Verizon DSL?

[ratioci nation]

Originally posted by amnesiac:
  How about FiOS vs. Comcast High Speed?

Well going by the numbers Chaz listed above I would say FiOS if you can get it.  Comcast says I should get up to 6mbps down, but it is normally between 2 and 3. Although I have had no problems with it.

[vansmack]

Originally posted by MTB-Markie:
 
 How do you pay for content in those countries?

It's mostly subscription based, using models like Netflix for movies, and deals with your cable and satellite company for On-demand.
 
 The Netflix example is a good one because the IPTV quality is high def, which you can't get from a current DVD.  It's cheaper to operate on the business side, and at 20 Mbps, you can get higher quality video over the Fiber then you can get from the DVD that gets delivered to your door.
 
 The only live TV over IP that is making any money in Korea is from the gaming industry.  They watch people play computer and video games like old men spend sundays watching golf - except they watch there broadcasts over the fiber and 7 dasy a week.  The rest are currently losing money, as one would expect in the first few years as it starts to take off.  However, the on-demand over IP is taking off.  Think of it as personal TiVo over the fiber, with no space limitations.  These are also subscription based at about $25 a month, set to mirror your cable/satellite plan (in terms of channels offered).
 
 I haven't seen the individual show model (that seems to be taking off here in the states) overseas.  It's a lousy idea modeling the iTunes music model, but here's the difference: nobody wants to keep these TV shows forever, so why the 99 cent per episode price tag?  It's completely different from music.  The subscription fee is the way to go here, but alas, nobody is talking about it.

[ratioci nation]

Originally posted by vansmack:
 
 I haven't seen the individual show model (that seems to be taking off here in the states) overseas.  It's a lousy idea modeling the iTunes music model, but here's the difference: nobody wants to keep these TV shows forever, so why the 99 cent per episode price tag?  It's completely different from music.  The subscription fee is the way to go here, but alas, nobody is talking about it.

Well somebody wants to keep shows forever, or else tv on dvd would not be so popular.  But I agree that paying per episode is stupid.

[markie]

I wonder what BBC will eventually do. In the UK you pay a license fee, which is essentilly a subscription payment. It would be great to watch good T.V. again.

[vansmack]

Originally posted by amnesiac:
  How about FiOS vs. Comcast High Speed?

It's not even close.  Cable is still shared bandwidth maxing out at 10 Mbps.  
 
 Fiber, while currently slowed by the phone companies intentionally, can max out at 1 Gbps.  In the labs, we've been able to split one strand on Fiber Cable 40 times (Dense wavedivision Mulitplexing for the geeks out there), so essentially one strand can carry up to 40 Gbps.  Cable will never be close to reaching those speeds.  
 
 And the more hi-def channels a a cable provider is offering over the co-axial cable, the less internet bandwidth is going to be available for the consumer.
 
 As soon as there's more competition in the market for Fiber, the sooner will be talking about speeds of 20Mbps-50Mbps and nobody will be talking about Cable internet providers, unless you live in rural America and cable is all you can get.

[Paul Styrene]

I have verizon dsl and, fortunately, had a little (non-verizon) problem with the set-up and have had no problems with the service so far (almost two years) (knock on wood).
 
 FIOS is a different story.  Received a note that I was eligible for FIOS, made an appointment, and they never showed.  It became an administrative nightmare for a couple weeks until Verizon finally determined that my "multi-unit dwelling" could not accommodate FIOS at this time.  This was after two missed appointments for installation and untold hours on the phone working through their customer service reps (and convincing them that I was not a new FIOS customer).
 
 From what I have been told, Verizon usually suffers from total incompetence when they launch a new product.  From my experience, I tend to agree.

[vansmack]

Originally posted by pdx pollard:
  Well somebody wants to keep shows forever, or else tv on dvd would not be so popular.  But I agree that paying per episode is stupid.

Yes, this has always been perplexing to me, but I think that the best selling TV shows on DVD are old series that aren't on any longer and older series of shows that are currently on.  Coming in third are shows that aren't on network television (HBO and Showtime, for example).  Then the most recent Series of shows that are currently on.  24, oddly, is the exception to this rule, and I admit to renting it, but not buying it.
 
 But let's be clear.  iTunes is not selling DVD quality downloads for $1.99.  320Ã?240 is not even close to wide screen.

[markie]

I wager you have had your grubby paws on a simpsons Box-Set, too?

[vansmack]

Originally posted by MTB-Markie:
  I wonder what BBC will eventually do. In the UK you pay a license fee, which is essentilly a subscription payment. It would be great to watch good T.V. again.

Yeah, it's a good point.  I admit to having a bleak idea of the license structure that exists in the UK, and I've read that it's the main hinderance of US carriers getting BBC programming.  I don't know if this is correct, but I read that BBC World is coming stateside because it's advertisement based, not licensure based, but don't hold your breath for much else.  Maybe the internet will be the answer.

[ratioci nation]

Originally posted by MTB-Markie:
  I wager you have had your grubby paws on a simpsons Box-Set, too?

who me? I have 7 of them in fact, but not sure what that has to do with anything
 
 I think paying per episode is a stupid way to watch tv and would never work as the main way to watch tv

[markie]

Originally posted by pdx pollard:
   

Originally posted by MTB-Markie:
  I wager you have had your grubby paws on a simpsons Box-Set, too?

who me? I have 7 of them in fact, but not sure what that has to do with anything
 
 I think paying per episode is a stupid way to watch tv and would never work as the main way to watch tv [/b]

No! Him.

[ratioci nation]

Originally posted by MTB-Markie:
  No! Him.

our lord and savior?

[vansmack]

Originally posted by MTB-Markie:
  I wager you have had your grubby paws on a simpsons Box-Set, too?

Sorry, can't say that I do.
 
 And why bother? They're constantly on syndication on 15 different channels and with TiVo I can find and record every episode I want to watch.
 
 I burn a lot of TV shows to DVD-RW to share with friends who don't have TiVo, but I erase them when they're done.  Only a few things have I ever burned to DVD for permament archive:
 
 - Man U's 1999 Champions League Final
 - The Austin City Limits Music Series
 - A collection of late night talk show performances by bands that I enjoyed
 - A few other live music shows/performances that I enjoyed over the past 2 years

[markie]

Originally posted by pdx pollard:
   

Originally posted by MTB-Markie:
  No! Him.

our lord and savior? [/b]

No not that  him.

[vansmack]

Kosmo, sorry your thread was hijacked.
 
 I'm in the concensus.  Verizon is fine once you get it installed (expect delays).  Make sure you live close enough to the switch (they should be able to tell you), and as soon as FiOS is available jump on it (expect more installation delays).  Then enjoy.