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[sheddyian]

Thought I'd write a brief note on the TalkTalk YOuView package which I signed up for and which arrived/was enabled earlier in the week.

I've been busy recently, so not had that much time to play with it as yet, but initial observations are :

As an existing TalkTalk customer, when you sign up your signal/noise margin is increased.  I've been on a 6db profile for about 2 years, this suddenly changed to 9db a day before the YouView box and new modem/router arrived.

This meant my synch speed on the existing DSL-2780 dropped from a typical 20.5K to 18.7K.

This is well documented (and complained about!) on the TalkTalk forums, though I understand the logic that it wil make the service more reliable.  Still annoying though!

Although it's effect was less than the profile drop, what was a bit more annoying to me was the new modem/router.  I suppose I'd expected that a new. up to date modem would give me faster line speeds than my older equipment.

In fact, the supplied Huawei HG533 synched slower than the DSL-2780 that it replaced. A further drop from 18.7K to 17.3K.

So, what have I gained for a 3500 drop in speed?

Well, the YouView box interface seems well designed.  The concept of an EPG is fairly ubiquitous now, you scroll forwards, perhaps selecting and marking future programmes to record.  What I like is that you can go backwards in time in the same EPG, and select a programme from two days ago, which will launch the BBC iPlayer (or whatever) and you can watch the programme instantly.

It's slightly disappointing that when selecting a programme from the past, there is a very noticable delay, and an obvious loading of the iPlayer application.  It's still quite usable - it's not a significant delay - but I feel it'd be nicer/feel more integrated if it was more immediate.

I've not had the tie to play with any of the other on-demand or subscription services as yet.

Summary : So far, I like it, despite the loss of bandwidth!

Ian

ps *grumbles at loss of bandwidth*

[broadstairs]

Ian I have been thinking about this recently but as I am currently on ADSL2+ with sync around 8600kbps at 6db I wonder if the connection will be good enough to make it usable. I suspect to make it worthwhile I might need FTTC as well which puts the price up!

Stuart

[sheddyian]

I think I read somewhere that the minimum synch speed required is 3Mb, so you might be alright!  Could be worth looking into.

Signing up via this link http://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?mid=3674&id=116259 gives Kitz a small fee/kitty-treat 

Ian

[sevenlayermuddle]

I set up a (BT) YouView box for somebody a while ago, my impressions were pretty much same as Sheddyians.

I agree, think the stated 3Mbit as the minimum, which I distrusted.   The one I installed was connecting at 4Mbps, feedback I'm getting is it's not really usable, too any breakups.   Apparently it's still performing well just as a PVR though.

On my list of round tuits is to revisit, and check out the phone wiring, see if I can improve the speed.   And it was installed with a homeplug attached to a trailing extension socket, which is not advised, which may possibly be responsible for the breakouts.  I'll be fixing that, somehow, too.

It took me a while to ponder why homeplugs aren't meant to work on trailing sockets, but I reckon its probably the different skin effect characteristics of a solid core ring main vs a stranded cable that feeds the extension sockets?

[kitz]

Thank you for the mini-review

I too would be disappointed at the change in profile.  This is a bit of a cheap and nasty fix by TT. Like you say I can understand why it would help some lines, but not all need it. I can (& do) quite happily stream HDTV quality on a 3dB profile.

I should try do some tests sometime to see how much bandwidth speed I use when streaming.  Obviously they wont be accurate due to the devices not having monitoring equipment, but I may be able to get a rough idea of how much of my total bandwidth it uses.

[guest]

That was the reason for the Sky 7dB profile originally - reduce errors on streaming services (Sky services). They have got a bit more experience since then and now use QoS from the Sky box to the Sky CDN servers (Anytime+ etc) which works very well on the latest hub (SR101) from my testing last year - basically max the line with 10 usenet threads then fire up the Sky Box and try to watch something on-demand; worked perfectly and had no buffering/increased "time to play" times.

Those are the sort of things end-to-end control gives you though and I find it hard to believe that TT think a noise margin change is sufficient, although if they do its wonderfully naive

[guest]

It took me a while to ponder why homeplugs aren't meant to work on trailing sockets, but I reckon its probably the different skin effect characteristics of a solid core ring main vs a stranded cable that feeds the extension sockets?

Its more a case of one conductor (solid core) radiating like mad compared with a dozen conductors (extension/normal mains cable) radiating like mad all slightly out of phase.

Homeplugs need to die ASAP - I appreciate people have wireless issues but networking over mains wiring is lunacy on wheels and will become more so as it splatters noise all over the next FTTC bands.

YMMV as always.

[kitz]

I should try do some tests sometime to see how much bandwidth speed I use when streaming.  Obviously they wont be accurate due to the devices not having monitoring equipment, but I may be able to get a rough idea of how much of my total bandwidth it uses.

Some quick and nasty tests.   I dont claim them to be accurate, just to give a rough idea of what bandwidth is used whilst streaming to a few different sources.  Make of them what you will.

Although the average bandwidth is near what you would expect, you can quite clearly see that the stop start effect of the streaming buffer does at times have higher bandwidth requirements.  Its during this 'spread' phase when some of the lower speed connections could perhaps see problems.

http://www.kitz.co.uk/isp/IPTV_streaming.htm