Wideband Internet The Psychological Aspects Of 100+ Mbps
Now you can believe it when you see those Comcast high-speed internet ads showing people traveling at the speed of light to do dishes or go to Peru. While we thankfully can’t consume some kind of substance that emanates from our internet cables as Comcast has oddly suggested in their ads for the last couple of years, at least they can live up to the psychological feeling of intense speed associated with the internet. Even though I’ve had mixed feelings about the hurry of their internet at times (yes, I’m a Comcast cable and internet sycophant)–their recent announcement that they’ll soon offer something called Wideband internet sounds more than tempting. Then there’s that deal about the price and the thought of the price wars ahead with Verizon and everybody else…
Right now, we high-speed internet subscribers are used to around 16 mbps in our connection speeds (at least on a superior day when the modem is working right), and it’s almost hard to imagine getting up to 100 megabits per second or above. And that’s doesn’t necessarily brand me one of those Slowsky tortoises Comcast ribs in their ads of late. It’s merely a psychological response when you’re used to a certain speed of things and getting your brain built up to having your favorite website loading up in a fraction of a second. But having such speeds available will probably help us obliterate the almost mandatory cussing at your internet speed when it isn’t going faster than your brain. It’ll also help those who wish for a faster brain eventually develop one thanks to having no choice except to assume faster with an internet going 120 mph.
All of this was inevitable, of course–along with it coming from Comcast first who has the capital to invest in it. When they revealed the term “Wideband” at the usually awe-inspiring and annual Consumer Electronics Show this last January, it pretty grand blew people away when a demonstration took place showing the download of a high-definition movie in less than 10 minutes. Distinct, just great that we’ll have a chance to watch high-def movies on our computers after investing $1500 in a high-definition television. In the next year or two, it’d be an either/or scenario anyway thanks to Comcast charging $150 a month just to accept Wideband.
How rapid it’ll take to get Wideband to our homes…
I don’t know if it was a dice-throw, but Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota were selected as the first two cites to get Wideband from Comcast or any company. Hopefully we’ll hear from the people there (if it isn’t just a small group able to afford the bill) how it all works and what needs to work better. The rest of the country is probably lucky to wait a while to get it due to inevitable hang-ups that will get ironed out over time. Nevertheless, Comcast’s channel bonding technology that enables faster speeds through existing cable lines is usually fairly reliable. This process (sometimes called “Ethernet bonding”) is self-explanatory where two existing network lines are combined to increase the hasten by double or more. The good news here is, too, that on a bad day when your “high speed” internet goes a little slower–100 mbps hurry will still be blazing fast than it would be with our recent 16 mbps capacity.
According to Comcast, 20% of their subscriber base will have access to Wideband by the demolish of this year. You can be clear that 20% will be in the bigger cities where the median incomes are generally higher. It isn’t any different when cable television started 35 years ago and people who owned mansions were the first to have it pumped into their homes. So it’s a good opinion to start hanging around some of your wealthy friends if you want to see Wideband demonstrated anytime before 2009 or beyond.
In the meantime, it appears that Verizon and AT&T are going to be joining the same Wideband fray this year. That means you can expect that at least one of the three will offer a monthly fee that’s a few dollars less. This whole process, though, is concerning a lot of other cable companies upright now who haven’t been able to upgrade yet. They better get busy so we don’t waste up having only three cable or internet providers to choose from in the coming decade.
Watching movies on your computer or your TV? That is the question with a possible simple retort…
Well, think the answer to this to be more of my acquire opinion. I, for one, have never been able to figure out why any soul wants to sit and watch a movie on their computer. I’ve done it a few times and ended up getting more gawk strain and not feeling all that comfortable having to sit for two hours in a chair that isn’t conducive to watching a movie. Sure, I know that people would objective tell me to get a more comfortable chair to sit in so you can exercise more time sitting at the computer without going crazy and wanting to go out and run a marathon. The point is, why would we want to sit at a computer that long–unless you’re making money in an internet business.
Mind you, most of my work lately is on the computer as a freelance writer, though I always buy plenty of breaks and couldn’t write for one two-hour sitting. Watching a movie that would utilize you mentally is even worse. But that’s just me and not thousands (or millions) of others who judge watching a hi-def movie on a TV is a waste of getting out of a chair and walking a few feet to the living room. Comcast is basically going to be marketing their Wideband to people who crave those hi-def movies on their computer or play lots of video games that require higher screen resolution.
With so many people shutting themselves away in their entertainment centers–those up-coming commercials (hopefully not involving the Slowskys again who try to make 16 mbps internet appear slow) will probably appeal to that crowd.
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Comcast obviously had to reveal that it won’t stop here. They’re already close to enabling a hair-raising 160 mbps internet speed, which won’t happen until the coming decade.
Once we’re extinct to thinking faster then thanks to faster internet speeds, hopefully original ideas can be generated at the same speed…
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Filed under Small Business Phone Service by on Dec 8th, 2010. 