3 ms·

DSL may be widely available, but it often can't be considered broadband. At my home (in a large-ish suburb) the fastest DSL connection I can get is 5 Mbps.

gojomo 12y ago
5Mbps was "broadband" (>3Mbps) until the FCC made an arbitrary goalpost-moving redefinition a few weeks ago. 5Mbps is more than enough for live HD videoconferencing and 720p HD TV/movie downloads (Netflix/ITunes/Amazon) faster-than-realtime. Yeah, I like it when multi-GB software or datasets download in a few minutes... but I'm in the bandwidth-huffing 1%. If almost everyone has competitive options for everything they regularly use, but a few of the heaviest users have to buy from a single best provider in their area, that doesn't sound like a national "rescue the net!" emergency to me. Just a temporary inconvenience for early adopters.
- warfangle 12y ago
  5Mbps advertised, or 5Mbps actual? There's that unfortunate clause, "speeds up to." Netflix recommends an internet speed of at least 5.0Mbps for HD quality streaming. Which means your 'up to 5.0mbps' connection, depending on network congestion and oversell, will probably end up being SD or lower. Videoconferencing at 640x480, 30fps, uses ~512kbps. for 1080p video conferencing with two participants, you need 2-8Mbps connection on both ends. For 720p, you need 2-6Mbps on both ends. Hugo is 3.99GB in 720p on iTunes. If a 5Mbps connection can be sustained for the entire length of file transmission, you could download it in about 108 minutes. The film is 126 minutes long. That's technically faster-than-realtime, but good luck getting an "up to 5Mbps" connection to sustain 5Mbps for two hours. You could start the download, take the dog for a walk and make a bowl of popcorn and then hope your connection speed doesn't drop thirty minutes in.
- whyaduck 12y ago
  I'm not sure wanting more than 5 Mbps (a service level that's been commonly available for more than a decade now) would classify someone as an early adopter in 2015.

gojomo 12y ago

5Mbps was "broadband" (>3Mbps) until the FCC made an arbitrary goalpost-moving redefinition a few weeks ago. 5Mbps is more than enough for live HD videoconferencing and 720p HD TV/movie downloads (Netflix/ITunes/Amazon) faster-than-realtime. Yeah, I like it when multi-GB software or datasets download in a few minutes... but I'm in the bandwidth-huffing 1%. If almost everyone has competitive options for everything they regularly use, but a few of the heaviest users have to buy from a single best provider in their area, that doesn't sound like a national "rescue the net!" emergency to me. Just a temporary inconvenience for early adopters.

warfangle 12y ago
5Mbps advertised, or 5Mbps actual? There's that unfortunate clause, "speeds up to." Netflix recommends an internet speed of at least 5.0Mbps for HD quality streaming. Which means your 'up to 5.0mbps' connection, depending on network congestion and oversell, will probably end up being SD or lower. Videoconferencing at 640x480, 30fps, uses ~512kbps. for 1080p video conferencing with two participants, you need 2-8Mbps connection on both ends. For 720p, you need 2-6Mbps on both ends. Hugo is 3.99GB in 720p on iTunes. If a 5Mbps connection can be sustained for the entire length of file transmission, you could download it in about 108 minutes. The film is 126 minutes long. That's technically faster-than-realtime, but good luck getting an "up to 5Mbps" connection to sustain 5Mbps for two hours. You could start the download, take the dog for a walk and make a bowl of popcorn and then hope your connection speed doesn't drop thirty minutes in.
whyaduck 12y ago
I'm not sure wanting more than 5 Mbps (a service level that's been commonly available for more than a decade now) would classify someone as an early adopter in 2015.