from Neighbor 1 and 100 feet away from me and is 200 + X feet away from the VRAD. The Uverse online both says he can get Uverse.

So if point B is inbetween point A and point C and both Point A and Point C can get Uverse, why can't Point B?

I must not be explaining this correctly.

Neighbor 1 has Uverse and is X feet away from the VRAD.

My house is 100 feet away from Neighbor 1 and thus is 100 + X feet away from the VRAD. The Uverse online bot says I can't get Uverse.

Neighbor 2 is 200 feet away from Neighbor 1 and 100 feet away from me and is 200 + X feet away from the VRAD. The Uverse online both says he can get Uverse.

So if point B is inbetween point A and point C and both Point A and Point C can get Uverse, why can't Point B?
Because when they were running the wires from the VRAD to the regular phone box, they might not have pulled your wires? Or maybe your segment of wires is run differently from either side of you. There are houses like that on my street. It doesn't make much sense to the average person, but its logical the way they did it.

So, my wife called on Valentine's day and setup the U-Verse service to be installed yesterday here at my home in Austin TX (they confirmed it was available at my address). I took the day off for the installer (Gregory) to come and do a 3 hour install with new Cat-5 runs and new outlets, boxes, modems, etc (really professional looking install from a really polite guy) only to find out he wasn't getting a signal from the pole in my back yard, he calls in the "outside" team to come take a look...24 hours later they get here and say that my address is so far from the Hub (VRAD?) that I will be severely bandwidth limited and won't be able to get HD or internet and that he appreciated my giving them a shot and that I should resume service with my old provider (which I had none), have a nice day.

On the one hand, I'm really glad I got the Cat-5 run through my house for nothing and I kind of feel like I dodged a bullet by getting into bed with a company/service that is this sketchy. On the other hand...are you freaking kidding me? Their systems can't tell them this sort of info in advance? How are you going to sell a service that you don't even know if you can provide (and spend a bunch of money in install labor and equipment just to end up giving it away!). I also know that there is an AT&T green box on my jogging trail about 1/4 mile from my house and its much closer than the one they are trying to use...

Looks like I'll be a Dish customer soon as that's the only option I really have.

Someone PM me and tell me if AT&T is smoking crack or if their system is really this incompetent.:eek: and if there's anything I can do (I literally have the UVERSE HD-DVR and Wireless modem sitting in my entertainment cabinet just waiting to do their thing.

The saga continues...so I called AT&T this morning and got someone who said they'd send me a UPS return label and box for the modem and DVR. Then, about 2 hours later, my wife gets a call from AT&T "customer retention" which is funny because we technically weren't customers yet, and this guy is basically a damage control specialist (in my estimation-he looked at how much labor and materials went to this job with no return on investment and said BS). He said he'd been reviewing our information and would like to come over and see for himeself why the service won't work. He said he could see why a technician would think it wouldn't work based on the distance to the nearest VRAD, but he still wanted to come out and test the lines himself, maybe he has a magical fix (or a signal boosting wormhole). I'm not holding my breath that this is going to work but I do at least appreciate the extra effort they are putting into it.
Now, if it does work do I need to be concerned about bandwidth issues, and what is the best way to tell if I have all the bandwidth I require (other than stuff working correctly?).

I have a friend who has the U-verse digital voice, and he's complaining that every time his phone rings it interrupts the TV (pixelates/freezes/etc). Has anyone heard of this or had it happen to them?

I have a friend who has the U-verse digital voice, and he's complaining that every time his phone rings it interrupts the TV (pixelates/freezes/etc). Has anyone heard of this or had it happen to them?

impala, I have U-verse Voice and have not any such problems. I just tested it out a few times now, and I see absolutely no impact on picture quality when the phone is ringing or while talking.

Speaking of U-verse Voice -- I just had a very curious situation today which took about 90 minutes on the phone with 4 different AT&T people to resolve. My U-verse Voice service which was activated last week during my install and working fine since then suddenly just shut off. The RG said voice was disabled and my uversecentral account stated that I did not have voice service provisioned.

A call to U-verse tech support revealed that someone (mystery person? system glitch?) had entered a voice service cancellation order into their system yesterday which was carried out today. After convincing them *I* had certainly had not entered that cancellation order, they escalated it to Dispatch and reactivated it immediately.

It is still a mystery why the cancellation order was entered, but I have my theory -- I suspect this all stems from the number being migrated from a separate (non-Uverse) POTS analog pair to my main pair which is carrying VDSL. I have heard and seen for myself the confusion that can be caused when someone has two analog phone lines running into one's house and migrates one of them to U-voice VOIP. Let's hope and pray it doesn't automatically shut off again!

I have a friend who has the U-verse digital voice, and he's complaining that every time his phone rings it interrupts the TV (pixelates/freezes/etc). Has anyone heard of this or had it happen to them?
Sounds like not enough bandwidth for phone and TV to me.

My house is 100 feet away from Neighbor 1 and thus is 100 + X feet away from the VRAD.
No, it isn't. Distance "as the crow flies" does not directly correlate to distance from the VRAD (loop length), because the lines aren't necessarily connected along the same routing. If you live in an older area, the phone lines have been added, rerouted, moved, and replaced so many times over the decades that it is quite literally a mess.

That said, the U-verse availability tool is completely and utterly worthless. To this day, it insists there is no service at my address, and it's been installed for over a month.
So if point B is inbetween point A and point C and both Point A and Point C can get Uverse, why can't Point B?
Because your outside phone box is too far away for the service to work, using their existing parameters. Two houses next to each other aren't necessarily connected to the same VRAD, and even if they are, the copper wiring isn't necessarily run along the same path.

I have a friend who has the U-verse digital voice, and he's complaining that every time his phone rings it interrupts the TV (pixelates/freezes/etc). Has anyone heard of this or had it happen to them?

Never had this problem in several months. And my DVR is coming right on for now - go figure.

The saga continues...so I called AT&T this morning and got someone who said they'd send me a UPS return label and box for the modem and DVR. Then, about 2 hours later, my wife gets a call from AT&T "customer retention" which is funny because we technically weren't customers yet, and this guy is basically a damage control specialist (in my estimation-he looked at how much labor and materials went to this job with no return on investment and said BS). He said he'd been reviewing our information and would like to come over and see for himeself why the service won't work. He said he could see why a technician would think it wouldn't work based on the distance to the nearest VRAD, but he still wanted to come out and test the lines himself, maybe he has a magical fix (or a signal boosting wormhole). I'm not holding my breath that this is going to work but I do at least appreciate the extra effort they are putting into it.
Now, if it does work do I need to be concerned about bandwidth issues, and what is the best way to tell if I have all the bandwidth I require (other than stuff working correctly?).

Well, if you are marginal they will put you on a 1HD/3SD profile which may not be what you want so see if your RG synch rate is 25k or 19k. Then you can monitor the DSL line via the RG stats and see if you are getting a lot of DSL retrains or corrected/uncorrected blocks. The corrected blocks will not cause any audio/video problems but they do eat a bit more bandwidth, the uncorrected blocks will cause problems. Basically make sure everything is to your liking in the first 30 days, if not send it back.

That said, the U-verse availability tool is completely and utterly worthless. To this day, it insists there is no service at my address, and it's been installed for over a month.



So how did you convince AT&T to come out and hook you up?

Well, if you are marginal they will put you on a 1HD/3SD profile which may not be what you want so see if your RG synch rate is 25k or 19k. Then you can monitor the DSL line via the RG stats and see if you are getting a lot of DSL retrains or corrected/uncorrected blocks. The corrected blocks will not cause any audio/video problems but they do eat a bit more bandwidth, the uncorrected blocks will cause problems. Basically make sure everything is to your liking in the first 30 days, if not send it back.

No, the second tech that came out said I was almost FIVE THOUSAND FEET from the VRAD, that there was a closer one but that all of the infrastructure is run underground and that can't be changed, he took the modem and HD-DVR and now I'm shopping again. Damn. Why can't they tell that I'm TWICE as far from the VRAD than is allowable for this service BEFORE the guy comes out and wastes all our time with the install. Maybe Dish or DirecTV can use the Ethernet lines he ran :D

So how did you convince AT&T to come out and hook you up?
I didn't. They were going door to door to schedule the install, and I had been checking once a week for two months to try to set it up online with no success, so when the guy came to the door trying to sell me a U-verse package, I asked him to confirm that service absolutely was available for me, showing him the website. He assured me that every single house on my street and the next was definitely serviceable with the new VRAD that just came online around the corner.

As it turns out, I didn't like his attitude or his sales pitch, or his persistently poor knowledge of the technology and package structure, so I eventually sent him away and then called AT&T directly. They were able to place the order without incident (installation was another matter--took them three days).
Why can't they tell that I'm TWICE as far from the VRAD than is allowable for this service BEFORE the guy comes out and wastes all our time with the install.
Because they don't always know what has happened with the copper over the years. It's not an easy task to keep accurate records (and until recently knowing the exact length of the runs, bypasses, and rerouting hasn't been important), and AT&T isn't particularly good at it anyway, so that's two counts of trouble. They certainly should have checked first thing, and the first installer should have noted the problem and refused to install.

You got some Cat5 out of the deal, though, so no real harm done. Satellite services don't use it, but you can for your home network.

Was your installer new? The first thing they are supposed to do is check for sync at the nid, and if it's no good no more work is to be performed until the condition is rectified or the loop length is determined to be too long.

To all that I was helping, I've been off work for sometime now, my mom is sick. I will get back to you all once I return to work, sorry for the delay.

After a rough start, I'm pretty happy with my U-Verse service.

Does anyone know when/if MLB Network will be added to the lineup? If not, do you know who I should contact to request the channel? The Customer Service reps have been no help at all. Thanks!

Was your installer new? The first thing they are supposed to do is check for sync at the nid, and if it's no good no more work is to be performed until the condition is rectified or the loop length is determined to be too long.

To all that I was helping, I've been off work for sometime now, my mom is sick. I will get back to you all once I return to work, sorry for the delay.

Hope all is well with your mom. Thanks for all the great help and advice you freely give out.

Hope your mom gets better also, that is top priority. And thanks for all the help you offer on this site.

First before asking my question, regards to AuroraProject and hope your Mom gets better soon.

So I am having an issue with a U-verse HD STB that is connected via HDMI to a 26" LG HDTV. Intermittently, after some time operating normally, the picture will begin to get what I would call "blips" or "spikes" of noise accompanied by popping sounds in the audio (but the audio remains in sync with the video), which eventually deteriorates into no picture and no audio at all. The picture and audio loss is not "dropouts" or "tiling" -- it is literally as if there is noise or a connection problem.

I have tried swapping for a new HDMI cable -- same problem. I have also tried moving to component video -- the problem does *not* seem to occur with CV.

Has anyone else seen this or have ideas what the problem might be? I am tempted to just leave it connected via component video and call it "solved" but am curious what the root cause may be.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

I just had Uverse installed today. I'm in an apartment 1 HD TV and internet. I'm still playing around with it, but so far I am very impressed. I have 2hd/2sd, and the picture compares favorable to Comcast. I'm 1800 feet from the box.

I like the DVR interface better. I thought I would get Comedy Centeral and Cartoon Network in HD, but I don't. Not a deal breaker as I didn't get them through Comcast either.

Uverse has recently signed a deal with Viacom for 7 hd networks including Comedy Central.

Apparently the Uverse salesmen were out in our neighborhood yesterday just outside of Atlanta. Although when i check our ATT home phone number on the Uverse site, it says it is not in our area, and when i log into my local account Uverse is not an available "new service" option (just digital tv).

if the HD compression is as bad as some people are saying I'd rather pass for now anyway, i am just itching to dump Comcast asap, though.

I was actually somewhat interested before, but with the recent price increases I'm not so much anymore.

We haven't been able to access the on demand shows from PBS kids. It's worked well before, but now it won't load any available shows. Other on demand shows seem to work fine. We're in Dallas if it makes a difference.

Anyone else had any issues?

We haven't been able to access the on demand shows from PBS kids. It's worked well before, but now it won't load any available shows. Other on demand shows seem to work fine. We're in Dallas if it makes a difference.

Anyone else had any issues?

avnimrod, I don't use those particular OnDemand channels so can't share any experience with them.

I have been a U-verse customer for about 3 weeks and my general review is quite positive so far. The experience has been positive enough for me to cancel Comcast for good (which I did with great pleasure). Here is a quick U-verse review.....

- Installation was handled very professionally.

- Overall picture quality is good compared to Comcast. (I'm sure it is not as good as DirecTV or OTA, but that's not my basis of comparison.)

- Very intermittent PQ glitches occur (not sure of the technical term for this?) when certain background portions of the picture stutter. Most commonly observed in sporting events. Not enough of an issue to turn me off.

- Have noticed (as documented elsewhere in this forum) some intermittent issues on my main home theater system with optical audio suddenly dropping out. The problem corrects itself with a quick channel change. A bit annoying and may cause me to change to HDMI or component video/analog audio instead, but not a huge issue.

- Functionality of Guide, Whole House DVR, etc. is very good.

- I also have DSL internet service and Digital (IP) phone service, both of which work well.

- Just got my first U-verse monthly bill and it was all clear and correct.

- Don't know about "recent price increases" mentioned directly above, although I'm sure as U-verse's popularity increases we will see prices go up. Fortunately the deal I cut with AT&T provides locked-in prices for a year without a contract, and considering the impact of the $225 rebate I received I am saving more than $50 a month relative to a similar service bundle with Comcast for the next 12 months at least.

So, while I wouldn't classify myself as a "U-verse fanboy", I am satisfied overall with the service (so far, at least) and glad I made the switch from Comcast.

P.S. This forum seems to have gone very quiet the last couple of weeks???

Hello all. I'm new. I also live in the Cleveland area. Recently (1 week ago) I switched to the U200 package from WOW! cable. Initially, i was very impressed with Uverse, but then I started to notice a lot of possible compression artifacts and am wondering if anyone else is having the same problem. It's most noticeable with slowly moving or fading objects. For example... watching NBC this morning, the faces behind big old Al Roker, besides being blurry and compressed out of recognition, would stay somewhat static for about a second, then all faces/clothes/clouds/everything that subtly changed all changes at once. It makes this weird throbbing in the picture that nauseates me. I called tech support and they even sent a guy. He watched for a while and I pointed it out. Sometimes he saw it, but mostly he looked at me like I was crazy. He changed cables and nothing fixed it. It's like when you hear a buzzing sound and once you notice it, that's all you can focus on... and it can also be difficult to point it out to anyone. Has anyone noticed this? I still haven't canceled my WOW account and am leaning towards going back to it. Sure Uverse has a lot more "HD" channels, but if they make me vomit, what good are they? Not to mention the 25 extra dollars and 2mbps slower internet connection with ATT. Hopefully I didn't just destroy anyone's perception of Uverse by pointing out the "buzzing."

Initially, i was very impressed with Uverse, but then I started to notice a lot of possible compression artifacts and am wondering if anyone else is having the same problem.Forum consensus is that U-verse HD is not quite as good as some other sources. For the DBS providers, DirecTV is considered better, but Dish is about on par with U-verse. For cable, it can vary due to the wide differences in cable HD quality, but in general it's at the lower end of the scale.

I'd suggest checking with others in your area. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=287017&page=596

Thanks Ken H. I heard that the quality was a little bit lower, but I didn't expect it to be this bad. My parents have Comcast up in Detroit, and for all the flak that Comcast gets about their compression, it's crystal clear compared to what AT&T is giving me. If this experience has taught me anything, it's the value of competing cable companies in an area.

Thanks Ken H. I heard that the quality was a little bit lower, but I didn't expect it to be this bad. My parents have Comcast up in Detroit, and for all the flak that Comcast gets about their compression, it's crystal clear compared to what AT&T is giving me. If this experience has taught me anything, it's the value of competing cable companies in an area.All of the info I've seen on Comcast in Detroit is the HD is noticably better than U-verse. Here is a recent topic: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1128391

As for WOW in Detroit, I've only seen the locals in QAM, which looked fine on a Sony 42" LCD.

Thanks Ken H. I heard that the quality was a little bit lower, but I didn't expect it to be this bad. My parents have Comcast up in Detroit, and for all the flak that Comcast gets about their compression, it's crystal clear compared to what AT&T is giving me. If this experience has taught me anything, it's the value of competing cable companies in an area.

Comcast varies by location, a lot. My parents in Atlanta have much better Comcast than we do here. That said they still switched to U-Verse.

Our Comcast is towards the bottom of the quality rung as far as it goes nationwide for ALL providers.

U-verse seems to be very close to the same nationwide.

I don't think this has been mentioned before but I've noticed something interesting regarding HD quality.

I've noticed that with some programming the NY HD channels (1002, 1004, 1005, 1007) have better HD quality than their CT counterparts (1003, 1030, 1061, 1008). You would think they would be very close in HD quality when showing the same program but not so.

I know some people here have said they have great HD quality and others say it's crap. Compression aside, it looks like it really depends who (i.e. what station) is sourcing the material for Uverse.

I understand different stations means different quality but I guess I just didn't expect it to really stand out on Uverse HD given their subpar HD quality to begin with.

Anybody notice this in their local area?

Comcast varies by location, a lot. My parents in Atlanta have much better Comcast than we do here. That said they still switched to U-Verse.

Our Comcast is towards the bottom of the quality rung as far as it goes nationwide for ALL providers.

U-verse seems to be very close to the same nationwide.

Indeed, PQ perceptions and differences between providers definitely seem to vary a lot by individual and location.

Here in Sunnyvale, CA, at least in my installation, U-verse PQ compares favorably with my prior Comcast service. (I've never had satellite so can't make that comparison.) On my large (57") HDTV, I see a little "softer edges" on the U-verse picture and some occasional compression artifacts. On my smaller (30") HDTV, the differences are less pronounced and hardly noticeable. I've seen some people report "color quality differences" but I don't see any. I have seen almost no picture drop-outs or tiling, which were actually more common with Comcast. I happen to be only 900 feet from the VRAD so perhaps this is contributing to my good experience with U-verse.

Since my main objective was to save some substantial money over Comcast's "highway robbery" rates for TV and internet, I was willing to make some small concessions on PQ and internet data rate. Bottom line, I feel that so far after three weeks of U-verse experience I'm getting good value for the money. I may upgrade to the next level of internet provisioned speed (only costs $5 a month more) to get closer to what Comcast was providing, but that will still be substantially less than what I was paying before.

Hopefully this experience will continue. If not, Comcast is always there as a backup option and likely to offer aggressive pricing to win me back. I could reinstall Comcast with about 30 minutes of recabling effort if necessary. Hopefully that won't become necessary.

Well, a further example of why competition is good. Due to the poor compression/high price of u-verse, I decided to go with WOW. Although their HD selection isn't near as large, the HD they do have looks very nice. I called AT&T to break it to them and they offer to lower my bill from 109 to 84/month for 6 months. That's roughly what I pay wow. I told them OK, called WOW to cancel and they gave me a year HBO for free. Called ATT back and they couldn't match it, so they got the boot. Best thing about U-verse so far is that you just have to drop the equipment at a UPS store and it gets returned for free. I feel like an empowered consumer.

Uverse has recently signed a deal with Viacom for 7 hd networks including Comedy Central.

U-Verse needs AMCHD for Breaking Bad. I called ATT and put in a request. I'm calling them every week until they get AMCHD. The SD Breaking Bad still looked AWESOME!!!

Comcast varies by location, a lot. My parents in Atlanta have much better Comcast than we do here. That said they still switched to U-Verse.

Our Comcast is towards the bottom of the quality rung as far as it goes nationwide for ALL providers.

U-verse seems to be very close to the same nationwide.

Same here, in Houston. A buddy, at work, gets great PQ on Comcast. However, they ran all fiber in his neighborhood. My neighborhood, which is still all coax, has macroblocking galore. Uverse is far superior, where I'm at. I'll take compression artifacts, over macroblocking/picture stutter/freezing any day.

And of course they (Comcast) don't have all of the HD channels they do in other markets, in Houston. 4th largest city, in the country... All for a higher price, I might add.

Yep, Comcast blows in H-Town

So I uninstalled the Uverse and hooked my old cable back up. I heard that uverse is trying to make some markets FTTH. I'm wondering if mine was. I didn't look to see what kind of cable was coming to the house, but in the attic, there was a single cable down to the outlet. A small adapter box was placed on the wall. When I removed it, there were a mess of little wires, with only two green and white striped wires connected to the outlet. The 2wire was connected to that with what seems to be a regular phone wire. Does anyone know if that means there's a FTTH setup?

Also the guy who set up the uverse, stole the cable splitter that i needed for my old cable and cut the old coaxial line. This made me make a late trip to radio shack, spend $20 and put the connector on the cable without any good tools. I had a few four letter words last night and I'm glad there were no women, children, or priests around.

So I uninstalled the Uverse and hooked my old cable back up. I heard that uverse is trying to make some markets FTTH. I'm wondering if mine was.
No, it wasn't. If they didn't dig up your yard and install a new box on the side of your house, you don't have FTTP.

Palladia (PLDHD, Channel 1502), which is an HD modern music show channel, has been dead for me for the last 3 days. It shows either no image or a "frozen" image.

Before I call U-verse to report it -- is anyone else having this problem?

Palladia (PLDHD, Channel 1502), which is an HD modern music show channel, has been dead for me for the last 3 days. It shows either no image or a "frozen" image.

Before I call U-verse to report it -- is anyone else having this problem?

That's happening on mine as well but I don't subscribe to that pack. Instead of popping up the proper screen it just freezes the last picture it saw.

That's happening on mine as well but I don't subscribe to that pack. Instead of popping up the proper screen it just freezes the last picture it saw.

Yes, that is usually the behavior I see as well. Anyone else?

Yes, that is usually the behavior I see as well. Anyone else?

I think I solved the mystery myself. From looking at AT&T's U-talk forum, it's clear that as part of a channel tier reallignment, Palladia is in the process of being moved to Channel 1505 and into the "HD Premium Tier" of channels along with MGM HD, Universal HD, Smithsonian HD, etc. So the "frozen image" screen will soon turn to the gray "You are not subscribed to this channel" screen.

Palladia did have a lot of good concert shows. It's a bit of a loss but not a major issue for me and definitely not worth the extra $$ to get HD Premium Tier.

I think I solved the mystery myself. From looking at AT&T's U-talk forum, it's clear that as part of a channel tier reallignment, Palladia is in the process of being moved to Channel 1505 and into the "HD Premium Tier" of channels along with MGM HD, Universal HD, Smithsonian HD, etc. So the "frozen image" screen will soon turn to the gray "You are not subscribed to this channel" screen.

Palladia did have a lot of good concert shows. It's a bit of a loss but not a major issue for me and definitely not worth the extra $$ to get HD Premium Tier.

I really liked that channel. I hate to lose it but I'm with you, not enough to pay extra for it. I enjoyed a lot of the concerts.

It's been a month since the last rumored software update was supposedly happening (and why new installs were cancelled that weekend), and no one I know with the service has seen anything new.

What happened? The DVR featureset limitations are becoming quite troublesome.

I switched to Uverse about 2 weeks ago and have noticed that I'm not getting 5.1 sound from my setup on HD channels. I am connected to an Onkyo receiver via HDMI. I have looked for setting on the DVR menu, but I can't find any.

I had 5.1 through the same setup using my old Comcast box. Anyone have any ideas?

Other than that, i have been very pleased with my service.

5.1 isn't supported via HDMI, only component.

1. What type of STB Uverse use and model #?
2. Does Uverse offer two different STB, one for SD and one for HD or one STB for both SD and HD?
3. Above post for 5.1, does the STB has a toslink/optical connection?
4. If so, can one use HDMI and toslink/optical at the same time? (HDMI to tv and toslink/optical to receiver)

TIA

1. What type of STB Uverse use and model #?
2. Does Uverse offer two different STB, one for SD and one for HD or one STB for both SD and HD?
3. Above post for 5.1, does the STB has a toslink/optical connection?
4. If so, can one use HDMI and toslink/optical at the same time? (HDMI to tv and toslink/optical to receiver)
All answers that can be found with simple searches in this thread.

just scored a combo of elite internet and hd tv service u100 for $70 combined for 6 months. i told the rep me and my girlfriend were considering direct tv and she gave me a discount no questions asked. so in all the charges are-

elite internet $35
digital tv $30
hd service $5

not a bad deal, only wish it was 1 year locked in.

Well, yesterday was probably the last straw for my Uverse experience. Last week I FINALLY got them to send out a technician to replace my set top box, and I never had a single reset since - it was great. Well, on Sunday I was watching basketball and wanted to record the golf, but I got the message that it would be too many HD channels going. I checked all the other TV's and none were on HD channels, nothing else was recording, so I pulled up my system information and the tech had changed us to 1 HD and 3 SD streams without even telling us. So I call customer service and they tell me no problem, I am plenty close enough to the dslam to have 2 and 2, so just reset all the STB's in the house and it should go back to 2 and 2. I do that and look at my system info again - still 1 and 3. So I call customer service back again. They tell me that this would have to be handled by the sales department and they are closed until Monday morning. On Monday morning I call the sales department and they transfer me back to technical support (where I was on Sunday). They tell me it's fixed, so I go home at lunch time and reset the STB's again, still 1 and 3. I call back and am embarrassed to say I was pretty rude, finally got a supervisor who says she will look into it. She calls me back later and transfers me to a level 2 tech who tells me there is no way I should have ever been hooked up to 2 and 2 because of how far I am from the dslam and that the resetting and internet issues are all because we don't have enough bandwidth. I am out of patience with the incompetent customer service and tech's, so looks like I'm heading back to TimeWarner.

I just got UVerse installed at my house in columbus,oh. been pretty happy with it though having problems with HDMI (VIP 1225 box, i think) still learning all the functions of the box.

5.1 isn't supported via HDMI, only component.

I talked to a tier 2 tech yesterday who insisted that he is getting 5.1 DD through the hdmi on his uverse. He had a tech sent to my house today who swapped out my old motorola dvr for a newer model...still only two channel pcm over the hdmi. I still get the audio dropouts using the toslink from the dvr as well.

I don't know if that tech guy was BSing me or not. Has anybody been able to get 5.1 DD over the hdmi?

Nope, I haven't tried since I first got it though, around a year ago. Maybe I will try again but I have a feeling I still won't get DD 5.1 over hdmi since I haven't heard anything about it.

what cables do you get with the att box if any? just want to look ahead and see what i should order from monoprice :)

my installer came with a bunch of HDMI and Component cable that he used to hook up the STB to my TV's (depending on what they needed)

I noticed they added three HD channels specifically for the Masters next week. One in the Amen corner live, the 15th and 16th live, and a Masters Extra. This is awesome for the golf fans with UVerse.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/att-tees-up-2009-masters,772773.shtml

Any lawyers in the house?
AT&T literally robbed me.
I've posted in this thread before... The skinny of my Uverse experience is this:
Signed up for a free 30 day trial, didn't like it and cancelled it. I went to hook my old stuff back up and my cable was severed and 2 splitters were gone. I just got off the phone with them about being reimbursed. All I want is the $15 that I had to spend to get back on with my life. They are refusing reimbursement because I do not have an account to credit. The catch is, that I would have had to notice it before I cancelled and then kept the service for a full month in order for them to credit my bill. They claim they are unable to cut me a check. I claim they are idiots. I also have AT&T wireless... Think I'm switching to Verizon.

They are correct unfortunately.

Its in the terms of service. Others have run into the same thing with various providers. You can call and ask to speak with executive support.

Also, they do not have to reimburse you for the stuff. The installation terms say that they may modify stuff and they do not have to restore you to your previous condition (they do not need to reinstall your Comcast setup). Each service has its own setup and that is why you have to pay installation/reconnection every time.

But they stole my splitters. I can understand them severing the old cable. That's a modification. So is disconnecting the splitter and keeping it in the house. Taking the splitter is theft. It's like I had a $10 bill lying on the table and the tech put it in his pocket.

But they stole my splitters. I can understand them severing the old cable. That's a modification. So is disconnecting the splitter and keeping it in the house. Taking the splitter is theft. It's like I had a $10 bill lying on the table and the tech put it in his pocket.

Call the police.

Any lawyers in the house?
AT&T literally robbed me.
They literally did not. Robbery is the taking of property by force or intimidation. The worst that could have happened is simple conversion, and even that didn't happen, because you authorized the installation.

Just from a common sense perspective, anything that you wanted to keep should have been put away (coaxial cables, splitters, AV cables, and the like), because any of that may be removed and/or replaced by the installers of a service. In exchange, they've provided new cabling and hardware to facilitate the operation. When you switch yet again, your cable/satellite installers will connect, rewire, and provide the necessary hardware.
All I want is the $15 that I had to spend to get back on with my life. They are refusing reimbursement because I do not have an account to credit.
Regardless, you end up benefiting from the deal in the form of new/additional AV cables, ethernet running, and the like. There is no form of legal action that would ever make the recovery of such a trivial amount worthwhile, even if you could conclusively establish that you were entitled to it.

It's unfortunate that you lost a splitter or two, but it was not intentional--installers likely assumed that it was cable company property, which they remove and replace as part of the installation.

It's annoying and disappointing, but it's not like you're entirely without fault or you didn't wind up ahead--you got something of greater value out of the experience, and probably nearly a month of free service.
The catch is, that I would have had to notice it before I cancelled
Well, yes. One would think that you would check or ask about your personal property when the installer left, or within a few days afterward, if it were something you cared about.
But they stole my splitters. I can understand them severing the old cable. That's a modification.
No, modification and removal of old cabling and connecting hardware (wall jacks, splitters, junctions all included) is part of the installation process and part of what you authorized.
It's like I had a $10 bill lying on the table and the tech put it in his pocket.
No, it's like you left a fork in your dishwasher when the appliance guys came to bring in the new one, and they walked off with the fork when they took the old dishwasher with them.

att arrived 2 hours early for us. the installer was there for only about an hour. so far im happy with the hd channels. they look especially nice on my bravia.

I had U-verse installed on 4/10, it took all of the 3-4 hours at&t said it would in my order confirmation email. The installers were very friendly and knowledgeable and went out of their way to make sure I was getting the best connection possible in my apartment. They were initially concerned that the rather old wiring would prevent an acceptable connection, but because of my close proximity to the VRAD, it ended up being ok. He said the measured throughput I was getting to the Gateway was higher than he had seen on any U-verse install he has done. Not surprisingly, the PQ I am getting is considerably better than what I was getting with Comcast and, to my eyes, is even better than the PQ my parents get via D*. Couple this with the total home DVR and more channels at a cheaper rate (not to mention $250 worth of rebates) I couldn't be happier with U-verse thus far.

Is there a problem with these motorola boxes?My DVR is starting to freeze and sputter again. it didn't do it for a long while but started again. Had to delete 2and a half men tonight because the dvr froz at 13 min into and wouldn't skip past the frozen point. I tried resetting the box and everything.

Please excuse my question, but I know U-Verse is fiber to node, but the run to the house is that still coax? How is the signal delivered through the house?

Thanks.

I didn't read the whole thread, but did I read the last few hundreds posts. Do I understand correctly that you can't use HDMI for video and get DD5.1 via SPDIF? The only option is to use component + SPDIF for DD5.1?

I'm really unhappy with the cost of Bright House networks, but U-verse seems to be loaded with gotchas and it'll only be about $10 a month cheaper (for equivalent service) than my already outrageously priced BHN. AT&T doesn't seem very serious about taking market share from the local cable companies like Verizon does with FIOS.

I am using HDMI for video and optical for audio and get 5.1 sound. You only get 2.0 sound from HDMI.

I am using HDMI for video and optical for audio and get 5.1 sound. You only get 2.0 sound from HDMI.Ok, thanks for clarifying that.

Please excuse my question, but I know U-Verse is fiber to node, but the run to the house is that still coax? How is the signal delivered through the house?

Thanks.

It's fiber to the node (or I'd call it neighborhood)...to a big green box called a VRAD. From the VRAD to your house it's delivered across regular twisted pair phone line...and like DSL, the closer you are the better..with the distance limit being around 3000 ft (but that may only give you enough bandwidth for 1 HD channel)..you want to be 2700 or less for 2 HD (and 2200 being the rumored cutoff for the future "3" HD channel service)

At the house, the install tech will pull it off the regular twisted pair and network it to your TVs with either Cat5 (ethernet) or Coax.

-Steve

I am using HDMI for video and optical for audio and get 5.1 sound. You only get 2.0 sound from HDMI.

UVERSE has just become available in my area (Rome, GA). I am very tempted to try it except for no 5.1 sound through the HDMI. I have a Denon receiver that switches 3 HDMI inputs to our main HDTV and processes the sound from our Dish 722 receiver, an Oppo DVD Player, and PS3. This is very convenient and it is difficult to configure using an optical input. The 2 HD streams coming into the DVR is also a limitation that I might be able to live with. I would enjoy the fast internet as I now only have 3 Mbit DSL.

Does anyone know if there is any timetable for 5,1 sound through HDMI, or is this impossible with the current DVR's?

It's fiber to the node (or I'd call it neighborhood)...to a big green box called a VRAD. From the VRAD to your house it's delivered across regular twisted pair phone line...and like DSL, the closer you are the better..with the distance limit being around 3000 ft (but that may only give you enough bandwidth for 1 HD channel)..you want to be 2700 or less for 2 HD (and 2200 being the rumored cutoff for the future "3" HD channel service)

At the house, the install tech will pull it off the regular twisted pair and network it to your TVs with either Cat5 (ethernet) or Coax.

-Steve

Interesting, so twisted pair offers more bandwidth than coax hu? I am really excited because U-Verse is expected to be built out in my area by the end of the year. It will be interesting to see what they do in my situation because the phone cables in my house are trashed, the previous owner must have gotten mad at them and decided to cut and pull all of them... (its a mess, but I don't care all I use is a cell phone). I am debating on pulling some ethernet cable into my living room where all the coax drops are, so I might go ahead and do that.

Interesting, so twisted pair offers more bandwidth than coax hu?
Not by a long shot. It's just the only option unless you have fiber installed all the way to your house. Coax simply isn't an option between the VRAD and the house.

If they wanted to run new cabling, they could, but they would put in fiber, like Verizon is doing, and not coax.
It will be interesting to see what they do in my situation because the phone cables in my house are trashed
It doesn't matter what they're like in your house; it only matters what they're like to your house.

It's fiber to the node (or I'd call it neighborhood)...to a big green box called a VRAD.So is this a VRAD?

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/4249/vrad.th.jpg (http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/4249/vrad.jpg)


My neighbor has this on his house and has U-verse, so does that mean AT&T is running FTTP in my neighborhood?

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/1678/onhouse.th.jpg (http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/1678/onhouse.jpg)

In case you were curious the lower box is from the cable company and is now disconnected.

VRAD's here in Green Bay, WI are tan. I don't know what that sickly big green box is. LOL

I'm sure that box on your neighbors house is just the NID (where your inside wire connects to your outside wire).

as for the first pic, i think that big green box is a power transformer

as for the second, that box has nothing to do with whether fttp is available (it's not)

When we had our house built the builders told us this new subdivision was set up with AT&T for fiber. :confused:

Online I read that the FTTP installs have a box mounted on the outside of the house with cables run into the house, so I figured that's what that was. Someone else said that box is a Alcatel-Lucent Optical Network Terminal (ONT) used for FTTP.

So is this a VRAD?
No.
My neighbor has this on his house and has U-verse, so does that mean AT&T is running FTTP in my neighborhood?
No. What matters is what is inside the box. If you have a box on the inside of the wall with a big battery in it, then you have a fiber installation. If it wasn't installed when you bought the home, it isn't now.
When we had our house built the builders told us this new subdivision was set up with AT&T for fiber. :confused:
The subdivision may well be. That doesn't mean the individual homes are or aren't. Optical cables running to the premises are usually marked on the insulation jacket as optical cabling and tend to be fairly thick compared to copper phone lines.
Online I read that the FTTP installs have a box mounted on the outside of the house with cables run into the house, so I figured that's what that was.
Phone lines have to enter your house somewhere, too--a box mounted on the outside of your house with cables run into the house. There is insufficient information based on the photo to know what you have. All the phone boxes look the same. The fiber boxes are in two parts, one outside, and one inside with the backup battery. If you don't have this inside component, you don't have FTTP service.
Someone else said that box is a Alcatel-Lucent Optical Network Terminal (ONT) used for FTTP.
Unless he's got x-ray vision, it's a load of crap--the ONT or NID is what's inside the box. The cover doesn't tell you anything unless it is specifically labeled on the outside about fiber or optical connections.

No. What matters is what is inside the box. If you have a box on the inside of the wall with a big battery in it, then you have a fiber installation. If it wasn't installed when you bought the home, it isn't now.

The subdivision may well be. That doesn't mean the individual homes are or aren't. Optical cables running to the premises are usually marked on the insulation jacket as optical cabling and tend to be fairly thick compared to copper phone lines.

Phone lines have to enter your house somewhere, too--a box mounted on the outside of your house with cables run into the house. There is insufficient information based on the photo to know what you have. All the phone boxes look the same. The fiber boxes are in two parts, one outside, and one inside with the backup battery. If you don't have this inside component, you don't have FTTP service.

Unless he's got x-ray vision, it's a load of crap--the ONT or NID is what's inside the box. The cover doesn't tell you anything unless it is specifically labeled on the outside about fiber or optical connections.I went out and checked the cable running into the neighbor's box, it is labeled as an optical cable on the insulation, so I guess it's safe to say that AT&T is using FTTP in my subdivision. :cool:

So how does U-Verse work? Does it require a special box from them? Or can you just hook up directly to your set or dvr? And will it work with your dvr(Sony DHG-HDD 500)?
Thanks,
Michael

So how does U-Verse work? Does it require a special box from them? Or can you just hook up directly to your set or dvr? And will it work with your dvr(Sony DHG-HDD 500)?
Thanks,
MichaelAs I understand it, it's a high bandwidth VDSL link to your house (~25M/2M). They run IPTV, phone and internet all over this VDSL link.

You must have a box at all TVs. U-verse can't be connected directly to anything. It won't work with your DVR. In addition there are other limitations in terms of how many channels can be watched or recorded at the same time due to finite total bandwidth of the VDSL link to your house.

I should have asked also as to the hookup from the box to the set. Is this through a/v connections or can you use coax?
Thanks,
Michael

I should have asked also as to the hookup from the box to the set. Is this through a/v connections or can you use coax?
Thanks,
Michael

STB can use coax, component cables or HDMI to set

STB can use coax, component cables or HDMI to set
Or composite or S-video on non-HD sets.

Hi everyone, question.... I currently have DirecTV and am very happy, However, Uverse is a few weeks from coming to my neighborhood. I am more interested with the phone and internet Uverse services, because my DSL 6.0 sucks and is slow to download video.

Since I don't want the TV service, has anyone had any luck just getting the internet or net and phone services? I know they don't like to do it, but I still think it is bad business if they continue to hold that line.

I also am not interested in having the install, then cancel. Too many issues could happen with that, such as them messing up my DirecTV set up.

Any advice or testimony would be a great help. :)

I know they don't like to do it, but I still think it is bad business if they continue to hold that line.
It's not, really, since content delivery is what's paying the bills for the upgrades, and that means TV subscribers. VOIP and faster DSL service fill a secondary role, and will continue to do so until more people switch to the higher-rate Internet speeds.
Any advice or testimony would be a great help. :)
All you can really do is call and ask--it's up to them and their local policies whether they can put together a package for you. Tell them you'd like to be an AT&T customer but you're not interested in subscribing to any TV services.

Don't engage them in the conversation, because they will try to get you to try out the TV service. Just politely shut it down and thank them for the offer.

You might not get some of the various incentives or bundle discounts, so if you're looking at the switch based on price, just remember that those are bundle deals you're not necessarily eligible to get.

Since I don't want the TV service, has anyone had any luck just getting the internet or net and phone services? I know they don't like to do it, but I still think it is bad business if they continue to hold that line.You can make a custom package of whatever you want on their website.

I am getting UVERSE this Thursday.... can someone tell me what mfg/model the DVR is?


Thanks!

I am getting UVERSE this Thursday.... can someone tell me what mfg/model the DVR is?


Thanks!

Motorola VIP1216 or VIP1225

I have had D* for a number of years, and just had Uverse installed. Overall, I am quite pleased. I CAN notice a slight quality difference in HD (D* is better), but the SD channels of Uverse are better. I am having sound drop-outs, which kind of suck, but are detailed in a different thread. I fixed (hopefully temporarily) by using stereo audio instead of Toslink. (This is something they are working on fixing, so hopefully they have a work-around soon. But my switch in my HT inputs and outputs coax digital audio as opposed to Toslink, and I only have one Toslink to coax converter - both my PS3 and Uverse box output digitally through Toslink, which is a bit annoying, so right now I have the digital audio from my PS3 as opposed to Uverse...)

But the response time on the remote is very fast - when it comes to switching channels and, especially, 30-second skip and 7-second backup. The menus are clean and easy to understand and use.

Motorola VIP1216 or VIP1225

Depends on the market. I was just installed in Atlanta today and got the Cisco/SA IPN4320.

I got a "magazine" in the mail promoting U-Verse and they mention that the $49 bottom level with an extra $10 adds HD channels. Problem is nowhere do I see what that $10 gets you. Otherwise all they list is the $109 which has a bunch of HD channels including premium channels like HBO. What kind of game are they playing here?

I got a "magazine" in the mail promoting U-Verse and they mention that the $49 bottom level with an extra $10 adds HD channels. Problem is nowhere do I see what that $10 gets you. Otherwise all they list is the $109 which has a bunch of HD channels including premium channels like HBO. What kind of game are they playing here?

To find out for sure, go online to the Channel Line-up. Generally, the $10 HD fee adds the HD versions of whatever channels you get in the package (U200 in my case) you subscribe to. There is at least one HD-only channel (HDNet) that is included. There might be others that don't have SD analogs, but I just got U-Verse today, so I'm not sure.

Hey guys- I'm getting UVERSE installed this morning. What questions do I need to ask the installer? What do I need to request? I'm getting TV and Internet, no voice.

Hey guys- I'm getting UVERSE installed this morning. What questions do I need to ask the installer? What do I need to request? I'm getting TV and Internet, no voice.

Oh well. The ATT installer just left.... I'm 3000 ft from the VRAD. :(

I could only get on HD stream at a time. He said that they don't do cat5 installs as it would take forever. coaxial only.

He also said that it will be a good while before they add another VRAD unit near me since ATT is trying to gain coverage and not strengthen coverage.
---------

This sucks. I was up at 6am this morning like it was Christmas. Now I feel like Cindy Lou Who when she woke up with no Christmas tree.

Quick question for those how have had uverse for a while now (1+ year). Has the quality of HD improved since you first got it?

I'm thinking of ditching TW since Uverse offers a more competitive price and the total home dvr, but I have some concerns about the quality of the HD.

It's been over a year since I have looked into the making a switch (at the time Uverse was still not available in my area), so have quality improved?

Quick question for those how have had uverse for a while now (1+ year). Has the quality of HD improved since you first got it?
Even if it has temporarily from tweaking or whatever, from what's being said it sounds like they're planning on degrading it even further.

I don't know if it was in this thread or not, but I thought I remembered reading something about that here somewhere (unless it was just a bad dream - but I don't think so).

Perhaps someone can either confirm this or correct me if I'm wrong.

Even if it has temporarily from tweaking or whatever, from what's being said it sounds like they're planning on degrading it even further.

I don't know if it was in this thread or not, but I thought I remembered reading something about that here somewhere (unless it was just a bad dream - but I don't think so).

Perhaps someone can either confirm this or correct me if I'm wrong.

They said they have a new tech in testing this summer that would allow 3hd in the space of 2hd. Probably better compression.
What they are testing that would be awesome is pair bonding. That would dramatically increase capacity to the house from what I understand going up to 5-6hd or more per house.

Oh, cratch, where are you located? Trying to figure out when its coming to Bellevue.

im having a problem with my uverse and i think its the hdmi cable they gave me. the sound goes out at random spots when im watching tv. i have the att box connected to my tv and my tv to my onkyo receiver. if the sound goes out ill disconnect and reconnect the hdmi and the sound goes back on.

i called att about it and they gave me a 30 dollar credit to buy a new cable. hopefully its the cable and not the box or worse my tv that has a problem.

im having a problem with my uverse[...]
Thanks for sharing?

They said they have a new tech in testing this summer that would allow 3hd in the space of 2hd. Probably better compression.

You would think that if a better form of compression were invented it would first be available to the masses as a stand alone codec (e.g. Divx 4, 5, etc.) unless it's proprietary. However, I haven't seen or read about anything (then again it's not I keep up with that stuff any more).

I'd have to agree with Rammitinski that, unfortunately, the HD quality appears like it's going to get worse though I certainly hope it doesn't.

As a side note, I did experiment with an over the air antenna and the single HD channel (CH 8 in CT) I did pick up was just slightly better than the Uverse version.

So if that single channel comparison is at all representative of the rest of the HD channels Uverse provides then AT&T is doing a great job with the crap they are being fed.

U-Verse officially announced picking up 6 new feeds today from MTV, with MTV HD, VH1 HD, CMT HD, Nickelodeon HD, COMEDY CENTRAL HD and Spike HD going live nationally.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/05/15/atandt-adds-6-mtv-networks-hd-channels-to-u-verse/#continued

This is awesome for AT&T U-verse subs.

109 channels of HD by my count.

I got uverse for the large number of HD channels like SPIKE, FX, all the HBO HD channels and I do like them. However, believe this, Comcast has much better HD, its digital SD channels are better. I get no detail in the dark color areas. For me it is completely about quantity vs quality. Other cons include no HD on any VOD channels, No reminder setting for upcoming shows (very, very annoying), higher cost rentals, HD rental is $2 more.

I do not think uverse will be a long term tv/internet solution for me.

I got uverse for the large number of HD channels like SPIKE, FX, all the HBO HD channels and I do like them. However, believe this, Comcast has much better HD, its digital SD channels are better. I get no detail in the dark color areas. For me it is completely about quantity vs quality. Other cons include no HD on any VOD channels, No reminder setting for upcoming shows (very, very annoying), higher cost rentals, HD rental is $2 more.

I do not think uverse will be a long term tv/internet solution for me.

+1

I just recently switched back to comcast from uverse, mainly for the special promo rates at current (Digital Prefered w/ HBO-Free DVR-Free Install $44/mo, 15 Mbps Internet $20/mo, free install).

Uverse HD channels are not as crisp as comcast, but I do miss the number of HD channels Uverse has. I also don't think comcast has live sporting ppv event in HD like uverse.

For the money, internet goes to comcast though, even without promo rates.

I think my setup will eventually be Comcast internet with Uverse tv.

Well, yesterday was probably the last straw for my Uverse experience. Last week I FINALLY got them to send out a technician to replace my set top box, and I never had a single reset since - it was great. Well, on Sunday I was watching basketball and wanted to record the golf, but I got the message that it would be too many HD channels going. I checked all the other TV's and none were on HD channels, nothing else was recording, so I pulled up my system information and the tech had changed us to 1 HD and 3 SD streams without even telling us. So I call customer service and they tell me no problem, I am plenty close enough to the dslam to have 2 and 2, so just reset all the STB's in the house and it should go back to 2 and 2. I do that and look at my system info again - still 1 and 3. So I call customer service back again. They tell me that this would have to be handled by the sales department and they are closed until Monday morning. On Monday morning I call the sales department and they transfer me back to technical support (where I was on Sunday). They tell me it's fixed, so I go home at lunch time and reset the STB's again, still 1 and 3. I call back and am embarrassed to say I was pretty rude, finally got a supervisor who says she will look into it. She calls me back later and transfers me to a level 2 tech who tells me there is no way I should have ever been hooked up to 2 and 2 because of how far I am from the dslam and that the resetting and internet issues are all because we don't have enough bandwidth. I am out of patience with the incompetent customer service and tech's, so looks like I'm heading back to TimeWarner.


The tech didn't change anything, field technicians do not have access to provisioning the streams, that is all handled remotely through dslam management.

So is this a VRAD?



My neighbor has this on his house and has U-verse, so does that mean AT&T is running FTTP in my neighborhood?


In case you were curious the lower box is from the cable company and is now disconnected.


No, that is not a vrad. Second picture is an Alcatel optical network terminal (ont), so yes it's fiber to the prem (fttp). Since you're neighborhood is fttp, you wont find a vrad anywhere close.

Oh well. The ATT installer just left.... I'm 3000 ft from the VRAD. :(

I could only get on HD stream at a time. He said that they don't do cat5 installs as it would take forever. coaxial only.

He also said that it will be a good while before they add another VRAD unit near me since ATT is trying to gain coverage and not strengthen coverage.
---------

This sucks. I was up at 6am this morning like it was Christmas. Now I feel like Cindy Lou Who when she woke up with no Christmas tree.

The plan is not to add vrads, it's to push the service out further. Currently the max is ~3200 feet. They are working on a new profile to push the service to 5280 feet, no eta on that yet though.

Anyone else have this problem?

When I try to pull up the DVR, the menu simply gets stuck - and can stay that way for several minutes before it finally pulls up the menu.

Or navigating through Recorded TV menus are REALLY SLOW.

Is there a fix for this? Should I reset the router? I have tried soft-resetting the receiver, and it seems to help briefly - but then the problems start to occur again.

I had UVerse installed last weekend, and so far, I am very happy with it.

The pointers I can share with everybody (that would hopefully help) are the following:

1. It is possible to improve on a week signal:
The first time the tech showed up (a week ago) he found the signal to be very weak (I was told I am at 2800 ft from the vrad - the cutoff being 3000). He proposed to downgrade my profile, meaning that I would be able only to watch 1 HD + 1 SD at a time (instead of 2+2), but I refused. He told me then that they need to do more work on their end to improve the signal - which took them 3 days to finish.

Now that the installation is done (see below), the wait was worth it.

2. Wiring considerations:
The UVerse can be either wired via coax cables or via Ethernet (RJ45 cables). Since my house was arleady wired with the latter (except for 1 room), I asked for an Ethernet distirbution. The technicain accepted and even wired the one missing room (approx. a 20 feet run).

3. Quality:
I had (and still have) Dish currently and I was nervous about the quality of the HD signal from UVerse. Being also on the "edge" distance-wise, I was not expecting much.

After the installation is done and watching the service for the last 2 days, I am pleasantly surprised with the quality. The HD feeds are amazing and I did not see any difference between those feeds and those coming from Dish (which I had for last 10 years+). In some cases, the kids thought that the UVerse feeds are even better than Dish.

On the SD side, quality was not consisent. Depending on the channels, some looked better on Dish vs. others looking better on UVerse. I could not find any pattern yet. But in either case, the qualitfy was good to very good - of course not to the level of an HD signal but still very "viewable".

4. DSL/Internet:
I have 2 computers wired directly and 1 via wi-fi. To not "disturb" my current infrastructure, the technician recommended to feed my current router directly from the uverse router. That was a mistake. While the wired computers worked fine, the performance/speed on the wireless computer was terrible.

Only way to improve on that was for me to setup the wireless distribution directly from the UVerse router and taking out completely the old one. It was an easy process to do even though there was no documentation per se for configuring the router (see below).

I have subscribed to the 3Mbps tier (which I had before). My old DSL showed numbers like 2,900 kbps download/350 kbps upload. The new UVerse DSL showed similar numbers on the download side but the upload speed tripled to the 900 kbps range!!

5. Configuration
The UVerse router comes with a label that spells out the IP address for the configuration and the needed passwords. That is a very smart move from AT&T giving you full access to the box. With that in-hand, it was very easy for me to configure the wireless distribution.

6. Programming:
This is the main reason I got UVerse in the first place. With their full package (U450), the amount of programming is amazing. Just browsing thru each channel takes a while. Switching between channels is instantaneous. Amazing!! On Dish, it takes about 5-8 seconds.

7. DVR-Useability:
My comparisons here are to Comcast & Dish - the only services I have tried.

What I like (so far):
+ Instantaneous channel switching
+ PIP while channel browsing
+ Logical grouping of channels and having the HD channels numbered as their SD+1000 is very easy to remember/use
+ Context-sensitve search (as you type, matching entries update)
+ HD quality

What I don't like (so far):
+ 2 HD/2 SD limitation: this is a limitation that is hard to get used to and that I will be evaluating closely. Unlike other providers, with UVerse I can watch and record only 2 HD + 2 SD channels at a time. With 1 DVR + 2 recievers installed and 3 kids, it is limitation we bumped into already. This could be day 1 excitement but I could easily see us in a scenario where 2 tvs are on with 1 recording running - and if all 3 were HD channels - that would not work.

+ 1-DVR limitation: the way UVerse is designed is that you can only have 1 DVR for the entire house. Having 2 DVRs with Dish now, this is another "big" limitation to get used to. For me personnaly, the DVR was not much about recording but more about the convenience of being in control while watching live tv (pausing, skipping commrecials, etc.).
The system allows watching recorded shows (on the DVR) from any other normal reciever (something Dish & Comcat do not allow) which alleviates some issues.

Conclusion:
The limitations of the sytem could be show-stoppers for some and not for others, and only to find out is to try it (the no-contract/no-strings installation helps with that). As it is, and if you can live wit the limiation, AT&T UVerse seems to be a valid contender to the current services in terms of both quantity and quality.

Anyone know if AT&T is planning on adding Epix HD (see link)? I know it's probably a little too early to know but I'm just curious.

http://arstechnica.com/media/news/2009/06/movie-studios-launch-epix.ars

Anyone know if AT&T is planning on adding Epix HD (see link)? I know it's probably a little too early to know but I'm just curious.

http://arstechnica.com/media/news/2009/06/movie-studios-launch-epix.ars
It seems like this would compete with VOD, making the TV operators reluctant to do it, but maybe I'm missing something.

FYI - AT&T released a iPhone/iTouch application that will control the DVR remotely. Works very nice and you can get it free from the App store

06/17/2009

AT&T Inc. this week added new features to its U-verse residential fiber offering, including scheduling for whole-home DVR and faster broadband speeds.

The U-verse Total Home DVR feature has added the ability to schedule and manage recordings from any U-verse receiver; customers, in other words, can set or delete recordings from any room in their home, instead of from the DVR receiver room only.

Also, U-verse customers will soon have a new interface to schedule and manage their DVR recordings from any Web-connected PC. Powered by Yahoo!, the enhanced functionality enables faster browsing of the program guide; sorting the program guide by genre, favorites or HD channels; referencing recently recorded shows and upcoming scheduled shows on a side panel; targeted searching by title, actor and channel; and personalizing favorite channels.

The LEC also has added a 20 percent downstream speed increase for AT&T U-verse Internet Max customers, from 10mbps to up to 12mbps.

Also, a new “On Demand Top Picks” application makes recommendations to on-demand users based on their past video rental history, along with a list of the top ten on-demand titles U-verse TV customers are renting. The app also will give customers the ability to rate a movie they have previously rented, which will be averaged into other U-verse TV customer ratings and displayed next to the title in the On Demand recommendations list.

Customers also will be able to pull up a panel of options to jump to another channel, time or day to find programming by pressing “enter.” If this is done watching live TV, it brings up a side panel that allows users to select from zoom and audio options.

And as a bonus, AT&T is offering a “free movie month.” All U-verse TV customers will get unlimited access to Starz at no extra charge during July.

The upgrades are all free, the carrier said. Total Home DVR capabilities will be expanded market-by-market in the upcoming weeks along with the navigation enhancements. On Demand Top Picks will be available to customers in Los Angeles; Cleveland; Hartford, Conn.; St. Louis; Atlanta; Sacramento, Calif., San Antonio and Austin, Texas, within the next few weeks, and AT&T plans to make the app available to all U-verse TV customers next year. The faster Internet speeds are available immediately.

http://www.von.com/news/att-upgrades-u-verse-at-no-cost.html

AT&T executives have been shouting from the top of the rooftops that they are a wireless company, touting mobile as key to the carrier’s future. And while they have been making those pronouncements, Ma Bell has been quietly slowing down its U-verse deployments. Earlier today, in a note to his clients, John Hodulik, an analyst with UBS Research, wrote:

AT&T has slowed the pace of its U-verse build. We initially 
expected AT&T to pass 11M incremental homes in 2009 but scaled back our 
expectations to 7M after the company pushed out its build-out plans. We now 
expect the company to pass just 4-5M new U-verse homes in 2009, down from 
9M in 2008.

Now that is a significant slowdown. So we asked the folks from AT&T to comment about the report. The company declined to comment on the “exact figures included in the UBS report, as we don’t know where their estimates came from.” According to AT&T:

Our U-verse build and expansion plans remain aggressive. We will continue expanding into new markets and turning up more households that are currently passed by our U-verse network.

In a broader sense, we announced earlier this year that given the current economic environment, we are taking a conservative approach to managing our business. With this measured approach, we now plan to pass 30M living units with our U-verse fiber network by the end of 2011 — one year later than previously planned.

In sharp contrast, Verzion continues to push ahead with its FiOS rollout. The company is also aggressively pushing its TV service. As for AT&T’s higher-speed broadband and IPTV plans — well, let’s just say they are lagging for now.

http://gigaom.com/2009/06/04/atts-slowing-down-on-u-verse/

PARIS, June 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext: ALU) (Paris: ALU) (NYSE: ALU) today announced that AT&T has extended Alcatel-Lucent's contract for end-to-end multivendor network integration for AT&T U-verse(SM).

The AT&T U-verse portfolio brings together U-verse TV, U-verse High Speed Internet and U-verse Voice services all delivered over AT&T's advanced Internet Protocol (IP) network using Alcatel-Lucent's Triple Play Service Delivery Architecture (TPSDA). AT&T U-verse services are now offered in 93 markets in 19 states, with more than 1.3 million U-verse TV customers.

Under the agreement announced today, Alcatel-Lucent will continue to provide end-to-end multivendor network integration for AT&T U-verse, including Microsoft Mediaroom Internet Protocol television ("IPTV") software platform.

Alcatel-Lucent's end-to-end multivendor network systems integration includes solution program management, third-party management, network engineering, solution testing/validation and deployment services.

"AT&T and Alcatel-Lucent have worked together to integrate and deploy U-verse TV so it delivers a reliable, feature-rich service to its users," said Robert Vrij, President of Alcatel-Lucent's Americas business. "As AT&T U-verse expands even further across the country, we are looking forward to continuing to provide AT&T with our multivendor, end-to-end network integration capabilities."

About Alcatel-Lucent

Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext: ALU) (Paris: ALU) (NYSE: ALU) is the trusted partner of service providers, enterprises and governments worldwide, providing solutions to deliver voice, data and video communication services to end-users. A leader in fixed, mobile and converged broadband networking, IP technologies, applications and services, Alcatel-Lucent leverages the unrivalled technical and scientific expertise of Bell Labs, one of the largest innovation powerhouses in the communications industry. With operations in more than 130 countries and the most experienced global services organization in the industry, Alcatel-Lucent is a local partner with a global reach. Alcatel-Lucent achieved revenues of Euro 16.98 billion in 2008 and is incorporated in France, with executive offices located in Paris. For more information, visit Alcatel-Lucent on the Internet: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com
Website: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com
http://sev.prnewswire.com/null/20090623/NY3621523062009-1.html

AT&T has slowed the pace of its U-verse build. We initially 
expected AT&T to pass 11M incremental homes in 2009 but scaled back our 
expectations to 7M after the company pushed out its build-out plans. We now 
expect the company to pass just 4-5M new U-verse homes in 2009, down from 
9M in 2008.

This is frustrating. It's been 6+ months since the VRAD was installed in my sub, and still no service available.

Now if we can just get them to add something as simple as a timer feature to their non-DVR tuners.

11:16 PM CDT on Tuesday, June 23, 2009

By VICTOR GODINEZ / The Dallas Morning News
vgodinez@dallasnews.com

In 1955, Zenith introduced the first wireless TV remote control, the Flash-Matic, followed a year later by the Space Command.

Since then, the standard remotes that most viewers get with their TVs or when they sign up for cable have changed little, adding buttons but retaining the same basic design and button format in an effort to keep costs low.

But as technology improves and gets less expensive – and the remote manages a wider range of content – it's finally ready for a makeover.

Several companies, including Dallas-based AT&T Inc., are working on major upgrades to the remote as the number of viewing options grows and Internet content migrates from the PC to the TV.

Everything from touch pads to voice control will soon come to your humble remote. Expensive, high-end remote controls have been around for years from independent companies such as Logitech.

But when it comes to the low-cost remotes bundled with a TV or provided by a cable or satellite service, the basic layout would be recognizable to any time-traveling couch potato from 1956.

Juergen Schroter, an executive director with AT&T Labs, said current remotes aren't going to cut it for much longer.

"The options for the typical viewer are exploding," he said.

Schroter said that the conventional response to this growing array of options would be to just keep adding buttons.

"That leads to a very heavy hammerlike device with lots of keys," he said. "We believe here in the labs that speech will basically make it possible to leapfrog all this and just tell the system what you want to watch."

Fewer buttons

So rather than adding buttons to the remote, AT&T's solution is to take buttons away.

"The nice thing about the voice capability is that it's one switch," said Mazin Gilbert, also an executive director in AT&T Labs.

"It's something that even a 1-year-old can understand. You press [a button] and say what you want."

AT&T's prototype of the voice remote that will eventually be available to its U-verse TV subscribers is built around the company's "Watson" speech recognition technology.

"The goal of what we do is not to recognize speech only, but also to understand what the user is saying," Gilbert said.

"If you press the switch and you say, 'Action movies with Harrison Ford,' the goal here is not just to recognize that. The goal here is to understand that action movies are types of movies and Harrison Ford is an actor, or he could be a director, too. That's what the technology we have in place does."

While voice-controlled remote controls are not new, AT&T says its Watson devices will recognize hundreds of thousands of words, compared with a few dozen in competing models.

AT&T already has functioning prototypes of its voice remote, Gilbert said, and consumers will probably be getting them in a few years.

Voice isn't the only upgrade coming to the basic remote.

No keypad

Dish Network Corp. is releasing its HD DuoDVR SlingLoaded ViP 922 digital video recorder this year.

And bundled with the DVR is a touch pad remote with an underside trigger that does away with the traditional keypad altogether.

EchoStar Corp. developed the DVR and remote for Dish.

Although EchoStar is using different technology than AT&T, it's addressing the same issue.

"The customer doesn't want to have to keep looking down at a 50-button remote control and then look up at the screen," said Gregg Martch, vice president of hardware engineering in the EchoStar Technologies division. "They just want to look at the screen."

Rethinking the remote was particularly crucial on the 922.

In addition to offering a standard DVR and Sling functionality for streaming recorded shows over the Internet, the 922 also has a Web browser.

A standard remote just wasn't going to work with all those options, Martch said.

"We see it as a paradigm for future products," he said of the new remote. "Obviously 922 is our first offering with this kind of technology, and it's a grand experiment."

Martch noted that keeping costs down was a big concern when designing the remote, but some of the cutting-edge technologies reduce overall costs.

For example, the 922's remote has a two-way radio so it can transmit data back and forth with the receiver.

A simple on-screen guide lets users program the remote to control additional devices, such as a DVD player, rather than having to hunt through a paper booklet for that device's code and manually program it in.

And that automation reduces the number of calls to Dish's customer service department, which cuts overall expenses.

Not everyone is convinced that the remote needs a face-lift, though.

Verizon Communications Inc., for example, says it will handle the growing number of viewing options on its FiOS TV service by improving the on-screen menus.

Verizon spokesman Lee Gierczynski said the on-screen keyboard available through the FiOS interactive media guide works fine with current remotes.

"In the future, if a customer wants to find Internet content, they could potentially use our current search function with our current remote control," he said.

"Some cable companies don't have an advanced search function within their media guides to handle searches in this manner.

"So basically, it is not the remotes that will change in the future, but the interface we provide customers."

But Schroter at AT&T said the number and complexity of TV viewing options is growing too fast to be managed by traditional remote controls.

"The technology curve makes our life more and more complicated," he said. "We're trying to simplify that."

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/ptech/stories/062409dnbusremote.3c8d3e8.html

Sounds nice but the reality is the remotes are low tech because they are cheap to produce. Assume you have 1.5m subscribers with 3m remotes out there. Is AT&T or anyone else going to provide a high tech remote and eat the additional cost or are they going to pass it on.

So far my experience with voice recognition is that it is not very good and very frustrating to deal with, plus it will add additional noise to ambient environment if you have yell out the command everytime you want to change the channel. I am happy with my H1 I don't need anything else.

After reading this thread and others (FiOS, DTV, Dish)...I am wondering if the older comments still hold...

Picture quality of Uverse is not as good as FiOS, DTV, and Dish. People who have subscribed or have any experience with this can you comment on if it has gotten better than when you subscribed. Or people who have done side by side comparisons.

Thanks.

After reading this thread and others (FiOS, DTV, Dish)...I am wondering if the older comments still hold...

Picture quality of Uverse is not as good as FiOS, DTV, and Dish.

Yes, the older comments still hold.

So far my experience with voice recognition is that it is not very good and very frustrating to deal with, plus it will add additional noise to ambient environment if you have yell out the command everytime you want to change the channel. I am happy with my H1 I don't need anything else.

Seems like there'd be a scroll command and you'd just set a delay. Like, "Scroll Favorites" with a delay that you can set at 5, 10, 15, 20 seconds, etc. And then "Stop" when you want to stop.

The best way to cut cost/replacement on remotes is to cut them out entirely. Just look at what Microsoft is doing for the Xbox with Natal. That's where we're probably going. And the increased cost in the STBs for the tech would be mitigated by less and less need to swap STBs. This is what Verizon's moving towards--one STB with all features in the box to cut out truck rolls for everything but installs and support.

What if you are getting a FTTH connection. Is PQ still bad with that. At that point it should be kind of like FiOS right?

After reading this thread and others (FiOS, DTV, Dish)...I am wondering if the older comments still hold...

Picture quality of Uverse is not as good as FiOS, DTV, and Dish. People who have subscribed or have any experience with this can you comment on if it has gotten better than when you subscribed. Or people who have done side by side comparisons.

Thanks.

mrunal24:
See my comments above. Personnally, I didn't see any big differences with UVerse HD picture and Dish's (can't comment on the others since I don't have them).
If paying close attention, I can see some pixelation (in UVerse vs. Dish) on highly animated scenes - which is due to the "artifcats" of the video compression AT&T is using.

On SD channnles (as I said above), it is a toss up.

I have Dish SD, and I've seen U-Verse's SD, and I thought their's was a lot better, as far as less artifacts. For actual sharpness, though, I might give a slight edge to Dish - but the smoother, much more artifact-free picture more than made up for it.

That was my impression, anyway.

I haven't seen U-Verse's HD, but I would tend to believe the overwhelming consensus here - that it's obviously not as good.

What if you are getting a FTTH connection. Is PQ still bad with that. At that point it should be kind of like FiOS right?
There's no difference at present between FTTP and FTTN in terms of picture quality and stream bitrates. FTTP customers get the same feed as everyone else. The only difference comes from the performance of the copper segment on FTTN connections, which can produce freezing and artifacting if the lines aren't great.
Yes, the older comments still hold.
To the extent they ever did in the first place, yeah, with the exception that cable HD quality has gotten notably worse. The ca. 2007 comparisons often compared double-packed cable HD, which was superior to what U-verse offered at the time. U-verse quality has improved slightly in the past year and a half, while cable went to triple-packing channels and Comcast in particular has cut HD quality significantly, to wide complaint.

It really comes down to what you're sensitive to and what conditions exist in your local area as compared to your service of choice. All providers compress their HD to hell, and there are different methods which are better at certain tasks than others. FiOS has the most to play with and is capable of delivering the best quality, but availability is quite limited.

Dish and DirecTV have focused a lot on HD quality to stay competitive, and they tend to be fairly similar overall to U-verse in their compression techniques, but also tend to use slightly higher bitrates, which often makes their picture superior. If you're in a place where you get a solid sat signal, PQ is probably noticeably better than U-verse or cable.

Comcast is wildly variable across the country. For me, picture quality and stability turned to absolute garbage when they started triple-packing. Battlestar Galactica was totally unwatchable, for instance, with huge artifacts in explosions, and webcam-like macroblocking in fast tracking shots, and the Planet Earth rebroadcast was a major letdown compared to episodes that I'd saved from when Discovery was double-packed. It was the triple-packing that caused me to switch away from Comcast. My neighbor also switched, but has since switched back because the U-verse and his TV just stopped agreeing on HDCP. Comcast's PQ with Docsis 3.0 has not yet improved in our area since late 2007, when we switched, and we both agree that U-verse is markedly superior in our area (SF Bay Area on the peninsula).

The biggest issue with U-verse for me is mediocre sharpness and some MPEG4-related issues with red compression. The latter problem is also shared with Dish and DirecTV, as it is codec-related. I prefer it hands down to the unstable and inconsistent picture Comcast was providing, but others might really want that sharpness and not be bothered as much by loss of detail/artifacting/macroblocking in fast motion, rapid color changes, or high color-count scenes and thus prefer Comcast/other cable providers.

Any decision you make is going to be a compromise, though FiOS and satellite are currently the least compromising.

Thanks matticus008, Rammitinski, mouradb, and Ken H.