AT&T will start selling you cable TV over the Internet

[ikki]

From CNN

http://money.cnn.com/2016/03/01/media/att-cable-tv-internet/index.html

In the fourth quarter of this year (2016), AT&T will start selling cable-like bundles of TV to people across the country through a new app. Subscribers won't need an AT&T wireless phone or an AT&T broadband connection at home.

It'll be like Netflix -- download the app, sign up, type in a credit card number, and start streaming a TV show.

 

[whitewolf8214]

Thanks interesting

 

[JTBenson]

From CNN

http://money.cnn.com/2016/03/01/media/att-cable-tv-internet/index.html

In the fourth quarter of this year (2016), AT&T will start selling cable-like bundles of TV to people across the country through a new app. Subscribers won't need an AT&T wireless phone or an AT&T broadband connection at home.

It'll be like Netflix -- download the app, sign up, type in a credit card number, and start streaming a TV show.

Actually, it will be more like Sling.

 

[KAB]

Actually, it will be more like Sling.

Sling+.

 

[jegrant]

Even if they offer the same DirecTV packages as they do on satellite, or extremely similar ones, it will be a great alternative for people who don't have a line of sight for DirecTV, or maybe they rent and don't want to deal with putting up a dish, etc. And then if they can offer some smaller packages like Sling, so much the better.

 

[Bronxiniowa]

I've found that most streaming TV doesn't look that different from broadcast or DBS TV, as long as you have a robust Interent connection. The difference is sports. On streaming, there is a definite two-dimensional effect, with a lack of depth, even on HD, compared with watching the same telecast on broadcast. This certainly does not make the streaming game unwatchable by any means. But the PQ is definitely diminished. Does anyone know whys this is so?

 

[jegrant]

I think it's harder to encode the video of live action because there is usually a lot more moving items on the screen and/or the whole screen is full of motion. Video compression works better on static images where only a part of the picture is changing from frame to frame.

 

[ohioankev]

Talk about having to many apples in a barrel. AT&T now owns Direct Tv, has AT&T U-verse and now they are launching an OTT service. WoW.

 

[Mr Tony]

Talk about having to many apples in a barrel. AT&T now owns Direct Tv, has AT&T U-verse and now they are launching an OTT service. WoW.

U-Verse is going away

 

[jegrant]

U-Verse *TV* is probably going away, but I think they will keep it for Internet. In fact by moving people to satellite, they can free up bandwidth to give them a faster Internet speed. My area got a half-donkey "upgrade" to U-Verse (Internet Only) and I forget the maximum speed, but it's under 20 Mbps, so I wasn't impressed - and AT&T forces you to use their rented modem, even if you buy the service through a reseller.