AT&T U-Verse

Post by **TPRJones** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 10:42 pm

So far so good. I got hooked up today, and I've got 400 channels of creamy goodness (only channel I want that it doesn't have is G4, but I didn't have it before so I'm used to that). The box can record up to four shows at once (it doesn't use tuners, so it's only limited by bandwidth). Picture clarity is excellent although the sound is pretty low and a bit more fuzzy than it should be because I have to crank up the TV volume near the max to hear it.

The software in it is crap when it comes to finding shows (it's having a very hard time determining what is first run and what is a repeat, so I either get to record tons of repeats for the one new show I want that week, or go in and set it to record by hand every week; there is no recurring day/time record option). I contacted TiVo and they're going to set me up with a custom channel guide, but I'm still trying to overcome the other issue of getting the TiVo to control the set-top-box to switch channels. It's not looking good.

Summary: The service is good, but the hardware/software is crap. But it's worth it to get rid of my phone bills.

Post by **TheCatt** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 12:17 am

TPRJones wrote:I've got 400 channels of creamy goodness

400 channels of money shots?

Post by **TPRJones** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 12:22 am

Oh, no, only four channels of that. And 396 channels of non-creamy goodness.

Looks like the sound problem is not the box's fault. After switching some connections around, I achieved fine quality sound. I think it's the crappy old VCR I use as a remote controlled switcher box for my other components starting to finally break down. Time to find a new remote controlled switcher box.

Edited By TPRJones on 1176956658

Post by **Cakedaddy** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 2:25 am

What the hell kind of TV do you have that you don't have multiple inputs on that?!?!

And G4 sucks ass. Use to really like, almost love, Tech TV. Then they merged with G4 and most of the shows from Tech TV went away and were replaced with dumb shit like old Man Show and COPS! episodes. It's more like Spike TV than Tech TV use to be. I'd happily trade G4 in for National Geographic channel or Discovery Wings or something else that will have some stuff worth watching.

Post by **TPRJones** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 12:23 pm

Cakedaddy wrote:What the hell kind of TV do you have that you don't have multiple inputs on that?!?!

My good old 24" Magnavox. I bought it used back in '97 from a college buddy (the TV plus a very comfy couch for $100). Only one coax input and nothing else.

I blew out a capacitor a couple of months ago but was able to pull it and patch in a replacement, so it should last another few years.

Post by **TheCatt** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 2:03 pm

So this Uverse thing, it does not have HDTV?

Post by **TPRJones** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 3:39 pm

Sure, it's got some channels in high def. The box does 780j or 1080f or some other letters and numbers I didn't care about during setup. Here's the HD stations in my service area:

A&E HD 1111
Cinemax HD 1402
Cinemax HD - West 1403
Discovery HD Theater 1102
ESPN HD ** 1201
ESPN2 HD ** 1202
Food Network HD 1114
HBO HD 1400
HBO HD - West 1401
HDNet ** 1105
HDNet Movies 1106
HGTV HD 1113
KHOU-HD-11 (CBS) 1011
KPRC-HD-2 (NBC) 1002
KRIV-HD-9 (FOX) 1009
KTRK-HD-13 (ABC) 1013
MHD 1116
National Geographic Channel HD 1115
NFL Network HD ** 1203
Showtime HD 1404
Showtime HD - West 1405
Starz HD 1408
Starz HD - West 1409
TMC HD 1406
TNT HD ** 1103
Universal HD 1104
Wealth TV HD 1110

Post by **TheCatt** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 4:25 pm

So............. u not getting an HDTV?

Post by **TPRJones** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 5:14 pm

Nah, the whole point of this is to save money, not spend more of it.

Post by **GORDON** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 5:58 pm

Damn, that's a lot more HD channels than I get.

Post by **TheCatt** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 7:11 pm

So is HD worth getting? Like how many do you usually get with Time Warner?

Post by **Cakedaddy** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 7:34 pm

If you're asking if it's worth the cost. . . depends. If you're asking if HD is good, then yes, it most definately is. Watching stuff in HD is pure televisiony watching goodness. LOVE watching stuff in HD.

Post by **TheCatt** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 7:49 pm

Well, I'm getting a fair amount of severance from losing my job, so I was thinking of rewarding myself with an HDTV.

In football/basketball season...... it'd totally be worth it to me. Hard to say beforehand.

Post by **GORDON** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 2:54 am

I will watch a movie in HD that I otherwise would not watch at all because it looks so damned good on my TV.

I have Time Warner extended cable w/HBO and Cinemax. I get,,,

HD HBO
3 local networks in HD
HD PBS
HD TNT (or TBS, I forget)

And that's about it.

I bet the HD offerings vary from region to region even within Time Warner, so your mileage may vary.

Post by **TheCatt** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 12:12 pm

U-Verse arrived in Raleigh today. Except for where I live.

I'm really tempted by the 1.5Mbps up, 8.0Mbps down package for $53. (I assume $60 or so with taxes).

Post by **Troy** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 12:21 pm

GF has Uverse in Atlanta, she loves it.

If it arrived today, sign me the fuck up here in chapel hill.

Fuck TWC in their cornhole.

Post by **Troy** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 12:27 pm

Nope, not in Chapel Hill yet, fooey.

Post by **TPRJones** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 1:17 pm

Catt, if there are any speed tests or anything you want me to run on my uverse connection to let you know of it's quality, just let me know. I have the basic package, nothing fancy, but it's served me quite well so far.

I seem to lose connection for an average of two to three minutes in the middle of the night one night a week at random. But that's the limit of the problems with the service.

Well, except for major hurricanes which knock me out for up to a week. And the fact that if you can't get a connection you can't watch the shows recorded on your DVR (it has to make sure you still have service every time you play something, which is so fast you don't really notice ... except when the connection is down and you can't watch your recordings).

Post by **TheCatt** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 1:35 pm

Well, it's not available at my home yet. And I just want the Internet, not TV. We got Dish a couple of months ago, and I'm happy enough with it.

Malcolm · Post by **Malcolm** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 1:41 pm

Cakedaddy wrote:And G4 sucks ass. Use to really like, almost love, Tech TV. Then they merged with G4 and most of the shows from Tech TV went away and were replaced with dumb shit like old Man Show and COPS! episodes. It's more like Spike TV than Tech TV use to be. I'd happily trade G4 in for National Geographic channel or Discovery Wings or something else that will have some stuff worth watching.

G4 does have mostly shyte. New Ninja Warriors & Code Monkeys episodes are the only things I can find worthwhile.