VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

JTVG · Backstage Pass Joined: 21 Jun 2007 Posts: 433

AT&T increased my ISDN price by $35/mo. It appears they are trying to put the squeeze on subscribers. Was told they did it across the board. I'm now paying over $200/mo. Shocked

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Joe Szymanski
http://www.joethevoiceguy.com

Tom Test · DC Joined: 23 Jan 2007 Posts: 629 Location: Chicago, IL

Yep, I was at about $165 when I started ISDN service in Chicago this January. Now I'm also up to $200.

I had a session downtown yesterday at one of the top studios here. It was their first attempt at a session using a Skype method called a "wormhole." I'm unclear as to how it worked exactly. The agency folks in Milwaukee could see the engineer in Chicago, and they could hear me on their end very clearly and with no discernible latency. The recording and sweetening was done in Chicago though.

Between Source Connect, Skype, etc, the writing is on the wall. But I won't give up my ISDN any time soon. I just had a session this AM that will pay for nearly a year of monthly fees, and I expect to do a lot of political VOs in 2012.
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Tom Test
"The Voice You Trust"
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Boothvoice · Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 11:45 am Post subject:

I've been thinking about ISDN, and while I could probably handle the initial outlay for the equipment, I'm shocked to find out that the monthly line charges are that high. I've come across a few jobs that require ISDN that I had to pass on, but I'm still on the fence. That's a pretty hefty investment. Any other input on rates across the country?
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Tom Booth
"Everything You Need in the Booth"
www.boothvoice.com

bobsouer · Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 1:18 pm Post subject:

Verizon is still charging me about $60 a month and Sprint about $15 for my long distance service on those lines.
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Be well,
Bob Souer (just think of lemons)
The second nicest guy in voiceover.
+1-724-613-2749
Source Connect, phone patch, pony express

JTVG · Backstage Pass Joined: 21 Jun 2007 Posts: 433

I think you may also be the second luckiest guy in voice over, Bob. I, of course, was the first while I was in Columbus and received ISDN for less than $50/mo. That was nice.
_________________
Joe Szymanski
http://www.joethevoiceguy.com

Lizden · Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 4:39 pm Post subject:

Bob is lucky!...but of cousre he has "someone" on his side. Wink

I pay $62/mo to Verizon & $32/mo to MCI for long distance.
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Liz de Nesnera O.A.V. ~ Livin' The VO Dream!
English/French Bilingual VO w/ ISDN
HireLiz.com / liz@hireliz.com

Chuck Davis · Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 4:00 am Post subject:

$165 per month to AT&T. Hoping they don't bump me up with the next bill.
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Wicked huge.....in India.
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Bruce · Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 7:34 am Post subject:

I'm still paying about $74 per month for both lines.

B
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VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005

I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .

Matto · Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 8:57 am Post subject:

I remember reading something or watching a clip a while ago that stated that when Don LaFontaine started recording from a home studio, everyone else in the biz said, "Well, it's ok for us to do this now, too!"

Maybe a similar thing needs to occur with the heavy hitters of today. Once a bunch of talent endorse Skype or other technology, more studios might be inclined to jump on board (when the technology IS good enough, of course).

At the end of the day, studios are getting hit with these fees as well and I doubt there is anyone out there that doesn't want to save money where they can.
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www.mattcowlrick.com

Chuck Davis · Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 9:22 am Post subject:

I do sessions several times a week with Joe Cipriano. We both have ISDN...but use Source Connect as it's cheaper. Same thing in demo sessions with Nancy Wolfson. Source Connect could be a real option if enough people jump on board.
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Wicked huge.....in India.
www.chuckdaviscreative.com

georgethetech · Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 11:34 am Post subject:

Studio management and owners see ISDN as a cost they want to recoup, and even though they probably have many times over, they don't want to buy new gear, and "worse", train their staff. The other barrier is that the bigger the corporation, the tighter the IT security. They won't let a studio computer have open ports to the Internet, no matter how we try to justify it.
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If it sounds good, it is good.
George Whittam
GeorgeThe.Tech
424-226-8528
VOBS.TV Co-host
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TriBooth.com Co-founder

Chuck Davis · Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 11:43 am Post subject:

Good point. Reminds me of my old radio employer and their policy in terms of allowing outside access to their Audiovault servers.
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Wicked huge.....in India.
www.chuckdaviscreative.com

JTVG · Backstage Pass Joined: 21 Jun 2007 Posts: 433

Dan-O · The Gates of Troy Joined: 17 Jan 2005 Posts: 1638

scottreyns · Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 10:50 pm Post subject:

Sheesh. Providers putting the squeeze on people still using it... why am I not surprised?

The whole ISDN vs. VOIP thing is one of the few angles where I don't lament being part of a relatively newer generation of voice actors, compared to folks who have been working 20-30 years.

Not that I didn't have to get a little assistance, upon upgrading my Source-Connect setup to 3.6 this week, with making sure I was up to speed on the a Hobo Tounge

's current state.
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Scott Reyns, voice talent serving major metros (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York) and beyond