Thanks for visiting UCAN.org! Please remember our services are available because of grassroots donations from people like you. If we've helped you out and you'd like to make a donation, just click here to visit our secure donation page.
Use AT&T U-verse to negotiate a better cable TV and Internet package with Cox and Time Warner
AT&T has recently rolled out a bundled cable TV and high-speed Internet package in San Diego. Still in its infancy, AT&T U-verse is available in only 21 cities with a grand total of 30,000 subscribers. Nonetheless, it represents direct competition for Cox Communications and Time Warner Cable in San Diego. And when there is competition, consumers gain instant leverage. Below are some tips for using your AT&T U-verse leverage to get a better TV/Internet package, as well as a price comparison.
- You've got nothing to lose: Unlike cell phones, for the vast majority of cable TV/Internet packages, there is no termination fee (you could have a termination fee if you get DSL through your phone company). Usually, cable companies do not have to worry about consumers cancelling and going to a competitor, because there are no competitors. So, theoretically, if there were multiple providers, one could switch from company to company taking advantage of free trials without ever paying a penny (...that day may already be here for a lucky few).
- Let them know you are in demand: Happy with your service? Not happy with your current package? It doesn't really matter. Either way, you'll have an opportunity to get the same (or better) service for less. Granted, the San Diego AT&T U-verse rollout is not extensive at this point. However, AT&T has been very secretive about what specific areas are covered, and there is a good chance that Cox and Time Warner are in the dark with everyone else. So give your cable provider a call and tell them you're considering taking your service to AT&T U-verse and that you checked online and it said you were eligible (no matter what Cox or Time Warner tells you). Also let them know that AT&T is offering the first two months free on its 240 and 300 channel packages. They may say there is nothing they can do for you, but be persistent and see if you can't at least walk away with a couple of promo offers.
- Follow the freebies: If you are lucky enough to be in an AT&T U-verse service area, you may not have to pay for TV or Internet service for some time. Just like with cell phones, the good deals are offered for sign-ups and upgrades. Cox, Time Warner, and AT&T all offer sweet deals on either TV or Internet packages, or both. As mentioned above, you should not incur any termination fees for jumping from company to company to catch the next best deal.
High-Speed Internet Provider Comparison
| Company | Downstream |
Monthly Cost |
| AT&T | 1.5 Mbps | $20 |
| 3 Mbps | $25 | |
| 6 Mbps | $35 | |
| Cox Communications | 768 Kbps | $17* |
| 1.5 Mbps | $27 | |
| 7 Mbps | $42 | |
| 12 Mbps | $57 | |
| Time Warner Cable | 768 Kbps | $27 |
| 5 Mbps | $50 | |
| 8 Mbps | $60 |
* Cox is currently (as of 8/3/07) offering this for $9.95/month when purchased with a digital phone plan.
Digital and High Definition Television Provider Comparison
| Company | Channels |
Premium Movie |
Monthly Cost |
| AT&T U-verse (with 1.5 Mbps Internet)^ |
50 (Family) | --- | $44 |
| 100 (U-100) | --- | $59 | |
| 190 (U-200) | --- | $74 | |
| 240 (U-300) | 2 | $94 | |
|
300 (U-400) |
4 | $119 | |
| Cox Communications (with 1.5 Mbps Internet)^^ |
1 Digital Package | --- | $88 |
| 3 Digital Pakages | 2 | $113 | |
| 4 Digital Pakages | 4 | $138 | |
| Time Warner Cable (with 5 Mbps Internet)# |
140 (Intro) | --- | $87 |
| 160 (Value) | --- | $92 | |
| 180 (Value Plus) | 2 | $113 | |
| 200 (Everything) | 4 |
$161 |
* Cinemax, HBO, Showtime, and Starz
^ All AT&T plans have a $50 installation fee. Current promotions include: HD free for 12 months (normally $10/month), HBO and Cinemax free for 2 months, and free service for the first two months of U-300 and U-400 plans.
^^ Activation fee of $55
# Time Warner Cable does not provide any cost information regarding installation or activation fees on its website.
I key your disconnections, san diego TWC customers.
twc in san diego has Price Lock Guarantees that are definitely worth checking out.
if you have basic/standard cable, 1 digital tier, and digital phone with 1 hd box its only 97.37 plus approximately 4.5% in taxes. you can get the extra stuff too, no problem, but that price is locked down for 2 years.
(p.s. i DO work for twc, in disconnections, and whether or not you like twc, its still a good deal (but its not advertised, so ask for it))
The difference between Broadband Cable Internet and AT&T DSL!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOceE7j--Oc
U-verse is Blowing Cable out of the water....
I loved the last blogs about U-verse...specially the youtube video; unfortunately, it isn't accurate!!!! In fact, uverse sends 1 channel at a time, this is where the fiber optic lines play a big role (faster channel changing, better quality).
It was a nice touch using the article written last year; Uverse has come a long way since october of 2007.
Best way to compare is to try it our yourself, right now!!!!
No install, No Contracts, No SATELLITE; THIS IS UVERSE!!!! 30 Day Money Back Guarantee!!!!!!!!!!! No RISK!!!!
1 mo. Free TV, $100 cash back, 1 yr. free HD (46 channels are now available, I want to see cable do that; 2HD Streams!!!!!!!!!)
Check to see if your area is available...or call me for details.
My name is Ivan Gil, Sales Manager, call me at 619-791-6411 or email me at ig219e [at] att [dot] com.
Make the decision yourself, you have tried the rest...
desperate at&t advertising on the blog... again?
wow, it is true that at&t is desperate over at their sales team. advertising here on a blog seems a bit unprofessional. heard the whole team has been scrambling away from at&t after the sales numbers dropped and at&t raised the rates. now they are almost all selling for the cable companies. i'm pretty sure that youtube video is accurate due to u-verse only having around 26 mbps to push its video, internet, and phone through. look at the low dsl speeds. try watching an hd u-verse feed and do a bandwith test on your internet speed and you'll see what i mean.
The bandwidth is all right.
AT&T UVerse has 4 packages that I know of currently for San Diego, CA.
bps = bits per second, Downstream/Upstream, TWC = TimeWarner Cable
"Express" is 1.5mbps/1mbps - $?
"Pro" is 3mbps/1mbps - $30
"Elite" is 6mbps/1mbps - $45
"Max" is 10mbps/1.5mbps - $55
I recently had a salesperson for AT&T approach me and convert me from cable. He either lied, or didn't know what he was talking about. He originally sold me the "Pro" package and explained that it was 3 Mega "bytes" down and 1 Mega "byte" up. This immediately caught my attention, I quickly corrected him, and said, "Do you mean bits?", he re-assured me we were talking bytes here. The sales person (who will remain nameless) advised me against telling TWC that I was switching, saying that they are known for interrupting service out of spite. So, I set up cancellation with TWC and leave out that I am being converted over to AT&T, everything gets installed, hooked up, and I find out it was indeed bits we were talking about.
While the "Max" plan is the only plan that stacks up against TimeWarner's internet connection offer (10mbps/1mbps), it costs me currently $115 a month for the U300 TV package (similar to the TV package I had with TWC) and my now "Max" connection. With TWC, I had 10mbps/1mbps + Value pack cable for just under $80 a month. This is only the tip however, I have nagios set up on my routing computer, I am no longer able to monitor many of my services at work due to AT&T's internal traffic filtering. Outbound SMTP is blocked, some ICMP's to certain IP's on my network no longer pass through to the end point and AT&T email relay server uses defacto TLS without STARTTLS over port 465. Additionally, I have noticed a certain degree of packet loss when talking pinging certain hops on within the boundaries of the local AT&T network--this may be normal if they have set up rates on allowed pings, I'm not sure how they're configured.
So far, I am sufficiently dissatisfied with AT&T and I almost feel cheated. I am, at this point, fairly certain that the sales person told me not to tell them about being converted so that I wouldn't learn the truth too soon. I am going to put my tail between my legs, suffer the consequences of my actions and head back to TWC. It is in my personal opinion that I say, do not trust the sales staff. The deal's at AT&T are sound however, for those who do not have the same requirements of their link as I do. One thing to keep in mind is that TV Channel, Internet connection, and Phone lines each have their own set bandwidth. That is to say, they are not shared, as they are in cable. Personally, I have never had a problem with my line being shared on cable. That may not be the case for everyone, and is worth keeping in mind. The fact remains that at this point in time, it is more expensive to use AT&T at a similar speed than it is to use TWC. Not only that, but to this date, TWC's sales rep's have never lied to me, or mis-informed me on what I would receive, which means a great deal to me in the matter of trust.
ceo
randall stephenson,at&t ceo phone#210.351.5401 if you need more # just ask. please tell him were you got the#
Bandwith is reserved for all 3 services!!!
When viewing HD the bandwith used is the one allocated for that signal, your internet has its own allocated bandwith and so does the phone. Do your research...
In addition, the numbers have not dropped, just ask the cable companies!!!
I'm not here because I need sales, I'm here to set the story straight on U-verse.
Thank you everyone and please don't hesitate to ask questions!!! Don't just go by what people say on blogs, go to your neighbors and friends. Ask them about their Uverse service, see for yourself how happy they are!!!!
Fiber optic is nothing new!
What is "the fiber optic make things faster" part. U-verse has fiber optic only to the pole and not to the house. Cable companies have had this for almost 2 decades. Fiber optic is nothing new. True that U-verse has about 10 more HD channels than the cable companies but those "ten" are just repeat east coast, central, and west coast feeds of the same channel. Plus the percentage of actual HD content is pretty low on most of them. HD channels will be a big thing in the next year or so and I'm sure cable will blow U-verse away due to the lack of bandwith limitations like U-verse has. It is great to see competition but nothing seems "fantastic" in any way. Those things are yet to come.
It's really how we send our
It's really how we send our signal; Cable companies usually send all the channels at once and the receivers filter everything out, except for what you are watching (the youtube video is the perfect example of how cable companies will eventually have issues with trying to send everything through that little cable). Its true cable companies use fiber, unfortunately not all the way to the pole or node.
Our service sends you one channel at a time, no need to filter channels; fiber optic plays a big role in how fast the signal travels to your house. In fact our service node cannot be farther than 3000 feet from your house; which means that our signal travels 3000 feet max on our copper run. This is how we guarantee the quality of the service.
In regards to the bandwith limitations, there are really no limitations on our service; wait and in see what will happen in the near future with our so-called limitations!!!
The cable companies are
The cable companies are actually switching how they send the channels to your tv later this year. Only the channel you are watching will be sent to your tv. The new system is called "switch digital" and it will allow the high speed internet bandwith speeds to be increased dramatically. Channel line ups will also increase. It is a shame that AT&T didn't run their system with fiber optic all the way to the house like they had originally planned. The cost factor was much too high and they have already sunk plenty of money into the new U-verse system. The info on this is towards the end of this blog.
The difference between Broadband Cable Internet and AT&T DSL!
This explains things perfectly:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOceE7j--Oc
Interesting Blog on why AT&T is horrible!
I had the same exact experience with AT&T. So did my neighbor, my parents, one of my friends, and the cashier down at the supermarket. AT&T needs to get themselves together! Check it out here:
http://techbuddha.wordpress.com/2007/10/21/att-u-verse-universally-sucks...
High Speed Internet
Good article about AT&T negotiating a better cable TV and internet with Cox et al. More information about high speed internet services can be found at
http://www.1-satellite-tv-facts.com/T1-Internet-Service.html
http://www.1-satellite-tv-facts.com/Satellite-DSL.html
http://www.1-satellite-tv-facts.com/Satellite-Internet.html
http://www.1-satellite-tv-facts.com/VoIP.html
http://www.1-satellite-tv-facts.com/Phone-Systems.html
SPAM!!!!!!!!!!!!
These links are advertisments! SPAM, SPAM, SPAM. Please remove! Pretty crappy services too!
U-Verse HD quality
San Diego, Mission Hills install follow up:
The HD is working! Had 2 flat screen TVs side by side (780i 42inch plasma vs 37 inch 1080P LCD) and did a comparison. For the plasma sound, I connected the set top audio optical-out Toslink to my 5.1 AV receiver. The sound quality is great, but just like cable TV, there is still the problem of higher or "more dynamic" sound level differences between the various channels and during commercials. Manual volume adjustment is required to be used for the different channels to have a comfortable sound level. Testing the video, the HD quality is noticeably better than SD even on the 780i 42inch plasma. The plasma internal scaling could not correctly display the 1080i signal through the component cables. The display reduced the picture size inside of the screen and no adjustment on the plasma would render the the HD to be displayed full screen. On the VIP 1216 and 1200 the output of the box can be adjusted to 4:3 Standard, Widescreen, 720P and 1080i. I had to use the 4:3 standard definition for the plasma. The 37 inch 1080P LCD screen was connected using a HDMI cable (does sound and video) and had the same result of a smaller display size until I set LCD to 1080i input. After I did that and set the VIP 1200 output to 1080i, the picture filled the entire screen. My next quality concern was "macro blocking" or "pixilation" that I noticed with COX HD and their mpg2 compression scheme during rapid movment in programs. With the Motorola box and MPG4 compression, picture seemed to have an unnoticeable amount of pixilation in the background of sports programs like football and baseball, showing how good AT&T’s HD really is. The slight pixelation could just be the LCD's response time, would be interesting to compare a 1080P plasma TV with U-Verse digital signal. Anyways, was very impressed with the HD signal, switched back and forth on ESPN and ESPN HD. Noticeable video quality difference, sharper image, blacker blacks and deeper contrast, especialy on the HD LCD TV. For those who need and want the best, HD is the way to go. Myself, I’m pretty satisfied with the 780i 42inch plasma and U-Verse SD (standard definition). The 1080i LCD I got from Fry’s was returned after the comparison test was completed. For me I couldn't justify dumping my $2800.00 Panasonic plasma and purchasing a HD set along with extra monthly fees. One thing I noticed though was that the blue "HD" light on the DVR and other set top box does not go on with or without HD signal. Blue HD light only comes on when powering "booting" up the units. To confirm I had HD programing, had to punch in the 1000+ channel numbers to confirm that HD was working. The HD channels are free for the first month so now that I am done with the comparison, I will be going online to my AT&T U-Verse account and remove HD programing. Imagine, I can do it myself 24/7, online, and not have to argue with an account manager during bussiness hours to do it! That alone will keep me away from COX! Enjoy!
Stephen
sounds like a good test.
sounds like a good test. just so you know, there are no programs on cable, u-verse or sattelite transmitted in 1080P so it's good you didn't try and test it. look it up on the web if you don't believe me. 780P and 1080i do just fine with todays technology.
Good Test
Yeah, I don't have a 1080P source (PS3 or blue-ray) In any event not all advertised 1080P devices can actually accept a 1080P signal!
Stephen
Good Test
Yeah, your right, couldn't test 1080P! I don't have an PS3 or Blue Ray player. In any event, not all tv sets can display a 1080P signal even though they advertise it!
Stephen
Using a PC tuner
What does it take to run uverse through a PC. I want to use it on my media center PC but do I need to have a converter box for this or can I just run it directly into my PC?
Forgot to mention, no tuner is used
I forgot to mention that the U-Verse STP is a "Stream requestor" not a "Tuner" per se.
Cable and satelite broadcast all of their program content at the same time through the medium of coax cable and/or air. Their set-top boxes are like tuners because they focus on or "tune in" a specific channel and "tune out" the rest of the channels. With U-Verse there are no channels being received until they are specifically requested. The Motorola IPTV set-top box request a digital "stream" to be sent to it from the AT&T network via the gateway "modem". AT&T network will then send up to up to four "streams" or channels at a time to the Uverse gateway which is then distributed to the requesting set-top boxes and displayed. Connected to the AT&T network, The PC can't function as a tuner because there are no channels to tune into. The PC can't be the gateway/set-top box either, because of propreitary networking, compression scheme and content encryption.
Stephen
cable companies have had
cable companies have had this technology for some time but have not started using it. expect to see it when they start rolling out more products like hd, international channels, etc. this technology is called "switch digital" and is merely a way providing more, with less (i.e. bandwith). u-verse has to utilize this technology due to its limited available bandwith.
U-Verse Use PC as setop box
I'm sure if you had the knowlege, genious IQ and the inside information about the IPTV technology, you could make a PC become your U-VERSE gateway to the house. You need to understand that the technology for this was not off the shelf. It has taken a long time to devlop a solution that performs at an acceptable level. The signal coming to the house is Ethernet style packets modified for IPTV and AT&T's network. You can "sniff" the signal with an analyzer and see what comes "out the pipe" Here is someone who has, see: http://www.nabble.com/Re:-Trying-to-use-irrecord-for-AT-T-u-verse-STB-p1.... These Ethernet packets contain compressed data. For sound Dolby Digital, AC3 and ACC. for Video encryption and compression, H.264 (Mpg4) , VC-1 and Mpg2, control information and macrovision copy protection for content. The VIP1216 set-top box uses Sigma Designs SMP8634 multiMedia processor see:http://www.sigmadesigns.com/public/Products/SMP8630/pdf_files/SMP8634_br.pdf
developed specifically for secure, DRM copy protected Audio/Video processing. Your PC is not designed for such a specific purpose of sound/video signal processing. Imagine your laptop managing the ABS brakes in your car! A 92% reliability of controlling the ABS brakes would hardly be acceptable! That's why a special processor was designed only to control ABS brake systems. I'm sure someone will find a way to "crack" into the signal packets and make a recorder or other device to capture the video. HD itself has various security measures built into it to prevent copying content, even the HDMI connection and sound/display devices have propritary security features! But why bother cracking it ? This quality of sound and video is delivered to your house for a few dollars a day. With competition heating up between cable, satalite and IPTV, the prices should be low for years! Hopefully I answered your questions. If anybody knows more about this please reply, help me out
Stephen
!
hi! can the out put from set top box be recorded. if the tv use it will it work. att says no
Can Uverse be recorded?
I see no problems recording the video out of the STB through the composite RCA ,cable, or S-Video connectors on the back of the box by using a cheap video capture device. Make sure video capture device has some onboard hardware compression built into it like MPEG 2. Video and audio files are huge uncompressed, gigabits in size sometimes. You can use software such as Adobe Premere to capture and compress it as it enters your PC but this uses the computer's CPU requiring a more powerful PC. There are also options in Adobe premere to reduce the picture overall size or resolution to further shrink the output file size. With HD the problem of file size and CPU power is magnified even greater! Video Input to a capture device from HDMI, DVI or component usualy require capture devices in the $1000.00 plus range. MPEG4 compression on the fly (hardware chip) is required for these video sources. A PC can receive and process HD's amount of data say from a HD camcorder if you have a Dual core 3ghz+ processor and at least 2 gig of RAM, then compressing through software (not recomended). So far the best affordable capture device I could find for component input was hauppauge's HD PVR, article released today: http://www.zatznotfunny.com/2008-04/hauppauge-hd-pvr-specs-revealed/ . What's nice about this device is that it accepts the AC-3, Dolby Digital audio from the optical audio on the STB to create some real quality video shows. An older unit without AC-3/5.1 digital audio is ADS PYRO A/V Link Professional: http://reviews.cnet.com/tv-tuner-adapters/ads-pyro-a-v/4507-9332_7-31288... is another option. Remember, more quality = (more complexity + more cost) it all depends on what you want to do. There are lots of forums for this sort of stuff, just Google "HD PVR" and you should get some ideas. I was hot on recording high quality video and sound but the more I got into it, the more I was overwhelmed by the scope. This is a hard-core enthuziasts project for those who have the time and resources. Basicaly, I now do a torrent search to find videos or TV programs that I'm interested in. Someone else has done all the work for you!
Stephen
Can U-Verse HD be recorded? simple answer NO!
Can U-Verse HD be recorded? The only way you can currently record the HD output of the Motorola VIP 1200 and 1216 STB is via the 780P component cables and audio outputs. The HDMI ouput uses hardware and software DRM techniques to prevent recording of HD content, thereby protecting content rights. Even the video and sound devices connected participate in the DRM process as part of compliance to the 1.3 HDMI specification. The devices use a chip that provides HDCP functionality. HDCP stands for High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection. HDCP encrypts the digital signal to prevent it from being recorded. HDCP encryption / decryption takes place within your equipment. As far as I've heard, no one has found a cheap way to "crack" this yet.
Stephen
UVerse Wireless Internet Incompatible with Windows ME?
Just had UVerse installed for cable and internet. As the tech was installing the internet he mentioned that our computer which runs Windows ME would not be compatible with the UVerse service. His suggestion was to go and buy a computer with either Windows XP or Vista. After calling ATT customer service they confirmed that they do not support computers running ME. Wish I had known this prior to installation.
ME support
I agree that there could have been posted a "PC Requirements" like any software has listed on the side of the box e.g. Pentium 4, 1.6 Ghz, 512mb memory or greater, Windows 98SE, 2000, XP, Vista, ect....... and a list of tested working wireless devices on their WEB site. That being said, Microsoft does not support 98 or ME anymore and made it known, read this offical Microsoft statement: "End of support for Windows 98 and Windows Me Effective July 11, 2006, Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows Me (and their related components) will transition to a non-supported status. After this date, Microsoft will no longer provide any incident support options or security updates. Microsoft is not offering a custom support agreement for these products." This means there will be no patches or security updates made, leaving the security of your computer up to the end user to develop. This is an unsurmountable task for anybody really. Both 98 and ME are not designed to be connected to large networks and only basic functionality was provided by Microsoft. In any event, plugged into a high speed connection, your PC address will quickly be picked up by automated scripts and made available worldwide to hackers, spammers and other malicious attackers. The PC will slow down to a crawl and eventualy become unusable or dead. Even with my XP updated, patched and most recent security updates I still use third party protection such as Spybot Search and Destroy, ZoneAlarm Firewall, AVG free aditition, SUPERantiSpyware and CCleaner to keep my PC usable. They also have to be updated and some manualy run to keep the PC clean and working properly. It is unfortunate that all of this has to be done just to use a PC connected to the Internet! Sign of the times I guess, so you can see it is unreasonable to expect AT&T to support ME and 98. I'm sure Just supporting home networking and wireless will cost them millions of dollars a year!
Stephen
Mission Hills First Customer is Connected! Install details
Here is a report on my experiences with the U-VERSE Installation into the house:
After my order was confirmed (read "U-VERSE San Diego" below Post) Received in the mail a welcome to U-Verse packet and pamplets about U-Verse, channel selections, operation and options. On Saturday the 26th of April, AT&T Tech called at 8:30 am to confirm appointment. He called again when he was on my street. I went outside to meet him and showed him the telephone pod that all of the house are to be wired to on my block. Inside is only plastic ropes from the house and a fat one to another AT&T box somewhere down the street. Tech then said he could run it from the pole. I asked “over the parallel wire?” He said no, he would request that a twisted pair drop would be run from the pole. My next question was how does that work, “Isn’t the wire at the pole also parallel wire?” He said that the main wire on the pole is already twisted pair and that the only factor is how far away the connected VRAD box is. Apparently the VRAD box was installed and connected to the existing phone wire system already in place in the neighborhood. So if you have a local VRAD box close to the house and the neighborhood phone system is connected, you should be able to get U-VERSE even if AT&T says that you can’t. Persistance should get you the service eventually. By 9:30 Am he started working on the install. The old wiring was removed, Satalite coax was first to go, then the antiquated phone wire. The Coax running to the bedroom was left intact. We decided to use it because it is relatively new and in good shape, also to not rip up the walls pulling the staples out. My house has lath and plaster so removing wall fastners makes messy holes quick! The in-house analog phone wiring and jacks were replaced and my regular phone worked perfectly. Cat 5 wire was run to the AT&T Residential Gateway (Modem) and turned on. We connected my separate Linux Firewall and could not get PC onto the internet. The default gateway does not allow other gateways, routers or other PC’s as gateways. This can be manually configured to allow those items and tech changed from the default to allow routers. After applying Gateway new settings, I was able to retain my firewall/Router and had access to the internet.Tech plugged his laptop into my network, did a few commands and handed laptop to me He asked me to create a username and password. After doing that He turned on the video DVR and the other set top box. Turning TVs on, a gear appeared on screen while some configuration files were being downloaded into the boxes. Took 18 minutes for the DVR and 22 minutes for the other box. All of the extra needed cables were supplied except for a 6 foot component cable. Apparently Tech has no video or sound cables longer than 3 feet, so if you need them have them handy before the install. Needed an HDMI and Toslink optical sound cable which he supplied at no charge. Tech Programmed the universal U-VERSE remote control to operate the TV’s and the VCR/VHS combo. Gave me a pamplet with device codes to set up AT&T remote for other devices. Next was an education on how to use the remote and how to record a program on the DVR. I ordered HD programming but the Tech did not have it in his order so there was nothing he could do, no HD. That has to be done from the backend so I called Stacy Dion at 858-349-3579 and she said she would add it tomorrow on Sunday morning. Still setting up everything, will follow up with HD quality and usage report on the 42” 780p plasma in SD verses the 37” 1080P in HD. Total time Tech was here was just over 3 hours, went pretty smooth actually. Will keep you posted.
Stephen
Good Try Time Warner Sales Guy!!!
Below is a comment from a time Warner Sales Guy and he says this about AT&T U-Verse:
Many doors I go to have switched to the AT&T U-verse/DSL product to give it a try and are very eager to switch back to Time Warner Cable due to various reasons. These reasons include: long application/credit check process, 6-8 hour install appointment, constant return technical support issue appointments, billing issues, reduced internet speed, limited HD selection, weak customer support, etc., etc.
My sister didnt have a credit check! The installation was professional done and she is quite please with their service. AT&T U-verse/DSL??? Dont know anything about it being DSL-her's is Fiber Optic and LIGHTENING FAST!!! My sister said it's like she is sitting on the web. Her TV reception is amazing and her old TV picture looks like it is a new TV compared to the bad cable reception Time Warner gave it. She thought the TV was going out! She hasnt faced billing yet. But, "reduced internet speed". Where did he get that? From DSL? This is not AT&T DSL (no dish) it is FIBER OPTIC. She is not limited to HD selection (she hasnt picked HD yet-just getting reg reception-digital?). She has 200 channels (and I hear you can pick more). The only thing she had to give up with the Channel 4 sports channel which is owned by Time Warner. Does "she" care? NO!!
She hasnt needed customer support so no idea on a response. Good try--Time Warner Sales Guy!
Time Warner Cable doesn't
Time Warner Cable doesn't own Channel 4, Cox does.
Um, faster....eh..
first off, with cable if you have a 6mb internet connection, it will most likely be slower than a 6mb dsl connection because with cable, you are basicly sharing your internet with your neighbors. This is why most banks will use dsl not cable because dsl is more secure where as cable is not. So, all in all the top cable speed and the top dsl speed in actual real time use are just as fast as one anouther, and when everybody is on the internet watching youtube and stuff like that, dsl will be the same average speed, but with cable, you will notice a significant decrease in speed. just my 2 cents
ok, ok. congrats on the "no
ok, ok. congrats on the "no credit check". it may be possible without it but from what at&t reps have told me, it is required. call them and find out. also, check your info. if you read towards the end of this blog there is plenty of information regarding if u-verse is fiber-optic or not. you will read that it is fiber only to the node and not to the house. this is true also with cable service and has been the norm for many years. nothing new with fiber optic at all. if at&t did bring fiber to the house, that would be fantastic and the bandwith would be incredible but read about why they didn't do that below. the internet is dsl but is called "u-verse enabled dsl". just a fancy name for dsl. check the published speeds to confirm dsl from at&t is at a lower bandwith than cable high speed internet. all analog channels available through cable are also available as a digital channel (just enter "10" before the channel number). remember though that digital channels are only a compressed version of an analog channel allowing the provider to send you more channels using less bandwith. channel 4 padres is not owned by time warner cable. it is owned by cox cable and generously shared with time warner cable. just the facts!
Just ordered through Stacy
I live in North PB and just called Stacy and placed my order for the U-Verse Max Internet package. She told me it includes 10Mbps Down and 1.5Mbps up for $60/mo. Should be installed next week sometime so we'll see what happens. I'll reply with an update after I get a chance to use it.
Cheers,
Ben
New lower Time Warner rates!
Looks like Time Warner lowered it rates! They are now obviously trying to be competetive in the market. Cable w/free HD is now only $29.95/12 months (over 200 channels) and Road Runner High-speed internet (speeds up to 15 Mbps) is also only $29.95/12 months. Also includes free install! Thats about $35 less a month than AT&T's U-verse combo and it has faster internet and free HD. Not bad Time Warner! Looks like this competition thing is working out for all of us! I just ordered from a local rep and also got the DVR and Road Runner Turbo upgrade for free and the promotion extended for 24 months! I'm stoked!!!
My sister got her U-Verse installed today in Scripps Ranch
My sister got her U-Verse installed today in Scripps Ranch and she is thrilled. She said they thought their livingroom TV was going out. The picture was dim and weak and that they were going to need a new one soon (its not HD). After the U-Verse was installed she said her TV picture looks like a brand new TV. She said the signal must be awesome! One thing she did find out (extra fee) is she got the 1 DVR box and 2 regular set top boxes for two other TVS. Installation is free and the boxes are included at no extra charge. EXCEPT.... if you want to USE the HD-TV Box. Then you need to pay an additional $10 a month to get HD for that box. You get the box free, you dont have to rent it or anything. But you have to pay for the service to get HD (the package she got is $85 a month). Not sure of the goodies it includes. I heard they can only provide HD for one TV also but two may be able later. Then do you have to buy/rent another box for a second TV to have HD? And will it be $10 a month separately for that one to operate HD? Oh yeah, she said the Internet is lightening speed. I cant wait for Poway to get it at the end of this year!!
San Diego U-Verse Information source
Please call Stacy at (858) 349-3579 or email: SD1635 [at] att [dot] com . I am sure she can answer any questions that you may have about the products and harware options available. Funny how the Main AT&T number for information on U-Verse will not direct you to anyone who knows the details about U-Verse in your community. I started my search through AT&T and could only get local information by searching on Google. Found UCAN and it was infinately more granular with local info. Guess AT&T want's to keep Time Warner and COX in the dark about street by street U-Verse availability. Good for bussiness perhaps, but it seems to isolate the new customer!
Stephen
um, i'm sure they are not
um, i'm sure they are not hiding servicable areas for u-verse from the competition. it's a dead give away when they install the huge u-verse utility boxes out on the street for the u-verse service.
San Diego Mission Hills First U-verse Customer!!!!
Hooray!
All of the work I did to investigate U-VERSE availability through AT&T and the City of San Diego has paid off!
Today AT&T sent me an email declaring that I was an interested customer and that I could now order U-VERSE!!!
I was so happy I called Stacy Dion at (858) 349-3579 and email: SD1635 [at] att [dot] com to tell her the good news and to give the sales order to her. She returned my call in 10 minutes and arrived at my house 20 minutes later to explain the various packages available and also the equipment details. I signed up for the AT&T U-verse TV U400 package and the AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet U-verse enabled option ($25.00) The first month is free. I get 300 channels, 1 DVR box and 1 (can have 2) regular set top boxes for another TV. Installation is free and the boxes are included at no extra charge. After 30 days I can change the package online without even calling AT&T! Just have to login to my AT&T web account and make changes to the package! Try doing that with COX! I tried a COX HD programing promotion and did not like the quality or hidden extra monthly fees. Took 6 weeks and 20 hours on hold and speaking to everyone at COX before they would disconnect the HD and stop charging me! Very, Very poor service, more like the shaft! In any event I am scheduled for U-VERSE installation on April 26th. There still is no wire in the underground tube yet. It will be interesting to see what kind of bandwidth is possible through a polypropylene rope! Will keep everyone posted about the progress of my U-VERSE project. Stacy said I will be the first in my neighborhood to have the service! Her first customer here!
please keep us updated on your experience with Uverse
Hi Steve-o, please keep us updated and let us know how the installation of Uverse and quality of service works out for you... thanks for sharing your story!
Is U-verse really that bad?
I am interested in U-verse but called around and heard a few things that I would like to find if it is true or not. First I was told that U-verse has only one HD feed coming into the house. Apparently this means I can only watch HD programming on one TV at a time but my family has 4 HD tv's and won't be able to watch any HD shows when one of the others is already watching one. I guess this is due to the limited bandwith that U-verse has available for its service. Second, I heard that AT&T keeps raising their rates. I did notice the rate went up last month by about $10 but wasn't sure is it had gone up last year or not. Third, I was told that now, only the first U-verse TV box/equipment is free and the additional boxes will be at least $5 extra per month each. Can I use U-verse without a U-verse box and just plug the cable directly into my TV to get the standard channels for free just like my Time Warner Cable service does or do I have to pay for the extra equipment? Fourth, what is the maximum high speed internet speed I can get with U-verse. Right now I have Road Runner Turbo with 15/mbps down and 2/mbps up and I don't want to get any slower. Fifth, when will AT&T offer a bundle package that includes phone. My friend has U-verse plus AT&T phone but is billed seperatly and she says the rates for both are so high with all the extra fees, hidden charges and taxes. I was shocked to learn that the U-verse service and AT&T phone are actually two different entitities. I'm sure some type of bundled package would make the U-verse price more attractive. Please answer so I may make a decision. Thanks!
Answers\
Hello.. I am a sales mgr and can answer all your questions, I think you will be satisfied with the majority of the answers. You can now be billed on a single bill and we give you 3 digital boxes for free. Call or email me and I will explain everything in detail. 858-349-3579
sd1635 [at] att [dot] com
THanks,
Stacy
Please answer here.
Can you please answer my questions here on the forum so that we may all discuss these questions. If I must call you, it may seem that there is something to hide which would definitely make me a bit uncomfortable. I could always call AT&T directly with my questions but would possibly not get the correct answers. It does seem a bit strange that you are here on a forum selling your product. I am happy to know that everything can be on one bill now but do you have unlimited calling packages nationally and international and what are the rates. Also I plan on getting U-verse next month. Will the 3 boxes still be free? Please post your response to the questions here. Thanks!
I have nothing to hide.. I
I have nothing to hide.. I was just off to a meeting, so I couldnt reply, plus i dont wanna get into endless replies on here when i can answer any additional questions that may arise face to face. I am not on here selling my product people actually have asked me to be more proactively involved to get answers for their questions. Yes I do sales, and prefer people sign up through me but regardless I have answers to your questions so I thought I could be of assistance no matter what you decide to do. If you read all the posts I have actually helped customers get answers about the product and availability issues and have made no money off of. People prefer it rather than a) waiting on hold forever or b) getting the runaround. Anyway to answer your questions.
1. as of now we only have 1 hd stream, we are getting 2 by the end of the year, prob. second quarter but there is no exact date yet
2. You can get everything on one bill now because we just launched our new voip, please be aware we still over our analog telephone, which will be on 2 seperate bills. the voip prices are 30 and 40 dollars.
3. our fastest internet is 10 mbps down and 1.5 mbps up. I realize twc quote you higher prices but you are actually sharing that bandwith with your neighbors so at times, yes it is super fast, but during peak hours it doesn't reach it's maximum potential. Ours is a closed circuit so we can guarantee our speeds.
4.As of right now, we give 3 digital boxes for free with all our packages. OUr signal is 100% digital, so yes you do need a box with every tv. With the digital upgrade approaching next year no one with be able to get basic cable and operate without a box.
hope this helps.
cable not affected by digital "over the air" changes next year.
just a heads up. if you have cable tv, you will not be affected by the digital cable changes next year. you stated:
"With the digital upgrade approaching next year no one with be able to get basic cable and operate without a box."
this is wrong! the cable companies will still provide basic and standard analog channels (75) to their customers so they have no need to get a "digital box" unless they want one. i have already had at&t salesmen come to my door using this as their sales pitch. don't believe it. only those that receive analog channels "over the air" will be affected and require a digital decoder box which the government is providing rebates for. the cable companies offer all channels in "digital format" also. for channels 2-75, just enter "10" before the channel number and it will show in the digital format, however this is not always better as the digital channel is compressed and the clarity is not the same.
Digital upgrade
I am a vendor for Comcast, we were told last week that the digital upgrade would affect basic cable and analog boxes so we are already putting on a package including digital boxes. Do you have something in writing by the fcc about this.
there is huge confusion over
there is huge confusion over this issue. let me restate that the fcc mandated digital conversion only affects those that receive a tv signal "over the air". so if you have bunny ears, after the upcoming digital conversion date, you cannot receive "over the air" channels without a digital converter, which you can buy at wal-mart for $40 and then get a $40 rebate from the us government. if you have cable tv, then you will still be able to function as normal because the fcc has not required cable companies, etc to do the change. cable companies already offer "all digital" service as an option, press "10" before the channel number. the reason for the "over the air" changes is the fcc has sold the rights (big money for the government) to those frequencies to the cell companies so they can start offering more wireless internet and phone tv services. digital frequencies require less bandwith due to the signal compression therefore giving more room for other services to use other frequencies freed up. hopefully this has not confused anyone further.
UVerse versus cable
We currently have Comcast cable tv which allows us to also receive some FM radio stations. (We use the TV cable as an antenna for the radio) Does the new process UVerse uses to transmit signals mean we'll no longer be able to get these FM stations?
Baseball channels?????????
Is there any type of service to allow the Uverse customers to have all the baseball games? We tried to get the sports package added on for $10 more a month, but all of the FSN channels we received only had blacked out games. NO GAMES... just crappy FSN TV shows and post game coverage. Uverse needs to get their act together and offer a "MLB extra innings" package... or whatever they want to call it. I dont mind paying a little extra, it would just be nice to have the option. I really am a satisfied customer... no major problems with HD or regular programming, we have the U200 package with the lowest speed internet(which runs pretty fast considering we are located near the hub (which may be the deciding factor in your Uverse working well)). Plus there is a lot of HD channels. I would just like more Sports options..... thats all
IS POWAY 92064 SCHEDULED FOR U-VERSE???
Does anyone know if Poway 92064 going to get U-Verse and if so, when? I live in the Garden Road area (east end) of Poway. My sister who lives in Scripps Ranch just signed up for this and I am anxious to get it also.
Poway availability?
Please contact Stacy Dion at sd1635 [at] att [dot] com 858-349-3579 (San Diego U-VERSE Manager) or perhaps Benny Pepe at (619) 574-2816 bp6514 [at] att [dot] com can help you with your coverage area and availabilty. Stephen
Usfull information
Glad I could help you get the info on undergrounding and U-VERSE availibility. Took a few weeks to figure it out and find the correct people to contact
Stephen
Poway will be ready by the end of 2008!!!
Thank you Stacy Dion & Benny Pepe for your prompt replies. Best service I have ever had by email :) Benny said my area in Poway (Garden Road) area is schedules to go live at the end of 2008. We are all excited and preparing to purchase our big screen HD-TV. And with ATT package we dont have to get all new HD TV's for everyone in the family that has TVs now. We can keep the kids using their regular TVs until the TV's die!! We can run both types of TV's. With 200 channels... I'll be in TV heaven. The only program AT&T doesnt offer is the Padre Baseball channel 4. Its owned by Cox. But that doesnt matter to me. I'm not a sports fan. I'm sure ATT will figure something out for the baseball fans eventually. They always seem to come through. PS: My sister that lives in Scripps that is having it installed says the installers & sales rep are the nicest people and very helpful. And if there is a prob they will figure out the solution. I'm sold!
Padres Baseball
I don't know how technical you are but if you know someone anywhere in the USA with access to the Padres, you can use a "Sling Box" to see the games. I don't think the video quality will be the best, but it is possible to see it here in San Diego without COX in your house. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slingbox
Stephen
San Diego Undergrounding Project = U-VERSE availability?
Trying to order U-VERSE from AT&T has been a long road. Contacted several people with mixed results. The main reason I can not get this service seems to be because of the incorrect wire type (parallel) coming to my house from the telephone pole. My neighborhood (Mission Hills) is undergoing an "Undergrounding" project planned by the city years ago and being implemented piece by piece now. The empty AT&T underground tube has been installed for a year now with only a plastic rope in it to date. Doing WEB hunting and research I found the San Diego WEB site for the undergrounding project: www.sandiego.gov/undergrounding. Checking their handy dandy mapping tool:
http://citymaps.sandiego.gov/imf/sites/uuc/index.jsp ,the map shows that my street is in project area 2D2. Contacing
the city represenative for this project, at (619) 533-3841 I was able to get more up to date information. they
directed me to AT&T's represenative for this project at (619) 574-2816 or e-mail bp6514 [at] att [dot] com. I recieved a prompt call from AT&T the next day after leaving a message and was told my street would be completed before the end of the year, and that I would be able to get U-VERSE services, wooo hooo! Not an exact install date, but useful information none the less. Stacy Dion has been most helpful through all of this and I am greatful for her professional service! Persistance is slowly paying off, I'll be the first on my block to have U-Verse!
Is my home cabled for Uverse
Living in chicago southwest suburbs, my mailbox has recently been bombarded with ATT Uverse stuff.
Looks like a better deal than comcast, just curious how it runs through the house.
I have a new home, and as I have no intention of ever having a land line phone, I have phone cables only going to the kitchen and master bedroom, as those 2 locations did not cost extra when building the home. I do have Coax running all through the home.
Does the AT&T service travel through the home using the phone lines or coax? or is it wireless? The phone line comes in in the basement, how does it then get to the receiver in my family room where there is coax but no phone line?
If I understand correctly, it all comes into one router, and from there goes to the computers and the televisons, right? Am I still able to bridge the modem for internet so that I can put a firewall behind it. For work, I have a hardware VPN to my office, this would require the modem to pass through the IP to my firewall. With Regular DSL service you just bridge the modem, and then it just acts as a simple modem so my firewall gets a public IP. Does having tv coming in on the same device affect my ability to do that?
U-verse can work over coax
U-verse can work over coax cables and/or Cat 5 wires. So if you have coax cables running in your home; AT&T tech. will test the cables, if they are up to AT&T requirements, he will use them. Most likely your coax cables will be fine since your house is new.
The service will travel over the same phone wires with your dial tone (land line) to your backyard; the technician will split U-verse from your dial tone. At this point he will feed your home with the U-verse using coax or cat 5 wires.
U-verse will come with one Gateway, which is a modem/router. The Gateway is the brain of the system; it feeds all your TVs and computers with the signal. Computers can be connected wirelessly or hard wire, the wireless range is pretty strong. You should have no problem with your VPN.
BTW you don’t need a land line, U-verse can work by itself without a dial tone. And yes U-verse is a better deal, and it is a better TV experience all around.
cable TV vs. satellite TV
Excellent article and comments.
I think cable television is becoming extinct. It will eventually be replaced by satellite TV which is becoming the norm,
especially in locales outside the United States.
More information about satellite TV is at http://www.1-satellite-tv-facts.com
This is by no means
This is by no means satellite, it's FTTN or Fiber To The Node, yes, Fiber optics.
Fiber promises speeds of up to 1Gbps, on a Single Mode fiber line, potentially covering the (present and future) needs of bandwidth maybe well into the 22nd Century.
i am assuming you are
i am assuming you are feferring to u-verse as being fiber optic. fiber to the node means just that. it doesn't run directly into your home. at&t is using the whole fiber optic thing as a way to pitch their u-verse product to new customers. so you know, fiber optic is nothing new. cable television has been using it for the past 20 years or so.
this would never happen
there is no way this could happen. first of all, only 50%-60% of homes and apartments are able to receive satellite. either their apartment balconies are facing the wrong direction or their is a building, tree, mountain, etc. blocking their signal. i personally hate the idea of having a big dish sitting on my balcony or roof. plus, most condo, apartment, and homeowners associations don't allow satellites. if you live way out in the sticks where you are lucky to have electricity and phone lines, then it works great. the cable companies have changed their operating systems so much that the amount of channels available will increase dramatically soon. alot of the satellite channels are the same channel anyway just an east or west feed. cable hd is far superior to satellite i think. i have both satellite and cable (need the satellite for 2 of the wife's international channels and pay about $25/month for just those two) and whenever we have storm come through, poof.. no satellite signal. but the cable works great. look at high-speed internet too. there is not an economical way to transmit high-speed internet through satellite as of yet. cable holds the title of fastest and will continue to increase their speed in the future. satellite is not the norm and has been steadily losing alot of market share over the past few years. but you are right that in locales outside of the usa, satellite use is on the rise but that is only because many countries do not have cable companies like our own and only use over the air signal. the above mentioned satellite advertisement website is interesting though. thanks for your input.
RE: this would never happen
"plus, most condo, apartment, and homeowners associations don't allow satellites."
That's simply not true. As long as you have your own private area with a good view of the sky (i.e. a private balcony or patio on your apartment, that isn't shared with your neighbors) you can have a dish. It's federal regulation. If your condo or whatever doesn't allow it, then they are breaking the law.
http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html
Seems like there's more misinformation than information in this forum (referring to the ATT Sales Droid's FUD about analog *cable* going away soon).
grow up
Just like most homeowners associations dont allow sattelites.. analoag cable with go away soon.. not that i care i have digital boxes through cox on my 2 tvs.. maybe u shouldnt believe just 1 or 2 articles you read and actually do your research
DOOR TO DOOR SALES / TIME WARNER
I am a Residential Account Executive (fancy name for a salesman) in the San Diego area for Time Warner Cable. I am not a contractor but have been in the past (Time Warner holds both to a higher level of ethical sales and values). I do the door-to-door sales and street fairs promoting many our company's products. The rates that you can get through salesmen like myself are much different and lower than the regular advertised rates and promotions through Time Warner Cable. While going about my business, I have personally heard the horror stories from many residents about the AT&T sales agents "tricking" and providing false information to get you to sign up for service. I do know that the contactors that AT&T is using, are not very professional but I can say that the actual "in-house" (non-contractor) salesmen are somewhat reputable and trustworthy. Many doors I go to have switched to the AT&T U-verse/DSL product to give it a try and are very eager to switch back to Time Warner Cable due to various reasons. These reasons include: long application/credit check process, 6-8 hour install appointment, constant return technical support issue appointments, billing issues, reduced internet speed, limited HD selection, weak customer support, etc., etc. Of course when I do bring these customers back to Time Warner Cable on one of my promotions, the price is much lower than AT&t's price and the level of service is much higher (ie. faster internet bandwith, etc.). I don't want to say that AT&T's product is bad, it is actually quite interesting. But I will say that the product that they are offering cannot compare to cable service with companies like Time Warner Cable and that there are so many "bugs" and issues that AT&T needs to work out in order to make their product reliable and competetive. You get what you pay for and every customer will of course have a different experience. This year Time Warner Cable is rolling out many new services, channels and options that will further blow away the competition. HD channels will be increasing substantially along with a variety of other channels (ie. international) and Road Runner High Speed internet speeds will be increasing from the current 15 Mbps rate to even higher levels shortly. These speeds should go up to much higher levels. The U.S. ranks at only number 24 in the world when it comes to internet speeds and services, right after Estonia (#23)! AT&T is somewhat limited to where they can grow with service as their current system can only support combined video/internet/phone service at a total of 26 Mbps where as Time Warner Cable's current system can easily support speeds in excess of 100 Mbps! Hope the info has helped. Good Luck everyone!
Residential Account Executive
I'm in the 4S Ranch area where both TW and Cox are available. I have gotton great rates from one of you guys (TW) before, but the promotion has expired for a while. How can I contact you? Thanks.
I'm sorry but it would not
I'm sorry but it would not be professional for one of us to advertise our contact information here on this blog. I can however suggest that you contact customer service directly since you are already an active customer and ask for a good promotion to keep you a happy customer. Or alternatively, try contacting the original rep that signed you up with the special promotion.
Advertising
I understand the etiquet of not allowing advertising in a blog. However, I lost my contact information to the original guy that signed me up. I don't want to pay the "full asking price" at TW website. Calling in to customer service at TW gets nowhere. How can I such a person?
thanks,
both the rancho pq street
both the rancho pq street fair and the upcoming 4s street fair should have customer service reps available at the time warner booth possibly offering special promotions. or, we may be passing through your area again and you may receive a special promotions flyer on your door. if you do, save it as the reps phone number on it will get you a very, very good promotion!
door to door sales???
I saw door t doors post that AT&T can only deliver a comboned 26Mbps, I was surprised because my
house tested at 52 Mbps first round an a Cat6 Jumped it to 62 Mbps, I said good buy to Charter
and it's ever increasing rate climb, I may be stuck with 10/2 net service but just how many
sites support much faster?
From reading this group you can see the cable reps fearing the new player, Nope I don't have
a dog in this fight I'm what they call an end user or consumer who combined services
and am saving $70 a month.
recheck your info
gee, thats funny? not sure how you were able to check the combined speed with your phone and television as usually you are only able to check your internet speed. sounds like you may not be checking the right source or are confused with mbps, kbps, and mps. your "in house" network speed may be that high but your actual bandwith speed coming in from outside the house is definitely not that high or you would be paying much more for a business line, etc. you might want to contact at&t directly to get the correct information. cable internet speeds are usually always much faster than dsl speeds. the combined speed of 26 mbps for at&t u-verse is for all services (i.e. television, internet,phone) and that speed number came directly from a few experienced at&t sales reps and technicians. i'm sure the cable reps are not fearing the new player as this has only brought about job security, higher commisions, and more sales opportunities, etc. consumers will be happy also because prices and service will stay competitive as it did when the cable companies started phone and internet services some years back.
Time Warner Must Be Worried
I just had U-Verse installed. I must say I am impressed. The installation took only about 2 1/2 hours. The i