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I really hope Starlink works out. I have relatives whose only option is satellite internet and with the ultra-low data caps streaming video is just not an opti
by causality0 6y ago
I really hope Starlink works out. I have relatives whose only option is satellite internet and with the ultra-low data caps streaming video is just not an option at home. Imagine living without Netflix or Youtube.
- asdfk-12 6y agoI found living without Netflix and Youtube enlightening, as inter-library loans granted many titles that aren't available to stream. Also, Netflix dvd-by-mail service works fine in rural areas. After a while, I realized that my habituation to constant connection wasn't actually making my life more enjoyable... but for telework I'm rooting for a connectivity solution via Starlink.
- rootsudo 6y agoSame, 100%. It all feels like a drug. Addictive and dangerous.
- the-dude 6y agoYou mean like when we had only 2 national TV channels? Life was wonderful. I was outside a lot.
- 72deluxe 6y agoI know, it sounds bliss! Like the 1980s - fewer distractions, clearer thoughts.
- dkersten 6y agoHonestly, my life got a lot better when I cancelled my Netflix and stopped watching TV. I’ve taken up actual hobbies like playing guitar instead, as well as working on personal projects. I still use YouTube, but I’m trying to ever so slowly wind that down too.
- mlindner 6y agoI lived perfectly fine without Netflix and Youtube for most of my life.
- joe_the_user 6y agoI lived with satellite Internet for about seven months. It's slow but still a bit faster than dial-up. You can watch short youtube videos but not movies - unless you like to wait. The main problem is latency, so it's completely impossible to use your phone over wifi.
- Erlich_Bachman 6y agoYou do know that Starlink is completely different because their satellites are not on geostationary orbits (but instead much closer to the earth), right?
- joe_the_user 6y agoSure, the gp started out talking about regular satellite, that what I was commenting on.
- shaklee3 6y agoStarlink won't have higher data caps than other satellite providers. They have at most 20Gbps per satellite, and realistically, much lower. Even with a couple in view that's still far less than the existing HTS satellites.
- judge2020 6y agoClose - based on https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1128834111878193155?s=20 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1128834111878193155?s=20, 60 satellites providing combined 1tbps ~= 16.6 gbps per satellite.
- shaklee3 6y agoThis doesn't say how many will be in view at any time. Since this tweet they've had suspected propulsion problems and have filed an amendment to change their orbit to a lower one.
- chrisco255 6y agoYeah you gotta physically go to a Redbox and rent a DVD and stream HBO via satellite. It's almost unbearable.
- Johnny555 6y agoI've never understood why people used Redbox when you have to physically go to a kiosk, you're limited to whatever movies are in that kiosk, and worst of all - you rent by the night, so if you decide not to watch it, you've either got to return it, unwatched, or pay more. Netflix still does DVD rentals, and though it's been a few years since I've used it, they had a great selection and except for some new releases just after relese, they were always in stock.
- brianwawok 6y agoNetflix was a commitment. Redbox was a whim. In the years before streaming netflix, I often did Redbox. Pick up a DVD on the way home form work on Friday. Return is Saturday when I go out shopping. Do it twice a month, spend $2 (or $3 when they raised the price). Netflix was 9.99 or more, and you basically had to watch 5 or 6 DVDs a month to "get your monies worth". So I often found myself watching a DVD when I didn't want to because I had already paid it, so I could send it back and get the DVD I actually wanted but didn't get because it was out of stock.
- Retric 6y agoNetflix DVD is solving a different problem. The issue with Redbox or streaming services is they frequently have absolutely nothing I want to watch. I tend to go to the movies enough to have seen any new releases that I had any interest in. However, with a vastly larger selection I can load up on classics or random recommendations. It might not be what I was in the mood for, but it will be good.
- xmichael0 6y agoHow old are you? I remember being a kid 30+ years ago going to the VHS store and picking out some crap and loving every minute of it. It's an experience. I remember the joy of going to a vHS / DVD rental shop with a date etc. Nothing wrong with getting out of the house for a bit and picking something out, it was fun! (;
- reaperducer 6y agoImagine living without Netflix or Youtube. You mean, the way I and several billion other people do right now?
- beamatronic 6y agoWell, those folks don’t really count. /s
- OhSoHumble 6y agoFor me, it's more about what kind of opportunities people miss out on when they're in an underserved area. For example, a lot of learning is being done remotely right now. How does a student on a satellite Internet connection participate in a streamed classroom? They can't so they just... miss out on schooling.
- dzhiurgis 6y agoImagine living without JS. 90% of the web would break. Right now a decent amount of web would break without images and even some without video. If you live on a yacht with cheapest sat connection (which is really obscene at $150 per month) you get a mere 2kbps. That's not even enough to load html. You only get to get email and weather via specialised software.
- chongli 6y agoBut then you live on a yacht. Why not pull into a port with known good wifi and download what you want in bulk? Use your sat connection for email to keep in touch. Sneakernet the big things (movies, TV, games). This is what life was like for me when I first got the internet back in the 90s. 14.4 dialup translated to around 1.5KB/sec. And I lived at home. I didn’t get to enjoy travelling the world in a yacht.
- kortilla 6y agoIn the 90s the internet was optimized for dialup. The web now is unusable on 56kbps