AT&T U-verse → Questions before a switch from Comcast

At this point I figure I can save about $25 a month switching to a comparable plan on Uverse from Xfinity, though Id drop from 25Mbps to 18. Not a deal breaker, plus im getting more movie channels and the total home dvr and wireless addon.

The last time I had uverse, about 3 years ago while living with a friend, it was a bit underwhelming. I have some questions regarding the service now.

1. At that time the ondemand aspect of uverse was pretty bad. Selections paled in comparison to Comcast and it took much longer to get recently aired shows in the ondemand listings. Has that changed at all?

2. Picture quality was noticeably worse, not much, but enough that I could notice on identical TVs. Now that i have a 65" VT60 I don't necessarily want to deal with a worse signal/picture quality, though I pretty much only watch HD channels.

3. Will I have any issues running my DDWRT router off the Uverse gateway, and running all my internet, wireless and wired (phones, tablet, PS3/4), through that?

4. Anyone use a harmony remote with their unverse system? I have the One, any problems replicating features from that?

I think that is about it for now. Thanks for the help!

When I first got Uverse a few months back, I noticed picture quality was worse than what I was used to on cable. However, after having it i don't notice it as much anymore. I think the initial shock of difference in quality wears off.

OnDemand I don't use often, but the few times I have used it it seems like some shows are next day and some take over a week to be added. But they do have a pretty good selection I think.

I also have a harmony one, and it works perfectly. Uverse STB's are already in logitech's database so you should just add them and go on.

I made the switch from Comcast and saved a ton. I use a Harmony 720 with mine. I had to remap the previous button but that's it.

I am pleased with the picture quality and would say it is as good as Comcast.

I know you can use your own router with some tweaks but I find the 3801 to work good enough for me and my devices.

I would say the OnDemand is better than Comcast. I think there is more to choose from and seems to be more free stuff.

I am on the 25 profile and supposed to get 18 down but every speed test that I have done has been above the 18 down. I have 1.5 up and seems to stay just about that.

Thanks for the heads up so far guys.

You really think ondemand is superior? Maybe they have made vast improvements since I last had it. I mainly use ondemand when I forget to DVR something or I start a new show and want to catch up on past seasons. Once a month maybe Ill browse for premium channels movies.

If I get the 18Mbps (max plus) is there a good chance that I won't actually get those speeds? And what is the upload speed, 1.5?

Uverse is shared bandwidth between Uverse Voip, IPTV and HSIA.
If highest internet speed availability at your address is Max Pus (18) then your profile is 25M.
Each HD channel (of which there are 3) uses just under 6M.

No HD tv on 25-0=25 18M internet will see about 20M on speed tests.
1 HD channel 25-6=19 will see about 18 on speed test.
2 HD channels 25-12=13 will see about 12 to 12.5 speed test.
3 HD channels 25-18=7 will see around 6 on speed tests.

Yes upload limit is 1.5on Max Plus.

If available Max Turbo (24/3) would be $10 more per month.
Profile would be 32M, same bandwidth sharing with IPTV service.

Max turbo is available here, but I don't think I need to pay the extra for it.

Does that mean my bandwidth is still affected the same if I am only paying for Max Plus? Or does the HD TV bandwidth come out of the max available at my residence, and not the max I am paying for?

yes you will see slower speeds if your recording 3 HD shows at one time. I have not noticed much of a seed change when the girls are running Netflix and I am watching TV. If I am correct the DVR had priority on the data coming, however I have not seen any issues using the internet

If max turbo available and set up on 32M profile would have 4 HD feeds instead of three.
The math is the same.
0, 32-0=32...1, 32-6=26 ... 2, 32-12=20....3, 32-18=14.... 4, 32-24=8

So up to two HD channels can be watched and/ or recorded before affecting 18M internet speed.

Inputs 3 and 4 will have an effect on speeds.

Appreciate all the help. The info here and reassurances was enough to get me to pull the trigger. The online rep even saved me a bit more money, basically $40 less a month than I was paying with Comcast.

Will test it out and see how it goes.

What of combo: 32M profile, with Max-Plus tier?

Another thread stated if line qualifies for 32M profile, then gateway's initial install will (usually) already be at 32M profile, despite a lesser speed tier (18M) that only required 25M profile (as a minimum).

In such case, is the extra 32M profile headroom exploitable by TV streams, or that's *still* capped just as-if you were on smaller 25M profile?

because of convenience they installed the wireless DVR in my living, main entertainment setup, and the wired one on the spare TV.

Will the wired one have a better picture or shouldn't there be any issue regarding this?

Id like to maximize the PQ for my VT60.

Wireless is no different, I'm told.

Correct - The wireless gets the same Bitrate/data stream from AT&T's head end as the wired receiver.

Depends. If you live in an apartment or a house that's very close to your neighbors, WiFi is probably complete crap in your area and thus you'll get lots of drop outs or macroblocking. If however you can find a clean channel then you should be fine (there would be no difference between wired and wireless).

/M

My 2cents... My wireless connection on HD channels is in no way as good and as crisp as the wired one. Yes, different TVs.... but the pic is just not that good HD sharp as you come to expect. Its even line of sight of the transmitter.

Also, Uverse in no way has the same on demand as Comcast. Its not even close. Comcast has so much more content. The really odd thing is that scrolling through unverse on my set top is truly disappointing, if you go online, log in to uverse, there is a bazillion things to choose from... So anything I can't get direct on TV, I just get on phone and mirror to TV. Its a pain...

This is off topic, but you should choose either channel 1,6, or 11. Go through each one and see what gives you the best performance and range. Using a network scanner isn't always the best thing as the channel with the fewest networks may also have the people who use their wireless the most on it.