[RTC List] Suddenlink Offer

[William Van Hefner]

Rollin,

I'm not sure where you are getting your information from, but most of the
local stations have been broadcasting in HD for quite some time now. The
ones I can think of offhand who already broadcast in HD are KVIQ, KIEM,
KEET (they have TWO HDTV video channels) KAEF and Fox-29. None of them
seem to have especially strong signals in Eureka, but I can pick up all of
them with an outdoor over-the-air UHF antenna. I have seen KEET and KVIQ's
HDTV signal go off the air for days at a time, but it always comes back up
eventually. Except for KEET, most of the local broadcasters seem to just
be piping a low-definition rebroadcast of their analog signal on their
HDTV simulcast. KEET's video is incredible though. Their native HDTV
programming looks 1,000x better than their analog signal on channel 13.

As far as "it's only voip", it depends entirely on what method Suddenlink
is using to deliver the service. They could go the cheap route and simply
slap a Vonage-type ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter) on your network, in
which case your service would be no different than if you bought it from
any one of 1,000+ other VoIP providers. However, if Suddenlink is using
its fiber capacity to carry their telephone service on a private network,
the quality should be equal to, or even better than, the quality you would
get from AT&T. Just because they are using fiberoptic technology to
deliver the service does not mean that it is internet based. Most cable
telephone systems are not. Obviously, you wouldn't have service if the
internet went down, but then again, with AT&T's track record as of late, I
can't imagine that the service could be that much more unreliable. AT&T
has had more outages in the past 12 months than they had in the previous
40+ years combined.

Also, most long distance carriers are routing their calls via VoIP and
using the public internet these days as well. So, unless you are making a
call that is served by the same central office (not leaving town) the
service most likely would not be any less reliable or sound any worse
anyway.


-- 

William Van Hefner
President

Vantek Communications, Inc.
3144 Broadway, Ste 3
Eureka, CA 95501-3838
707.476.0833 ph
800.331.4638 fx
e-mail: vantek at sonic.net


> Rollin Richmond wrote:
>> I received an offer from Suddenlink that promises me an monthly bill
>> of less than $100 for cable, internet and phone.  That package is
>> costing me about $125/month now.  Is this a good deal or am I missing
>> something.  One aspect of the promise that Suddenlink is making is
>> that the rate is good for only 12 months.  My current rate has been
>> stable for several years.
> I would be cautious about cable phone (which is essentially VOIP) - if
> the cable service is down you don't have that phone line, although a
> cell phone might suffice (but not for incoming calls).  So it depends on
> how sturdy Suddenlink is in your specific area. (Of course if the fibre
> is down you don't have any phone service regardless of what you use.)
>>
>> Can anyone also tell me how I can get high definition TV service
>> through Suddenlink cable?   Do I need a special box or will my current
>> boxes (Tivo Series 2 and a Cox Digital Cable box) do the trick?
>> Thanks for the help.  Rollin
> You have to upgrade to an HD capable digital receiver (replacing the Cox
> Digital Cable box) and subscribe to a separate HD Plus tier.  But since
> no local TV stations broadcast in HD as yet, the HD channels you get
> won't include their HD equivalents.
>
> Hope this helps a bit.
>>
>> Rollin C. Richmond
>> rollinr2 at gmail.com <mailto:rollinr2 at gmail.com>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
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>
> --
> *Dave Thewlis, DCTA Inc.*
> +1 707 840 9391 (voice) · +1 707 498 2238 (mobile)
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