Cord cutters and ESPN haters shut out on streams?

[SEC]

Some here sound pour(I know it’s poor, understand my rhetoric(

Or I’m dumb and ain’t up to snuff.

[Hermit]

Some here sound pour(I know it’s poor, understand my rhetoric(

Or I’m dumb and ain’t up to snuff.

Pour ?

No, but I damn sure don't blow any money.

[SEC]

Pour ?

No, but I damn sure don't blow any money.

OK.

[NWOSURanger]

radio is still free.... isn't it?

[MichSooner]

I'm thinking about ditching my cable. When I bought this house 12 years ago it was $35 a month, now it's $150...for the exact same channels. My only real problem is I can only get a couple of OTA channels...one of which is PBS. I'm too far away from the big cities

We bought an outside antenna. One story house. Installed from ground up. $225. Get 40 over the air channels. We still have cable for internet.

[Stinger_1066]

So everyone (with T-Mobile seemingly being the biggest) advertising their 5G wireless plans are lying to us?!! And what’s your guesstimate as to when real 5G will be available?

That is a great question. Lying is not the appropriate word. Creative marketing is a better term. They're able to call it 5G because it is better than the 4G LTE standard, but is really just an enhanced version of 4G LTE. They don't deliver true 5G speed because it just is not possible with the way the networks are configured.

I'm probably being too much of a technical purist, but true 5G to me requires a microcell network where, instead of cell towers, there will be small antennas spaced much more closely than towers.

For example, antennas will be mounted on lamp posts and upload / download speeds will be much higher than what is available now.

The good news is, if you've already invested in a 5G phone, then it should be compatible with the future network. Your provider will send out some kind of firmware update over the network that will activate the 5G features. My guess is a couple of more years before it becomes more widely available, but there are trials going on now, so some people may have it already.

[hogarita]

That is a great question. Lying is not the appropriate word. Creative marketing is a better term. They're able to call it 5G because it is better than the 4G LTE standard, but is really just an enhanced version of 4G LTE. They don't deliver true 5G speed because it just is not possible with the way the networks are configured.

I'm probably being too much of a technical purist, but true 5G to me requires a microcell network where, instead of cell towers, there will be small antennas spaced much more closely than towers.

For example, antennas will be mounted on lamp posts and upload / download speeds will be much higher than what is available now.

The good news is, if you've already invested in a 5G phone, then it should be compatible with the future network. Your provider will send out some kind of firmware update over the network that will activate the 5G features. My guess is a couple of more years before it becomes more widely available, but there are trials going on now, so some people may have it already.

What is the min/max distances required for the placement of the antennas?

Seems like yet another technology rollout that will not usefully serve anyone outside of large city areas.

I guess the telcos are going to leave that service area to companies like Starlink.

[Stinger_1066]

So everyone (with T-Mobile seemingly being the biggest) advertising their 5G wireless plans are lying to us?!! And what’s your guesstimate as to when real 5G will be available?

That is a great question. Lying is not the appropriate word. Creative marketing is a better term. They're able to call it 5G because it is better than the 4G LTE standard, but is really just an enhanced version of 4G LTE. They don't deliver true 5G speed because it just is not possible with the way the networks are configured.

I'm probably being too much of a technical purist, but true 5G to me requires a microcell network where, instead of cell towers, there will be small antennas spaced much more closely than towers.

For example, antennas will be mounted on lamp posts and upload / download speeds will be much higher than what is available now.

The good news is, if you've already invested in a 5G phone, then it should be compatible with the future network. Your provider will send out some kind of firmware update over the network that will activate the 5G features. My guess is a couple of more years before it becomes more widely available, but there are trials going on now, so some people may have it already.

Well, I guess I have to change what I said above. I just read the linked story this morning.

---

Verizon and AT&T turned on a major new part of their 5G networks Wednesday, the culmination of a yearslong process that saw both carriers invest billions in spectrum and equipment to upgrade their networks.

The networks that lit up on Wednesday are using wavelengths called C-band to cover a large part of the country with wireless service that should be noticeably faster than current 4G service.

Verizon says 90 million people will get access to the new 5G service this month in major cities including New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. AT&T said it plans to cover as many as 75 million people with its C-band network by the end of the year.

The rollout brings to fruition major 5G investments from both carriers. Verizon spent $45.5 billion in a government auction last year to secure the rights to the wavelengths it’s using for its network. AT&T spent more than $23 billion. The carriers have since spent additional billions to actually build the networks and install equipment on cell towers.

“We’ve invested — just to get the spectrum, some $40-odd billion. And then we’ve also had to kick money into the kitty to help clear the spectrum. So you know, we’re looking upward of $53 billion,” Verizon CTO Kyle Malady told CNBC. Verizon will spend $10 billion over the next three years to continue building its network, he said.

Some forms of 5G were already available to wireless subscribers in the U.S.

Verizon and AT&T already offer two classes of service they market as 5G. Low-band service covers large areas, but only at about the same speeds as before, while millimeter-wave service offers much higher speeds, but only over small areas, such as street corners or sports stadiums.

T-Mobile, the third major carrier, has offered “mid-band” 5G since 2020 using different spectrum on the 2.5GHz band it acquired when it bought Sprint. T-Mobile says its network covers 186 million people in the U.S.

But the C-band networks going online Wednesday are different. They use newly available wavelengths, between 2.7 and 3.98GHz, that are capable of both traveling long distances and carrying enough data to deliver faster internet connections.

[TigerMan]

Well, I guess I have to change what I said above. I just read the linked story this morning.

---

Verizon and AT&T turned on a major new part of their 5G networks Wednesday, the culmination of a yearslong process that saw both carriers invest billions in spectrum and equipment to upgrade their networks.

The networks that lit up on Wednesday are using wavelengths called C-band to cover a large part of the country with wireless service that should be noticeably faster than current 4G service.

Verizon says 90 million people will get access to the new 5G service this month in major cities including New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. AT&T said it plans to cover as many as 75 million people with its C-band network by the end of the year.

The rollout brings to fruition major 5G investments from both carriers. Verizon spent $45.5 billion in a government auction last year to secure the rights to the wavelengths it’s using for its network. AT&T spent more than $23 billion. The carriers have since spent additional billions to actually build the networks and install equipment on cell towers.

“We’ve invested — just to get the spectrum, some $40-odd billion. And then we’ve also had to kick money into the kitty to help clear the spectrum. So you know, we’re looking upward of $53 billion,” Verizon CTO Kyle Malady told CNBC. Verizon will spend $10 billion over the next three years to continue building its network, he said.

Some forms of 5G were already available to wireless subscribers in the U.S.

Verizon and AT&T already offer two classes of service they market as 5G. Low-band service covers large areas, but only at about the same speeds as before, while millimeter-wave service offers much higher speeds, but only over small areas, such as street corners or sports stadiums.

T-Mobile, the third major carrier, has offered “mid-band” 5G since 2020 using different spectrum on the 2.5GHz band it acquired when it bought Sprint. T-Mobile says its network covers 186 million people in the U.S.

But the C-band networks going online Wednesday are different. They use newly available wavelengths, between 2.7 and 3.98GHz, that are capable of both traveling long distances and carrying enough data to deliver faster internet connections.

I heard this story on the radio this morning, but it was more related to the potential mess it could cause in aviation. Said they would not turn on the tech within a certain radius of airports, as it could “potentially” cause interference with equipment on planes when landing.

[FtwTxSooner]

I heard this story on the radio this morning, but it was more related to the potential mess it could cause in aviation. Said they would not turn on the tech within a certain radius of airports, as it could “potentially” cause interference with equipment on planes when landing.

The 5G equipment being rolled out transmits in its assigned frequency band and at its rated power. It will work as designed.

The problem is the radio altimeters on the aircraft were designed in the days where the only thing transmitting at that time was the C-Band satellites where one needed a 12 foot dish to receive a signal, so a very low power. They really didn't care about filtering out interference as there wasn't much out there, so those radio altimeters could potentially be receiving signals outside of the range it is supposed to receive. If aircraft avionics is supposed to be bullet proof, they should have done a better job there to prevent any sort of out of range interference from causing problems.

There still is quite a bit of buffer zone between where the 5G networks operate and the radio altimeters. The lower in is where the 5G networks operate, and the satellite operators were condensed into the upper end of the band where they were operating before.

[Stinger_1066]

What is the min/max distances required for the placement of the antennas?

Seems like yet another technology rollout that will not usefully serve anyone outside of large city areas.

I guess the telcos are going to leave that service area to companies like Starlink.

A city block is what I always hear. Downtown areas and close in suburbs will benefit for sure.

Where I live we can't even get coax or fiber, so I may be dead before it gets to my area.

[FtwTxSooner]

A few city blocks is about right for the millimeter wave 5G which Verizon advertises as 5G Ultra Wideband. Though you can get 2 Gbps throughput with it, though its range is like a Wi-Fi access point.

The "problem" is the physics of RF propagation. Transmitting at very high frequencies (24GHz - 39GHz) where hardly anyone was there before allows for rather large channel bandwidth sizes which allows for very high throughput. The downside is the signal gets completely absorbed by the atmosphere rather quickly, and really won't penetrate buildings. It much closer to how light behaves. It certainly has its uses, but its not a panacea for everything.

The lower frequencies where the networks currently operate can travel far, but are sliced up so much the channel bandwidth sizes are still the same as LTE and its predecessors. 5G improvements are very marginal over LTE in that respect.

Hopefully this C-Band rollout is what people were looking for, a nice middle ground between something that can have a reasonably wide coverage area, and also higher speeds than 4G LTE, but not quite 2Gbps.

[Highfligher]

If aircraft avionics is supposed to be bullet proof, they should have done a better job there to prevent any sort of out of range interference from causing problems.

Nobody spends money on problems that don’t exist. Most aircraft, and the systems they use, predate this problem.

FWIW, other countries have rolled out 5G with carve out protections for airplanes and airports. Not in the USA though.

[FtwTxSooner]

Nobody spends money on problems that don’t exist. Most aircraft, and the systems they use, predate this problem.

FWIW, other countries have rolled out 5G with carve out protections for airplanes and airports. Not in the USA though.

Plenty of money is spent on making sure a very low probability event never happens especially on a very critical system. If this was a $99 china LCD TV, then its no big deal. Though, a little more thought should have been put into something like this. Designing something that can fail in that manner is just poor engineering. The potential for RF interference can always be there.

[Highfligher]

Plenty of money is spent on making sure a very low probability event never happens especially on a very critical system. If this was a $99 china LCD TV, then its no big deal. Though, a little more thought should have been put into something like this. Designing something that can fail in that manner is just poor engineering.

It wasn’t a low probability. It was a non-existent problem. NOW it’s a low probability.

That said, other countries have found a solution. For some reason the US can’t.

[Hermit]

How To Mess Up 5G Rollout

How to Mess Up a 5G Rollout

We’re from the FAA and we’re here to blame you for our mistakes.

[Highfligher]

This article covers how other countries have handled it differently.

https://www.reuters.com/business/aer...ty-2022-01-18/

[Sooner Schooner]

We bought an outside antenna. One story house. Installed from ground up. $225. Get 40 over the air channels. We still have cable for internet.

There are websites that will tell you how many, and which, channels you will get if you put up an antenna. It gives you both inside, outside, over 30' in height. If I put in my address all I get are like three channels. IIRC, it's channel 6 and 8 out of Tulsa, and channel 3 which is the PBS repeater for this region.

[MJSooner]

So if I switch to YouTube TV, can I just use the app and wifi on my TV or do I need to figure out a hard wired solution?

[RockFlagandEagle]

So if I switch to YouTube TV, can I just use the app and wifi on my TV or do I need to figure out a hard wired solution?

Only wire you need is electric plug. Use ap built into TV or Fire/Roku/AppleTV.

[ab5sr]

Roku I believe is dropping Youtube TV, or has. I use FireTV on all of mine, better pic/sound mostly.

[Jakel]

radio is still free.... isn't it?

Not for OU if you are out of state

[ab5sr]

Only wire you need is electric plug. Use ap built into TV or Fire/Roku/AppleTV.

The built in apps dont seem to work as well. Moved to Fire apps exclusively....

[RockFlagandEagle]

The built in apps dont seem to work as well. Moved to Fire apps exclusively....

Ya I do same. Roku TV is the only one I've found that TV ads work well and not laggy.

[MJSooner]

Ya I do same. Roku TV is the only one I've found that TV ads work well and not laggy.

So you lied to me?

[ab5sr]

I still don't get FSSW; I can't recall any shows on it im missing. Maybe some CFB?

[RockFlagandEagle]

So you lied to me?

I don't think I did. Which part?

[TigerMan]

Just officially cut the cord today. Got YouTube TV. Still trying to figure everything out, but seems good so far. My only gripe at the moment is that there are no channel numbers, so I have to scroll through all the channels to get to what I want to watch. Don’t like that at all. I did customize it so that the channels I watch the most are all at the top of the guide, so that helps a bit. I need an adjustment period before give it a full review! I’m sure I’ll like it tho. Has every channel I watch, except the history channel.

[Sooner5030]

Just officially cut the cord today. Got YouTube TV. Still trying to figure everything out, but seems good so far. My only gripe at the moment is that there are no channel numbers, so I have to scroll through all the channels to get to what I want to watch. Don’t like that at all. I did customize it so that the channels I watch the most are all at the top of the guide, so that helps a bit. I need an adjustment period before give it a full review! I’m sure I’ll like it tho. Has every channel I watch, except the history channel.

One big adjustment I had to make a few years back was that I could no longer be an instant channel jumper. That's one area where streaming just doesnt work well. I got over it by streaming different games on multiple devices so I didnt need to change channels.

[TigerMan]

One big adjustment I had to make a few years back was that I could no longer be an instant channel jumper. That's one area where streaming just doesnt work well. I got over it by streaming different games on multiple devices so I didnt need to change channels.

Yup. That’s going to take me some time to get use to not being able to just jump to whatever channel I want.

[MJSooner]

I don't think I did. Which part?

How many lies did you tell?

About using the built in wife and app on my TV.

[MJSooner]

One big adjustment I had to make a few years back was that I could no longer be an instant channel jumper. That's one area where streaming just doesnt work well. I got over it by streaming different games on multiple devices so I didnt need to change channels.

Hmmm.....I'm not going to like that AT ALL.

[RockFlagandEagle]

How many lies did you tell?

About using the built in wife and app on my TV.

I just omitted a part. You can use the built in apps. I've used samsung, LG and Vizios so far and none really seem to work as well as my Fire Sticks or Apple TVs. Vizio is by far the worst. My wife's FireTV in her office works well as do the Rokus I have on my back porch and arcade. The 3 name brands above remind me of running a computer and having like 4 GB of RAM.

[ab5sr]

Hmmm.....I'm not going to like that AT ALL.

I still jump. just add a quick button push or two, and there you go an instant wife pisser offer.

[Stinger_1066]

Yup. That’s going to take me some time to get use to not being able to just jump to whatever channel I want.

.

[eightisgreat]

Well, I guess I have to change what I said above. I just read the linked story this morning.

---

Verizon and AT&T turned on a major new part of their 5G networks Wednesday, the culmination of a yearslong process that saw both carriers invest billions in spectrum and equipment to upgrade their networks.

The networks that lit up on Wednesday are using wavelengths called C-band to cover a large part of the country with wireless service that should be noticeably faster than current 4G service.

Verizon says 90 million people will get access to the new 5G service this month in major cities including New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. AT&T said it plans to cover as many as 75 million people with its C-band network by the end of the year.

The rollout brings to fruition major 5G investments from both carriers. Verizon spent $45.5 billion in a government auction last year to secure the rights to the wavelengths it’s using for its network. AT&T spent more than $23 billion. The carriers have since spent additional billions to actually build the networks and install equipment on cell towers.

“We’ve invested — just to get the spectrum, some $40-odd billion. And then we’ve also had to kick money into the kitty to help clear the spectrum. So you know, we’re looking upward of $53 billion,” Verizon CTO Kyle Malady told CNBC. Verizon will spend $10 billion over the next three years to continue building its network, he said.

Some forms of 5G were already available to wireless subscribers in the U.S.

Verizon and AT&T already offer two classes of service they market as 5G. Low-band service covers large areas, but only at about the same speeds as before, while millimeter-wave service offers much higher speeds, but only over small areas, such as street corners or sports stadiums.

T-Mobile, the third major carrier, has offered “mid-band” 5G since 2020 using different spectrum on the 2.5GHz band it acquired when it bought Sprint. T-Mobile says its network covers 186 million people in the U.S.

But the C-band networks going online Wednesday are different. They use newly available wavelengths, between 2.7 and 3.98GHz, that are capable of both traveling long distances and carrying enough data to deliver faster internet connections.

Getting a 5G home gateway from T-Mobile - 35 min. to 115 max. MBPS down - $50/month. I have Cox right now, for $85 bucks but won't in a week. I run Cox speed test regularly and it has been as low as 4MBPS (yes, f'ing 4) down and usually around 60-70MBPS - never anywhere near the upgraded150MBPS I am paying for. In 5-10 years, I think all ISP's will be phone companies - they already have a huge headstart on infrastructure.

[Stinger_1066]

Getting a 5G home gateway from T-Mobile - 35 min. to 115 max. MBPS down - $50/month. I have Cox right now, for $85 bucks but won't in a week. I run Cox speed test regularly and it has been as low as 4MBPS (yes, f'ing 4) down and usually around 60-70MBPS - never anywhere near the upgraded150MBPS I am paying for. In 5-10 years, I think all ISP's will be phone companies - they already have a huge headstart on infrastructure.

I can't get fiber or cable where I live.

I just switched from AtLink, which is a microwave service, to Verzion 4G LTE, which is the best they offer in my area.

AtLink was $75 / month for 5 mbs download. With Verizon I'm getting 50 mbs download for $50 / month.

[StroudSooner]

Not for OU if you are out of state

The last two years, I listened to OU games on the 107.7 iPhone app, from hunting camp in Delores Colorado. Not sure how it works though.

[Pokej]

I still don't get FSSW; I can't recall any shows on it im missing. Maybe some CFB?

Texas Ranger baseball!!

[Middle Aged Man]

My mother in law just dumped cox after 30 years. Brother in law set her up with roku. Single woman on limited retirement income saving more than $100 per month and she feels like won the lottery.

[NickZepp84]

Texas Ranger baseball!!

Not looking like we'll be getting baseball anytime soon right now. Pitchers and catchers were supposed to report by now.

[Pokej]

Not looking like we'll be getting baseball anytime soon right now. Pitchers and catchers were supposed to report by now.

We can dream

[ab5sr]

Texas Ranger baseball!!

yes very true. I hope to get some games on regular TV this year...

[MJSooner]

For my same service, Cox was only willing to offer a discounted plan that resulted in a $30 increase so I guess I'm going with AT&T fiber and YouTube TV. But I don't want to.

[RockFlagandEagle]

For my same service, Cox was only willing to offer a discounted plan that resulted in a $30 increase so I guess I'm going with AT&T fiber and YouTube TV. But I don't want to.

Had DirecTV before pulling the cord. Called them and said I'll stay if you can get me the same package I have now for $85 per month. She came back and said they could give me a discount of $30. I said you are about $100 short. She came back and said 'OK we can do $85'. I said 'good'. So then se says with the $85 dollar discount your monthly bill will be $135. Repeated what I wanted and she said they couldn't do it. Said, well go ahead and cancel. Been a very solid customer for 15+ years.

[Stinger_1066]

I still don't get FSSW; I can't recall any shows on it im missing. Maybe some CFB?

Texas Ranger baseball!!

I thought Fox Sports Southwest became Bally Sports Southwest, which is a streaming service. I think you can also get it if you subscribe to DirecTV Stream.

[ab5sr]

I thought Fox Sports Southwest became Bally Sports Southwest, which is a streaming service. I think you can also get it if you subscribe to DirecTV Stream.

Seems like I heard something like that...i'm still trying to figure out streams. We only get Paramount + but get 1883 on Prime?

[RockFlagandEagle]

Seems like I heard something like that...i'm still trying to figure out streams. We only get Paramount + but get 1883 on Prime?

You have Paramount thru Prime.

[FtwTxSooner]

I thought Fox Sports Southwest became Bally Sports Southwest, which is a streaming service. I think you can also get it if you subscribe to DirecTV Stream.

Its not quite at a point were you can subscribe to Bally Sports Southwest directly without subscribing to a TV service that offers it, but that should be coming really soon. Though, expect to pay $20 a month for it.

[TigerMan]

For my same service, Cox was only willing to offer a discounted plan that resulted in a $30 increase so I guess I'm going with AT&T fiber and YouTube TV. But I don't want to.

I was the same. Didn’t want to do it. I’m on day 2 with YouTube TV, and I’m already liking it a little more than I did yesterday. All I did yesterday was cuss DIRECTV for jacking my prices up and forcing my hand. I’ve already figured out a few tricks to make things somewhat easier with YouTube. I figure in another week, I’ll be happy I made the change. It’s definitely an adjustment tho.