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Agree. The difference between watching "HDTV" on Comcast vs Verizon FiOS was like the difference between watching SDTV and HDTV, with Comcast being SDTV. Everyt

by cronix 8y ago

Agree. The difference between watching "HDTV" on Comcast vs Verizon FiOS was like the difference between watching SDTV and HDTV, with Comcast being SDTV. Everything is so pixelated and "smeary" on Comcast whereas FiOS buttery smooth and fully detailed. I should have noted the bitrate of the two at the time as I use cablecards and can see that data, but FiOS had a MUCH higher bitrate (when comparing 720 vs 720) and most channels were broadcast in 1080 instead of 720. I think it's because Comcast keeps upping their internet speeds, which they need to rob the bandwidth from the tv side to do. They also still simulcast broadcast everything in SDTV wasting bandwidth. How many people actually have SDTV sets anymore? Cable bandwidth is simply outdated with current societal needs, just like the telephone line was 10 years ago.

leeoniya 8y ago
the 80/20 rule probably applies. 80% of their customers watch 20% of their channels. the other 80% of channels are simply there to grab some small demographic that's only important to advertisers. so they rob everyone of quality to maximize revenue. it's disgusting, and there's not much i can do about it due to local duopoly. my best bet is to move to higher quality streaming services. i looked into Sling TV recently and their lineup has really improved. does anyone have experience with it, quality-wise?
- scarface74 8y ago
  I had Sling TV for awhile. It was good enough. But, it didn’t have as many local channels as DirecTVNow in my area. DirecTVNow was flakey the last time I used it on either my RokuTVs or with my Roku sticks. It worked better when I would AirPlay it to my 3rd Gen AppleTV or watch it using the app on my 4K AppleTV. My wireless connection in the same area as my TVs never dips below 159Mbps so it’s not my bandwidth. My AppleTVs throughout the house are all connected via gigabit Ethernet throughout my house.
  - metildaa 8y ago
    Unless your on AT&T for internet, its likely poor peering between your ISP and AT&T. Those "tier 1" networks like AT&T tend to only freely peer with other tier 1 networks (usually other massive Telcos) and a handful of tier 2 networks, resulting in congested peering points and significant unnecessary latency.
    - scarface74 8y ago
      I am on AT&T. Gigabit up and down. But DirecTVNow being flakey on the same WiFi network on the Roku but not on iOS devices (iPhone/AppleTV) doesn’t make sense. I also noticed it isn’t the same stream sent to Rokus as it was to the AppleTV. The timing would be different.

by cronix 8y ago

leeoniya 8y ago

the 80/20 rule probably applies. 80% of their customers watch 20% of their channels. the other 80% of channels are simply there to grab some small demographic that's only important to advertisers. so they rob everyone of quality to maximize revenue. it's disgusting, and there's not much i can do about it due to local duopoly. my best bet is to move to higher quality streaming services. i looked into Sling TV recently and their lineup has really improved. does anyone have experience with it, quality-wise?

scarface74 8y ago
I had Sling TV for awhile. It was good enough. But, it didn’t have as many local channels as DirecTVNow in my area. DirecTVNow was flakey the last time I used it on either my RokuTVs or with my Roku sticks. It worked better when I would AirPlay it to my 3rd Gen AppleTV or watch it using the app on my 4K AppleTV. My wireless connection in the same area as my TVs never dips below 159Mbps so it’s not my bandwidth. My AppleTVs throughout the house are all connected via gigabit Ethernet throughout my house.
- metildaa 8y ago
  Unless your on AT&T for internet, its likely poor peering between your ISP and AT&T. Those "tier 1" networks like AT&T tend to only freely peer with other tier 1 networks (usually other massive Telcos) and a handful of tier 2 networks, resulting in congested peering points and significant unnecessary latency.
  - scarface74 8y ago
    I am on AT&T. Gigabit up and down. But DirecTVNow being flakey on the same WiFi network on the Roku but not on iOS devices (iPhone/AppleTV) doesn’t make sense. I also noticed it isn’t the same stream sent to Rokus as it was to the AppleTV. The timing would be different.