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Comcast Promising Ultra-Fast Internet

Posted by kdawson on from the whole-lotta-hd-video dept.

Espectr0 writes "Comcast's CEO Brian Roberts gave The Associated Press a preview of his speech for the Consumer Electronics show, and said that Comcast expects to demonstrate a technology that delivers up to 160 megabits of data per second over cable. At that speed you could download a high-definition copy of 'Batman Begins' in four minutes. The technology, DOCSIS 3.0, will start rolling out this year." Here's a note about Cisco's announcement of their DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem.

19 of 314 comments (clear)

  1. That's Incredible. by cromar · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Too bad we aren't going to see any speed close to that for personal use, at least not without forking over hefty sacks of bling.

    1. Re:That's Incredible. by gbulmash · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Too bad we aren't going to see any speed close to that for personal use, at least not without forking over hefty sacks of bling.

      Yeah. Comcast is bitching and moaning about bandwidth usage at current speeds and doing all sorts of dirty stuff to "shape" usage. If they increase speeds by 15-20x, their wailing and gnashing of teeth will know no end (or upper decibel level).

      On the consumer side, they'll probably roll out speeds and pricing only comparable to FIOS and not get anywhere near the higher end speeds at all, or they'll offer 50-100 megabit speeds on business accounts for $200-300 a month.

      Still, Verizon just made FIOS available in my neighborhood. I was waiting to see if they'd roll out FIOS TV too and get the package (dump Comcast altogether). Now I may wait to see if Comcast rolls out the new speedy stuff around here to compete with FIOS in the near future. Could be worth the wait.

      - Greg

      --
      Start a happiness pandemic
    2. Re:That's Incredible. by jonsmirl · · Score: 4, Interesting

      FIOS OTN is my basement is running at 680Mb/s. I'm paying $40 to get 20Mb/s of that. They have 2.4Gb/s OTNs but there's no need to deploy them yet. Coax cable plants are legacy.

    3. Re:That's Incredible. by Shakrai · · Score: 4, Insightful

      was waiting to see if they'd roll out FIOS TV too and get the package (dump Comcast altogether)

      Why wait? Dump 'em now. I dropped my cable package down to "lifeline" service (local tv stations only) and wouldn't even have had that if I could have gotten decent reception with rabbit ears.

      I actually like TV but it's just not worth the fucking money. In my area it now costs $55/mo for basic cable. $660/year. More if you want digital cable, DVR, or any of that. And it goes up every year. I can recall before Time Warner came in and bought up the local cable companies -- basic cable cost about $25/mo for 60 channels. Now it's $55/mo for 68 channels. I guess those five home shopping networks, BBC America and Spike TV really cost them $30 more....

      It's just not fucking worth it. Having the networks will get you most new shows. Cable only shows can be downloaded, oftentimes quite legally (The Daily Show). There's also DVD rentals of older shows (Netflix anyone?).

      --
      I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
      We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
  2. bittorrent by sankekur · · Score: 4, Insightful

    maybe fast for other things but not for bittorrent

    1. Re:bittorrent by _xeno_ · · Score: 5, Informative

      Oh, I don't know, people using BitTorrent to download legal things, like Linux distros, OpenOffice.org, World of Warcraft patches, or anything else that offers BitTorrent downloads.

      Seriously, why is that insightful? There are plenty of legal uses of BitTorrent that don't involve pirating movies.

      (And, of course, things like, uh, porn and fansubs may not be available on demand. Not that I'd know anything about that. Oh, and indie films and less popular films and all sorts of digital things that aren't likely to be available on demand.)

      --
      You are in a maze of twisty little relative jumps, all alike.
  3. Slick! by Pahroza · · Score: 4, Informative

    Speeds as listed here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DOCSIS#Speed_Table are rather impressive. Max usable down and up speeds are 152/108 Mbit/s, respectively.

    Hopefully they'll roll this out with an affordable pricing plan; they already announced that they'll be raising prices in February.

    1. Re:Slick! by garcia · · Score: 4, Insightful

      All this shows is that it doesn't make one bit of a difference if it's DOCSIS 1.0, 2.0, or 3.0 because Comcast is still going to throttle you via a config file and you will probably never see 150mbit connections on their network unless you're getting on-demand movies.

      If we were currently seeing 38mbit/(9|27)mbit connections now, I might be inclined to say, "yeah, they're going to give us 150+" but because they're operating at about 6mbit/less than 1mbit for the majority of connections (yes, they go a higher for short bursts) this is nothing more than fluff for CES.

  4. And you get this for... by BUL2294 · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...the low, low price of $1000/month. But if you also sign up basic cable, home phone, and HBO/Starz, the package will cost $1050/month (for the first 3 months)--plus taxes and regulatory fees. It's Comcastic!

    Comcast - We own you.

    --
    Windows 3.1x calc: 3.11 - 3.10 = 0.00
  5. Re:Upload bandwidth? by mi · · Score: 5, Informative

    RTFA. The description of Cisco's DOCSIS 3.0 "modem", linked to from the summary, says:

    Cisco Systems Inc. is demonstrating a DOCSIS 3.0 modem that would let operators support downlink speeds of 160mbps and uplinks of 120mbps [emphasis mine -mi].

    Whether Cable companies will allow you to use all this is another story — probably not, because that's the simplest way for them to combat file-sharing without affecting downloads from "legitimate" servers... And I'm pretty sure, they'll continue blocking port 80, etc.

    But you'll continue buying it, because the awesome download speed will trump all other concerns...

    --
    In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
  6. Faster internet, faster disconnection by Jailbrekr · · Score: 4, Funny

    So at that speed, how long do you think it'll take be be cut off for 'excessive use'? I'd give it 5 minutes, tops.

    --
    Feed the need: Digitaladdiction.net
  7. 1/4 Batmans per minute? by X_Bones · · Score: 5, Funny

    what's that in Libraries of Congress per second?

    --

    the coolest club on /.
  8. Promises promises by Kelbear · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'll believe it when they actually offer it, there are plenty of ways for them to tie down that speed into an undesirable product. Excessive pricing, throttling, bundling, lock-in, hidden caps...

    How fast is the upload, and for that matter, how many download sources are there that can actually hit that speed for numerous users? Even in a torrent it's tough to find enough seeders to equal those speeds. If it can be done, how many suscribers can hit that speed before they crowd each other out?

    I think the biggest boost to my practical download speed would be an increase to other people's upload speeds. That sort of breakthrough would be far more exciting.

  9. They can't deal with what they already provide? by stickyc · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I'm confused - Comcast has admitted they can't handle the speeds they're already providing to customers, what's the point in providing a faster end-user connection if the back-end can't support it?

    1. Re:They can't deal with what they already provide? by jbeaupre · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Because they can charge more for delivering the same thing.

      --
      The world is made by those who show up for the job.
  10. But it's still Comcast by Avatar8 · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Given the company's history, I don't trust a single word the article says.


    -"Up to" 160 mbps likely means "We'll sell you 20Mb for $50/mth to barely squeeze out our competition, but real speed will cost ya $$$$."
    -Is it still a shared network? So if my neighbors are all downloading Batman Begins, is my internet download going to slow to 1mbps? I bet it will.
    -Will the service be reliable, as in always on, 24x7x365, you know, like the phone companies and my FiOS connection are? I completely and totally doubt it.
    -Will the charge per month keep increasing every six months? I think it will.
    -Will you still charge customers for house calls even when the fault lies in your network and your equipment? I'm sure you will.
    -Will you replace your unskilled, rude and generally ignorant customer service with talented, considerate and intelligent people? Only if Comcast decides to pay a decent wage, so I guess not.
    -Will the VoD carry the latest movies as soon as they're legally available? If the CEO is using Batman Begins (2005) as an example, probably not.
    -Will Comcast ever apologize or make amends for all the anguish, pain, suffering and overbilling they have caused their customers since Comcast came into existence? I'm not holding my breath.


    My only wish is that Comcast executives, where ever they go will receive the same kind of service they themselves deliver.

  11. Re:Its advertising that counts, not the product. by C0rinthian · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Believe me, many of us are aware. Damn the telecom industry. Damn them to hell.

  12. Re:Upload bandwidth? by pitdingo · · Score: 5, Informative
    But you'll continue buying it, because the awesome download speed will trump all other concerns...

    Wrong. I will keep buying it, because like the vast majority of Comcast subscribers, I have no other choice.

  13. Bad summery by CNN by gravis777 · · Score: 4, Informative

    After reading the article, the content of the article pretty much backs what I was thinking - that while Comcast may be using some of the bandwidth for internet, most of this looks as if it will be employed for High-Def content on demand. This is 160 meg a second on their network, not on the internet. At least, that is what I am making out of the story.