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BT Infinity

MommaCat
Grafter
Posts: 77
Registered: ‎06-02-2009

BT Infinity

I have just read some postings on a seniors' forum about BT Infinity and it's mega speeds of 40Mbps.  Out of curiosity I entered my postcode into the checker and it told me that, as from the 25th January my exchange will be enabled.
I don't know much about these things but I do wonder if I might now get higher speeds instead of the miserable up to 4 Mbps per second on my Plusnet account?  I don't necessarily require 40Mbps, but some higher speed might be nice.  Is it possible, Plusnet, or is this something BT are keeping to their own customers?


12 REPLIES 12
Oldjim
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Registered: ‎15-06-2007

Re: BT Infinity

MommaCat
Grafter
Posts: 77
Registered: ‎06-02-2009

Re: BT Infinity

Thanks Oldjim!  Sorry I posted this in the wrong place! Embarrassed
It seems from your links that Plusnet have been trialling this since last summer.  I'm a bit behind the times having only just learnt about it!  It sounds hopeful - now if only Plusnet could provide our TV services as well ............................ well there would be no more losing the digital signal in bad weather, would there! Cheesy
mal0z
Grafter
Posts: 3,486
Registered: ‎02-10-2008

Re: BT Infinity

I hope we don't end up with all TV vis the internet - it seems far more efficient for most to push it up to a satellite, except for thos that can't receive a signal.
Higher power satellites with small receiver antenna dishs / disguised antenna etc. seems the best way to go .
Bojangles
Grafter
Posts: 102
Registered: ‎24-08-2007

Re: BT Infinity

Why have an extra bit of kit when you can have it all coming down one cable? A large chunk of the worlds traffic is P2P which contains media including television programmes.
mal0z
Grafter
Posts: 3,486
Registered: ‎02-10-2008

Re: BT Infinity

It needs to go via goodness knows how many servers at PN and elsewhere so less reliable and enormously wastefull in electrical power.
And it adds hugely  to your download data - which costs extra money.
As we see here everyday - ADSL is very variable in quality, large number of staff needed to maintain. Even digital TV distributed by cable needs large numbers of switches ( exchanges) street cabinets and kilometres of cable.
All hugely inefficient.
By satellite - just one transmitter beaming up to the satellite which itself is powered by the Sun. OK a few backup satellite transmitting stations for redundancy
And believe it or not - not everyone wants the internet.
even the new Fibre to the Cabinet  will have a limited capably, the satellite links can have much higher speed and capacity - if necessary a few extra satellites collocated.
MommaCat
Grafter
Posts: 77
Registered: ‎06-02-2009

Re: BT Infinity

Quote from: mal0z
I hope we don't end up with all TV vis the internet - it seems far more efficient for most to push it up to a satellite, except for thos that can't receive a signal.
Higher power satellites with small receiver antenna dishs / disguised antenna etc. seems the best way to go .

I would LOVE to have my TV coming via a cable!  At present I have Sky Freesat and it is abysmal!  You only have to have high winds or rain (or like the other day snow on the dish) and you lose the signal.  Also if the wind moves the dish (or pole if it is mounted on one - like mine is) you lose programmes permanently.
Here in Bath, many folk get their TV from a relay transmitter.  This transmitter is not big enough to carry all the Freeview channels, so they will be limited about 20.  Having seen a list of the channels they will get, I note ITV 3 and 4 are not there, although all the BBC channels are.  There are many other places in the UK which are in the same situation and the BBC will not build bigger relay transmitters for these places.  Digital TV is all a big con!
I would just love it if Plusnet delivered TV as well!
Quote
And it adds hugely  to your download data - which costs extra money.
  My partner (who lives in Kent) has a (sorry Plusnet) Virgin package.  He pays one monthly sum which gives him unlimited internet access and TV - I'm talking about the TV in the lounge here, not TV on the computer.  There are plenty of channels to chose from and there is a catch up facility where you can view past programmes that you might have missed.  I love it and only wish there was something similar available to me where I live.
mal0z
Grafter
Posts: 3,486
Registered: ‎02-10-2008

Re: BT Infinity

Quote from: MommaCat

I would LOVE to have my TV coming via a cable!  At present I have Sky Freesat and it is abysmal!  You only have to have high winds or rain (or like the other day snow on the dish) and you lose the signal.  Also if the wind moves the dish (or pole if it is mounted on one - like mine is) you lose programmes permanently.

In that case - your installation might be  either faulty or inadequate. The rigidity of the mountings is not sufficient to stop the dish moving, and / or the dish size is too small - which part of the UK are you in - the further north and to a degree the further west  you are the weaker the signal so should use a larger dish. Was it originally installed by Sky ?, or was it installed by an independent approved installer - a member of CAI ( Confederation of Aerial Industries ).
You say the dish is mouted on a pole - how long is that pole - how far from the brackets securing the pole is the dish mounted ?.
Yes virgin do deliver via cable - but that is not ADSL - it has delivered by cable for many many years, but it really exploded in the early to mid 90's, first as analogue and laterly as digital transmission. ( The company I worked for supplied companies such as Telewest ) But again that system needs a lot of switches ( like large telephone exchanges ), distribution network and street cabinets in every street to be served.
The downside of using ADSL for TV distribution is that you need huge quantities of data send over the network quite fast - and would rapidly use up you usage capacity .
I haven't done the sums - but for the average home that watches lets say 5 or 6 hours of TV a day ( and many would be more - especially pensioners at home all day . ) It would could a great deal. So lets say 5 x 30 = 150 hours TV per day - and in the future with HD even more data.
Maybe one of the Plusnet network guys could tell us how much data a month that would be ?.
Sorry this has drifted off topic - but maybe not may be I'm questioning if ADSL2 is suitable for mass TV distribution ???.
If it's off topic - could a MOD move it somewhere more suitable.
Bojangles
Grafter
Posts: 102
Registered: ‎24-08-2007

Re: BT Infinity

From an efficiency point of view it does sound like satellite transmission works better. However from a consumer point of view the internet offers so much more.
Nowadays I rarely sit down to watch television. It is so much easier to do something else in the evening or whenever and then download/stream it off VOD or p2p. Even with my Legacy Premier option 1 I can obtain ~150GBytes of data for £21.52 a month just by scheduling. If FTTC will do anything it will help pull people who cant even get 8mbit into the 21st century and for next to nothing.
I don't think Plusnet should provide televison directly. I'd much rather see the BBC and other media companies adapt their business model so we can just buy a copy of their programmes without having to fill our houses with DVD box sets or be forced to re-download something we've already got.
dvorak
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Re: BT Infinity

mod:note
we are in danger of going a little too off topic Smiley
MommaCat if you want to start a thread in chit chat about your sat tv issues that'd be the best Smiley
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Bud
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Registered: ‎22-08-2007

Re: BT Infinity

Quote from: MommaCat
I would LOVE to have my TV coming via a cable!  At present I have Sky Freesat and it is abysmal!  You only have to have high winds or rain (or like the other day snow on the dish) and you lose the signal.  Also if the wind moves the dish (or pole if it is mounted on one - like mine is) you lose programmes permanently.

Sounds like a very poor instalation, where I stay we frequently get high winds and the only times I have seen dishes move in the wind or lose signal in the rain have been poorly installed.  I was trained up for installing satellite dishes and have seen some poor installs and usually when a dish moves its because they haven't been tightened up properly.  Losing signal in the rain is usually a sign that the dish hasn't been alligned properly or is too small a dish.
Quote
My partner (who lives in Kent) has a (sorry Plusnet) Virgin package.  He pays one monthly sum which gives him unlimited internet access and TV - I'm talking about the TV in the lounge here, not TV on the computer.  There are plenty of channels to chose from and there is a catch up facility where you can view past programmes that you might have missed.  I love it and only wish there was something similar available to me where I live.

Your comparing 2 different technologies here.  Virgin are in the main part a cable tv operator, with a network designed for television as well as telephony services and I doubt its something that will ever be offered via POTS based systems.
mal0z
Grafter
Posts: 3,486
Registered: ‎02-10-2008

Re: BT Infinity

Quote from: Bud
where I stay we frequently get high winds

That's putting it lightly and you must need extra large dishes all the way up there
MommaCat
Grafter
Posts: 77
Registered: ‎06-02-2009

Re: BT Infinity

Quote from: adiewoo
Moderators Note.
we are in danger of going a little too off topic Smiley
MommaCat if you want to start a thread in chit chat about your sat tv issues that'd be the best Smiley

Yes, sorry - my fault.  OK I will start another thread on TV!