Droping my high dollar TV boxes and going to an Android box

[Brooke]

Everybody around you is affecting your ping.

Throughput is one thing but ping is what we seek with online gaming.

More people, using more tech, is a good thing for you (as a user of that tech), not a bad thing.

I have a 3 ms ping to servers near me, 30 Mbps download, and 30 Mbps upload for about $30/month via fios.  I'm guessing that you don't remember the days of T1 lines that gave 1 Mbps and cost $1000/month and much worse latency than today or the days of 300 baud modems.

You should embrace demand for products and free markets.  Those two things working together are what give you today god-like bandwidth and latency for nearly free -- as viewed from what things were like 20 years ago.

Your argument is exactly the same as saying, "I hope Aces High doesn't get many new players, because I don't want the server to get swamped and give me poor gaming performance" -- without realizing that, if Aces High got a lot more users, they would build more servers and have the money to invest in a lot of things that would end up making your own gaming experience better.

[Skuzzy]

Everybody around you is affecting your ping.

Throughput is one thing but ping is what we seek with online gaming.

That depends on many factors.  The physical network layout is a start.  Are you sharing a physical link with others?  Yes, if you are on a cable connection, no for everything else.  Even on a cable connection it has to do with the physical capability of the connection.

In many areas cable has switched to fiber optics, with a significantly higher bandwidth, so sharing is a non issue.

Carrier based Ethernet switches do not bog down.  Each port operates at full port speeds, 100% of the time.

The smart ISP, today, has the opportunity to install servers, on their network, which carry the various streaming services content.  Many large neighborhoods can do the same thing.  We did in my neighborhood.  We have a Netflix server serving about 1,000 homes (growing daily).  Our ISP is ecstatic.

The landscape for streaming is not the same as it was a few years ago.  It has less impact today than it did a few years ago and keeps getting better.  If we can manage to keep the FCC out of it, then things should improve even more.

If you are concerned it is impacting you, then take the lead and work on making it better for yourself.  I did.

[icepac]

More people, using more tech, is a good thing for you (as a user of that tech), not a bad thing.

I have a 3 ms ping to servers near me, 30 Mbps download, and 30 Mbps upload for about $30/month via fios.  I'm guessing that you don't remember the days of T1 lines that gave 1 Mbps and cost $1000/month and much worse latency than today or the days of 300 baud modems.

Of course, you live in Redmond, microsoftland.

Yes, I remember installing serial line drivers, 300 baud modems, and T1 lines as a defense contractor in Washington during the 80s.

Of course, I wrote off Microsoft as a fad back then....LOL

I will be on cable  but I checked the latency of a neighbor and it's all over the place.....far worse than my cell phone on 4g  (lte had bigger latency variance).

You would figure being on the intercoastal waterway in west palm beach would net good latency but it does not.

[bustr]

The new Roku Premier+ I just setup to replace my SONY BlueRay player rocks as a streaming only device. My wife and I run a Visio smart TV and this new Roku with both of us watching Hulu shows and movies with no problems. I'm on ATT VDSL with 7.5M down and 1.5M up. While we are at home our smart phones are WiFi only and we have no problems with calls at the same time watching streaming shows.

I can play AH while she watches Hulu with no issues, downloading a full install of the game can take 15-20 minutes.

[Brooke]

Of course, I wrote off Microsoft as a fad back then....LOL

I'm in the same boat.  I thought Google, Yahoo, Netscape, etc. were all hugely overvalued in the early days -- then they proceeded to go up hugely from there.  I missed a bit of upside, eh? 

I will be on cable  but I checked the latency of a neighbor and it's all over the place

What's your neighbor on?

If your cable latency is bad, it is only a matter of time when it will be way better, and that time is shorter the more people are using and wanting bandwidth with lower latency.  If less people use and want bandwidth and low latency, it would take longer for it to appear for you.

[Flench]

Went and got an Anndroid box . Should be in today . I just like that there is so much one can do with the Android box . Plus I am use to the Android system . Been watching TV on my Android tablet all week with no problems so this should work out good . Dish sent me a bill just yesterday for $80 bucks , $22 bucks a month for just the box and over half the channels are nothing but selling stuff . I know what I am fixing to tell Dish what they can do with there box , lol. Can't believe I have not found out about this sooner .... I could have paid for a new PC to play AH by now .

[lunatic1]

skuzzy-right this minute I'm paying 125.00 a month for 18mps satellite internet (only thing I could get at the time) and my contract runs out in mid july. I have found a company that can get cable internet 60mps and satellite tv ( dish or direct tv ) for a lot less than my currant provider. if I can get better and less cost with roku I will. I will have internet-can you tell me what I will need to and how to use Roku tv. thankyou

[Brooke]

skuzzy-right this minute I'm paying 125.00 a month for 18mps satellite internet (only thing I could get at the time) and my contract runs out in mid july. I have found a company that can get cable internet 60mps and satellite tv ( dish or direct tv ) for a lot less than my currant provider. if I can get better and less cost with roku I will. I will have internet-can you tell me what I will need to and how to use Roku tv. thankyou

Howdy, Lunatic.

We have Roku at my house.  It just plugs into our Internet router, like plugging in a computer to it.  Then you plug the Roku into your TV via hdmi cable.

[Reschke]

AT&T just run fiber to my house  yesterday and WOW is it fast .

Flench where do you live? I have been working with my towns city council helping get Fiber run for homes in our area since the ISP's here don't want to push Fiber into the residential areas. AT&T and Charter are the only two ISP's we can get and they have us over a barrell due to some crap rule in the state of Alabama dealing with franchising of cabling infrastructure.

The only thing I hate about Roku is that in order to get many of the channels on there you have to have an active cable TV subscription for things like the History channel, most Disney stuff, etc... I have the bare minimum cable which only gives me local television channels and we rarely use those for anything.

[Flench]

In Mississippi .  They passed some kind of law here that every one can get DSL but AT&T run Fiber down every main road back 10 years ago . Just know getting to the side road's now and I live in the sticks too . It's $90 bucks a month , unreal but I still come out cheaper doing it this way  and I can watch any movie I want with the help of a few app's and running a VPN .

The only thing about the Roku  box you still got to pay to watch anything . Say like Sling TV and so on ..

[Skuzzy]

In Mississippi .  They passed some kind of law here that every one can get DSL but AT&T run Fiber down every main road back 10 years ago . Just know getting to the side road's now and I live in the sticks too . It's $90 bucks a month , unreal but I still come out cheaper doing it this way  and I can watch any movie I want with the help of a few app's and running a VPN .

The only thing about the Roku  box you still got to pay to watch anything . Say like Sling TV and so on ..

Any of the subscribed streaming services have to be paid for (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Sling TV...).  That is completely independent of the streaming device.  Roku just happens to be the best supported streaming device today.  There are hundreds of free channels available.

Of course, if you are one of those who are trying to hack around things do you do not have to pay for anything, then you can stop posting in this thread.  Do not take that lightly.

[Flench]

Don't get me wrong Skuzzy . I am going with Sling TV . Starts out at $20 and up to like $30 but you get a lot of channels .

EDIT : Why I like the Android box I can use it for like FB and so on and I got quit a few PM's telling me they are doing the same thing .

[Skuzzy]

Just had to be sure.  It's something we cannot have on our bulletin board.

It is a bit confusing though.  You can get Sling TV over the Roku.  As a matter of fact, I am pretty sure all streaming services are available over the Roku.

That said, it is not a browser for the Internet.  It is strictly a streaming hardware platform.  I never use my television for anything Internet related, so Roku is the perfect fit for me.  It does have a media player which does give me access to my local media server and all of its content as well.

But, if you want to surf the Internet, Roku does not do that.

[Reschke]

Any of the subscribed streaming services have to be paid for (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Sling TV...).  That is completely independent of the streaming device.  Roku just happens to be the best supported streaming device today.  There are hundreds of free channels available.

Of course, if you are one of those who are trying to hack around things do you do not have to pay for anything, then you can stop posting in this thread.  Do not take that lightly.

Yeah we pay for all our stuff over the Roku like Sling, Hulu, etc... However I think its ridiculous that networks owned under the ABC/Disney umbrella don't let you stream via Sling or their individual app; that you can also get on Roku; without an active cable subscription that has their channels in it. Like with AT&T Uverse or Charter Spectrum (only 2 available high speed ISP's in my town) you have to go to their premium subscription service with 200+ channels in order to get access to shows on the History Network, A&E, Disney XD, etc... Even though those shows already run on Sling TV but they don't recognize Sling TV as a cable service provider but ESPN recognizes Sling TV and allows you to authorize their content so you can watch multiple games/shows on different devices without using Sling TV which only allows one user access at a time.

[Randall172]

Good luck with it.

By the way, I started slowly.  First adding the Roku to one television, then to the other one.  Then the antennae, then the Tablo.

The only reason I have over the air channels is for sports.

search reddit for streams of major events, just watched the nba finals for free