Fiber Optics, A Pipe-dream (pun intended)

In my area, I have three options for Broadcast television. Comcast, Centurylink and satillite TV. Make that four…or nothing.

Comcast has a major infrastructure hurdle to overcome. The problem is, they aren't doing anything to resolve it. I'm referring to upgrading their system to a fiber optics network. Instead, the bean counters decided it's cheaper to continue to patch a 20-year old system. Even their in-home hardware is antiquated (receiver/DVR). This also means Comcast must use extreme compression to save bandwidth. That translates to a poor quality television image. I spoke with several Comcast installers. They all said the same thing. A fiber optic upgrade isn't on their radar, at least in my lifetime. They do have decent cable internet speeds (15-20 Mbps), although pricy and often in need of repairs.

Centurylink, formerly Embarq and Sprint, suffer from the same issues in my area. They brag about their 40 Mbps download internet speeds. The reality is, its available only in spotty areas. Their maximum download speed in my area is 4 Mbps. That's near my upload speeds with Comcast.

Satellite offers the best broadcast image quality. I have Directv. Other than the price and occasional weather related blackouts, its pretty darn good. Although they too use compression, it's usually just under the range of perception.

Netflix streaming is another option; however, their compression is severe. So severe that I find it unwatchable. It's especially noticeable on larger displays. This is why I only subscribe to their DVD/Blu-ray discs.

If you want true uncompressed audio with video along with near correct aspect ratios, Blu-ray is the only game in town. On one occasion, I went to stream an episode of Dexter via Netflix. Horrible video quality wouldn't begin to describe what I saw. I turned it off and got the Blu-ray version. It was exactly the opposite. Simply superb! If fiber optics ever makes its way into the general population, that could seal the fate of Blu-ray discs. The throughput with fiber optics would allow for the flow of uncompressed data. If streaming uncompressed data became the norm then why would we need Blu-ray? We probably wouldn't. Based on Comcast and Centurylink's infrastructure upgrade program, I think Blu-ray has little to worry about in the near future, at least it doesn't in my neck of the woods.