# Tivo vs. UVerse TV vs. DirecTV



## convergent (Jan 4, 2007)

I have been using Tivo systems for close to ten years, and been with Time Warner for probably 30. I've reached the point of no return with TWC. For the last several months we have had constant problems and repeated troubleshooting calls and truck rolls. I love my Tivo system (Roamio + 2 Minis), but I can't continue to have constant outages... I work at home. The latest outage has lasted almost 3 days... they were here an hour ago and its down again. My neighbors on this street have been having the same problems.

So I'm ready to switch to AT&T's GigaPower... they came in a few months back and my neighbors that have switched have been very happy with them. The question is which TV service to go with. I believe I'm going to have a choice of DirecTV or their UVerse TV service for essentially the same price. 

We don't have any premium channels that we pay for... so I'm most interested in the speed and ease of use of their multi-room DVR viewing experience as it compares with my Roamio. I also have a MoCA 2.0B network riding on my coax wiring and want to make sure that can continue to coexist with the AT&T solution.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

Go with directv. Uverse is being deprecated and has issues of its own (limit on streams, etc). Get the newest Genie and other than potential speed issues, you should be happy enough. Directv has better PQ and channel choices (especially if you are a sports fan) than uverse.


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## convergent (Jan 4, 2007)

TonyD79 said:


> Go with directv. Uverse is being deprecated and has issues of its own (limit on streams, etc). Get the newest Genie and other than potential speed issues, you should be happy enough. Directv has better PQ and channel choices (especially if you are a sports fan) than uverse.


Thanks... what are the "potential speed issues" you mentioned?

We do watch some sports, but we use MLB.TV for baseball and usually use watch what is on the main networks... football, etc.. otherwise.


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

Tivo does not work with either Uverse or DTV.


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## thyname (Dec 27, 2010)

Depending on the quality of the OTA reception in your house, you may want to experiment with OTA paired with TiVo and possibly something like PS Vue or Sling to complement OTA.

If you must go with a provider, Directv is the best choice as far as the number of channels and picture quality is concerned. After the second year it will get pricy though, and TiVo is generally a better DVR than Genie.

PM me if you are interested on clues on deals with DTV


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## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

I've had both Uverse and DirecTV. I agree with Tony D, go with DirecTV. Much better HD picture quality and a little better DVR. I will say that I did have occasional rain-induced signal outages with DirecTV but I think my experience was somewhat atypical.

Some folks on this forum would say that the DirecTV Genie DVR isn't as good as TiVo and if you're a "power user" who has demanding needs from your DVR, maybe that's true. But for someone like me who simply tended to see stuff in the program guide and then wanted to record every new episode of the series (press the record button on the remote twice) or only wanted to record a show/movie one time (press the record button on the remote once), I actually found the Genie to be a little simpler to use than TiVo. 

Unfortunately, the Genie doesn't integrate your Netflix, Hulu or Amazon viewing together with your cable TV like TiVo does, so you'll need a separate streaming device or smart TV apps for that stuff.


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## Series3Sub (Mar 14, 2010)

AT&T has already announced a few months ago that they will wind down and close, end, shut down its Uverse service. AT&T is done with Uverse. Over time all Uverse subscribers will be swithched to DirecTV. This was no suprise given how poorly Uverse has done for AT&T and how well DirecTV has done and how well DirecTV works as advertised compared to the unreliability of Uveree. So, you may have no choice in the matter. But even if you did, DirecTV is still the better choice. Aside from other issues, Uverse wireless boxes were a nightmare for suscribers. On the other hand, both Dish and DirecTV have robust wireless box solutions that truly work with excellence.

Done; Finito; RIP Uverse. Or Good Riddence to pretty crappy TV service .


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## convergent (Jan 4, 2007)

Series3Sub said:


> AT&T has already announced a few months ago that they will wind down and close, end, shut down its Uverse service. AT&T is done with Uverse. Over time all Uverse subscribers will be swithched to DirecTV. This was no suprise given how poorly Uverse has done for AT&T and how well DirecTV has done and how well DirecTV works as advertised compared to the unreliability of Uveree. So, you may have no choice in the matter. But even if you did, DirecTV is still the better choice. Aside from other issues, Uverse wireless boxes were a nightmare for suscribers. On the other hand, both Dish and DirecTV have robust wireless box solutions that truly work with excellence.
> 
> Done; Finito; RIP Uverse. Or Good Riddence to pretty crappy TV service .


They may have said that, but they are leading with Uverse TV in our area for some reason. We have a lot of trees, so that may be the reason.



NashGuy said:


> I've had both Uverse and DirecTV. I agree with Tony D, go with DirecTV. Much better HD picture quality and a little better DVR. I will say that I did have occasional rain-induced signal outages with DirecTV but I think my experience was somewhat atypical.
> 
> Some folks on this forum would say that the DirecTV Genie DVR isn't as good as TiVo and if you're a "power user" who has demanding needs from your DVR, maybe that's true. But for someone like me who simply tended to see stuff in the program guide and then wanted to record every new episode of the series (press the record button on the remote twice) or only wanted to record a show/movie one time (press the record button on the remote once), I actually found the Genie to be a little simpler to use than TiVo.
> 
> Unfortunately, the Genie doesn't integrate your Netflix, Hulu or Amazon viewing together with your cable TV like TiVo does, so you'll need a separate streaming device or smart TV apps for that stuff.


We have Apple TVs, and at least for Netflix I like the experience on Apple TV better than Tivo. The bummer is Amazon, but that can be done with AirPlay... so its still doable. I would miss having the integrated system where you can see everything in one unified search. Apple seems to be headed in that direction so hopefully they will have something competitive at some point that doesn't require a cable sub.



thyname said:


> Depending on the quality of the OTA reception in your house, you may want to experiment with OTA paired with TiVo and possibly something like PS Vue or Sling to complement OTA.
> 
> If you must go with a provider, Directv is the best choice as far as the number of channels and picture quality is concerned. After the second year it will get pricy though, and TiVo is generally a better DVR than Genie.
> 
> PM me if you are interested on clues on deals with DTV


I did experiment with this a while back and with an antenna in our bonus room I could get about 5 local channels that were decent quality. But I think that the channels we tend to watch on cable would be hard to put together in some other package.

I may have to talk to you about deals, but wondering if that would end up resulting in a worse deal for the internet service through AT&T. Also, they waive the data caps if you bundle TV with internet.

After spending some time seriously looking at the cost last night, I may hold off on switching just yet ... one more chance for TWC. I am paying about $130/month today for TWC 100mbps internet + TV. The AT&T compatible plans are around $150 before taxes and fees... so guessing that will be $175... $45 more a month. But after two years, it will go up about $75 more dollars and be closer to $250 after taxes. That's crazy! Mind you, its fiber gigabit speed, but I don't need anything taster than 100mbps... so I'd be paying nearly double for something I don't need. I could just switch back after 2 years... and get cheaper pricing from TWC then hopefully. I'm actually happy with TWC + Tivo when it works.... just been so unreliable. Its worked for half a day since they were here, so hopefully that will continue.



ThAbtO said:


> Tivo does not work with either Uverse or DTV.


I'm aware of that... which is why I posted this thread.


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## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

Convergent, doesn't AT&T offer regular (not GigaPower) Uverse internet at lower speeds and lower cost there? They do here in Nashville. Not sure how much stuff you simultaneously do on the internet but you may find you don't need speeds even as high as the 100 Mbps you have now. (I had 18Mbps from Uverse and it was always fast enough to stream the best quality 1080p video available from various sources, although I don't share my bandwidth with others using it at the same time.)

One other thing: while I have read that AT&T will phase out Uverse TV as it now exists, they are also soon going to introduce streaming-based (non-satellite) DirecTV. So they will continue offering two ways to receive the signal but it will all be grouped under the DirecTV brand, UI, feature set, channel packages, etc.


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## MVPinFLA (Dec 16, 2003)

NashGuy said:


> Convergent, doesn't AT&T offer regular (not GigaPower) Uverse internet at lower speeds and lower cost there? They do here in Nashville. Not sure how much stuff you simultaneously do on the internet but you may find you don't need speeds even as high as the 100 Mbps you have now. (I had 18Mbps from Uverse and it was always fast enough to stream the best quality 1080p video available from various sources, although I don't share my bandwidth with others using it at the same time.)
> 
> One other thing: while I have read that AT&T will phase out Uverse TV as it now exists, they are also soon going to introduce streaming-based (non-satellite) DirecTV. So they will continue offering two ways to receive the signal but it will all be grouped under the DirecTV brand, UI, feature set, channel packages, etc.


Non-satellite DTV would be most desirable down here in south Florida. The frequent storms around here made DTV quite frustrating.


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## convergent (Jan 4, 2007)

NashGuy said:


> Convergent, doesn't AT&T offer regular (not GigaPower) Uverse internet at lower speeds and lower cost there? They do here in Nashville. Not sure how much stuff you simultaneously do on the internet but you may find you don't need speeds even as high as the 100 Mbps you have now. (I had 18Mbps from Uverse and it was always fast enough to stream the best quality 1080p video available from various sources, although I don't share my bandwidth with others using it at the same time.)
> 
> One other thing: while I have read that AT&T will phase out Uverse TV as it now exists, they are also soon going to introduce streaming-based (non-satellite) DirecTV. So they will continue offering two ways to receive the signal but it will all be grouped under the DirecTV brand, UI, feature set, channel packages, etc.


I definitely don't need 100Mbps, and could probably survive on 18Mbps. The last time I checked it was about the same pricing as the GigaPower promotion pricing. For me, the upstream speed is the thing I'm most sensitive to. I work from home so do a lot of video conferencing and uploading. When TWC got to about 3Mbps upstream, things got a lot better. I've been fine with their downstream from when it was 20Mbps. AT&T doesn't have anything in between though... they jump fro that 18 to Gigabit. They should think about creating more steps in their plans.... maybe they will do that before they get out of the promotional pricing. I just can't see getting to the point where I'm paying AT&T $500/month for all services!

Since I posted this, I've been looking at some of the streaming offerings ... and they would certainly suffice if it came to it. TWC went down again this morning for a while... so I may go ahead and move. I can sell my Roamio/Minis for some dough to help offset the cost too.


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## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

convergent said:


> I definitely don't need 100Mbps, and could probably survive on 18Mbps. The last time I checked it was about the same pricing as the GigaPower promotion pricing. For me, the upstream speed is the thing I'm most sensitive to. I work from home so do a lot of video conferencing and uploading. When TWC got to about 3Mbps upstream, things got a lot better. I've been fine with their downstream from when it was 20Mbps. AT&T doesn't have anything in between though... they jump fro that 18 to Gigabit. They should think about creating more steps in their plans.... maybe they will do that before they get out of the promotional pricing. I just can't see getting to the point where I'm paying AT&T $500/month for all services!
> 
> Since I posted this, I've been looking at some of the streaming offerings ... and they would certainly suffice if it came to it. TWC went down again this morning for a while... so I may go ahead and move. I can sell my Roamio/Minis for some dough to help offset the cost too.


Weird. I can get Uverse's at speeds of 6, 24 and 45 Mbps here. But their website isn't offering 18 Mbps as an option for me now! GigaPower isn't yet available at my address either. (I'm pretty sure they've announced it's coming to Nashville though; not sure if the rollout has begun.)

Not sure if the upstream speeds on their 18 Mbps internet service would be fast enough for you. See here:
http://www.att.net/speedtiers

You could always switch to AT&T for internet, keep it until the promo rate runs out after 1 or 2 years, and then switch back to TWC, which will be integrated into Charter by then and hopefully offer better service.


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## convergent (Jan 4, 2007)

Anyone know if DirecTV and/or Uverse TV will coexist nicely with a MoCA network? I have a MoCA 2.0 Bonded network that is using the same in house coax cabling.


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## convergent (Jan 4, 2007)

convergent said:


> Anyone know if DirecTV and/or Uverse TV will coexist nicely with a MoCA network? I have a MoCA 2.0 Bonded network that is using the same in house coax cabling.


Would love to get some feedback on this... I went ahead and ordered the service today with Uverse TV. The reason being that if I order DirecTV and things don't work out with their GigaPower service, I'm still locked into 2 years with DirecTV. If I go with Uverse, then its all one contract. I can switch to DirecTV within 30 days if I'm not happy with Uverse TV.

From what I've read, I'm thinking the Genie system will not coexist with MoCA 2.0B adapters... but still want to confirm that. I have the older MoCA 1.0 adapters too, but rather have the speed. If for some reason none of them work, then I may try an Eero whole house WiFi setup... they are getting good speeds and give LAN connections everywhere you place one wirelessly. I mainly need the internet in the remote locations of the house for AppleTVs and to extend WiFi for our mobile devices.


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## mdavej (Aug 13, 2015)

convergent said:


> Anyone know if DirecTV and/or Uverse TV will coexist nicely with a MoCA network? I have a MoCA 2.0 Bonded network that is using the same in house coax cabling.


No for DirecTV. That's why they use Deca, their version of Moca on frequencies that don't interfere. Also since DirecTV puts a pretty stout DC voltage on their coax to power their LNBs, that could do a number on your Moca devices unless you put block the DC everywhere, typically with diplexers. If I got DirecTV, I'd just switch to Deca or isolate your Moca network from your DirecTV network. It's much slower than Moca 2.0, but the hardware is dirt cheap, about $7 per node on ebay.

I have no idea about Uverse. But I do know you can ask them to do an entirely ethernet based install, so Moca problem solved in that case. If you're using Moca to get ethernet to another part of the house, just ask for a Uverse receiver there, and that problem gets solved too.


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## convergent (Jan 4, 2007)

mdavej said:


> No for DirecTV. That's why they use Deca, their version of Moca on frequencies that don't interfere. Also since DirecTV puts a pretty stout DC voltage on their coax to power their LNBs, that could do a number on your Moca devices unless you put block the DC everywhere, typically with diplexers. If I got DirecTV, I'd just switch to Deca or isolate your Moca network from your DirecTV network. It's much slower than Moca 2.0, but the hardware is dirt cheap, about $7 per node on ebay.
> 
> I have no idea about Uverse. But I do know you can ask them to do an entirely ethernet based install, so Moca problem solved in that case. If you're using Moca to get ethernet to another part of the house, just ask for a Uverse receiver there, and that problem gets solved too.


That would be great if they can do the whole thing with ethernet. It will be interesting to see how they would do that in my house! ;-) If they do that, then I can use my existing coax MoCA network for my own purposes... or I could cut them some slack and have them just run one ethernet cable to the location where my cable modem is today, and then they could ride on the MoCA network to connect their boxes.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

convergent said:


> That would be great if they can do the whole thing with ethernet. It will be interesting to see how they would do that in my house! ;-) If they do that, then I can use my existing coax MoCA network for my own purposes... or I could cut them some slack and have them just run one ethernet cable to the location where my cable modem is today, and then they could ride on the MoCA network to connect their boxes.


If you are looking to use your coax for local network, you can do it with deca. I never did it but it can be done.

Go to dbstalk and you can get answers there.


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## convergent (Jan 4, 2007)

TonyD79 said:


> If you are looking to use your coax for local network, you can do it with deca. I never did it but it can be done.
> 
> Go to dbstalk and you can get answers there.


I don't think that works with MoCA 2 though if I understand it correctly.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

convergent said:


> I don't think that works with MoCA 2 though if I understand it correctly.


No. I'm saying you can pretty easily convert it to a deca network.


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## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

TonyD79 said:


> If you are looking to use your coax for local network, you can do it with deca. I never did it but it can be done. Go to dbstalk and you can get answers there.


That was my thought too. OP, I can help with any DECA questions as well, so fire away.


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## convergent (Jan 4, 2007)

HarperVision said:


> That was my thought too. OP, I can help with any DECA questions as well, so fire away.


Thanks,

Today I have a 4 way coax splitter at the point of entry for TWC. All four go to MoCA 2.0 adapters. One of them after the filter has my cable modem, Airport router, Tivo Roamio, TA, Apple TV, Vonage adapter, and lots of other office gear. Two of the other lines have Tivo Minis and some assortment of other gear, and the last one simply has a Vonage adapter.

I am getting rid of TWC and going to AT&T Uverse Gigabit. I was trying to decide if either DirecTV or Uverse TV would be able to coexist with the MoCA network. From what I've read I believed that DECA and MoCA 2 can't coexist on the same wires. Sounds like you are saying that I could replace the 4 MoCA 2 adapters with a DECA device that would serve the same purpose? What kind of speeds would that give me?

AT&T is scheduled to install the day after tomorrow; and they are currently installing Uverse TV; but I was told if I changed my mind they could do DirecTV after they get here instead. I believe I'll have line of site problems anyways... but was just wanting to understand the technology options. Someone earlier in the thread said I can ask for a CAT5e install of Uverse TV and that would completely eliminate my problem since it wouldn't touch the coax. I'm not sure how they'd do that given the layout of my house, but that would be the best scenario for me for sure.


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## mdavej (Aug 13, 2015)

DECA is half duplex and quite a bit slower than Moca. When I changed my system from DECA to Moca 1.0, my speeds went from 45Mbps to 175. I imagine 2.0 is much faster. But my internet is only 60, so that extra speed doesn't have any effect except during file transfers from one PC to another, which I rarely if ever do. My busiest Moca drop only serves 4 PCs and one TiVo. That drop never had any DECA issues despite the slower speed.


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## convergent (Jan 4, 2007)

mdavej said:


> DECA is half duplex and quite a bit slower than Moca. When I changed my system from DECA to Moca 1.0, my speeds went from 45Mbps to 175. I imagine 2.0 is much faster. But my internet is only 60, so that extra speed doesn't have any effect except during file transfers from one PC to another, which I rarely if ever do. My busiest Moca drop only serves 4 PCs and one TiVo. That drop never had any DECA issues despite the slower speed.


OK, thanks. I'm getting around 600mbps with MoCA 2.0 Bonded. I tested going from my laptop running the Speedtest app on my NAS. That has some value in the home, but I have rearranged my stuff so that most everything that needs the speed is on the same switch. But now with the jump to gigabit up/down with Uverse, I'd hate to then cripple the speed after I get in the house! It will be interesting what options the installer offers me.


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## ncted (May 13, 2007)

I know you already ordered, but Uverse is a dead end product. AT&T isn't even getting new STBs from the manufacturer anymore, and they certainly aren't doing any new development on the platform, whereas DirecTV's platform is under constant development. While you will probably like it better than TWC, I would not expect it to be available to you long-term. I just got DirecTV at a really good price, and I am generally happy, even if the Genie is not quite up to the standard that Tivo set with the Roamio.


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## convergent (Jan 4, 2007)

ncted said:


> I know you already ordered, but Uverse is a dead end product. AT&T isn't even getting new STBs from the manufacturer anymore, and they certainly aren't doing any new development on the platform, whereas DirecTV's platform is under constant development. While you will probably like it better than TWC, I would not expect it to be available to you long-term. I just got DirecTV at a really good price, and I am generally happy, even if the Genie is not quite up to the standard that Tivo set with the Roamio.


I understand and know that DirecTV is probably a superior DVR product at this point, but I doubt that AT&T eliminates their wire line product. I talked to two sales people that didn't try to push me to DirecTV at all... so I believe the media hype about this may be overblown. They may ditch UVerse TV and replace it with a wire line version of DirecTV, but I can't see them getting rid of it completely. They are the only provider that has both wired over fiber and satellite TV offerings.

Many places can't work with a satellite. I am not sure that I'd even be able to get DirecTV to work unless the dish was placed in the front yard because of the close proximity of trees to my back yard. The contract is for 1 year with UVerse vs. 2 years with DirecTV, so if I'm not happy with it then I can switch after a year and get a new "deal" with DirecTV. (or I can switch within 30 days) I have no solution for in house networking if I install DirecTV I don't believe... based on the preceding discussions on this thread... other than a much slower solution. I was told the installer can install either once they get here so I'll discuss with them what I want to accomplish and see what he they say.


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## ncted (May 13, 2007)

convergent said:


> I understand and know that DirecTV is probably a superior DVR product at this point, but I doubt that AT&T eliminates their wire line product. I talked to two sales people that didn't try to push me to DirecTV at all... so I believe the media hype about this may be overblown. They may ditch UVerse TV and replace it with a wire line version of DirecTV, but I can't see them getting rid of it completely. They are the only provider that has both wired over fiber and satellite TV offerings.
> 
> Many places can't work with a satellite. I am not sure that I'd even be able to get DirecTV to work unless the dish was placed in the front yard because of the close proximity of trees to my back yard. The contract is for 1 year with UVerse vs. 2 years with DirecTV, so if I'm not happy with it then I can switch after a year and get a new "deal" with DirecTV. (or I can switch within 30 days) I have no solution for in house networking if I install DirecTV I don't believe... based on the preceding discussions on this thread... other than a much slower solution. I was told the installer can install either once they get here so I'll discuss with them what I want to accomplish and see what he they say.


Yeah, that is cool. I do have friends in gigapower neighborhoods who have already been contacted by AT&T to encourage them to switch to DirecTV for TV. I do not expect Uverse TV to be around for more than a few years.


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## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

convergent said:


> Thanks,
> 
> Today I have a 4 way coax splitter at the point of entry for TWC. All four go to MoCA 2.0 adapters. One of them after the filter has my cable modem, Airport router, Tivo Roamio, TA, Apple TV, Vonage adapter, and lots of other office gear. Two of the other lines have Tivo Minis and some assortment of other gear, and the last one simply has a Vonage adapter.
> 
> ...


DECA (MoCA E Band: 500-600MHz) and MOCA (MoCA D Band: 1150-1600MHz) can certainly coexist on the same coax as they're in separate frequency bands. You can place both a DECA and MoCA adapter on the same coax as long as there aren't any cable or satellite IF signals present on the line also as they will interfere.

Yes, you can replace the MoCA 2.0 adapters with the DECA adapters. I am getting in the neighborhood of 100 Mbps using my older DECA adapters. I am not sure what the newest ones will get. In fact, if you go to DirecTV you will be required to use DECA if you're running them on the same cable so they don't interfere.



mdavej said:


> DECA is half duplex and quite a bit slower than Moca. When I changed my system from DECA to Moca 1.0, my speeds went from 45Mbps to 175. I imagine 2.0 is much faster. But my internet is only 60, so that extra speed doesn't have any effect except during file transfers from one PC to another, which I rarely if ever do. My busiest Moca drop only serves 4 PCs and one TiVo. That drop never had any DECA issues despite the slower speed.


I'm not sure why you only got 45Mbps? I get about 100Mbps or more. What version DECA were you using?



convergent said:


> I understand and know that DirecTV is probably a superior DVR product at this point, but I doubt that AT&T eliminates their wire line product. I talked to two sales people that didn't try to push me to DirecTV at all... so I believe the media hype about this may be overblown. *They may ditch UVerse TV and replace it with a wire line version of DirecTV, but I can't see them getting rid of it completely.* They are the only provider that has both wired over fiber and satellite TV offerings.
> 
> Many places can't work with a satellite. I am not sure that I'd even be able to get DirecTV to work unless the dish was placed in the front yard because of the close proximity of trees to my back yard. The contract is for 1 year with UVerse vs. 2 years with DirecTV, so if I'm not happy with it then I can switch after a year and get a new "deal" with DirecTV. (or I can switch within 30 days) * I have no solution for in house networking if I install DirecTV I don't believe... based on the preceding discussions on this thread... other than a much slower solution.* I was told the installer can install either once they get here so I'll discuss with them what I want to accomplish and see what he they say.


Yes, they're planning to replace U-Verse with a wired DirecTV version.

You do have a solution for whole house internet, DECA, but as you say it is most likely slower, but to be honest I have used DECA since 2009 and haven't had one issue at all with streaming video around my house and I have used it with DirecTV Genie Minis, various WMC Extenders, streaming app boxes and now with TiVo Minis.

Good idea to ask the installer what the latest and faster DECA version is and ask to have that installed. It may be equivalent to MoCA 2.0 since they have 4K minis now to support.


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## ncted (May 13, 2007)

HarperVision said:


> Yes, they're planning to replace U-Verse with a wired DirecTV version.


Are you referring to their planned OTT streaming service, a la Sling or PS Vue, or is there something else coming too?


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## convergent (Jan 4, 2007)

Dave, thanks for the info... I will likely stick with UVerse TV for this round, especially if they are going to run LAN cabling in my house! We'll see about that. 

Regarding coexisting, isn't the satellite signal going to be on my coax? If not, how is it getting from the dish to the receiver? So if it is, then MoCA wouldn't be able to coexist if I understand it correctly. 

I realize I don't need anything faster than DECA for streaming... that's not really why I wanted the faster MoCA 2.0 Bonded. Its the other things I have on the network that I'd like to have the faster speed for... especially if I will have Gigabit coming in the door.


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## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

ncted said:


> Are you referring to their planned OTT streaming service, a la Sling or PS Vue, or is there something else coming too?


The OTT service, DirecTV Now, is definitely on its way. That will be available regardless of your broadband internet provider and will be delivered by apps on various retail hardware.

But there have been rumblings over the past year or two that Uverse TV will ultimately get phased out and replaced with an IPTV version of DirecTV. That may take awhile but I think the idea is that ultimately, AT&T customers will have the option of getting the same DirecTV UI, features, channel packages and pricing regardless of whether the signal comes to their house through a satellite dish or through a dedicated lane on some form of AT&T internet (Uverse's fiber/copper DSL or, in the future, fixed wireless broadband).

BTW, here's a story about AT&T stopping production of new Uverse TV boxes:
http://www.multichannel.com/news/distribution/att-stops-making-u-verse-tv-boxes-report/402596


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## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

ncted said:


> Are you referring to their planned OTT streaming service, a la Sling or PS Vue, or is there something else coming too?


No, see NashGuy's response below.



convergent said:


> Dave, thanks for the info... I will likely stick with UVerse TV for this round, especially if they are going to run LAN cabling in my house! We'll see about that.
> 
> *Regarding coexisting, isn't the satellite signal going to be on my coax? If not, how is it getting from the dish to the receiver? So if it is, then MoCA wouldn't be able to coexist if I understand it correctly.*
> 
> I realize I don't need anything faster than DECA for streaming... that's not really why I wanted the faster MoCA 2.0 Bonded. Its the other things I have on the network that I'd like to have the faster speed for... especially if I will have Gigabit coming in the door.


Not if you're going with U-Verse! 

Seriously though, if you use an HR54 with Genie Minis then technically you can run the satellite LNB/SWiM signal directly to that, then separate the rest of your house's coax and use DECA for the minis and MoCA for your whole home internet. The Genie Minis only need a DECA signal just as the TiVo minis only need MoCA or Ethernet, not raw cable or satellite IF signals.

So yes, you can have both DECA and MoCA on the same coax and still have DirecTV, if you use their Genie and mini system.

krkaufman will love me for this, but you can isolate them using satellite diplexers if you'd like too! 



NashGuy said:


> The OTT service, DirecTV Now, is definitely on its way. That will be available regardless of your broadband internet provider and will be delivered by apps on various retail hardware. But there have been rumblings over the past year or two that Uverse TV will ultimately get phased out and replaced with an IPTV version of DirecTV. That may take awhile but I think the idea is that ultimately, AT&T customers will have the option of getting the same DirecTV UI, features, channel packages and pricing regardless of whether the signal comes to their house through a satellite dish or through a dedicated lane on some form of AT&T internet (Uverse's fiber/copper DSL or, in the future, fixed wireless broadband). BTW, here's a story about AT&T stopping production of new Uverse TV boxes: http://www.multichannel.com/news/distribution/att-stops-making-u-verse-tv-boxes-report/402596


Thanks. Exactly!  :up:


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## convergent (Jan 4, 2007)

NashGuy said:


> The OTT service, DirecTV Now, is definitely on its way. That will be available regardless of your broadband internet provider and will be delivered by apps on various retail hardware.
> 
> But there have been rumblings over the past year or two that Uverse TV will ultimately get phased out and replaced with an IPTV version of DirecTV. That may take awhile but I think the idea is that ultimately, AT&T customers will have the option of getting the same DirecTV UI, features, channel packages and pricing regardless of whether the signal comes to their house through a satellite dish or through a dedicated lane on some form of AT&T internet (Uverse's fiber/copper DSL or, in the future, fixed wireless broadband).
> 
> ...


That article clearly states that they initially were going to phase it out and stop production, and have sense reversed that strategy. If they stopped producing hardware in February, I'd think it would be hard to keep selling new customers 6 months later. Regardless of what they do, I think there will be a path forward for wired or satellite customers.


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## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

convergent said:


> That article clearly states that they initially were going to phase it out and stop production, and have sense reversed that strategy. If they stopped producing hardware in February, I'd think it would be hard to keep selling new customers 6 months later. Regardless of what they do, I think there will be a path forward for wired or satellite customers.


Not exactly. The original story said that production of new U-verse TV STBs had been halted. There's nothing in the update that necessarily contradicts that, it just states that "AT&T said U-verse isnt being phased out" and "if we determine a customer will be better served with the U-verse product, we offer attractive and compelling options".

So even though U-verse TV will continue to be offered (for several more months at least), it won't be pushed, and AT&T is probably planning that the reduction in U-verse TV subs will continue. Therefore, no new U-verse STBs will need to be manufactured; the number that currently exists will be sufficient going forward.

But I agree that there's no reason to think you have anything to worry about by choosing U-verse TV now. Worst case scenario is you have to switch out your STBs for new IPTV DirecTV-branded boxes at some point down the road.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

NashGuy said:


> Not exactly. The original story said that production of new U-verse TV STBs had been halted. There's nothing in the update that necessarily contradicts that, it just states that "AT&T said U-verse isnt being phased out" and "if we determine a customer will be better served with the U-verse product, we offer attractive and compelling options".
> 
> So even though U-verse TV will continue to be offered (for several more months at least), it won't be pushed, and AT&T is probably planning that the reduction in U-verse TV subs will continue. Therefore, no new U-verse STBs will need to be manufactured; the number that currently exists will be sufficient going forward.
> 
> But I agree that there's no reason to think you have anything to worry about by choosing U-verse TV now. Worst case scenario is you have to switch out your STBs for new IPTV DirecTV-branded boxes at some point down the road.


I agree. This is a company (DirecTV) that is supporting hardware older than Tivo currently does. They don't phase things out quickly. The standout was when they shut off the handful of MPEG2 HD channels and made the original DirecTivo an SD only machine.


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## ncted (May 13, 2007)

NashGuy said:


> Not exactly. The original story said that production of new U-verse TV STBs had been halted. There's nothing in the update that necessarily contradicts that, it just states that "AT&T said U-verse isnt being phased out" and "if we determine a customer will be better served with the U-verse product, we offer attractive and compelling options".
> 
> So even though U-verse TV will continue to be offered (for several more months at least), it won't be pushed, and AT&T is probably planning that the reduction in U-verse TV subs will continue. Therefore, no new U-verse STBs will need to be manufactured; the number that currently exists will be sufficient going forward.
> 
> But I agree that there's no reason to think you have anything to worry about by choosing U-verse TV now. Worst case scenario is you have to switch out your STBs for new IPTV DirecTV-branded boxes at some point down the road.


Given the rate at which Uverse is losing customers and DirecTV is gaining them, the future is pretty clear. But yeah, Uverse should be ok for a year or two.


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## convergent (Jan 4, 2007)

ncted said:


> Given the rate at which Uverse is losing customers and DirecTV is gaining them, the future is pretty clear. But yeah, Uverse should be ok for a year or two.


Unlike making a commitment to buy into a whole house Tivo system and spend nearly $1,000up front, deciding on Uverse TV is not anything where you'd get hurt if it died off in a while. If it serves its purpose with reasonable function while I have it... at least for the year of contact... after than I haven't lost anything if I switch again.

I don't have doubt that AT&T will continue to have a wired TV offering... at least until the market changes and cable TV is pretty much dying as a market. AT&T is actually in a great position with having acquired DTV. They will soon have 3 ways to deliver TV... satellite, wire/cable, and via the internet. I can see some convergence on the last two over time if they are both IP based. I can also see the benefit of branding all 3 as DTV. The customer buys essentially the same service with a choice of 3 delivery methods. None of their competitors can really do that. It would seem to make sense for Charter or Comcast to buy Dish so that they can go toe to toe. Actually, I would add Apple, Google, and Amazon into the companies that might want to grab Dish. Otherwise, AT&T will be the sole provider with all 3 delivery approaches.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

I'm sure they will. Until they go OTT, which is happening soon. 

At the same time, when you pick a deprecated system, you don't get the latest stuff. Like channels, bug fixes, etc.


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## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

I wouldn't have any qualms about getting Uverse internet + TV right now if that's what offered the best deal and met your needs. As long as you're happy with the channel package and hardware they give you up front, as that's probably where things will remain as long as you have the service. But Uverse TV will be around for a good while, I'm sure, and if/when it gets replaced, AT&T will make the transition as painless as possible in order to retain you.

My biggest knock against Uverse TV was the overly compressed picture but since you're in a GigaPower neighborhood with high bandwidth, maybe that's not the case there. I was at a friend's house with Uverse TV last fall watching Homeland and I was surprised that the picture quality, even in dim shadowy scenes, looked better than I remembered it. So maybe they've gotten better.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

NashGuy said:


> I wouldn't have any qualms about getting Uverse internet + TV right now if that's what offered the best deal and met your needs. As long as you're happy with the channel package and hardware they give you up front, as that's probably where things will remain as long as you have the service. But Uverse TV will be around for a good while, I'm sure, and if/when it gets replaced, AT&T will make the transition as painless as possible in order to retain you.
> 
> My biggest knock against Uverse TV was the overly compressed picture but since you're in a GigaPower neighborhood with high bandwidth, maybe that's not the case there. I was at a friend's house with Uverse TV last fall watching Homeland and I was surprised that the picture quality, even in dim shadowy scenes, looked better than I remembered it. So maybe they've gotten better.


I can think of a case that being with Uverse may be better. When they launch DirecTV Now (the OTT version), they may give great incentives to switch to it to existing Uverse customers.


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## NAPABFH (Apr 20, 2015)

convergent said:


> Unlike making a commitment to buy into a whole house Tivo system and spend nearly $1,000up front, deciding on Uverse TV is not anything where you'd get hurt if it died off in a while. If it serves its purpose with reasonable function while I have it... at least for the year of contact... after than I haven't lost anything if I switch again.
> 
> I don't have doubt that AT&T will continue to have a wired TV offering... at least until the market changes and cable TV is pretty much dying as a market. AT&T is actually in a great position with having acquired DTV. They will soon have 3 ways to deliver TV... satellite, wire/cable, and via the internet. I can see some convergence on the last two over time if they are both IP based. I can also see the benefit of branding all 3 as DTV. The customer buys essentially the same service with a choice of 3 delivery methods. None of their competitors can really do that. It would seem to make sense for Charter or Comcast to buy Dish so that they can go toe to toe. Actually, I would add Apple, Google, and Amazon into the companies that might want to grab Dish. Otherwise, AT&T will be the sole provider with all 3 delivery approaches.


The FED Federal Regulators would never allow Charter or Comcast or even Verizon to ever take over Dish Network because they're too big as it is


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

NAPABFH said:


> The FED Federal Regulators would never allow Charter or Comcast or even Verizon to ever take over Dish Network because they're too big as it is


Verizon maybe. They aren't bigger in the cable space than ATT was when they took over directv, which is bigger than dish.


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## NAPABFH (Apr 20, 2015)

The only way that Verizon would be able to buy Dish Network would be for this guy to give up its mobile spec Spectrum or Verizon would have to sell off some of its mobile Spectrum to be able to do it it's what I was talking about especially since Verizon is supposedly the biggest cell phone company that is in this country would be the reason would be the reason the federal Regulators wouldn't allow it


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## ncted (May 13, 2007)

NAPABFH said:


> The only way that Verizon would be able to buy Dish Network would be for this guy to give up its mobile spec Spectrum or Verizon would have to sell off some of its mobile Spectrum to be able to do it it's what I was talking about especially since Verizon is supposedly the biggest cell phone company that is in this country would be the reason would be the reason the federal Regulators wouldn't allow it


There is some speculation that Dish has been buying so much spectrum to keep certain telcos from trying to buy them. I agree Verizon is probably not a realistic partner. Dish tried to buy Sprint, but failed. There were rumors of a Dish/T-Mo merger earlier this year. Charlie is a wily dude. Most people are shy about going into business with him.


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## sar840t2 (Mar 1, 2003)

NashGuy said:


> The OTT service, DirecTV Now, is definitely on its way. That will be available regardless of your broadband internet provider and will be delivered by apps on various retail hardware.


I've been trying to get more details on DirecTV Now. Have you heard any more about what retail hardware? TiVo maybe?


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## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

sar840t2 said:


> I've been trying to get more details on DirecTV Now. Have you heard any more about what retail hardware? TiVo maybe?


Very few details about it have been released, including on which platforms the app will run. Along with mobile devices, I would imagine it will support Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Chromecast at launch, and possibly Android TV too. I would be surprised if we see a TiVo app for DirecTV Now, although maybe it's possible later on.

http://www.multichannel.com/news/ott/att-directv-now-will-be-game-changer/406535


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## sar840t2 (Mar 1, 2003)

Thanks NashGuy.


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## convergent (Jan 4, 2007)

AT&T is here now doing the install. They are bringing fiber all the way into the house. I had read a few accounts that they were sometimes using copper to the house. Turns out my house also has CAT6 cabling to the telephone jacks. He said they don't (and can't) do anything on coax... all CAT5e if they are doing it. So all my fears about disrupting my MoCA network were unnecessary; and when he gets done I probably will no longer need the MoCA network. They are running CAT5e to any place needed or using wireless. 

Also, not sure if this debunks the idea that they are ditching UVerse TV, but they are using a 6 stream DVR even though all the documentation online I found said it was 4 stream... even on the ordering page when I was ordering. He said all GigaPower houses get the 6 stream DVRs. I talked to him about whether Uverse or DTV, and he looked at the house and said with the trees it would be hard to do DTV and dismissed it right away. 

I'm just providing my experience because AT&T may have changed course again from that February news story I see reference a lot. I have had no one in the sales or installation process trying to push me to DTV.


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## ncted (May 13, 2007)

convergent said:


> AT&T is here now doing the install. They are bringing fiber all the way into the house. I had read a few accounts that they were sometimes using copper to the house. Turns out my house also has CAT6 cabling to the telephone jacks. He said they don't (and can't) do anything on coax... all CAT5e if they are doing it. So all my fears about disrupting my MoCA network were unnecessary; and when he gets done I probably will no longer need the MoCA network. They are running CAT5e to any place needed or using wireless.
> 
> Also, not sure if this debunks the idea that they are ditching UVerse TV, but they are using a 6 stream DVR even though all the documentation online I found said it was 4 stream... even on the ordering page when I was ordering. He said all GigaPower houses get the 6 stream DVRs. I talked to him about whether Uverse or DTV, and he looked at the house and said with the trees it would be hard to do DTV and dismissed it right away.
> 
> I'm just providing my experience because AT&T may have changed course again from that February news story I see reference a lot. I have had no one in the sales or installation process trying to push me to DTV.


He is correct about the better DVRs with Gigapower. A lot of people around here can get satellite easier than they think. The birds are higher in the sky than you might think. It also depends on whether you are willing to put the dish on your roof. Gigapower is supposed to be FTTH, but regular Uverse is only VDSL2 from the curb to the house. Good news on the Moca front. :up:

AT&T is probably happy for any net subscription additions. I'll be curious to hear if they start pushing D* after a few months.


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## convergent (Jan 4, 2007)

All done with installation... almost 6 hours total. 

He brought fiber to the house and tapped existing CAT6 to get to their gateway box inside. He spent a while figuring out how to splice the daisy chained phone jacks in the house. I will play with the configuration but I just attached my Airport router to a LAN port on the gateway and got about 800mbps down, 940mbps up! Fastest thing I've ever seen in my house for sure. 

Nothing was touched on coax, so all of that is still turned on and MoCA network intact. I'll now just disassemble the Tivos and leave the Roamio in place for a while in case we want to watch older recordings.

For the other two TVs, he used wireless boxes. They connect via a separate little router that attaches to the gateway. The furthest is getting 4 bars out of 5. Will monitor to see if they have any troubles, but wireless is nice in case I want to move a TV around somewhere.

Menus in the DVR all seem pretty quick. Picture quality looks OK... always hard to tell because unless they are side by side you start seeing things that may or may not have been there before. 

Best part was the guy that did the install gave me his business card and said I own him for 30 days so if I have any problems to call him directly rather than calling the 1-800 number. Never had that kind of service with TWC.

I don't see anything so far that I'm disappointed in.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

Glad it looks good. Hope it stays that way.


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## convergent (Jan 4, 2007)

I'm about a week in with UVerse and thought I'd give an update on my experience so far.

Network - More speed than I'll probably ever need. The fastest I've gotten is on my Dell laptop for work - 6ms ping, 942mbps down, 943mbps up. On my Mac, for some reason its slower on the downstream side... usually about 750-850mbps. iPhones are about 300 up/down. It took me some time to get WiFi settled down. I ended up turning off WiFi on their gateway/router box and setting up my Airport Extreme in the DMZ, so that its my main WiFi now. I say main, because Uverse still has a separate WiFi access point just for the wireless TV receivers... they can't run on the main WiFi.

TV - I don't notice a huge difference in quality between the TV signal on my Tivos and Uverse. I've not seen DTV to compare, though everyone says its better quality. I think you get used to what you are seeing, so its not something that will bother me. Also, our TVs are pre-LED era LCDs. The UVerse receivers/DVR are doing 1080i. The DVR and the receiver wireless access point connect to the UVerse gateway/router at 100mbps speed, so they aren't using the extra gigabit bandwidth; though it is a 6 tuner DVR. Non gigabit customers get a 4 tuner DVR is my understanding.

DVR Functionality - The DVR and the wireless receivers function exactly the same way... as in their setup, channel selection, parental controls... everything is separate. This is very different from the Tivo/Mini model where things like channel selections are configured once. For Uverse, this was a bit of a pain because there are a ton of channels even though I'm in the U200 plan, and a lot of them are garbage infomercial channels... pay channels, etc. I had to go through each unit and delete what we don't get or I don't want to see. The other strange thing is you can only sort them by number on the units, but their channel guide is in a different alphabetic order separated by category. This meant I had to visually check each channel to see if they were active. The units do provide a tiny live thumbnail of the channel and give a big x image if the channel isn't active. So this was annoying, but not the end of the world. Over time I'll have to go back through that if the guide changes.

The speed of both the wireless receivers and DVR is very good... blazing fast switching screens, changing channels, rw/ff, etc.. I would say its definitely faster than Roamio/Mini. Changing channels is about instantaneous, even if you are zipping channel to channel in succession. 

I really miss having the integrated Netflix/Hulu/Amazon. I need to get Apple TVs or Rokus for our other two TVs, and program my Harmony One remotes so that its a more seamless experience. 

The recording process isn't a lot more challenging than on the Tivos, but scheduled recordings are for shows... no keyword recordings. Playing them back I'm still getting my arms around. Sorting is available by date/time or by show.

The biggest thing I find lacking is that the Guide information doesn't seem to provide the season and episode, only the airing date and episode name. Can't imagine why that isn't included. I'll survive.

Overall its been a pretty good experience. I had a couple of issues pop up. One was the DVR stopped outputting HDMI. As instructed by the installer, I could call his mobile phone within the first 30 days rather than going through support. He stopped by the house and turned out that it needed to have a cold start; he thought it was an update that got hung up or something. That happened pretty quick after installation. The DVR still worked, just couldn't watch shows on that TV. The other problem was one with billing I needed to call in a couple of times to resolve. I was seeing a price $20 higher than the sales person offered me. In all cases the folks I talked to in customer support sounded to be in this country, were trying to be helpful, and most importantly told me that the price I was offered was in the notes for my account. Each time I called, the notes were available from the last call. The issue I think was the sales person was supposed to apply some discounts after the installation and he just hadn't done it yet. Eventually was resolved and they gave me a $40 credit without my asking for the trouble. Time Warner never knew anything about prior calls or problems when I called, they never offered a credit, and when I tried to ask for one they'd offer me a couple of dollars for one day of service. Much difference experience there big time.


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## ncted (May 13, 2007)

convergent said:


> The other problem was one with billing I needed to call in a couple of times to resolve. I was seeing a price $20 higher than the sales person offered me. In all cases the folks I talked to in customer support sounded to be in this country, were trying to be helpful, and most importantly told me that the price I was offered was in the notes for my account. Each time I called, the notes were available from the last call. The issue I think was the sales person was supposed to apply some discounts after the installation and he just hadn't done it yet. Eventually was resolved and they gave me a $40 credit without my asking for the trouble. Time Warner never knew anything about prior calls or problems when I called, they never offered a credit, and when I tried to ask for one they'd offer me a couple of dollars for one day of service. Much difference experience there big time.


This is pretty typical based on other Uverse customers I know. Just be patient and relentless. Eventually, they get things straight.


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## thyname (Dec 27, 2010)

Thanks for coming back here and sharing your experiences with non-Tivo equipment. It is always interesting to hear these from former TiVo owners


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## leiff (Aug 24, 2005)

After using Tivos new quick mode feature implemented earlier this year I wouldn't want to do without it. It gives you the ability to play any program 30% quicker with pitch tones in their voice adjusted so they sound normal. Originally I didn't think I would find much use for this feature. Now I use it on all documentaries and news shows, and even some sports and some dramas. Skip mode is also only on TiVo available on some networks allows you to instantly skip commercials with a single button press. love my TiVo. Painless hard drive capacity upgrade is also nice.


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## Series3Sub (Mar 14, 2010)

Both DirecTV and Dish use MoCA for their whole home solutions Genie and Hopper for communications and video between the DVR and the clients. Dish Hopper 3 uses MoCA 2.0. If you want to use your own MoCA network, then it must be isolated from DirecTV's Genie system system wiring between the DVR and clients.

The wiring from the reflector to the switches or before reaching the DVR is another matter. DirecTV will be installing the more recent version of the SWM technology which, I think, with the Genie is no longer relevant to DECA.


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## Series3Sub (Mar 14, 2010)

Running two separate networks for anything let alone a TV service is a very expensive and painful operation. It has never made any economic sense. Given the pressures on AT&T with its huge debt to buy DirecTV end even more pressure for more profitability oh yes U-verse is going to die. These pressures from Wall Street makes it inevitable.

However AT&T can't have U-verse subscribers in a panic and start looking for other providers so AT&T has to send a somewhat soft message about winding down the U-verse service to consumers. Without question AT&T needs you as a subscriber and if it means they have to give you Uverse for now they will do it and then later down the line send you the letter telling you you're being switch to DirecTV. They aren't going to turn away any subscribers to U-verse today if it means getting that subscriber and keeping them for the switch to DirecTV so I'm not surprised in some markets AT&T may still be leading with U-verse. That results in subscriber growth and it would be foolish for AT&T to turn down subscribers to U-verse today because they would not have them in their clutches to switch to DirecTV down the road. But they ain't gonna keep the very expensive operation of two separate networks. The key is that DirecTV has all the economic advantage over U-verse even if it means they may lose a few subscribers who can't see satellites because it ends up being a net gain.

As far as DirecTV's "streaming service", I think there was some confusion. It is my understanding that first, DirecTV will finally present a service equal to the Dish Anywhere service where one can stream the entire contents of their DVR or live TV using mobile devices and possibly PCs. That service will be available this month, I think, but that is only for current DirecTV subscribers

The other service will come a little bit later and that service will be very much like Sony's Vue or the Dish's Sling TV service that would provide limited channels in smaller bundles of packages at a lower price and delivered over the Internet using connected devices such as Roku etc. that is a service separate and apart from the DirecTV satellite service


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## mattyro7878 (Nov 27, 2014)

Uverse has become Vantage TV offered by Frontier here in CT. I don't know where else they have made this change. My folks didn't even have to switch boxes when the companies switched. From the time I spent with them the service and DVR and apps all worked well.


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## convergent (Jan 4, 2007)

I did have one glitch yesterday morning... we woke up and both wireless receivers were saying they couldn't connect. I rebooted the wireless access point and both receivers and they came on. I'm thinking maybe it was an update or something that hung them, but don't know. The wireless access point for them is a very small box that hangs off the gateway putting them on their own wireless network. If I have more problems with them I'll have them switch me back to wired... but this is the only time they had a problem so far. And the reboot went very quick.


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## thyname (Dec 27, 2010)

convergent said:


> I did have one glitch yesterday morning... we woke up and both wireless receivers were saying they couldn't connect. I rebooted the wireless access point and both receivers and they came on. I'm thinking maybe it was an update or something that hung them, but don't know. The wireless access point for them is a very small box that hangs off the gateway putting them on their own wireless network. If I have more problems with them I'll have them switch me back to wired... but this is the only time they had a problem so far. And the reboot went very quick.


FYI:

https://www.dslreports.com/shownews/ATT-is-Getting-Rid-of-the-UVerse-Brand-137917


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## convergent (Jan 4, 2007)

thyname said:


> FYI:
> 
> https://www.dslreports.com/shownews/ATT-is-Getting-Rid-of-the-UVerse-Brand-137917


Interesting article, but after reading all the comments and from my own experience signing up a few weeks ago, I think that the only thing really going on here is branding decisions. They aren't going to get rid of wired TV services, regardless of what they call it, any time soon. And if/when they do, I can sign up for the "new" service and probably get a new promotion discount.

By the way, my experience has still been going great. No outages of internet service other than one bizarre hit when they buried the fiber in the yard. It stopped working for about 5 minutes, the sweaty guys that had just finished burying it pulled the cover off the box and stared at it for 5 minutes, and then it started working again! Otherwise things have been pretty solid.

The DVR functionality is a let down compared to Tivo, but I expected that. We are surviving. ;-) The speed of things, especially channel changing, continues to be amazing fast. I was on a trip last week and using a TV in a hotel room where it seemed to take 5 seconds per channel... it about killed me.

I really hope that Tivo finds a way to work their product into more provider's plans; but guessing all of this will be a thing of the past in a few years as more goes to streaming services. That seems to be the direction.


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## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

FYI..............



> *DirecTV Now will become AT&Ts primary video platform in 3-5 years, report says*
> 
> AT&Ts soon-to-launch virtual-MVPD service, DirecTV Now, will become the companys dominant video service in the next three to five years, usurping both AT&T U-verse and the DirecTV satellite service.
> 
> ...


*Bloomberg TV Story*:



> *AT&T Said to Plan Web Streaming as Primary TV Platform by 2020*
> Scott Moritz MoritzDispatch
> September 22, 2016  6:33 AM HST
> 
> ...


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## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

Interesting stuff, Dave. Here's another story about a (much smaller) traditional TV & internet provider looking to soon roll out an OTT live TV service:
http://cordcuttersnews.com/centurylink-plans-take-sling-tv/

As bandwidth increases and the reliability of online video delivery improves, you have to wonder if at some point a few years down the road, virtually all TV service ends up being separated from the physical connection (cable/telco/fiber) provider, freeing the TV service to compete nationwide. Given the economies of scale that exist for very large TV providers, who can negotiate better rates with the networks, it just makes sense that ultimately TV service get divorced from local broadband pipes and we end up with a few big national TV service players.


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## convergent (Jan 4, 2007)

Dave, I am not surprised by this at all. The key part of this is 3-5 years out. In technology and entertainment, 3-5 years is an eternity. This will all depend on how good the packages and pricing are for the different delivery channels; and how the subscribers respond. AT&T is in the best situation possible because they have all three channels covered. None of their competitors have that situation, so they are going to fight the transitions in a way dependent on how they benefit. 

The real question here, is how does TiVo assure their future in this turmoil. If it all goes streaming, they currently are not really a player of any substance. They are not nearly as competitive in that space with Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire as competitors. Their real play now is integration of the different delivery methods into one system. AT&T will likely do all of that integration themselves; or eliminate the need for it. They also have the added benefit of wireless subscribers and being able to further integrate with them.

I see consolidation of the industry ahead. Dish is ripe for the picking. The only question is will it be a Comcast, Apple, Google, Verizon? Verizon + Dish would be an interesting battle with AT&T.


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