Service & Features

(Part 4)

Features and Service:

(3 out 5 stars) I gave this section a very low ranking for one main reason. There is nothing that is very different from any other provider. AT&T lacks the ability to separate themselves from the competition and this is the area which is most important. I think this might change because the product is very new and the possibilities are endless with IPTV but until they up the features I still think is just industry standard and I can’t give them a better rank based on hope.

Let’s start this part of the review by talking about the Internet. First, it’s not much different from DSL, however you get more upload speed than what you would generally get with a DSL connection. I did have the 1.5/384 SBC/ATT DSL connection prior, so for me to go with the PRO version, this was an upgrade to 3MB/1MB. One thing I liked that is different than DSL is that they give you a router; actually the modem is taken out of the equation completely with the RG, which as I said before controls EVERYTHING. The RG is basically a router with some specific function like networking your data and video services together.

I like how I was able to easily transfer my sbcglobal.net e-mail over with an ease. I need this e-mail address because I have had it for years and didn’t want to part with it.

Also, I think ATT should never get rid of their partnership with Yahoo; it makes the experience so much better. I think Yahoo e-mail has to be one of the best web based e-mail out there.(only gmail stands a chance to compete in my opinion).

If you wish you can download the Yahoo browser which some people might like because of its functionality. Me personally, I just like either I.E. or Firefox to surf the NET, so I didn’t run that part of the install, however I might add some screenshots of it later. I did install the Online Protection which includes Anti-Spy, Anti-Virus, Pop-Up Blocker, Parental Controls, and AT&T Yahoo! Mail Protection. It’s very generic and light, that is what I like about it. It doesn’t hug all my system resources. It also doesn’t include a firewall, so this is a disadvantage because you then need another program to run a firewall or you can just use the one built in Windows XP. A lot of people would probably agree you would be safer with a security suite like Norton, McAfee, Zone Alarm, and etc. However, the AT&T version is available at no cost.



Next let’s talk about the RG, which the router is a little odd but has all the standard features you would want. Its wireless, so if you didn’t already have a wireless router, you have one now. It also has four ports on the back for direct links, which if the PC is in the same room I suggest you hard wire directly because it’s just more of a stable connection than wireless. A field tech did tell me that I can connect a third TV if I wanted via one of the Ethernet ports. I’m not sure if this is true and still waiting to validate, there is a Ethernet port on the back of the STB and I have heard that some houses are wired via Ethernet instead of coax. If you can confirm this please e-mail me.

The RG interface has a weird IP scheme, its default gateway is 192.168.1.254, which I have never seen on a router but I guess it really doesn’t matter. The firmware is a little different than your standard Linksys but you can get around and do what you need to and also see your stats on your link to the network.

Here are some screenshots of the firmware.











Now the speed, I would have say its pretty stable. I ran several speed tests over the past weeks and get right at 2.8MB/.9MB every time, which isn’t too bad at all in my opinion. (Update: I just ran another speedtest, it’s been over a month from the install date and still am getting the same results, so that leads me to believe the connetions is very stable, but I will continue to test.)



That is pretty much it for the data. It has been pretty reliable and seems to be constant on the speed, so I can’t really complain too much.

Now for the video, it’s basically like any other service provider but there are some cool little things about it that I really liked. First of all the IPG (interactive programming guide) is translucent. So, when you’re looking for the next show to watch the current show will still play in the background and you can see it through the translucent guide, it’s not easy see but you can tell something is going on behind the guide. Second, thing I really liked is that it has a PIP (picture and picture) feature. When you are scrolling through the guide in the bottom left corner you see a little preview of the show you have selected in the guide. Or you can just hit the up arrow and you we see the PIP and a mini guide by title, this is a better option if your in to what your watching because the mini guide only takes a small portion of the screen on the bottom. I thought that was pretty neat. One, thing I don’t like though is that it seems that the guide or the STB is a little slow at times (hit and miss – the DVR seems to the worse). Sometimes when you push the guide button it doesn’t pull up right away or you have to push the button a couple of times. It’s not that bad but it would be nice if they could get it to be more responsive. Also, another thing I didn’t like about the Video is the fast channel change is not as they advertise it to be. However, when it does work like it should its pretty quick but you can tell it’s still kind of buggy.

Here are some screenshots of the Video. I hope to get some more crisper images, as well as some HD images. But, this is what I have for now.

In the below image, notice on the bottom left the PIP feature. Pretty neat, and the guide has a nice design. Its very appealing to the eye.











Also, another thing I don’t like is the “Free” on-demand. There is nothing in there you would likely watch but if you have kids there might be something but I couldn’t find anything interesting for free. I think they should have movies of the week and play some old school classics, but that’s my thoughts.



Okay, I forgot to mention this earlier as well, but one of the coolest features of the DVR has to be that you can record 4 shows at one time. This is perfect, because I don’t know how many times before I had two things recording and wanted to watch something else. Seems like all the good shows come on at the same time. Also, with the DVR you can set it to record 5, 10, and 30 minutes after the show is over. That way you don’t miss the preview for next week’s episode, or if the football game doesn’t end as scheduled you don’t miss out on anything in OT. I used to just set my DVR to record the next show in line just in case but now you can trigger this feature to take care of that.



This is basically a series list, a list of all the series you have set to record. As you can see I have Lost, Are you smarter than a 5th grader? (don’t ask), Medium (my wife’s - wink), and Prison Break.



Here is the user option menu, I liked that you can set the aspect ratio from the system settings, and most providers STB make you go into a special menu that sometimes can be tricky change. Also, if you interested in parental locking you will find it here as well. I don’t have kids, so it’s not an issue for me.



Well, that is all I have for right now but please e-mail or post a message on the board of what you want to see and I will try and hook it up.

Continue the Review

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