Yup. It's exactly like Verizon's FIOS service. It's basically a copy of it.

I'm scheduled to have it installed on Saturday.

I have more info about it.

First off, it's only been available for about 60 days in my area. It's only in limited markets right now, about 10 to 15 residential areas. They only have about 250,000 to 500,000 subscribers right now so it's still in the very early stages.

Basically there are two wiring methods. The first is using your existing cable lines as feeds to the tuners, or they can run new CAT5e/CAT6 ethernet cabling in your house. This method works more like a computer network, streaming in the tv service through a router, where-as using the existing cable lines is a little different, where each tuner works independantly to stream in the data instead of the router controlling it. This is the computer-for-dumby explanation. I don't want to get too technical.

Anyway, so far from a quality perspective, people say the HD quality is about the same as the Sat. providers, maybe a little softer in picture quality, but still almost equal. AT&T plans on boosting the bandwidth in the next 3 months or so to have full HD stations streaming in at 100% quality, which apparently not one provider can do right now because of bandwidth restrictions on their technology infrastructure.

The FCC/Feds want this newAT&T service to be regulated as a cable TV provider. This is completely wrong. This is a computer data network streaming in video feed data, the same way you watch a DVD on your dvd player. It is streamed video/audio and the technology they use for their infrastructure is completely different then how Comcast and cable providers do it. It legally cannot be regulated as a cable provider since it is a data network and not a TV network. Very interesting fight going on with that. Of course the FCC wants their paws on it so they can charge regulatory fees and taxes. So far from what I have read, they are still fighting them, and the Govt. is loosing.

You get internet, phone and TV all from the same feed. It's all Internet-based using a 100% fiber-optic network. This means the possibilities for the future are endless. Unlimited amounts of data bandwidth will be available while Comcast is always going to be limited to waht it can push on it's copper wiring network. You are talking about the speed of light vs. the speed of electricity and quality which is hindered by resistance, wire degredation, constant old hardware maintenance, etc.

I can go on and on since I'm a big video geek, but it will be available in more areas soon. AT&T is spending approx. $1.7 Billion on laying the infrastructure this year, and budgeted over $2 Billion for the next year. They own the cabling, own the network and can do whatever they want with it.

From a computer geek and home theater fanatic's perspective, the possibilities are beyond imagination.

The On-Demand (On-Demand is Comcast's term, but the geeks are using it for AT&T as well)movies and shows they have start up INSTANTLY, literally. They also have a PIP service where when you are watching a show, you can skim through the Guide and a window will pop up while skimming through the tv guide and show you the actual show playing in the window in real-time, without having to switch the channel.

Oh, and here is the BEST part...

The HIGHEST priced HD On-Demand movies are $3.99! You know what Comcast charges now for newer movies in HD? $7.99 for most of them.

AND, this service has the new on-demand PPV movies available only 2 weeks after they come out on DVD, rather then what, a month or two on Comcast?

So, you can see I'm excited about it To be one of the only people in your town with this is pretty damn cool. I

 

A/V Geeks are COOL!!![8D]

That's what I keep telling myself!!

 

They keep telling themselves that too.

 

Hey, I resemble that remark!![:@]

 

Jeolousy will get you nowhere.

 

YEAH!!!!!