AT&T vs. Time Warner (apartment complex, credit report, new house)

[txgolfer45]

Looks like I can get either service in my new house. Anyone have experience with AT&T U-verse service? It appears to be similar to Verizon FIOS. Is that correct? I have Verizon FIOS right now and love it.

[MurphyPl1]

Good luck with AT&T. I've been trying to get them to hook up the DSL I signed up for on Aug. 13 to no avail. They've made and failed to show (without warning) three appts. They're supposed to come out tomorrow but I'm not holding my breath.

[WillysB]

Verizon FiOS is fiber to the premise, as you know with a box inside the house. U-verse is fiber to... depending.
Existing neighborhoods it is fiber to the curb and you usual copper pair from there.
New construction, fiber to the premise.

As for myself, I'd use a cell phone, Clearwire Internet and DirecTV and skip that monopolistic bundled stuff.

[labor omnia vincit sxi]

In a nutshell, the content stream is different.
ATT's Uverse is IPTV - Internet Protocol TV and is digital, while FIOS is actually 'cableTV over fiber'. Cable over fiber means that the content of the source does not necessarily means that it is digital but the mode of delivery in both company is digital.

For example, standard definition programs like the analog local channels and many other like TNT, TBS, USA, Spike, etc., are transmitted in analog mode over the air or cable - they are analog in nature.
* In IPTV solution, those signals are converted to digital and is given a digital identity like an IP address (i.e. xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx), which is will be mapped into a channel no. on the TV guide. The whole content is converted to digital.

* in FIOS, that analog source is translated into a different frequency to map in to a TV guide channel and then converted into digital for the purpose of transmitting it over fiber. The source remains analog in nature, only digital in delivery.

For HD content, then it is pure digital in both ATT n FIOS.

Although one always argue that digital is superior over analog, (and in theory it is) but in reality beauty is in the eye of the beholder. There are pros and cons but $$ plays a big part in the psyche like it or not. And depending on the elements in the house, type of TV, amplifier etc, it can either add to the experience or degrade it. The customer decides who decides what is most suitable ultimately.

I've had the uverse before and I liked it. My TV was a 26" analog CRT magnavox and I had pined for a Flat TV for the longest time. For uverse promo period, I had HD channels and guess what - I found out that my clunky old TV with HD was better than Flat screen TV with HD. Even the SD channels were like HD quality. I gave up pinning for the flat-screen TV after that.

LOV

[GHJohn]

As someone who is currently a satisfied FIOS subscriber and a former Time Warner Customer all I can say is that I will never ever go back to Time Warner ever again. I would rather endure life with no TV and no Internet than be nickle and dimed by the thugs at Time Warner.

[outlawturtle]

I dont have AT&T by my parents do. Long story short, they hate it and are having to switch to Time Warner this week. They have had constant problems not only with the service itself, but also with customer service when they have issues. From what I know AT&T's customer service is HORRIBLE.

I dont like Time Warner any more than the next person, but I am going to have to set up service with them in October. I am not going to take a chance with AT&T.

Just my .02!

-OT

[FalconheadWest]

I will NEVER use Comcast/Time Warner again! It's HORRIBLE!! I have vonage, and I would lose my phone for hours on ends because there would be no internet connection. Stay away!

[1AngryTaxPayer]

I can get any one of them for free since I work in the field and get reciprocal service. I wouldn't use ATT again if they PAID ME to use any one of their services. I've used TW, Cox and Dish and I'd place all of them above ATT.

[SAtransplant]

I've had TW and tried their "bundle package" and I must say, if I could ever get online, (Roadrunner sucketh to the nth degree), I would give them a piece of my mind, (and be dumber for it)....

I have this outrageous bill from them,(charges that I did not authorize) and can't get any resolution from customer service, and now they have added their bill and crappy name to my credit report(it has taken time to pay off their bill)- maybe because I have to perhaps- LIVE!!!!!

I now have AT&T internet and telephone service, so far, no complaints, but I tried to get their "bundle package" and include the cable service,-had a tech come to install the satellite since I live in an apartment that caters to TW, and the tech said he could not get a signal to install the satellite if he had to attach it to my balcony. I mean WTF, I thought digital satellite ran off of radio waves that rode on air currents or something like that, couldn't he at least tried to angle it a different way? And of course, whatever kick backs the apartment complex are getting must be real nice, 'cuse I couldn't get permission to have a free standing satellite that sat outside my balcony---

So, for now, I remain part of the "Cable-less Nation", and may very well be the President. Oh, did I mention, since the apartment is geared for cable (ie. TW), I can't get local channels either. I can't wait to pay this outrageous bill off so that I can reconnect to the world other than through internet.

Can't get a service called Grande Communications which by the way, have great prices and service, b/c TW owns all the fiber optic rights or something and won't allow Grande to come into the area yet. mmmmhhh...Do I smell a monopoly....Do you smell it tooo?????

[Bostonian08]

I've found no problems with TW HS internet. Always on, no problems. Their cable TV is way overpriced, and don't believe they have like 200 channels. They have like 50 actual channels and then they duplicate the same channels over again. Like the travel channel would be on channel 57, but also on channel 145 and 266 ... etc.