Comcast to Upgrade Minnesota User's Bandwith

[6souls]

New Comcast service offers serious speed

By Julio Ojeda-Zapata
Article Last Updated: 04/02/2008 06:26:09 PM CDT

I use Comcast broadband-Internet service because it's fast — but sometimes it's not quite fast enough.

When I am downloading high-definition movies, my 6-megabit-a-second hook-up can feel pokey. Pulling down "300" in its entirety takes an eternity.

So I jumped at the chance to try out Comcast's new 50-megabit-per-second service, which is intended for individual power users like me, as well as for small- and medium-sized businesses.

This is serious speed, at a not-exorbitant price: $150 a month for home service, compared to $43 for 6 megabits and $53 for 8 megabits (business plans have different pricing). And while I haven't been testing the faster connection long enough to vouch for its reliability, I'm impressed with what I've experienced so far.

Getting the new service is a simple matter of asking Comcast to swap out your old modem with an updated model, which connects to your home router and other gear in exactly the same way.

Fasten your seat belt, though, because you're in for quite a ride.

I downloaded high-definition movie trailers to a computer in full 1080p resolution, which normally involves waiting at least a minute or two before clicking "play." But now I could begin watching right away while the rest of the trailer downloaded in the background.

Digital movie rentals for my Apple TV and Vudu television boxes also downloaded lickety-split, which gave me more flexibility to fast-forward through parts of a just-purchased high-definition blockbuster. The download waits used to feel excruciating.

Comcast says its superfast service also is appropriate for hardcore videogamers who play over the Internet and need the best possible performance.

In speed tests I conducted on a laptop, I never quite managed Comcast's advertised 50-megabit-a-second downloads and 5-megabit uploads. Still, with downloads at just beyond 40 megabits and uploads at about 3 megabits, I was doing much better than my old 6-megabit downloads and 384-kilobit uploads.

This doesn't mean I'll keep the faster service on my dime once my Pioneer Press testing is done. I may decide to just wait a bit longer on those HD downloads and save a bunch of money every month.

(Note that customers with 6- and 8-megabit downloads will see their uploads hiked to 1 and 2 megabits at no extra cost; just be sure to switch off your modem, wait a few seconds, and turn it on in order to gain this bandwidth boost.)

But if you go for it, make sure the technology in the rest of your residence is up to snuff. With data blazing in from outside, you'll want wired or wireless networking gear that can handle at least that much speed and does not become a bottleneck as you try to throw data around your home — Years-old Wi-Fi gear may not cut it.

http://www.twincities.com/ci_8785826?nclick_check=1

[Akucaen]

I blatantly semi-quote HardOCP: Didn't comcast just get done bitching about network congestion problems thanks to P2P, typically what 'hardcore gamers' like that service appears to be tailored to use?

[Robert]

Comcast recently shut my service off for overuse, I was moving and had to get a new ISP 3 days later anyway, but still fucking retarded, I had 8 MBit under the pretense I could use it for what I wanted, not torrenting, using newsgroups and they shut my service off and when I called they told me I was over the limit but wouldn't tell me what the limit was. So I read their TOS and it doesn't say anything about a limit. What good is 50 MBit if I used 8 24/7 and got my service cut off? Has anyone heard of this before? <_<

[Khamsin]

I blatantly semi-quote HardOCP: Didn't comcast just get done bitching about network congestion problems thanks to P2P, typically what 'hardcore gamers' like that service appears to be tailored to use?

Didn't you read the OP? It's tailored for movie trailers and digital movie rentals! Who would use it to torrent copyrighted media?!

[Quicklet]

Those prices are absolutely terrible compared to Verizon FIOS... hell, I wouldn't even pay that much (especially when it's Comcast) if I was in a region where FIOS wasn't available.

[XxSlusherxx]

Comcast Prices are Rape city in the basement, it's seriously gone up about $40 for cable/internet combo since we lost Time Warner.

[6souls]

Those prices are absolutely terrible compared to Verizon FIOS... hell, I wouldn't even pay that much (especially when it's Comcast) if I was in a region where FIOS wasn't available.

if verizon had lines up in the cities, i'm sure many of us would be with them. the TC has Comcast (Cable/Broadband) & lolQuest (DSL). one is over priced, the other is slow, so not much to choose from.

[terranova]

Our comcast bill is..120$ month(comcast phone service thing)

but the internet fee went from 39.99 to 49.99$.

Honestly if they go any higher, they'll see some customers leaving .

As for the limit thing. .they didn't have a limit -at first- but I figured sooner or later they'd put one in.

[wintersquall]

i live in minneapolis and have comcast, i have NEVER, EVER heard anything about a limit. if they ever shut off my service due to a supposed limit that doesn't exist, we're gonna have a big fucking problem.

i don't really d/l a lot of stuff, but i have played FFXI for 4 years on a pretty constant basis.


edit: and @ OP... LMFAO at 150 bucks a month.