ACC Network Thread

[nzm136]

Thanks for the feedback. I look into Fios, I live in Charlotte so there should be plenty of options

Never, ever pay full price. Threaten to quit, and they’ll bend over backwards to try to keep you - esp. if you’re willing to buy the whole package of junk that they’re trying to sell.

 

[gbo]

Thanks for the feedback. I look into Fios, I live in Charlotte so there should be plenty of options

I don't think we get Fios which is unfortunate but I could be wrong.

 

[sutomcat]

I don't think we get Fios which is unfortunate but I could be wrong.

Looks like the furthest south Fios has gotten so far is Virginia.

Verizon Fios Availability & Coverage Map for Internet, TV, Phone Service

 

[RandomGuy]

Question about cutting the cable, whom do you use for your internet service provider? I like roadrunner but it is $65 a month with no bundle. Right now I have the whole package and pay $185 a month. That is without any premium channels! I need to cut!

I pay $45 for fiber.

Many folks over pay. It's important to understand your needs.

1 HD channel uses 3 Megs.
4K from netflix 15 Meg's
4k YouTube TV 7 Meg's ( or so I've read)

You'll want about 2 Meg's for a buffer, as the internet itself slows down. approximately:
5 Meg's per HD
17(max) per 4K

If you'll only simultaneously have 2 HD TVs streaming, 10 Meg's is buffer free.

Be sure to have your Apple products only back up at non-peak hours. Providers have slower upload speeds, so when you're uploading, you can completely destroy the administration of your download-- buffer. Buying a faster download will not solve this.

 

[RandomGuy]

Antennas:
The only way to watch full, non compressed HD. Cable/satellite/streaming is compressed. You can see the difference.

Don't believe the advertisements. Size matters. If you are 30-60 miles from the tower, small ones are very poor. I'm about 50, and most folks I know have found success with an 8 bay, bow tie antenna. Remember, most HD channels have moved to the UHF band, so if you have an antenna that looks like the starship Enterprise? That's VHF. Not good.

Roof mount is preferred if you are further from the tower. You may have success in the attic. YMMV.

Amplifiers. It's not like a stereo, where bigger is better. It amplifies the signal over your coax only. Coax has built in loss. You need to calculate the loss, add 3db for each splitter. In my case, I had 13 db loss, so I bought a 13 db amp. Too big, and it adds too much noise to the signal- no channel. Too little, and the TV won't pick it up-no channel. There are on line calculators for this.

For me, streaming / Antenna has just as much to do with the highest quality. It's the only way to get real, non compressed HD, or 4K.

 

[upperdeck]

it is crazy people think tthye need 200MB or higher and pay for it..

the issue is more than many easier have shared speed not dedicated speed.

40-50mb is plenty. most of the time its not your speed causing issues.

 

[dooey139]

For those on Spectrum, the Spectrum TV Choice is a great streaming choice. Get all the locals and you pick 10 channels from their lineup. With internet my bill is $76 a month. Of course this is the "introductory period" so it will go up after a year. One annoying part is it seems to only work on limited devices, there's an app for Roku but not my Firestick.

Edit: This probably won't be a viable solution for adding ACC Network, but it works for now!

 

[gbo]

Does anyone think the ACCN will have a standalone App or no?

 

[RandomGuy]

it is crazy people think tthye need 200MB or higher and pay for it..

the issue is more than many easier have shared speed not dedicated speed.

40-50mb is plenty. most of the time its not your speed causing issues.

100%. I can get gig service. I pay for 30megs, and it's about twice what I need. I primarily stream 4k.

Also. Your devices/streaming service can cause major headaches. Sling on Xbox was Hot garbage. Xbox servers are pitiful, for anything other than gaming. Roku device instantly solved it.

Netflix is technically the best service. At any given time, 40% of the traffic on the internet can be Netflix. To combat this, they have drains directly to ISP's to bypass the internet. 4k instantly loads, never, ever a buffer. Overall, the best IT.

Hulu. Can be technically glitchy, can crash on commercials. Also, can take 30-60 seconds for an HD quality picture. (Netflix instant 4k) Again, your internet speed can't fix this. Poor IT.

Sling. After the Xbox issue, it seems they also suffer from server capacity. Once or twice a month, I've had it buffer, for 2 seconds. Their end.

I've used fubotv. Again, can take a few seconds for full HD.

Direct TV now. I've heard poor things, but I can't comment, as I don't know the consumers device/home network/apple products, etc..

Amazon. Solid.

 

[RandomGuy]

Does anyone think the ACCN will have a standalone App or no?

In my experience, many networks want you to subscribe to a provider, to justify the contract they have with them. So my guess is no.

 

[RandomGuy]

it is crazy people think tthye need 200MB or higher and pay for it..
.

Here's how fiber Gig service works. You put 20 or so subscribers on a blade. That blade is only capable of 2.4Gig. it's not a problem, because no home owner will ever use that gig..

I've put in gigabit fiber rings, for enormous corporate backbones, to serve 3000 IT personnel and hundreds of sateliite offices. Server rooms a half acre. Guess what? They still don't use the whole Gig.

Know what you are paying for.

 

[orangetom]

Does anyone think the ACCN will have a standalone App or no?

I assume so. BTN has one. I just have to log in to my Spectrum account the first time which confirms I'm a BTN subscriber.

 

[phil77]

The only reason why I still have cable is for NFL Sunday Ticket. Once that becomes a full streaming option then I am out. But now they only offer it to stream if you don't have direct access at your address.

 

[reedny]

Here's how fiber Gig service works. You put 20 or so subscribers on a blade. That blade is only capable of 2.4Gig. it's not a problem, because no home owner will ever use that gig..

I've put in gigabit fiber rings, for enormous corporate backbones, to serve 3000 IT personnel and hundreds of sateliite offices. Server rooms a half acre. Guess what? They still don't use the whole Gig.

Know what you are paying for.

Please visit this thread more often.

 

[GoCuse08]

The only reason why I still have cable is for NFL Sunday Ticket. Once that becomes a full streaming option then I am out. But now they only offer it to stream if you don't have direct access at your address.

I am assuming you have direct tv. Can’t you switch to direct tv now an d still get the ticket? I haven’t looked into direct tv now do not sure if it’s a viable option.

 

[phil77]

I am assuming you have direct tv. Can’t you switch to direct tv now an d still get the ticket? I haven’t looked into direct tv now do not sure if it’s a viable option.

Nope I tried that. I have heard there is an opt out in the NFL/Direct TV contract in 2020. I will try and find the article. When that happens I wonder how many actual subscriptions Direct TV lose because I am sure there are tons of people like me who only keep it to have Sunday Ticket.


Edit found link NFL Sunday Ticket May Soon Be Cord Cutting Friendly - Cord Cutters News

 

[RandomGuy]

I have AppleTV ... but what would I be "uploading" to Apple?

Not a problem for Apple TV. How is the quality, on that? (Buffer, crash, time for full hd/4k,- I ask this because it reflects on their servers ability to handle high usage times)

House full of Apple products? My company(ISP) bills people for that every day. Not a problem for everyone, but high usage of photos, vids, etc, Apples back up/update procedure can seize the download. We have people going from 50 meg fiber to 100 Meg, thinking it will fix the problem. It doesn't. They need to back up their Apples at a specific time, or purchase a faster UPload speed.

Symmetrical service is more $$. Know your needs before throwing away $$, or fix your home network problems.

Have a photographer buddy, whose business is photo/video editing. Was on 200 Meg Comcast. Suggested cheaper 75/50 Meg fiber. For his work related stuff, it wound up being 5 times faster for him. (Uploading to his server/clients) Don't believe the advertisements. The math is fuzzy, on purpose. Cable shares bandwidth. When you push the button you get precedence, for about 30 seconds, or so. (So you can pass an internet speed test,) You take it from your neighbors. Then you fall back into the actual network capability. Can be a great choice , depending on how your neighborhood is engineered. You're $$ may have been equly spent, buying a lesser service.

The same holds true for streaming. It only takes a minute to understand your needs. IF you are an apple household, and experiencing streaming issues? Power down your Apple products. If you are streaming through Xbox, their servers/apps are hot garbage for anything other than gaming. There are simple solutions.

** Full disclosure. I work for a company that was formerly owned by Verizon FiOS. I primarily deal with engineered/designed circuits. Corporate backbones, cell tower connectivity. I occasionally deal with residential streaming issues. See - why we have Netflix drains. (And why everyone else does)

Apologies for geeking out about this stuff..

 

[GoCuse08]

Not a problem for Apple TV. How is the quality, on that? (Buffer, crash, time for full hd/4k,- I ask this because it reflects on their servers ability to handle high usage times)

House full of Apple products? My company(ISP) bills people for that every day. Not a problem for everyone, but high usage of photos, vids, etc, Apples back up/update procedure can seize the download. We have people going from 50 meg fiber to 100 Meg, thinking it will fix the problem. It doesn't. They need to back up their Apples at a specific time, or purchase a faster UPload speed.

Symmetrical service is more $$. Know your needs before throwing away $$, or fix your home network problems.

Have a photographer buddy, whose business is photo/video editing. Was on 200 Meg Comcast. Suggested cheaper 75/50 Meg fiber. For his work related stuff, it wound up being 5 times faster for him. (Uploading to his server/clients) Don't believe the advertisements. The math is fuzzy, on purpose. Cable shares bandwidth. When you push the button you get precedence, for about 30 seconds, or so. (So you can pass an internet speed test,) You take it from your neighbors. Then you fall back into the actual network capability. Can be a great choice , depending on how your neighborhood is engineered. You're $$ may have been equly spent, buying a lesser service.

The same holds true for streaming. It only takes a minute to understand your needs. IF you are an apple household, and experiencing streaming issues? Power down your Apple products. If you are streaming through Xbox, their servers/apps are hot garbage for anything other than gaming. There are simple solutions.

** Full disclosure. I work for a company that was formerly owned by Verizon FiOS. I primarily deal with engineered/designed circuits. Corporate backbones, cell tower connectivity. I occasionally deal with residential streaming issues. See - why we have Netflix drains. (And why everyone else does)

Apologies for geeking out about this stuff..

Great information!

Is a PS4 similar to Xbox one when it comes to streaming?I do notice my streaming tv (PlayStation Vue, Netflix, etc) tends to work much better on my fire tv compared to my PS4.

 

[GoCuse08]

This is technically PERFECT service. You'll never use the 100 Meg, You'd be fine with 50/50, 30/30, or even 30/15. But you've got a perfect price point. You've won.

As a former Verizon employee, dealing with engineering, we have a 90% plus retention rate on fiber subscribers. It is a robust network.

If that's not an option. I gave the math, earlier. Telco's currently have other options to 60 megs. You almost certainly need less.

For me, streaming options saved me about $1500 per year. Took my family on an island vacation, and the next year, the camping world bowl. For me, the pricing options are backwards. I'd easily pay far more for what I have. Wouldn't pay $50 for my former cable options .

Yeah. I originally I had 50/50 for $50 and that speed was plenty fast to stream on multiple TVs at the same time. Fios had a Black Friday deal for 100/100 at $40 per month so I jumped on it.

We also saved about $1500 per year moving to PlayStation Vue for our live tv.

I have since convinced family members and friends to make the switch to YouTube Tv.

My brother who has 2 kids and TVs in all the rooms throughout the house saved over $2000 per year from switching. The more TVs and cable boxes/DVrs that you are renting the bigger the savings will be with the switch to a YouTube tv or something similar.

Everyone that I have convinced to make the switch are extremely happy with the YouTube tv service and prefer that to there former Fios/spectrum service. The guide and functionality of the YouTube TVs, PlayStation Vue, etc, are great.

 

[oldpinepoint]

Yeah. I originally I had 50/50 for $50 and that speed was plenty fast to stream on multiple TVs at the same time. Fios had a Black Friday deal for 100/100 at $40 per month so I jumped on it.

We also saved about $1500 per year moving to PlayStation Vue for our live tv.

I have since convinced family members and friends to make the switch to YouTube Tv.

My brother who has 2 kids and TVs in all the rooms throughout the house saved over $2000 per year from switching. The more TVs and cable boxes/DVrs that you are renting the bigger the savings will be with the switch to a YouTube tv or something similar.

Everyone that I have convinced to make the switch are extremely happy with the YouTube tv service and prefer that to there former Fios/spectrum service. The guide and functionality of the YouTube TVs, PlayStation Vue, etc, are great.

I’ve been enjoying the Hulu TV subscription. I also got the Fios 100/100 for $42 on a 2 year contract. It was so cheap I had to take it. What I like about the online TV is that there is no contract. I will probably cancel it for the summer and pick it up in the fall.

 

[GoCuse08]

I’ve been enjoying the Hulu TV subscription. I also got the Fios 100/100 for $42 on a 2 year contract. It was so cheap I had to take it. What I like about the online TV is that there is no contract. I will probably cancel it for the summer and pick it up in the fall.

That’s a good point. Also easy to switch amongst the streaming options if needed. Switching between just Fios and spectrum was no easy task.

 

[FreakTalksAboutSU]

Comcast isnt in? Interesting. I have hulu but would still prefer if it was just slotted up against big 10 in the channel lineup

 

[qdawgg]

The only reason why I still have cable is for NFL Sunday Ticket. Once that becomes a full streaming option then I am out. But now they only offer it to stream if you don't have direct access at your address.

I streamed every game on my TV from reddit last year. Previously had directtv and cable, would put DT on vacation mode when football season wasn't going on and used Time warner to make sure I caught every SU game. I still have cable because after adding up the cost of Hulu, etc. that I would need to add to watch the things I want, my bill wouldn't be significantly different and I still don't believe I won't be blacked out from games showed on my local albany channel but are blacked out on ESPN+ etc. Just this year I've been blacked out trying to stream football and basketball games that are on cable.

 

[TexanMark]

Great website for cord cutting

Cord Cutters News - All the news cord cutters need about cord cutting! Covering, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Netflix, Hulu, & More!

Just read today that Sling is offering a special 3 month deal

 

[RandomGuy]

Great information!

Is a PS4 similar to Xbox one when it comes to streaming?I do notice my streaming tv (PlayStation Vue, Netflix, etc) tends to work much better on my fire tv compared to my PS4.

NO. But use your firestick.

Gaming networks are built for ping. Streaming networks are built for bandwidth. Your home network, and choices, are tied to to your home network choices. Already gave the math,and Apple concerns...


Sling had launch issues.(they all do) Xbox always had bandwidth issues-still do, so the problem was exasperated. Their ping? It's great. I optimized my home fiber network to hit them at 10-12 mseconds, which is unFingreal for gaming. When my son enrolled at Cuse, his ping went to 180, so he stopped online gaming. Cuse network is high latency, hitting a high latency provider. I can't fix the Cuse network. They're OK for 2005. (where 50 millisec per device wasn't a problem)They're just fine for streaming, because bandwidth was their choice...

Gocuse08, The fact that you got PSVue better on your your firestick means they are optimizing a seperate network for streaming. That's a good thing. You want ping for gaming, bandwidth for streaming. Best choice for either, is to not compromise. While I'm very impressed with Microsoft's gaming network, I think it's total shite for streaming. (or downloading) I won't stream through a gaming system. I'm reticent in streaming through any third party, because their entire goal is to get you in their environment for future revenue... Rather enjoy my Roku solutions, until they make a deal.

My larger point, is that you can make streaming work if you hit the math, and you DON'T have to pay for more internet. PM me if you have issues. I do this all day, every day.