4 ms·

That's funny - my experience is digital is much clearer than an old analog line.

IshKebab 4y ago
Yeah definitely. Well we haven't had analogue phone lines for decades but compared to landlines, mobile can be much better - especially now we have HD Voice which landlines (and call centres apparently) can't access. Maybe it's the extra echo cancellation that's the real problem.
myself248 4y ago
Clarity and latency are at odds here. Digital can, with enough bitrate, encode more clarity than your ear can hear. Radio stations use two-channel ISDN for remote studio links so it sounds like the interviewer and interviewee are in the same room, sometimes you'd never know they aren't unless they announce it. But ISDN is all but gone, and all other digital voice systems are packetized and suffer awful, terrible, excruciating, reflex-fumbling latency. No matter how clear they are, I'm forever tripping on — no you go — okay as I was — go ahead — um okay — aaaaaaaaaaaaargh!
- zinekeller 4y ago
  > ISDN-BRI never gained popularity as a general use telephone access technology in Canada and the US, and remains a niche product. The service was seen as "a solution in search of a problem", and the extensive array of options and features were difficult for customers to understand and use. ISDN has long been known by derogatory backronyms highlighting these issues, such as It Still Does Nothing, Innovations Subscribers Don't Need, and I Still Don't kNow, or, from the supposed standpoint of telephone companies, I Smell Dollars Now. Wow, that explains everything why Americans insist that analog is the way. I will always miss ISDN, but the march of technology insist on IP I guess.
ryandrake 4y ago
My observations, in order of decreasing quality: Analog Land Line local call > WiFi Calling through cellphone > Analog long distance call > 3G/4G/5G Cell > Home VOIP service > Zoom/Meet/etc. With the first two pretty close to identically high quality.
- mmcnl 4y ago
  VoLTE is far superior to 3G calling and deserves its own category here imo. Night and day difference.
- rootusrootus 4y ago
  Zoom is entirely dependent on whatever hardware the participants are using. My team switched to using cardioid mics and the audio quality is stellar. It's just when you get that one guy dialing in on his mobile phone with an old pair of wired earbuds with the cord mic that's not anywhere near his mouth. Usually from India, with horns in the background...
rootusrootus 4y ago
That can certainly be true, I've lived places that had problems maintaining a moisture-free analog network and it could be irritating.

Yeah definitely. Well we haven't had analogue phone lines for decades but compared to landlines, mobile can be much better - especially now we have HD Voice which landlines (and call centres apparently) can't access. Maybe it's the extra echo cancellation that's the real problem.

myself248 4y ago

Clarity and latency are at odds here. Digital can, with enough bitrate, encode more clarity than your ear can hear. Radio stations use two-channel ISDN for remote studio links so it sounds like the interviewer and interviewee are in the same room, sometimes you'd never know they aren't unless they announce it. But ISDN is all but gone, and all other digital voice systems are packetized and suffer awful, terrible, excruciating, reflex-fumbling latency. No matter how clear they are, I'm forever tripping on — no you go — okay as I was — go ahead — um okay — aaaaaaaaaaaaargh!

zinekeller 4y ago
> ISDN-BRI never gained popularity as a general use telephone access technology in Canada and the US, and remains a niche product. The service was seen as "a solution in search of a problem", and the extensive array of options and features were difficult for customers to understand and use. ISDN has long been known by derogatory backronyms highlighting these issues, such as It Still Does Nothing, Innovations Subscribers Don't Need, and I Still Don't kNow, or, from the supposed standpoint of telephone companies, I Smell Dollars Now. Wow, that explains everything why Americans insist that analog is the way. I will always miss ISDN, but the march of technology insist on IP I guess.

ryandrake 4y ago

My observations, in order of decreasing quality: Analog Land Line local call > WiFi Calling through cellphone > Analog long distance call > 3G/4G/5G Cell > Home VOIP service > Zoom/Meet/etc. With the first two pretty close to identically high quality.

mmcnl 4y ago
VoLTE is far superior to 3G calling and deserves its own category here imo. Night and day difference.
rootusrootus 4y ago
Zoom is entirely dependent on whatever hardware the participants are using. My team switched to using cardioid mics and the audio quality is stellar. It's just when you get that one guy dialing in on his mobile phone with an old pair of wired earbuds with the cord mic that's not anywhere near his mouth. Usually from India, with horns in the background...

rootusrootus 4y ago

That can certainly be true, I've lived places that had problems maintaining a moisture-free analog network and it could be irritating.