The following stations were added in Hampton Roads this morning, I am assuming that they were also added in Richmond except for WSKY-DT.

87 - NHL Network SD
94 - CBS College Sports
504 - WSKY-DT (local independent superstation)
587 - NHL Network HD
651 - HSN HD
850 - Encore HD

Today Richmond received the following channels:
#87 NHL
#94 CBS COLLEGE SPORTS
#193 CHILLER
#246 BLUE HIGHWAYS
#348 STARZ INDIE
#349 STARZ RETRO
#587 NHL HD
#651 HSN HD
#850 ENCORE HD
#1001 HD PPV EVENTS
#1005 HOT CHOICE PPV

when are these new channels supposed to be active?

These are active now in Richmond and 8 CH. (including NBA) are in our guide as "coming soon".

A month ago, when I ordered the Extreme HD package, I was told that I would receive a free trial of HBO, Cinemax, and their kin, through November 14th.

Today is November 18, and I'm still getting these premium channels.

Is everyone else?

A month ago, when I ordered the Extreme HD package, I was told that I would receive a free trial of HBO, Cinemax, and their kin, through November 14th.

Today is November 18, and I'm still getting these premium channels.

Is everyone else?

You have to cancel if you don't want to be charged after the first month.

Yup - you are paying for them now.

Remote DVR appears to be available in Pittsburgh now, unless I was missing the big fat "Activate" button before.

I just dropped my landline and signed up for the Flex cell and extreme HD bundle. I was told that I would not incur any early termination fees. Time will tell though. And I'm already pissed that once you drop your landline you have to create another account with a different user name so your exisiting services can be moved to it. I specifically asked two reps about this and was told my transisition would be transparent which it hasn't been.We've had the Triple Play since our install back in April. We didn't need the landline, but the Flex Bundle wasn't available until recently. Anyway, I got tired of not being able to watch the Fox News HD, Fox Business HD, and ABC Family HD channels, so I called into Verizon about switching to the Flex Bundle. The CSR told me that switching would still incur a $200 cancellation fee. However, she also said that I could be moved to the upgraded Triple Play Bundle for the same price of $109.99 (upgrade to 20/5 Internet, upgrade to ExtremeHD, same old unneeded landline). Plus, I could actually save a few bucks since the DVR fee was waived for three months...and the new 12-month contract actually shaved 4-months off my existing contract.

Happy Camper here! I'll try to get rid of the landline again next year, but we love FiOS Internet and TV. To be honest, our FiOS account is in my wife's name and I get the feeling it will be less painful for cancel her service and sign-up for new services under my name. Now...if only they would field a better DVR that supported external storage. I would love to see EchoStar make Verizon's DVRs.

for FSN-HD and CSN-NW HD to be added to the channel lineup in the Oregon Market...Does the rest of the country already have their RSN-HD channels?
Would you post a note if you "DON'T" have them?

I'm just trying to gauge who does and who doesn't and any RSN-HD feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!

You have to cancel if you don't want to be charged after the first month.

I was given the option of them turning off the HBO/Max freebie group at the end of the 30-day period or continuing to provide them until I call to cancel. I chose the former but still have my calendar marked to be sure. ;)

for FSN-HD and CSN-NW HD to be added to the channel lineup in the Oregon Market...Does the rest of the country already have their RSN-HD channels?
Would you post a note if you "DON'T" have them?

I'm just trying to gauge who does and who doesn't and any RSN-HD feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!

train do you know who owns these chs? lack of a carriage agreement with Vz could be one reason they're MIA.

BTW NY still lacks MSG-HD & FSNNY-HD AFAIK for this very reason.

we've had CSN-MA HD since the Phase 1 rollout.

I was given the option of them turning off the HBO/Max freebie group at the end of the 30-day period or continuing to provide them until I call to cancel. I chose the former but still have my calendar marked to be sure. ;)

I think the CSR either a) didn't know what they were talking about or b) pulled a fast one over on you.

I have never heard of a cable/satellite company provide a month of a service for free and offer to turn off the service w/o you notifying them.

train do you know who owns these chs? lack of a carriage agreement with Vz could be one reason they're MIA.

BTW NY still lacks MSG-HD & FSNNY-HD AFAIK for this very reason.

we've had CSN-MA HD since the Phase 1 rollout.


I'm unsure as to who owns these channels, we do have the SD version of both, but I know that neither have had a dedicated HD channel in the past (on various carriers, Comcast, etc.), but only an assigned channel to carry HD games when available (usually channel 788 on Comcast which is/was the MOJO channel).

I do know that the Seattle FiOSTV market does currently get FSN-HD (Channel 576, I believe) and it only carries FSN-HD games when available, and is not a full-time channel. Maybe someone will confirm that for me from the Seattle service area?

EDIT: Don't quote me on the above...in checking the online lineups for the Seattle Market, it's not showing FSN-HD as available. I thought I'd read somewhere that it was available, I'll have to go find it...

UPDATE: Found it...it was in the Portland, Oregon Local FiOS TV Thread...that I read it had been added in Seattle.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14980404#post14980404



As for CSN NW-HD, who knows, Verizon was one of the first in the Oregon market to carry the SD channel and there's still no agreement with the satellite carriers (to even carry the SD version, which looks like complete crap by the way, even on FiOS). Comcast customers receive the broadcast Blazer home games in HD on channel 788. Maybe they're not willing to give up that HD signal to Verizon for some reason.

train -- It took both the DC and Richmond/Hampton Roads markets a long time to get CSN Mid-Atlantic HD. It has to do with how blackouts are done on Vz, it is apparently more complex than on cable operators.

D.C. received the channel several months before Richmond/Hampton Roads because of these blackout issues.

You may be in the same boat.

I was given the option of them turning off the HBO/Max freebie group at the end of the 30-day period or continuing to provide them until I call to cancel. I chose the former but still have my calendar marked to be sure. ;)

I'd call them to cancel if you don't want them. Can't leave it up to chance.

train -- It took both the DC and Richmond/Hampton Roads markets a long time to get CSN Mid-Atlantic HD. It has to do with how blackouts are done on Vz, it is apparently more complex than on cable operators.

D.C. received the channel several months before Richmond/Hampton Roads because of these blackout issues.

You may be in the same boat.

I'm guessing we (Richmond/HR) will have the same issue if/when MASN-HD is brought to Vz. -even though we have the SD version of the channel.

I'm guessing we (Richmond/HR) will have the same issue if/when MASN-HD is brought to Vz. -even though we have the SD version of the channel.

I'm hoping whatever solution they came up w/for CSNMA-HD can be implemented for MASN-HD as well.

As for CSN NW-HD, who knows, Verizon was one of the first in the Oregon market to carry the SD channel and there's still no agreement with the satellite carriers (to even carry the SD version, which looks like complete crap by the way, even on FiOS). Comcast customers receive the broadcast Blazer home games in HD on channel 788. Maybe they're not willing to give up that HD signal to Verizon for some reason.

Other than Blazer games, is there any other HD content on CSN NW? OSN doesn't carry the Ducks in HD do they? So really, there's no need for a full time HD channel until there's some HD content.

The new boxes, 7xxx, have 160GB hard drives. Does anyone know why we are all stuck with such a small drive? Is there any hope besides moving to Tivo, which kills all IPTV, PPV capabilities?

get a tivo and a fios hd stb for vod.

Or, rather, just get a netflix subscription for the same price of that box rental (if you don't already have a netflix sub.) Netflix streaming is coming to Tivo (including HD streaming)

As netflix's instant streaming library increases, I'm going to see less and less of a need to be able to access VOD with Fios and my urge to get a Tivo after my free DVR expires is going to increase.

what is the quality of the netflix hd streaming? right now the fios hd vod is a better option since it has more content.

what is the quality of the netflix hd streaming? right now the fios hd vod is a better option since it has more content.

Current reports are "good" but the only people that can take a look at it right now are the handful that have gotten the NXE Xbox update early. Engadget had a pretty favorable impression of it and they are generally hard on streaming tech.


Video quality was excellent on our end, with SD content looking terrifically watchable. A small perk -- but huge deal as far as we're concerned -- is the inclusion of a limited amount of HD content. We previewed Heroes in HD, and the quality was stunning. Right now there's only about 300 titles on offer, but we think after folks get a taste of this, they'll be begging for some expansion

Theoretically, they should be able to provider higher quality than FIOS Vod if they give the streams enough bandwidth because all the streaming content from Netflix is going to be Silverlight based, encoded in VC-1, rather than the MPEG2 we get from Verizon.

I'm not sure I would agree about the depth of content. Maybe if you include all the PPV titles, but Verizon has surprisingly little HD content available for "free." That's the one thing that's very different coming from Comcast, there were hundreds of HD movies available OnDemand for no additional cost, but you get nothing from Verizon unless you are subscribed to Movie channels and even so it's mostly just Starz and Showtime on demand available in HD.

Netfix is supposed to have about 300 HD items available right now, but you know that will grow. Netflix has also inked deals to carry current seasons of shows much like you would get in the various network VOD channels (in fact, season 3 of Heros is supposed to be on there right now in HD streaming). The big difference is everything that netflix offers is yours to stream if you are on at least the $8.99 unlimited plan.

If netflix really commits to this, I can see this making VOD from providers completely redundant.

I'm hoping whatever solution they came up w/for CSNMA-HD can be implemented for MASN-HD as well.

One would hope...

I would have thought they could have used the same [black-out] solution for CSNMA-(SD) as CSNMA-HD, but what do I know.

We'll probably get MASN-HD next September/October - right after baseball season.

If netflix really commits to this, I can see this making VOD from providers completely redundant.

The stumbling block will end of being these bandwidth caps that are continually spoken about and now starting to roll out. One could potentially eat up a good chunk of bandwidth watching these movies.

The stumbling block will end of being these bandwidth caps that are continually spoken about and now starting to roll out. One could potentially eat up a good chunk of bandwidth watching these movies.

No better way to get caps abolished than to actually start hitting the caps.

In my opinion, the day that comcast announced a 250gb cap, it was every subscriber's duty to download 249.999gb per month.

Recording off my set top box firewire on SD I'm getting a 528x480 size and 3.97mbps max bitrate. Lovely Verizon!

Recording off my set top box firewire on SD I'm getting a 528x480 size and 3.97mbps max bitrate. Lovely Verizon!

What channel? Most of the SD channels were running 704x480?

We'll probably get MASN-HD next September/October - right after baseball season.

Jayman-
MASN-HD is in the plans for early next year - definitely in time for the start of the season.

What channel? Most of the SD channels were running 704x480?
Probably Center Ice. There were one or two feeds last night that were pretty low bitrate, and the Center Ice channels are all 528x480.

Hey rosscan, any tips for getting Firewire working more reliably? It's about the *ONLY* problem I have with my FiOS service... it's a colossal pain in the butt to get usable data to actually appear on the Firewire.

Hey, does anyone else get really really crappy sound from Comedy Central or is it just my area (Pittsburgh)?

It doesn't sound so bad on my little 13 inch TV in my bedroom, but it sounds blown out and over amp'd though my stereo in the living room. Lots of distortion, very loud levels, very little stereo separation, while also sounding muffled. It's like the sound you would get out of a $10 clock radio with the volume maxed. It's been like this since I got fios installed on the 28th of October. At the time I still had my comcast cable and the sound was just fine there.

This is the only SD channel that exhibits that issue.

I'll second that "muffled" comment here in Central PA !

Anyone charted out the bitrates for all of Verizon's HD channels yet?

Wonderful present when I woke up this morning.
http://img381.imageshack.us/img381/8742/nhlnetjy3.jpg

Other than Blazer games, is there any other HD content on CSN NW? OSN doesn't carry the Ducks in HD do they? So really, there's no need for a full time HD channel until there's some HD content.

I'm not sure what other HD content is provided from CSN NW other than blazer games...I'm not even wondering about a full-time channel, just an available channel for HD broadcasts of blazer games. Carriage of blazer games at home on CSN NW is a regular occurrence.

Take for instance this evening's game...it is on the CSN NW SD channel tonight, and also on ESPNHD at 7:30p.m. It will not be blacked out on ESPN, at least to my knowledge, whereas in the past it might have been.

Comcast customers will be able to see the game on channel 788 (MOJO) in HD (the local broadcast crew, included), or have the option to watch it in HD on ESPNHD. Whereas Verizon customers are limited strictly to the ESPNHD option for viewing in HD. Am I complaining? NO! Anytime I get to see the Blazers in HD, it just makes it that much better.

Comcast customers will be able to see the game on channel 788 (MOJO) in HD (the local broadcast crew, included), or have the option to watch it in HD on ESPNHD. Whereas Verizon customers are limited strictly to the ESPNHD option for viewing in HD. Am I complaining? NO! Anytime I get to see the Blazers in HD, it just makes it that much better.

AHHH OK so none of the HD games are being shown by Verizon yet.

Gotcha.

Misunderstood.

AHHH OK so none of the HD games are being shown by Verizon yet.

Gotcha.

Misunderstood.


No worries...and no love from Verizon for RSN-HD programming...as of yet anyway in the Oregon market.

Take for instance this evening's game...it is on the CSN NW SD channel tonight, and also on ESPNHD at 7:30p.m. It will not be blacked out on ESPN, at least to my knowledge, whereas in the past it might have been.



I'm wondering about tonight's game, too. Last season, home games on Comcast CSN HD were blacked out on ESPN when both carried it, IIRC. Or maybe it was those on local KGW in HD. Whatever. It looks according to HD Sports Guide http://www.hdsportsguide.com/ the game is also on WGN in HD, but of course the guide has no such listing for WGN. Guess we just have to wait until 7:30.

The HD Center Ice channel looks great. Tonight's game is NESN-HD's broadcast of the Bruins-Sabres game.

Any update on when all markets will get these new channels? Nothing added to Seattle market yet.

We got patch 06.89 during the night in the DC market.

It strikes me as odd that Verizon no longer adds channels nationally at the same time like they used to despite having the capacity to do so again. Anyone know why this is?

We got patch 06.89 during the night in the DC market.

Looks like Richmond (and maybe Hampton Roads) got the 6.89 patch last night as well.

It strikes me as odd that Verizon no longer adds channels nationally at the same time like they used to despite having the capacity to do so again. Anyone know why this is?

What makes you say this? They just completed the final upgrade this week, didn't they? Have they added any new channels since then?

I think the next batch are the .TV channels, which no one has yet.

They have only added NHL Network, Encore, and a few other various channels to select few areas thus far. Seems to me with a major announcements a couple of weeks back touting NHL Network that they would have added the channel across the board.

It strikes me as odd that Verizon no longer adds channels nationally at the same time like they used to despite having the capacity to do so again. Anyone know why this is?
Most of the time when Verizon has added HD channels, it has been on a market by market basis. IIRC, A&E-HD took a week or two to get added to all markets for example. Adding a HD channel to all markets the same day has been the exception.

In the Richmond and Hampton Roads markets, NHL Network HD is on QAM channel 54 (center frequency 504 MHz in the diagnostics display). I would expect it to be on QAM 54 in all markets as Verizon places the national channels on the same QAM channels for everyone. As of Tuesday, QAM 54 was not active in Northern Virginia. If 54 does show up in a QAM scan, then NHL HD is probably close to being added here.

But the sports channels present additional requirements of be able to black out the channel in a specific market area that you don't have with the other cable channels. That may be a reason for the market by market roll-out of NHL HD. Got to get each VHO set up to black out the specific sports channel when it is showing a game that the local RSN or station has exclusive rights for.

I think the CSR either a) didn't know what they were talking about or b) pulled a fast one over on you.

I have never heard of a cable/satellite company provide a month of a service for free and offer to turn off the service w/o you notifying them.

Well I don't have to rely on the note in my calendar to get rid of the free month of HBO/Max; they turned it off this morning. They did it 3 days early. Should I complain and get those days back? :D

I guess the CSR must have been operating from a new procedure book. YMMV.

You have to cancel if you don't want to be charged after the first month.

Thanks very much. The CSR removed the charges for HBO/MAX from my bill, even though I was 4 days late in cancelling. I pleaded that I didn't recall being told that I needed to cancel to avoid charges.

Thanks very much. The CSR removed the charges for HBO/MAX from my bill, even though I was 4 days late in cancelling. I pleaded that I didn't recall being told that I needed to cancel to avoid charges.

Good to see that they still try to please.

Looks like Richmond (and maybe Hampton Roads) got the 6.89 patch last night as well.

sure did. what's the patch for, or rather what's it supposed to fix?

sure did. what's the patch for, or rather what's it supposed to fix?

I don't think it fixes much for us, it was a very minor patch. Major version stayed at 1.6 the build # went from 6.86 to 6.89. I think all other areas with 1.6 were alreeady at 6.89.

I don't think it fixes much for us, it was a very minor patch. Major version stayed at 1.6 the build # went from 6.86 to 6.89. I think all other areas with 1.6 were alreeady at 6.89.

Mine's at 6.89 ... don't know when I got it...

Mine's at 6.89 ... don't know when I got it...

I believe Oregon and DC/VA/MD were the only areas to ever have 6.86. Oregon was patched to 6.89 a long time ago. All other areas that received IMG 1.6 got the 6.89 build initially.

What channel? Most of the SD channels were running 704x480?
The channel was ABC
Hey rosscan, any tips for getting Firewire working more reliably? It's about the *ONLY* problem I have with my FiOS service... it's a colossal pain in the butt to get usable data to actually appear on the Firewire.
It has been reliable for me on the major networks, only time I can't get anything is usually on premium or channels in the 100s. I can record perfectly fine off the HD channels though and also on DVR'd HD recordings.

Not that this deals directly with FiOS HD (but the above post about ABC SD doesn't either) but, FWIW, just switched out the Actiontec POS with the Westell Router yesterday (I've had 4 different Actiontec POS Routers in my place - all the same issue). Thus far its head and tails above the Actiontech.

Final straw was when I lost the internet service again for over 8 hours and reboots were not working. I spoke with the CSRs and told them that they were either 1) Hard wiring a 100 foot CAT5 run to the ONT and my Dell Switch or 2) Bringing out a Westell and try that - or 3) Disconnect the service.

The CSR originally said the Westells were only available in Oregon - I told them BS they were sitting at the warehouse waiting for the Actiontecs to run out.

Box is more square cosmetically than the Actiontec (not that I care about looks - I just want it to work properly) but the firmware when accessing the from a web browser looks very similar if not the same.

For the first time over a 24 hour period my POP3 emails have not hung at some point when logging into the server.

I cannot comment on the Wireless coverage as I never used it with the Actiontec as I had my house covered by my other network.

Glad to hear the Westell solved your problems. I've read some good reviews about that router over on DSL forums. I've had one of the newer ActionTek routers for a few months now and have had zero problems with it.

Not that this deals directly with FiOS HD (but the above post about ABC SD doesn't either) but, FWIW, just switched out the Actiontec POS with the Westell Router yesterday (I've had 4 different Actiontec POS Routers in my place - all the same issue). Thus far its head and tails above the Actiontech.

Final straw was when I lost the internet service again for over 8 hours and reboots were not working. I spoke with the CSRs and told them that they were either 1) Hard wiring a 100 foot CAT5 run to the ONT and my Dell Switch or 2) Bringing out a Westell and try that - or 3) Disconnect the service.

The CSR originally said the Westells were only available in Oregon - I told them BS they were sitting at the warehouse waiting for the Actiontecs to run out.

Box is more square cosmetically than the Actiontec (not that I care about looks - I just want it to work properly) but the firmware when accessing the from a web browser looks very similar if not the same.

For the first time over a 24 hour period my POP3 emails have not hung at some point when logging into the server.

I cannot comment on the Wireless coverage as I never used it with the Actiontec as I had my house covered by my other network.

Good to hear, I have an older ActionTec, it's worked fine, but maybe I'll campaign for a switch if there's any issues.

How's your VOD working? Are the ethernet ports Gigabit or 100 Mbit ports?

Inquiring minds and all that...

VZ does not enable the Gigabit option.

Hey, does anyone else get really really crappy sound from Comedy Central or is it just my area (Pittsburgh)?

It doesn't sound so bad on my little 13 inch TV in my bedroom, but it sounds blown out and over amp'd though my stereo in the living room. Lots of distortion, very loud levels, very little stereo separation, while also sounding muffled. It's like the sound you would get out of a $10 clock radio with the volume maxed. It's been like this since I got fios installed on the 28th of October. At the time I still had my comcast cable and the sound was just fine there.

This is the only SD channel that exhibits that issue.


Thank God someone else noticed!


I'll second that very loudly from Fort Wayne...

Thank God someone else noticed!


I'll second that very loudly from Fort Wayne...

Good to know it's not just me.

I wanted to register on http://forums.verizon.com/vrzn/board?board.id=FiOS_TV and throw the question there where a tech could look into it, but Verizon's system seems to not want to let me in.

I try to register for My Account and it asks for a phone number or account number. I don't have verizon phone service so I enter the account number I got off of the bill I see when I log into www.verizon.net

Oh wait, that's a completely useless account number because I have bundled services with TV, so I have to go to another link to log in to get that account number.

Which bounces me right back again to My Account which is what i was trying to register for to begin with. It told me it wanted a 10 digit account number, but any account number I see on my paper bill is far far more than 10 digits.

Also, I noticed in the billing section of Verizon.net, there was a bill there that I have never seen before. It is JUST for the internet side of things. I assume I don't have to do anything with it, since I am bundled and get everything on one bill, it just seems odd.

Verizon really needs to unify everything on the back end so people can get a more consistent customer experience. You have verizon TV central and verizon.net and My Account, all are different things that only give you a piece of your service pie.

Does anyone think the Fios website is beyond horrible. When our HD channels got updated, I did not get access to all of them,even though I have always gotten every channel previously. VS, and MGM being the two biggies. So I have been logged into the Fios website looking for an easy way to upgrade, and I cannot for the life of me find them. I have a button for Packages, but it doesn't list anything for me to click on to add.

I guess I am going to have to call one of the phone monkeys.

Does anyone think the Fios website is beyond horrible. When our HD channels got updated, I did not get access to all of them,even though I have always gotten every channel previously. VS, and MGM being the two biggies. So I have been logged into the Fios website looking for an easy way to upgrade, and I cannot for the life of me find them. I have a button for Packages, but it doesn't list anything for me to click on to add.

I guess I am going to have to call one of the phone monkeys.

I never deal with the web site. Phone support rules as far as I'm concerned.

I never deal with the web site. Phone support rules as far as I'm concerned.

I want pounds of whatever you are smoking :)

Verizon phone support is dismal - at best.

I never deal with the web site. Phone support rules as far as I'm concerned.

Since signing up for FiOS in June, I've easily spent over 20 hours on the phone with them trying to work out one problem or another. Not to mention the ease with which the automated operator sends you to the wrong department, or one person isn't able to help you with your problem, sends you to another dept, lets you stay on hold for another hour, and then that person sends you back to the previous dept. Great stuff. It's my one and only complaint about FiOS so far.

I want pounds of whatever you are smoking :)

Verizon phone support is dismal - at best.


I suspect he meant "the lesser evil".

I have to give props to my install tech.

I ordered Fios before Extreme HD existed and the install date was after Extreme HD went into effect. So, I obviously wanted to change my original order of Premiere08 and 10/2 internet so I could get all the HD channels.

I told the tech that as soon as he arrived. He told me "No problem" and immediate got on the phone with CSR after CSR as he was stringing fiber, drilling holes, and installing the ONT. Every once in awhile he would hand the phone off to me so I could confirm some info here and there. The only hitch is at one point he had to spend like a half hour talking with someone after the majority of the install was done to get some final details cleared up.

So, when all was said and done, I had the Verizon flex plan with Extreme HD and 20/5 internet (and was playing less than my original order to boot) and it took zero effort from me. He knew the right people to call and the right questions to ask to get everything pushed through.

He was one of the most professional field techs I've encountered in any service I've had. He was fast, knowledgeable, and friendly. It was a very good experience (even if it did take like 4 1/2 hours).

I suspect he meant "the lesser evil".

You'd suppose right. I find that dealing with people at least gives you a fighting chance. I've spent a good number of hours on the line myself, but ultimately have found that when I get to someone, it gets resolved.

Of course, I have a few rules:

1. I don't wait for my exasperation level to get to a huge amount before calling. I call immediately unless I can fix it quickly.

2. I have a very small amount of patience with remote fixes. If it takes more than a couple of attempts, I insist on a person coming to fix the problem.

3. I have no problem with demanding that they swap components. If I'm paying for this service, and I have a high opinion of it, I'd better have good service.

So far I haven't really been disappointed. Some things have taken time, others may require a half hour waiting on the phone, but overall the service has been very good, much better than D* or Comcast, my previous evil overlords.

I don't want to spend any time with a service person, but if I have to, Verizon have been reasonable, which is fine.

I suspect he meant "the lesser evil".

That's far different from "rules". By my interpretation, anyway.

It is the lesser of two evils, but since there are only two... coming in second still sucks!

Has anyone else had an issue keeping the clock on the display of the DVR? It used to stay there when set but now it seems like it only shows the channel. I can get it to show up when I toggle back and forth between channel and clock but if I come back the next day it only displays the channel again.

Good to know it's not just me.

I wanted to register on http://forums.verizon.com/vrzn/board?board.id=FiOS_TV and throw the question there where a tech could look into it, but Verizon's system seems to not want to let me in.

I try to register for My Account and it asks for a phone number or account number. I don't have verizon phone service so I enter the account number I got off of the bill I see when I log into www.verizon.net

Oh wait, that's a completely useless account number because I have bundled services with TV, so I have to go to another link to log in to get that account number.

Which bounces me right back again to My Account which is what i was trying to register for to begin with. It told me it wanted a 10 digit account number, but any account number I see on my paper bill is far far more than 10 digits.

Also, I noticed in the billing section of Verizon.net, there was a bill there that I have never seen before. It is JUST for the internet side of things. I assume I don't have to do anything with it, since I am bundled and get everything on one bill, it just seems odd.

Verizon really needs to unify everything on the back end so people can get a more consistent customer experience. You have verizon TV central and verizon.net and My Account, all are different things that only give you a piece of your service pie.

Same with me. Round and round in circles trying to log in.

I have to give props to my install tech...He was one of the most professional field techs I've encountered in any service I've had. He was fast, knowledgeable, and friendly. It was a very good experience (even if it did take like 4 1/2 hours).

Same experience with my install. Not the same experience with the idiots on the phone though...:rolleyes:

Same with me. Round and round in circles trying to log in.

I actually figured out what number to use.

My account number on the bill is separated as such:

xx xxxx xxxxxxxxxx xx

The account number THEY want is the ten digit group. So perfectly clear :rolleyes:

Ok, I managed to get registered with My Account and have posed the Comedy Central question on the forums. Hopefully it will catch the right person's eye and have something done about it.

Has anyone else had an issue keeping the clock on the display of the DVR? It used to stay there when set but now it seems like it only shows the channel. I can get it to show up when I toggle back and forth between channel and clock but if I come back the next day it only displays the channel again.

Yes

I thought it was just my DVR, but hearing that your encountering the same problem now makes me think that it's a glitch from the software upgrade that we got in CA

BTW

The clock will never re-appear after an EAS interuption until you turn the box off and on

Good to hear, I have an older ActionTec, it's worked fine, but maybe I'll campaign for a switch if there's any issues.

How's your VOD working? Are the ethernet ports Gigabit or 100 Mbit ports?

Inquiring minds and all that...

As the above poster stated, no Gigabit - only 100Mbit ports.

I run the Westell into another 100Mbps router that controls my network and then that feeds a Dell PowerConnect 5224 that has Gigabit/JumboFrames throughout the house (including optical to 2 remote Dell 2724 Switches at various locations around the house).

Has anyone else had an issue keeping the clock on the display of the DVR? It used to stay there when set but now it seems like it only shows the channel. I can get it to show up when I toggle back and forth between channel and clock but if I come back the next day it only displays the channel again.


Go to the setup - its an option now in image 1.6 if you want clock or channel. A number of my STBs defaulted to the clock option when 1.6 was loaded and had to be changed back to display channel only.

Also, it appears that image 1.6 also turns Audio Compression to Heavy when its loaded. You might want to check that as well if you want maximum dynamic range.

Holy crap that was quick. Less than a day after I posted about the audio quality of Comedy Central, it seems to be substantially improved. It's no longer a punch in the face "OH MY GOD I HAVE TO TURN IT DOWN" when I turn to the station.

The levels are still a bit hot from the rest of the stations (and compared to local ad inserts) but the quality is at least good.

Also, it appears that image 1.6 also turns Audio Compression to Heavy when its loaded. You might want to check that as well if you want maximum dynamic range.

I saw that option when checking out my settings after the upgrade. Does "Heavy" mean it's applying heavy dynamic limitation, or does it mean it's allowing heavy dynamics. Sill question, and I'm pretty sure it's the first answer, but just wanted to check.

Doug

PS I'm pretty sure the option to display the clock or the channel has been an option since at least back to when we go FiOS last December. Maybe the upgrade just changes the default until you set it again.

I saw that option when checking out my settings after the upgrade. Does "Heavy" mean it's applying heavy dynamic limitation, or does it mean it's allowing heavy dynamics. Sill question, and I'm pretty sure it's the first answer, but just wanted to check.

Doug

PS I'm pretty sure the option to display the clock or the channel has been an option since at least back to when we go FiOS last December. Maybe the upgrade just changes the default until you set it again.

1) Heavy = Heavy Compression = Less Dynamic Range.

You can tell that by the way the volume goes up when you turn on Heavy

2) You might be right as to it always being there (I didn't go into setup except once in the beginning) but all but 2 STBs changed their settings to clock instead of channel the day of the upgrade.

The option to set the clock on the display has been there since I signed up in June. However, after the upgrade, nothing has changed with the settings I had set up before. It still shows the channel on channel change, and then goes back to showing the clock. This is on the DVR btw, in case that makes a difference.

I am thinking to switch from Comcast triple play to Verizon triple play.
Could anyone tell me any pros and cons of Verizon Fios triple play?

Basically I think Comcast Internet (6MB or higher, I guess) is OK; but their HDTV channels are very limited. How's Verizon Fios TV PQ, reliability, customer service?

Thanks a lot!

Amount of content, PQ, and reliability are all excellent. Customer service is some of the worst I've ever experienced with any company in any industry. I've about given up on Verizon getting anything done right the first time. If you have to order something, make sure to have the rep confirm exactly what you're getting and what it will cost, and also get the the order number and any applicable discount code. I've also taken to calling back the next day to confirm that everything on the order is correct. As for the installers and field techs, they have been the best I've ever dealt with from any telco/cable company.

However, after the upgrade, nothing has changed with the settings I had set up before. It still shows the channel on channel change, and then goes back to showing the clock.

As I noted before, 5 of my 7 STBs acted like this after the 1.6 Image Upgrade. 0 acted like this prior.

I am thinking to switch from Comcast triple play to Verizon triple play.
Could anyone tell me any pros and cons of Verizon Fios triple play?

Basically I think Comcast Internet (6MB or higher, I guess) is OK; but their HDTV channels are very limited. How's Verizon Fios TV PQ, reliability, customer service?

Thanks a lot!

I'm just south of you and Comcast was stuck at 24 HD channels and no more in sight. FIOS became available last month and I switched the first day. Now I'm enjoying 104 (count 'em, 104) uncompressed HD channels and there are several more announced as "coming soon". The installer was excellent and you'll save a lot of money at least the first year. Customer service (an oxymoron) sucks at Verizon AND Comcast, so go with the faster internet and more HD channels.

By the way, how many HD channels is Comcast giving you in Mercer County?

I am thinking to switch from Comcast triple play to Verizon triple play.
Could anyone tell me any pros and cons of Verizon Fios triple play?

Basically I think Comcast Internet (6MB or higher, I guess) is OK; but their HDTV channels are very limited. How's Verizon Fios TV PQ, reliability, customer service?

Thanks a lot!

fios has gotten up to 100 hd channels now, so that's probably more than what you're getting with comcast. a lot of that is all the premium channels (e.g., there are like 20 hbo and cinemax channels), so you won't get all 100 hd channels unless you sub to the various pkgs. HD PQ is excellent. fios just passes whatever the provider sends with no additional compression. SD PQ is good but could be better once they fix the STB (supposedly next month). I think pricing is about the same, though fios charges like $3-5 more for STBs. installers are good. cust service is terrible. I'm soured on them b/c I have a billing dispute I can't resolve.

one thing though: comcast has better video on demand. a lot better selection. VOD on fios, aside from the PPVs, seems like a me-too, beta feature and not a valuable addition like comcast. on VOD, HD PQ is not as good as the regular channels, while SD PQ is atrocious. why, I don't know.

I am thinking to switch from Comcast triple play to Verizon triple play.
Could anyone tell me any pros and cons of Verizon Fios triple play?

Basically I think Comcast Internet (6MB or higher, I guess) is OK; but their HDTV channels are very limited. How's Verizon Fios TV PQ, reliability, customer service?

Thanks a lot!

Pro's:

Significantly cheaper than Comcast. I switched and saved about $90/month, with similar packages. I have the Extreme HD package + the movies + 20/5 internet.

HD PQ is hands down better with FIOS.

More HD Channels. Especially the premiums.

Internet is faster & more reliable.

Phone is POTS not VOIP.

Con's:

Billing can be a nightmare.

More VOD choices on Comcast.

SD PQ is an issue for some. Fix in the works. But, with ll the HD channels... who watches SD anyway? :)

Bottom line:

I switched a few months ago and am very happy with FIOS. The $$$ savings along with more HD and significantly better HD quality is the real reason. Like everything, weighing the pros & cons... FIOS came out on top - head & shoulders - above Comcast.

YMMV :)

Since the latest FW upgrade, has anyone noticed slight pauses? Over the weekend, I noticed 1-2 second pauses on various channels w/ the DVR, but not w/ the regular SD box.

Doug

I switched from Comcast 15 months ago.

Fios has faster and much more reliable internet service.

Picture quality is far superior, even on older non HD tvs. More HD channels and if anyone in our house is a sports fan, Fios has ESPNU and espn360.com which Comcast refuses to offer.

I guess I have been very lucky I have had zero problems with customer service and only had the tech come out for the intial install. The Fios tech kinda funny had worked previously for Comcast. He got everything right the first time.

Anyone else here get brief (1 second) audio drops occasionally? I had the same thing w/Comcast though they were usually a little longer w/Comcast.

Yes

I thought it was just my DVR, but hearing that your encountering the same problem now makes me think that it's a glitch from the software upgrade that we got in CA

BTW

The clock will never re-appear after an EAS interuption until you turn the box off and on

What is an EAS Interruption? I believe that Verizon fixed the issue with the clock because now it seems to stay on. I am not sure if they sent an update or what but it is working fine now and staying on.

Has anyone else had issues with their router recently? I could not get to any websites using my browser nor could I ping anything on the internet but my Vonage service was still working fine.

I tried connecting to the router's website admin and it was loading at a snail's pace. I finally was able to get into the area where you can reboot it and once I did so it seemed to be fine from then on. I am just wondering what caused this hickup.

What is an EAS Interruption? I believe that Verizon fixed the issue with the clock because now it seems to stay on. I am not sure if they sent an update or what but it is working fine now and staying on.

Emergency Alert System.

Cable operators are required to pass along emergency alerts to their customers on digital service. Basically what happens is your box is hijacked to show the an EAS screen when the alert is issued (as well as tests) and then returns to the channel you had selected when it is done. The severity of the alert that causes activation is selectable on a provider level though I believe (basically, comcast or verizon can choose how bad of an emergency alert they will pass though the system, whether it be a minor warning to something major.)

When the system releases the box after the alert happens, the display stays fixed on the channel and never reverts to the clock. I noticed this on my bedroom box because it tends to stay on 24/7 since I use the sleep timer on my TV. When I came home from work one day, it was on the channel instead of the time and stayed that way till I power cycled the box.

I'm just south of you and Comcast was stuck at 24 HD channels and no more in sight. FIOS became available last month and I switched the first day. Now I'm enjoying 104 (count 'em, 104) uncompressed HD channels and there are several more announced as "coming soon". The installer was excellent and you'll save a lot of money at least the first year. Customer service (an oxymoron) sucks at Verizon AND Comcast, so go with the faster internet and more HD channels.

By the way, how many HD channels is Comcast giving you in Mercer County?

Thanks a lot, guys!
HD channels in my area? let me count:

ABC
CBS
FOX
NBC
SCI-FI
DISCOVERY
MSG
CSN
ESPN
ESPN 2
TNT
TBS
MTV
NGO
HISTORY
DISNEY
YES
HBO/SHOWTIME/etc.
NFL
CW
USA
UNIVERSAL
BIO
ANIMAL
FOOD

and some others I never watch.

The missing HD:

CNN
CNBC
MSNBC
HBO2
ESPN NEWS

also, will I get HD feed for NYC local channels (like NBC/ABC...)?

Anyone else here get brief (1 second) audio drops occasionally? I had the same thing w/Comcast though they were usually a little longer w/Comcast.

I only get this when changing channels and coming out of VOD or the Guide. It happens twice in the first 5 - 7 seconds. Then,never again (unless I change channels or use VOD/Guide).

If this is what you are experiencing then it's a known problem with the 7000 DVR's. It is expected to be fixed "soon".

Has anyone else had issues with their router recently? I could not get to any websites using my browser nor could I ping anything on the internet but my Vonage service was still working fine.

I tried connecting to the router's website admin and it was loading at a snail's pace. I finally was able to get into the area where you can reboot it and once I did so it seemed to be fine from then on. I am just wondering what caused this hickup.

That's happened once or twice to me... I just power cycle the router and that solves the problem.

Lot's of speculation about "why" - no definite answers that I am aware.

I thought it was just my DVR, but hearing that your encountering the same problem now makes me think that it's a glitch from the software upgrade that we got in CAI've been seeing the same issue on both my HD DVR and my SD STBs here in MA occaisionally, ever since I got 1.6. I fix it by turning the box off and back on. (Not unplugging, just pressing the power button)

That's happened once or twice to me... I just power cycle the router and that solves the problem.

Lot's of speculation about "why" - no definite answers that I am aware.

Many inexpensive routers can be knocked over if there are a lot of TCP/IP connections being masqueraded. The most common source of the affliction is torrenting, where the client can open connections to dozens of remote machines. That's not the only cause of this problem, of course, but there aren't too many other activities that open large numbers of simultaneous connections. The solution is simply to power-cycle the router to clean out its table of masqueraded connections, and to make sure whatever programs you're running are restricted to a reasonable maximum number of connections. I find 100 is a good ceiling with my Linksys router.

also, will I get HD feed for NYC local channels (like NBC/ABC...)?
You get the HD feeds (and RSN) from whatever your local market is.

Thanks a lot, guys!
HD channels in my area? let me count:

ABC
CBS
FOX
NBC
SCI-FI
DISCOVERY
MSG
CSN
ESPN
ESPN 2
TNT
TBS
MTV
NGO
HISTORY
DISNEY
YES
HBO/SHOWTIME/etc.
NFL
CW
USA
UNIVERSAL
BIO
ANIMAL
FOOD

and some others I never watch.

The missing HD:

CNN
CNBC
MSNBC
HBO2
ESPN NEWS

also, will I get HD feed for NYC local channels (like NBC/ABC...)?

You'll get both NYC and Philly locals in HD, with the exception of WNET. You'll also get SNY, YES, and CSN Philly, but not MSG. There is a full list of channels for Mercer County on the Fios website.

The missing HD:

CNN
CNBC
MSNBC
HBO2
ESPN NEWS

MSNBC won't be in HD until Spring '09 I'm told. I'm getting all the others.

I only get this when changing channels and coming out of VOD or the Guide. It happens twice in the first 5 - 7 seconds. Then,never again (unless I change channels or use VOD/Guide).

If this is what you are experiencing then it's a known problem with the 7000 DVR's. It is expected to be fixed "soon".

No this happens every once in awhile during a show for a split second. I thought it was a Comcast issue but it happens w/FIOS also.

You'll get both NYC and Philly locals in HD, with the exception of WNET. You'll also get SNY, YES, and CSN Philly, but not MSG. There is a full list of channels for Mercer County on the Fios website.

Looks like 112 HD channels in Mercer.

No this happens every once in awhile during a show for a split second. I thought it was a Comcast issue but it happens w/FIOS also.

I'm getting it, however, only in my great room, this is the only one hooked up to my home theatre and I assumed it was the hts. I guess I'll try swapping the box with the bedroom one and see if it's the box.

Just noticed online at Verizon.com on the pdf channel line up, that they are splitting up VS and Golf HD channels, 590 will be VS HD and 593 will be Golf HD.

Just noticed online at Verizon.com on the pdf channel line up, that they are splitting up VS and Golf HD channels, 590 will be VS HD and 593 will be Golf HD.

yep I'm guessing that will happen around 12/8-also the day E!, Style, & G4 are supposed to launch HD chs.

so the question is will Vz sign a carriage agreement with Comcast by then?

Many inexpensive routers can be knocked over if there are a lot of TCP/IP connections being masqueraded. The most common source of the affliction is torrenting, where the client can open connections to dozens of remote machines. That's not the only cause of this problem, of course, but there aren't too many other activities that open large numbers of simultaneous connections. The solution is simply to power-cycle the router to clean out its table of masqueraded connections, and to make sure whatever programs you're running are restricted to a reasonable maximum number of connections. I find 100 is a good ceiling with my Linksys router.

Is there a way to list the masqueraded connections on the FIOS router? I don't use any torrent apps and am curious as to what might be causing this. It also concerns me that perhaps somebody else is hacking into my wireless connection.

Emergency Alert System.

Cable operators are required to pass along emergency alerts to their customers on digital service. Basically what happens is your box is hijacked to show the an EAS screen when the alert is issued (as well as tests) and then returns to the channel you had selected when it is done. The severity of the alert that causes activation is selectable on a provider level though I believe (basically, comcast or verizon can choose how bad of an emergency alert they will pass though the system, whether it be a minor warning to something major.)

When the system releases the box after the alert happens, the display stays fixed on the channel and never reverts to the clock. I noticed this on my bedroom box because it tends to stay on 24/7 since I use the sleep timer on my TV. When I came home from work one day, it was on the channel instead of the time and stayed that way till I power cycled the box.


YEP

Exactly what I'm talking about

Is there a way to list the masqueraded connections on the FIOS router? I don't use any torrent apps and am curious as to what might be causing this. It also concerns me that perhaps somebody else is hacking into my wireless connection.

I don't use Verizon's routers for my Internet connection so I can't really answer that question. However it should be possible to have the router list all the computers it's serving by using its administrative web interface.

One thing you might be able to implement is limiting access by "MAC" address, the 48-bit address of the physical network adapters (ethernet or wifi typically). These addresses usually appear as six pairs of "hexadecimal" (or base-16) numbers separated by colons, something like 01:02:03:4D:5E:FF. You should be able to have the router display the list of connected machines by IP address (192.168.1.x usually) and by MAC address. If the router has security by MAC address, you can permit the ones you know belong to you and block any others.

(MAC addresses can be spoofed so this technique isn't foolproof, but it's pretty resilient against random intruders.)

If you can't find any other way to take a census of your connected machines, I recommend installing a copy of the free security scanner nmap (http://nmap.org/). Open a terminal (in Windows it's Start > Run > type cmd.exe > Hit Return), then run the command "nmap -sP 192.168.1.0/24" to compile a list of all the machines with addresses between 192.168.1.0 and 192.168.1.255. (Make sure your router gave you an address in that range by running "ipconfig /all" at the prompt and looking for your IP address. Modify the address range needed; it will probably begin with 192.168 but may dffer in the third value. The /24 suffix refers to all the addresses from 0 to 255.)

Mac address filtering isn't just "not foolproof" it's utterly pointless. It's a lower effectiveness than WEP security which is already about as good as putting a box on your front porch with a sign that says "Keys inside, please don't take." Yes, both will keep out the casual intruder, but the casual intruder isn't the person that's looking to leech off your wireless connection to download pirated material. Any 10 year old with more than a casual knowledge of networking will be able to break into a WEP+MAC protected network in under 10 minutes.

The newer Actiontech routers support WPA2 out of the box and I think it's remiss of Verizon to pre-configure them for WEP on installs. I can understand the concern that there may be a lot of older wireless hardware out there that doesn't support anything beyond WEP, but the techs should be trained to change the security to something a bit tougher if the customer's hardware supports it.

I stand corrected and am amazed at the apparent abilities of the average 10-year-old leecher. Of course, WPA2 is a better solution.

I still think it's useful to take a census of your supposedly internal network every once in a while.

It's really incredible how insecure WEP is. There are pre-made scripts out there now that all you basically have to do is run it against a wireless network and it automates the rest (including spoofing the MAC) Depending on how secure the password is, the network can be cracked in anywhere from seconds to a few minutes.

It has been four months since I got Fios. I started with Premiere with Movies and HBO and Max, Internet 10/2, a mere 21 national HD channels, and unlimited phone.
Today I have Extreme HD still with the Movies and HBO and Max, Internet 20/5,the multi room DVR,93 national HD channels, and unlimited phone for just about the same cost.

Installation went well with a few minor setbacks.

TV was not a problem at all. They had the two boxes (HD DVR and regular HD
box) We were able to hook them both up using component cables. (I have two TVs a 26 inch tube set in the living room with NO HDMI, (It’s an older set 2004 NO ATSC tuner) and a 15 inch cheapo LCD in the bedroom – It has ONE HSMI input which is being used for an upconverter DVD player.)

Internet. = I was semi disappointed with this. They just connected a cable
from the router to the PC and when it showed I had a signal that was it.
They did not help me set up my email account (I had to call VErizon
afterwards to do that) However THAT was not a problem.

Telephone = I wanted a jack in my bedroom. I know when I had Verizon (well
its predecessor Nynex) install phone in an apartment several years ago the
apartment only had one jack in the parlor. We wanted jacks in the kitchen
and my bedroom (plus a second line for the Internet - dial up days) They did
it with no problem.

At the installation they insisted on having just one jack near the ONT.

Television service is wonderful as is the Internet (now that email is up) and phone too.
The landline is a LOT clearer then the Comcast VOIP (It may be a separate
Comcast Intranet but it is still generally VOIP)

Four months later the service continues to shine. Having the second box in the bedroom enables me to watch TV WHILE on the PC.
I really like the option to have up and down clicking JUST through favorites. (I have Favorite 1 set to all the video channels I get minus a few redundant channels I would never watch (Spanish and SD versions of channels I get in HD)) I also seem to go WOW a LOT more often when Watching HD.
I also have to remember that channels have moved around For example HBO is on 899 not 870. Showtime is on 865,not 877,Cinemax is on 920 as opposed to 868 and Starz is on 840 as opposed to 875.
Although I wasn’t too keen about having west coast feeds at first (If there was room for only 2 channels of HBO I would rather have HBO and HBO2 then HBO and HBO West),it is sort of OK. Having 12 HD channels of HBO as opposed to the just one is a lot better.
Wow so I miss out on AMC-HD,WMUR-HD (though I would assume we would get that in February) and Mojo (though not for much longer) I do especially like channels 569 and 746. J
Overall comments:
Phone: POTS over fiber beats the VOIP of Comcast. Yeah I know Comcast claims it is a separate intranet used but if it walks like a duck it’s a duck). There was one thing I liked about Comcast digital voice that I thought I would have to give up but Verizon Fios call assistant brings it back for me.
Internet: I never really had any problems with Comcast internet but 20/5 sure beats 6/2. Even with DOCsis 3.0 Fios is still generally faster. Granted Comcast did have MCAfee but there are some freeware virus scanner programs out there.
TV: Fios blows Comcast away. Take Digital Starter vs Extreme HD both priced generally the same Comcast: 108 FIOS: 248! Even if I had the extended HD lineup in Boston I would most likely still go with FIOS.

Back to enjoying my TV J

It's really incredible how insecure WEP is. There are pre-made scripts out there now that all you basically have to do is run it against a wireless network and it automates the rest (including spoofing the MAC) Depending on how secure the password is, the network can be cracked in anywhere from seconds to a few minutes.

I took your advice and implemented WPA2 in my home. Wasn't as painful as I thought it might be given that all my clients run Linux. Using Ubuntu 8.10 with a Linksys router made it pretty easy. I did have to connect my laptop to the router with an ethernet cable for a bit while I got the passwords straightened out.

I never bothered with WEP. I thought locking MACs made sense when wireless first arrived since that was a bit less obvious. But, you're right, I have should have realized that by now breaking into routers has reached the script-kiddie level.

:D

It's funny, I've told quite a few people that they shouldn't use WEP and they always said stuff like "I don't really have anything anyone would want." and it's obviously true that any SSL traffic is going to be encrypted to the point where someone can't sniff (so bank stuff would be generally secure regardless.)

However, they never seem to grasp that it's also just a flat out access thing. Think of how badly it would suck to have someone roll up to your wireless network while you're at work and start downloading child porn. Sure, you will probably eventually clear your name due to lack of evidence on your local computer, but it's one hell of a lot of pain that could have been avoided by clicking a different radio button in the router setup page and entering a new password.

I can see 7 wireless networks right now besides mine in the living room of my house (which is rather amazing since I live at the end of a street that's not really all that high density.)

6 of them are WEP, one of them is just flat out unsecured.

does not broadcasting ssid help any?

I use wpa, of course. but the thing that's probably keeping me secure is the actiontec has such lousy wifi I can barely get a signal 20' away LOL. someone would pretty much have to break into my house to use my wifi. out on the street or next door? fuggetaboutit.

does not broadcasting ssid help any?



Nope. The same wifi drivers that allow you to sniff connections that you aren't connected to will look at networks that don't broadcast SSID just as easily. The only real way to protect a wifi network is strong encryption and a strong key.

Hey guys,
I just switched over from DirecTV and must say, I was expecting more or just not all that impressed. I'm actually seeing more compression artifacts through FiOS than I was with DirecTV. Programming/Content is great, but HD PQ is not what I expected, I think HD PQ is the same as DTV or if not worse. I'm using HDMI, Motorola HD DVR, and Sony SXRD. Anyone have any suggestion? SD is about the same. I know I may get hammered on this post, but I'm not trying to bash the service. I'm in the So Cal area if that matters.

Is there a way to set up Motorola STB to switch channels to native resolution?

No native mode on Motorola boxes, much to the chagrin of those of us with 1080p sets :(. The deblock filter used in AVC encoders tends to blur out a lot of the compression artifacts present in less-quality channels, so DirecTV's video may appear less blocky. The downside is that the same filters tend to blur away some of the fine detail, resulting in a softer picture. What size TV do you have, and how far away from the screen do you normally sit?

I too just made the switch. Part of the promo I signed up with included 90 days free premium/movie channels. The channels come in fine live, the only problem though is the OnDemand premiums are blocked. I am going to call and inquire, but wanted to ask quick if anyone else with free premiums had access to the VOD suite associated with them.
Cheers

Hey guys,
Programming/Content is great, but HD PQ is not what I expected, I think HD PQ is the same as DTV or if not worse. I'm using HDMI, Motorola HD DVR, and Sony SXRD.


I have a SXRD, FiOS and D* - there is a difference favoring FiOS. I suspect your settings in the SXRD are the issue.

I have a 60 inch set and I sit about 10 FT away. My setttings are fine, no enhancers or cranked up sharpness. I just maybe used to my Blu Ray, but like I said definitely more blocking noticeable on FiOS. I like it so far, it's not horrible, but I expected a night and day difference between the two services. I also realize some HD channels look crappy no matter what service you use.

Hey guys,
I just switched over from DirecTV and must say, I was expecting more or just not all that impressed.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/11/26/ap5747940.html

Ad watchdog: FiOS not 'so much more bright'
By BARBARA ORTUTAY , 11.26.08, 02:33 PM EST

Verizon's FiOS TV service doesn't make for a brighter picture, the advertising industry's self-regulatory body said, urging the company to drop some of the claims it makes in its advertising.

National Advertising Division Council of Better Business Bureaus made the recommendation Tuesday after it examined the ads because of a challenge by Verizon competitor Cablevision Systems Corp.

Claims in question included statements about the service's speed, picture quality, and color, and the testimony that FiOS is "so much more bright." The brightness of a TV picture depends on the settings of the TV, not on the signal.

Verizon has already stopped using some of the claims in question, including one that quoted technology Web site CNet. While the site did use the phrase "a near flawless TV experience" in a story about FiOS, it was in a news article, not a review, and pointed out that it was important for Verizon to provide such an experience.

The advertising watchdog group noted that it "did find that certain superior sound and picture quality claims made by Verizon were substantiated." For example, audience tests gave a "reasonable basis" for the company's claim that it offers the "the best TV picture, period."

In a statement, Verizon said while it was pleased with that conclusion, it also "respectfully disagrees" with some of the findings.

"However, in the interest of the self-regulatory process, Verizon will take the NAD's recommendations into consideration in future advertising," the company said.

A running list of available HD channels that FiOS doesn't have and hasn't announced:

AMC (Rainbow Media)
Cartoon Network (Time Warner)
CMT (Viacom)
Fuel TV (Fox)
Fuse (Rainbow Media)
IFC (Rainbow Media)
Jewelry TV
MTV (Viacom)
Nickelodeon (Viacom)
Spike (Viacom)
VH1 (Viacom)
WE (Rainbow Media)
Starz West
Voom (Rainbow Media)

A running list of announced HD channels that Verizon has not announced:

Africa Channel
BBC America
BET (Viacom)
Black Television News
Chiller (NBCU)
Comedy Central (Viacom)
E! (Comcast)
G4 (Comcast)
MSNBC (NBCU)
OWN (Discovery)
Sleuth (NBCU)
Style (Comcast)
Sundance Channel (Rainbow Media)
TV One

From DSL Reports, these are in the guide in VA/MD/DC either live or listed as "Coming Soon":

87 NHL
89 NBA
348 INDIEPL - Active Now, with guide data
349 RETROPL - Active Now, with guide data
558 ES TV
587 NHL NET HD
589 NBA HD
599 CARS.TV
633 Pets.TV
651 HSN HD - Active Now, with guide data
674 MYDESTN TV
676 RECIPE TV
682 C&I HD
695 COMEDY TV
850 ENCORE HD - Active Now, with guide data

NBATV confirmed!

So did the bulk of these ever make it to anyone? It's been a while, and only the 4 mentioned with guide data ever showed up as far as I can tell?

NHL Network has launched in some markets. Most markets have none of these channels yet. Word on DSL Reports says everyone will have them by end of year, but there is no firm schedule for rollouts.

One new addition that will accompany the others is Golf Channel HD. That splits from Versus on 12/8.

Here in the Philly region, word has it that the only remaining changes in 2008 will be getting NHL Network (SD and HD) turned up, as well as the Center Ice HD channel brought online.

All others will be 2009 additions.

Naturally I have no word on other areas, but it would seem that the only remaining rollout this year would be to get the phase out where we rec'd Chiller, CBS College Sports, etc. to the remainder of the country.

Matt-
Thanks for that breakdown on "remaining HD channels". Puts some reasoning behind why they haven't been added yet, based on how the majority of all of them are owned by 2 corporations. Looks like VZ needs to get talking to Rainbow and Viacom.

So did the bulk of these ever make it to anyone? It's been a while, and only the 4 mentioned with guide data ever showed up as far as I can tell?

Yes, everyone else got them - they have your account red flagged so as not to give you any additional channels so you will have something else to complain about :rolleyes:

Had been using Dish Network and Fios internet. Decided to try Fios TV because of bundle deal. Had it installed on Wednesday. Great installer. Picture quality is fine, but everything else about it is garbage. The Motorola boxes are dreadful. Remote controls only work if pointed directly at receiver (Dish boxes have very wide angle of reception). Only permanent solution that I can find for stretching 4:3 SD is the "stretch" option in set up and that looks terrible compared to multiple options available on Dish. Also, segregation of SD and HD channels is a pain in the butt. On Dish the SD and HD versions of the channels are right next to each other. ON DEMAND is nice but I can live without it. Biggest difference is customer service. Decided to cancel FIOS and spent over 3 hours on phone (most on hold) and never got anything done. Called Dish and asked them to reinstate service. Did so at no charge and entire call took about 10 minutes from start to finish. Verizon simply has the worst customer service I have ever encountered. The moral of this story is that if you have the choice of Dish or Verizon, from my experience, Dish is a no-brainer. No experience with DirecTv so can't compare.

i agree i switched from comcast to fios. i love the internet no dropouts at all. sd picture is better hd is about the same comcast has a better ondemand menu than fios and a better dvr. with comcast if i have a problem i can call 24/7 or go to comcast location. with fios 9 to 5 with at least 30 minutes talking to a machine and another 15 min getting transferred from dept to dept. if you dont need to call verizon then its worth it but if they have 3 hd dvrs getting billed to your house and you only have 2 tvs then good luck explaing.

Had been using Dish Network and Fios internet. Decided to try Fios TV because of bundle deal. Had it installed on Wednesday. Great installer. Picture quality is fine, but everything else about it is garbage. The Motorola boxes are dreadful. Remote controls only work if pointed directly at receiver (Dish boxes have very wide angle of reception). Only permanent solution that I can find for stretching 4:3 SD is the "stretch" option in set up and that looks terrible compared to multiple options available on Dish. Also, segregation of SD and HD channels is a pain in the butt. On Dish the SD and HD versions of the channels are right next to each other. ON DEMAND is nice but I can live without it. Biggest difference is customer service. Decided to cancel FIOS and spent over 3 hours on phone (most on hold) and never got anything done. Called Dish and asked them to reinstate service. Did so at no charge and entire call took about 10 minutes from start to finish. Verizon simply has the worst customer service I have ever encountered. The moral of this story is that if you have the choice of Dish or Verizon, from my experience, Dish is a no-brainer. No experience with DirecTv so can't compare.


Odd. I have had FiOS TV for a couple of weeks and I would never consider Dish.

In my house, it is a capital offense to have the SD simulcast channel on when the HD channel is available. So, segregation is good.

As for stretch-o-vision controls, if one has to watch the RFD channel when most of one's viewing will involve one of the 100+ HD channels, certainly the TV's aspect controls will provide the missing zoom feature, if so desired.

The FiOS remote works just fine.

FiOS picture quality is absolutely stunning.

Being on hold for three hours sounds like a big fish story.

No, Verizon Customer Service is the worst in the business, maybe the worst in all business. That said, I had no problems signing up for the three-months-free DVR and returning one of my SD STBs by mail. Verizon's packaging system is pretty impressive, and if cutting down on all those truck rolls helps keep my bill down in the long run, I'm all for it.

All of his other complaints, however, are non-important from my perspective. Channel selection, price, and picture quality kill Dish--as they do all other providers.

I have the motorolla dvr and the fan runs all the time, whether on/off. Anybody elses does have the same?

I have the motorolla dvr and the fan runs all the time, whether on/off. Anybody elses does have the same?Like most DVRs, the Motorola is never truly off. You disable video output and the LED on the front of the box, but the rest of the DVR remains on. That's why you can rewind live TV when you turn it on.

That said, you're not supposed to hear the fan from typical distances. If the fan in the unit is defective, it may produce more noise than normal.

Good to hear, I have an older ActionTec, it's worked fine, but maybe I'll campaign for a switch if there's any issues.




Wish I could report better news but after 2 days, the Westell Modem began to experience the same issues as the Actiontec - I have to assume its the widely known issue. If I did torrents I'd probably be going mad by now.

My Pop3 email has been locking up more and more to now where its every 2 hours.

As the firmware display is almost identical to the Actiontec, I am now suspecting that is where the issue lies with these routers.

I don't even waste my time with the Verizon-provided router. I called tech support and had them switch the data connection over to Ethernet about 2 hours after the installer left and never looked back. I've got the Actiontec sitting on the LAN side of my homebrew router doing nothing other than providing MoCA service to my DVR. If the Ethernet port was active on the DVR, I'd just as soon unplug the Actiontec and bury it in some deep corner of my closet never to see the light of day again.

No, Verizon Customer Service is the worst in the business, maybe the worst in all business. That said, I had no problems signing up for the three-months-free DVR and returning one of my SD STBs by mail. Verizon's packaging system is pretty impressive, and if cutting down on all those truck rolls helps keep my bill down in the long run, I'm all for it.

All of his other complaints, however, are non-important from my perspective. Channel selection, price, and picture quality kill Dish--as they do all other providers.


I know billing can be a horror story; but, three hours on hold? I spoke with an escalation manager and had my bill resolved in less than ten minutes. Afterwards, I confirmed it on the website.

I don't even waste my time with the Verizon-provided router. I called tech support and had them switch the data connection over to Ethernet about 2 hours after the installer left and never looked back. I've got the Actiontec sitting on the LAN side of my homebrew router doing nothing other than providing MoCA service to my DVR. If the Ethernet port was active on the DVR, I'd just as soon unplug the Actiontec and bury it in some deep corner of my closet never to see the light of day again.

So they can enable the ethernet port on the ONT remotely?

Gee, I have Direct TV and was going to call Verizon tomorrow to have Fios installed in my home theater. However after looking at this forum and Verizon's forum, Fios doesn't seem like the slam dunk that I thought (or the commercials portrayed) it to be. People on the Verizon chat board complain about the DVR's and on this forum I was surprised to see the debate about the picture quality between satellite and cable. This is kinda disappointing.
Ken

Gee, I have Direct TV and was going to call Verizon tomorrow to have Fios installed in my home theater. However after looking at this forum and Verizon's forum, Fios doesn't seem like the slam dunk that I thought (or the commercials portrayed) it to be. People on the Verizon chat board complain about the DVR's and on this forum I was surprised to see the debate about the picture quality between satellite and cable. This is kinda disappointing.
Ken

I tried both D* and F* and F* definately won out. I had to go the TiVo/Cable Card route after suffering through the lame Verizon DVR offering for a few months. I'm a happy Verizon/TiVo camper now.

So they can enable the ethernet port on the ONT remotely?
Yes. There are detailed directions on DSLReports on exactly what needs to be done on your end, and what to say to Verizon's tech support when you call. It took them about 20 minutes to get mine set.

I had to go the TiVo/Cable Card route after suffering through the lame Verizon DVR offering for a few months. I'm a happy Verizon/TiVo camper now.

I am not sure what you mean? Can you explain?

Thanks,
ken

I am not sure what you mean? Can you explain?

Thanks,
ken

I absolutely hated the Verizon Motorola DVR. I could not accurately ff or rew and navigating the menus and guides was painful. The final straw was when Verizon updated my software and wiped out all of my recorded programs. I purchased an HD TiVo and ordered the required two Cable Cards from Verizon. Yes it costs a little more but the TiVo is leaps and bounds better. I've since added the 500Mb E-Sata drive and now can record 100hrs of HD.

Oh. So you are not using a box from Verizon at all then, or are you using both?
What is your opinion of FIOS HD picture quality versus satellite and cable?
Ken

Oh. So you are not using a box from Verizon at all then, or are you using both?
What is your opinion of FIOS HD picture quality versus satellite and cable?
Ken

I'm not using any box from Verizon. I now have two HD TiVos and can transfer stuff between them. As far as I know Pix quality is better with Verizon. I didn't stick around with D* for the MPeg 4 stuff, so I can't speak for everything. Verizon does not bit-shave at all and delivers programming as broadcast. As far as I know D* still does bit-shave.

Yes. There are detailed directions on DSLReports on exactly what needs to be done on your end, and what to say to Verizon's tech support when you call. It took them about 20 minutes to get mine set.


Could you link to it please? I've got an install coming up Dec 14 and I want to make sure I can get back to the ethernet connection vs the MOCA connection. From what I've been reading the Westell isn't much better than the Actiontech.. if I even get a Westell.

It's a matter of calling Verizon to request they enable your ethernet ports on the ONT. Search for "enable ethernet" on the Verizon FiOS forum: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/vzfiber. As anywhere, you'll find that some people had problems: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r21473670-southwest-verizon-refuses-to-enable-ethernet-port-on-ONT. However, there's a lot of info to digest. Scan the forum for the topic. There should be more than enough info to help you out.

Had been using Dish Network and Fios internet. Decided to try Fios TV because of bundle deal. Had it installed on Wednesday. Great installer. Picture quality is fine, but everything else about it is garbage. The Motorola boxes are dreadful. Remote controls only work if pointed directly at receiver (Dish boxes have very wide angle of reception). Only permanent solution that I can find for stretching 4:3 SD is the "stretch" option in set up and that looks terrible compared to multiple options available on Dish. Also, segregation of SD and HD channels is a pain in the butt. On Dish the SD and HD versions of the channels are right next to each other. ON DEMAND is nice but I can live without it. Biggest difference is customer service. Decided to cancel FIOS and spent over 3 hours on phone (most on hold) and never got anything done. Called Dish and asked them to reinstate service. Did so at no charge and entire call took about 10 minutes from start to finish. Verizon simply has the worst customer service I have ever encountered. The moral of this story is that if you have the choice of Dish or Verizon, from my experience, Dish is a no-brainer. No experience with DirecTv so can't compare.

All you have is the SD channel plus 500 for the HD channel. Example, for me FOX is channel 5, so FOXHD is channel 505. IMO it isn't confusing at all, but rather easy. To each his own, but personally I love Fios and won't go back unless I move from their service area. The CS is not the best in the world, but it hasn't been terrible in my experience either.

I'm pretty sure the only SD channels that we watch now anyhow are Comedy Central and E!, and that isn't very often, so I'm not worried about comparing SD quality.

So did the bulk of these ever make it to anyone? It's been a while, and only the 4 mentioned with guide data ever showed up as far as I can tell?

We have some of those already turned on in NYC, but some are still listed as "coming soon." And two of them - ES TV and C&I TV - I have no clue what they are. Does anyone know what ES and C&I are? (Probably nothing I will care for, but just curious.) I'd like even more HD movie nets like Turner Classics and the various feeds of the Encore channels, which, sadly, don't seem to be available.

We have some of those already turned on in NYC, but some are still listed as "coming soon." And two of them - ES TV and C&I TV - I have no clue what they are. Does anyone know what ES and C&I are? (Probably nothing I will care for, but just curious.) I'd like even more HD movie nets like Turner Classics and the various feeds of the Encore channels, which, sadly, don't seem to be available.

C&I HD - Crime & Investigation Network HD

ES TV - is actually ES TV HD - it's one of the 6 "Entertainment Studios" HD channels that VZ is adding (Pets.tv, etc...)

Had been using Dish Network and Fios internet. Decided to try Fios TV because of bundle deal. Had it installed on Wednesday. Great installer. Picture quality is fine, but everything else about it is garbage. The Motorola boxes are dreadful. Remote controls only work if pointed directly at receiver (Dish boxes have very wide angle of reception). Only permanent solution that I can find for stretching 4:3 SD is the "stretch" option in set up and that looks terrible compared to multiple options available on Dish. Also, segregation of SD and HD channels is a pain in the butt. On Dish the SD and HD versions of the channels are right next to each other. ON DEMAND is nice but I can live without it. Biggest difference is customer service. Decided to cancel FIOS and spent over 3 hours on phone (most on hold) and never got anything done. Called Dish and asked them to reinstate service. Did so at no charge and entire call took about 10 minutes from start to finish. Verizon simply has the worst customer service I have ever encountered. The moral of this story is that if you have the choice of Dish or Verizon, from my experience, Dish is a no-brainer. No experience with DirecTv so can't compare.

It just seems kind of fishy that anyone would have a 3 hour hold time. Why would you even wait that long? If it were me and I am sure most others you would simply hang up after 20 or 30 minutes and call back.

It just seems kind of fishy that anyone would have a 3 hour hold time. Why would you even wait that long? If it were me and I am sure most others you would simply hang up after 20 or 30 minutes and call back.

I'm not sure I've ever spent 3 hours on hold at one time, but in a day, I easily spent that on hold with them. 30 minutes, get a person, get told it's the wrong department, get put back on hold for another 20 minutes. Repeat, repeat, repeat. But it got to the point where I had to put up with it and stick out the hours on hold because I just finally had to get a solution. I was calling every couple of weeks and getting nowhere. It really is quite ridiculous. If I didn't enjoy the products there is no way I would put up with the service.

any word at all from verizon on the upcoming HD version of E!, Style, VS, G4?

these aren't exactly must see tv for me but they're a heckuva lot better than the Byron Allen channels.

It just seems kind of fishy that anyone would have a 3 hour hold time. Why would you even wait that long? If it were me and I am sure most others you would simply hang up after 20 or 30 minutes and call back.Dish Network makes a superior HD DVR, their receivers do have a lot more bells & whistles (external storage, UHF remote, better programming guide, etc.), and Verizon had, or still has, a terrible ordering/billing system for FiOS. However, Verizon's customer service is much better than SAT/Cable and it is always refreshing to speak to a CSR who, unlike Dish Network's customer service reps in the Philippines, actually speaks English. A three hour hold time does sound a little suspect, but people are free to leave if having washed-out HD and a better HD DVR make them happy. Personally, I would love to see EchoStar make a digital cable ready of version of their VIP722 for the consumer market.

Does anyone if Verizon Fios will be available in the Reading, Pa area anytime soon?

Had been using Dish Network and Fios internet. Decided to try Fios TV because of bundle deal. Had it installed on Wednesday. Great installer. Picture quality is fine, but everything else about it is garbage. The Motorola boxes are dreadful. Remote controls only work if pointed directly at receiver (Dish boxes have very wide angle of reception). Only permanent solution that I can find for stretching 4:3 SD is the "stretch" option in set up and that looks terrible compared to multiple options available on Dish. Also, segregation of SD and HD channels is a pain in the butt. On Dish the SD and HD versions of the channels are right next to each other. ON DEMAND is nice but I can live without it. Biggest difference is customer service. Decided to cancel FIOS and spent over 3 hours on phone (most on hold) and never got anything done. Called Dish and asked them to reinstate service. Did so at no charge and entire call took about 10 minutes from start to finish. Verizon simply has the worst customer service I have ever encountered. The moral of this story is that if you have the choice of Dish or Verizon, from my experience, Dish is a no-brainer. No experience with DirecTv so can't compare.

Sounds like a nightmare. My experience has been much more positive. I have called CS four times and have never spent more than 15 minutes on hold. When a problem could not be solved quickly they referred it to another tech and they called me back and fixed the problem. I also had Dish and found their CS to be comparable. I do remember their DVR and IMG software having some advantages.

It just seems kind of fishy that anyone would have a 3 hour hold time. Why would you even wait that long? If it were me and I am sure most others you would simply hang up after 20 or 30 minutes and call back.

With all due respect, I spent almost 150 documented hours trying to get FiOS installed after mistake after mistake after mistake - the day prior to install over 14 hours were spent on the phone.

Since then I have spent almost 70 hours with repair trying to get things working correctly and close to the same amount with billing issues.

None of the CSR or Supervisors who swear they will handle it ever do. I have escalated it to the Executive Offices in NYC and even they are just as bad - it starts at the top - and I pay Verizon all told about $500 a month for the differences services and made it clear I am about to take my $6k annual away.

Now, I also question your 15-20 minutes on hold. However, I spent over 3 1/2 hours with Dish CSR (most on hold) over the weekend as my card swap did not work correctly (and quite frankly, I figured out the IRD was not taking updates - they wanted to keep sending me more cards that would still never work as the firmware has not updated in over 2 years).

So Dish is horrible with CSR - But its very clear there is not another company in the service business that has Customer Support as bad as FiOS.

If it were not for the superior quality, I would have dropped them months ago.

As Cable TV & Satellite is virutally the same to 99.9% of the customers, Verizon will be hard pressed to keep customers with this attitude - especially in this weak economy.

Some people have a horrible time with any CS and CSR. At some point they need to look in the mirror. Not that this applies to the previous posters.

FIOS, like everyone else, has good and bad techs and CSR's. I think the bulk of the experience with FIOS is that their techs are pretty good overall, and their CSR's are about the same as everyone else. Certainly a net-improvement to DirecTV and Comcast.

Some people have a horrible time with any CS and CSR. At some point they need to look in the mirror. Not that this applies to the previous posters.

FIOS, like everyone else, has good and bad techs and CSR's. I think the bulk of the experience with FIOS is that their techs are pretty good overall, and their CSR's are about the same as everyone else. Certainly a net-improvement to DirecTV and Comcast.


Yep, your right. They cut my 6 copper lines and it was my mistake. They cut my sprinkler line and it was my mistake. They had put bad router info in their VHO for my local area and it was my fault. They cancel my install the day before saying that they have to convert my phone line to install (they admit later they don't) and its my fault even though that was never on the order. I have an install from 8am - 12N and they show up at 6pm and work until 12:30a and its my fault. They bill different amounts than what I have in confirmation emails and its my fault. They send bills to a wrong address and they cannot change the name they somehow got wrong without completely disconnecting and resubbing the account and its my fault. They screw up the cable card install and take 4 weeks to get it working and its my fault?

When now 4 so called Account Supervisors in the local, Dallas and now NY Executive Offices say they will get it fixed and call back within 24 hours and its gone on for over 4 months now, its my fault...sure :rolleyes:



Give me a break.

All you have is the SD channel plus 500 for the HD channel. Example, for me FOX is channel 5, so FOXHD is channel 505. IMO it isn't confusing at all, but rather easy.

I actually think it is much better to have them separated. I dont watch any SD channels anymore, so if i stay at 500+ I dont have to scroll through the SD versions.

It just seems kind of fishy that anyone would have a 3 hour hold time. Why would you even wait that long? If it were me and I am sure most others you would simply hang up after 20 or 30 minutes and call back.


I seem to have sparked a vigorous debate and would like to add further comments.
I did not spend 3 hours on hold at one time. It was over several calls on one day, the longest time being 90 minutes. I stayed on hold that long out of a sense of disbelief that I could be left hanging that long.
My experience has been that the CSR's from Dish were in Denver ( I asked) and the ones from Verizon were clearly from overseas (not that that matters, they tried to help). The main issue with Verizon support is that they just seem so disorganized. I was constantly being shuffled from one department to another with long hold times in between. I must also clarify that my bad experiences with Verizon were related to billing and ordering issues. For my internet service, I have called tech support a couple of times in the last two years and those were good experiences.

Someone made a snide remark about watching "RFD" as though I were some sort of unsophisticated rube. The fact is I am a movie fan and the following channels are not available in HD: TCM, Sundance, IFC, AMC, all of Encore, Flix, Fox Movie Channel. So SD is very important to me. Also, for some reason in Portland, we cannot get HBO East in HD. The SD picture quality is ok, but I find it a pain that I have to mess with the aspect ratio every time I change the channel.

Finally, as I stated in my original post, I had no problem with the picture quality. In fact, on my Pioneer Kuro, I find the picture quality on Verizon to be outstanding, fantastic blacks. I suppose in the end that is the most important criteria, but I wish that Verizon would pay more attention to getting some of the details right in their hardware and in their customer service.

I actually think it is much better to have them separated. I dont watch any SD channels anymore, so if i stay at 500+ I dont have to scroll through the SD versions.

I couldn't agree more. Personally I'd find it a royal pain the butt to have an SD channel right alongside of its HD counterpart. That makes no sense at all.

I couldn't agree more. Personally I'd find it a royal pain the butt to have an SD channel right alongside of its HD counterpart. That makes no sense at all.


The main benefit is that, at least initially, it is difficult to remember which channels are available on SD but not HD. For example, my wife was watching WE in SD and I had to scan through the guide to find out if it was available on HD. On the Dish system, you simply bring up the guide and you will know instantly whether or not it is available.

Also, segregation of SD and HD channels is a pain in the butt. On Dish the SD and HD versions of the channels are right next to each other. ON DEMAND is nice but I can live without it. Biggest difference is customer service. Decided to cancel FIOS and spent over 3 hours on phone (most on hold) and never got anything done. Called Dish and asked them to reinstate service. Did so at no charge and entire call took about 10 minutes from start to finish. Verizon simply has the worst customer service I have ever encountered. The moral of this story is that if you have the choice of Dish or Verizon, from my experience, Dish is a no-brainer. No experience with DirecTv so can't compare.

No no no, I would never want the SD and the HD channels right next to each other. If you did not have an HD box, every other channel would not come in on the normal boxes. Besides, when I watch TV on my HDTV I generally look only at the HD channels. Then I keep a small list of SD channels on my favorites to check when nothing else is on.

As far as Dish or Direct or cable, FIOS is definitely a better service with better phone and internet. FIOS CS has work they need to do but so does every CS I have ever called especially cable.

It sounds like some people have had major problems with FIOS but that is not my case. The installer came within 15 minutes of when he said he would be there. He did a great job installing my 8 TVS (dont ask lol). The service has worked perfectly. The only issue I have had was when I swapped boxes and had a billing issue, which they resolved and since it was near when I was going to renew, they gave me a very nice monthly credit for 6 months for all my troubles.

So far, FIOS had done right by me and all my friends or family who have gotten FIOS have been happy with the service. So, as long as FIOS gets it right and you dont have to call CS then you should be good lol. If you do need to call CS, expect to talk to people who dont know everything about FIOS. They are still going through growing pains in my opinion. Of course, these are just my opinions.

The main benefit is that, at least initially, it is difficult to remember which channels are available on SD but not HD. For example, my wife was watching WE in SD and I had to scan through the guide to find out if it was available on HD. On the Dish system, you simply bring up the guide and you will know instantly whether or not it is available.

Arrgh!! My pet-peeve. My wife always watches the SD version of the channels. I set up all the HD versions on the favorites but alas, she doesn't seem to care. This is one feature I want the IMG to have. Eliminate unwanted channels from the menu. With Dish you were able to open to your favorites as the default an skip unwanted channels. The original FiOS IMG also allowed you to eliminate unwanted channels from the guide.

With all due respect, I spent almost 150 documented hours trying to get FiOS installed after mistake after mistake after mistake - the day prior to install over 14 hours were spent on the phone.

Since then I have spent almost 70 hours with repair trying to get things working correctly and close to the same amount with billing issues.

None of the CSR or Supervisors who swear they will handle it ever do. I have escalated it to the Executive Offices in NYC and even they are just as bad - it starts at the top - and I pay Verizon all told about $500 a month for the differences services and made it clear I am about to take my $6k annual away.

Now, I also question your 15-20 minutes on hold. However, I spent over 3 1/2 hours with Dish CSR (most on hold) over the weekend as my card swap did not work correctly (and quite frankly, I figured out the IRD was not taking updates - they wanted to keep sending me more cards that would still never work as the firmware has not updated in over 2 years).

So Dish is horrible with CSR - But its very clear there is not another company in the service business that has Customer Support as bad as FiOS.

If it were not for the superior quality, I would have dropped them months ago.

As Cable TV & Satellite is virutally the same to 99.9% of the customers, Verizon will be hard pressed to keep customers with this attitude - especially in this weak economy.

I guess I have been lucky then. I have not spent more than 10-15 minutes on the phone at any one time with Verizon. I have not had to do any tech support calls however so my equipment must have been fine from the beginning. I would never spent more than 30 minutes on hold with any company though that is just a waste of time. The words "cancel service" definitely need to come up in any conversation at that point.

Arrgh!! My pet-peeve. My wife always watches the SD version of the channels. I set up all the HD versions on the favorites but alas, she doesn't seem to care. This is one feature I want the IMG to have. Eliminate unwanted channels from the menu. With Dish you were able to open to your favorites as the default an skip unwanted channels. The original FiOS IMG also allowed you to eliminate unwanted channels from the guide.

you can do that now!

go into menu / settings / stb / favorites. set up a favorite list (you can have 2). there's also a setting that dictates what happens when you press the favorite button, and one that lets you scroll thru your favorites when pressing Ch+/Ch- rather than scroll thru all channels. look around in the settings menu.

I've eliminated all but a handful SD channels.

another hint; click guide, then left arrow. you get some interesting options.

you can do that now!

go into menu / settings / stb / favorites. set up a favorite list (you can have 2). there's also a setting that dictates what happens when you press the favorite button, and one that lets you scroll thru your favorites when pressing Ch+/Ch- rather than scroll thru all channels. look around in the settings menu.

I've eliminated all but a handful SD channels.

another hint; click guide, then left arrow. you get some interesting options.

If you set up to "toggle favorites" when you press the guide button, your favorites come up as the default guide :)

The main benefit is that, at least initially, it is difficult to remember which channels are available on SD but not HD. For example, my wife was watching WE in SD and I had to scan through the guide to find out if it was available on HD. On the Dish system, you simply bring up the guide and you will know instantly whether or not it is available.

I can understand that being easier, but as it is now, you just add 500 and you have the same thing. But we all have our own preferred ways to how things work.

Okay, maybe someone here can answer this. We've had the new HD channels here in North Texas for well over a month. And I still don't have Fox News HD and Fox Business HD. Or Biography HD for that matter. Are these considered 'premium'? I do have HD channels of CNN, MSNBC, etc. So I don't know those, but not the others.

Okay, maybe someone here can answer this. We've had the new HD channels here in North Texas for well over a month. And I still don't have Fox News HD and Fox Business HD. Or Biography HD for that matter. Are these considered 'premium'? I do have HD channels of CNN, MSNBC, etc. So I don't know those, but not the others.
To get the most recently added HD channels, you need to sign up for the ExtremeHD package. Eventually to keep ALL of the national HD channels, you will need to subscribe to the ExtremeHD package. With the bundle discounts, you are likely to be able to get ExtremeHD and 20/5 internet for less than the current Premiere and 10/5 combo.

i saw on the fios tv central site that you can now set your dvr via mobile device
http://www36.verizon.com/fiostv/web/UnProtected/Mobile/Overview.aspx

is there some kind of direct link to access this device via mobile phone??
i know with D* you can go to m.directv.com (http://m.directv.com)and you get the mobile version.

thanks

you can do that now!

go into menu / settings / stb / favorites. set up a favorite list (you can have 2). there's also a setting that dictates what happens when you press the favorite button, and one that lets you scroll thru your favorites when pressing Ch+/Ch- rather than scroll thru all channels. look around in the settings menu.

I've eliminated all but a handful SD channels.

another hint; click guide, then left arrow. you get some interesting options.

If only it worked properly ....

Maybe my box is defective. All sorts of channels show up in the Favorites that I haven't added. I remove all, verify that the lists are empty, add only the channels I want, and then when I bring up Favorites, there are channels there that I didn't add, and ones that I did add are missing.

It's worthless to me.

Okay, maybe someone here can answer this. We've had the new HD channels here in North Texas for well over a month. And I still don't have Fox News HD and Fox Business HD. Or Biography HD for that matter. Are these considered 'premium'? I do have HD channels of CNN, MSNBC, etc. So I don't know those, but not the others.

Hit the guide button on Fox News HD, channel 618, and you'll see that it says Extreme HD Package Only (same with the other new channels) in the info section. To echo what afiggat said, Verizon is offering a bundle of Freedom essentials phone service, Extreme HD and 20/5 internet for 109.99 (1 year term). They're offering free months of some movie packages and HD DVR also.

To get the most recently added HD channels, you need to sign up for the ExtremeHD package. Eventually to keep ALL of the national HD channels, you will need to subscribe to the ExtremeHD package. With the bundle discounts, you are likely to be able to get ExtremeHD and 20/5 internet for less than the current Premiere and 10/5 combo.

I just figured out that I wasn't "paying" for all the HD channels. Why the heck don't they tell their customers that they need to upgrade after they tier their HD. I went through several calls and resets and no one at verizon pointed out I didn't have the extreme hd pack. I didn't know it existed until I was messing around on their website.

It has been 4 days since I upgraded and I still don't have the extreme pack. Now I get to make another call to try to get them to take more of my money again because they didn't want it the first time I guess. Between Home and Mobile service I am going to be paying them over $300 a month. Right now they are lucky I hate Comcast.

It has been 4 days since I upgraded and I still don't have the extreme pack. Now I get to make another call to try to get them to take more of my money again because they didn't want it the first time I guess. Between Home and Mobile service I am going to be paying them over $300 a month. Right now they are lucky I hate Comcast.

When I upgraded the new service including 20/5 internet upgrade was turned on within 4 hours. Somebody obviously f*cked up.

If only it worked properly ....

Maybe my box is defective. All sorts of channels show up in the Favorites that I haven't added. I remove all, verify that the lists are empty, add only the channels I want, and then when I bring up Favorites, there are channels there that I didn't add, and ones that I did add are missing.

It's worthless to me.

You may need to call and have them reset your box. There is a known bug where the favorites info gets corrupted. A hard reset won't do it and you will drive yourself crazy adding and removing the channels. When I called the tech was aware of the problem and was able to fix it in about 10 min.

If you set up to "toggle favorites" when you press the guide button, your favorites come up as the default guide :)

Thanks for the tip. Now I have to retrain myself not to use the favorites button.

I just figured out that I wasn't "paying" for all the HD channels. Why the heck don't they tell their customers that they need to upgrade after they tier their HD. I went through several calls and resets and no one at verizon pointed out I didn't have the extreme hd pack. I didn't know it existed until I was messing around on their website.

In my guide, it says very plainly in guide by the station "Extreme HD Package Only"

Edit: Ugh, I see that I have been beaten.

You may need to call and have them reset your box. There is a known bug where the favorites info gets corrupted. A hard reset won't do it and you will drive yourself crazy adding and removing the channels. When I called the tech was aware of the problem and was able to fix it in about 10 min.

Rich, thanks a lot, that's good to know. I'll give them a call.

No Love For Verizon—Yet—in Philadelphia

Committee Delays Vote on FiOS Franchise in Comcast's Backyard

By Linda Haugsted -- Multichannel News, 12/4/2008 10:56:00 AM

It appears Verizon won’t gain entry into Philadelphia as a competitive video provider until early next year.

At a Dec. 3 hearing, city council members who comprise the Committee on Public Property and Public Works delayed a vote to approve a franchise negotiated by staffers for Mayor Michael A. Nutter. Council members indicated they needed more time to digest the franchise details before approving a 15-year deal for the telecommunications provider.

Verizon officials, testifying at the hearing, stressed their financial commitment to the City of Brotherly Love, which is also the headquarters of its chief cable rival, Comcast Corp.

“We at Verizon are eager to bring cable TV competition to the city,” said Tabb Bishop, Verizon Pennsylvania vice president for external affairs, in testimony submitted to the committee. “We know customers want a new alternative for cable TV, and we agree with them that the time is now.”

Verizon has negotiated a tentative agreement with the mayor’s office that calls for a $2 million payment to the city for a technology and education fund; a payment of $9.2 million in grants to support public, educational and government access television, and up to 15 channels to telecast that content; and to adhere to “an extensive and appropriate” set of customer service standards.

The company pledges to construct its all fiber optic plant to reach 30% of the city within three years. Penetration will grow to 70% within five years of franchise approval, and reach 100% within seven years.

“The agreement before you is fair,” Bishop told the committee, adding the tentative franchise “offers the right means of opening the door to cable TV choice and competition” in the city.

But since the committee did not vote to move the franchise along through the process, it is unlikely approval will come before the end of the year. The council committee is scheduled to hold another public hearing on the application on Dec. 11.

Verizon already has franchises approved to serve communities in four neighboring counties in Pennsylvania, including Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6619848.html

I thought I read somewhere that Vz."guide on drugs" had a contract that will expire 12/31/08. Is this correct,and if so,does anyone know if there is any chance of us getting a decent guide?
As for me Vz. can forget the widgets and all that stuff and concentrate their efforts on providing a decent guide and HD Dvr that is worth a darn.

I thought I read somewhere that Vz."guide on drugs" had a contract that will expire 12/31/08. Is this correct,and if so,does anyone know if there is any chance of us getting a decent guide?
As for me Vz. can forget the widgets and all that stuff and concentrate their efforts on providing a decent guide and HD Dvr that is worth a darn.I second that! I would very much like to dump Time Warner and switch to FiOS. However, I will not give up the superior Time-Warner Guide; and my 8300HD DVR with Passport, while not perfect, has worked well and consistantly for several years.

Cynthia

Latest news...

NHL Network (SD and HD) will go live 12/9 out of VHO8.

I second that! I would very much like to dump Time Warner and switch to FiOS. However, I will not give up the superior Time-Warner Guide; and my 8300HD DVR with Passport, while not perfect, has worked well and consistantly for several years.

Cynthia

I guess I'm curious. I've been using the FIOS TV service with their HD DVR's for a while (2 years) now, and know the limitations of both the service (very few, IMO) and the hardware.

Given the clear quality superiority of the service, over a hundred HD channels and a very good stable of SD channels, the ability to deliver them at the highest quality possible, and future bandwidth capability that shows no reason to compromise these in the future, what is the deal killer for you with the IMG?

I'm not trying to troll here, I am really curious. I probably use the DVR's in a very basic way, just recording and playing. My wife, daughters and mother in law live with me, each has an HD DVR that they use, recording and playing all sort of things without involving me in the process. We use VOD heavily, and record so many things we are pretty much 90% full an all DVR's.

Despite all of that, once the basic functions were set up (favorites, etc), no problems so far, so I'm trying to see what would be so off on the guide that would cause someone to turn down the best possible PQ because of a vanilla guide.

I would like improvements to the Guide and DVR's (greater capacity, better search options, pass-thru, etc.) and the service (more free HD VOD, please), but I wouldn't trade it for anything out there now.

Please don't take offense, this is a serious question and meant with respect.

Please don't take offense, this is a serious question and meant with respect.

You have a lot more patience than I do with these cable employees. :D Letting an IMG and STB be the deciding factor on switching is about the silliest thing I've heard today. :)

Hernanu, Cynthia's location says NYC. Time Warner NYC has about as many HD channels (http://www.cnet.com/1990-7874_1-5108854-5.html?tag=mncol;txt) as FiOS.

But, like you said, I doubt PQ on TWC holds a candle to FiOS.

Hernanu, Cynthia's location says NYC. Time Warner NYC has about as many HD channels (http://www.cnet.com/1990-7874_1-5108854-5.html?tag=mncol;txt) as FiOS.

But, like you said, I doubt PQ on TWC holds a candle to FiOS.

even with the errors in the FiOS chs(i.e. Animal Planet, Versus/Golf, Speed, Encore, & NHL are HD on FiOS) it looks like TWC still has a 20 ch deficit.

C/NET needs to update that chart.

having had a basic TWC subscription when I lived there(mostly for NY1) I suspect FiOS PQ IS significantly better.

OT it would be interesting to see NY1 in HD!!

Hernanu, Cynthia's location says NYC. Time Warner NYC has about as many HD channels (http://www.cnet.com/1990-7874_1-5108854-5.html?tag=mncol;txt) as FiOS.

But, like you said, I doubt PQ on TWC holds a candle to FiOS.

In a way, I like for other services to push Verizon, it will keep Verizon's foot on the gas; can't have them get complacent.

... what is the deal killer for you with the IMG?
My objection with the FiOS guide is not from personal experience but from the many posts on this forum and the DSL Reports forum of problems with the guide and the DVR. I have approximately 30 programs set up on my 8300HD DVR as series recordings that record only when a particular epsode is new. Some of these have been in the list for 2 to 3 years. They record without fail whenever a new episode of the show is broadcast. I have heard that the FiOS guide is very inconsistant in recording series programs. This would be a serious problem in my use of the DVR.

I have also heard that the detail data in the FiOS guide is often missing. In particular for movies which I watch a lot, the Time-Warner guide has the release date, the five or so lead actors, the director, the genre and a brief synopsis of each movie. This is important to me.

There have been many reports of completely wrong items in the FiOS guide.

As for Time Warner here on Staten Island, I have more than enough HD channels to satisfy my needs. I have found the HD quality to be excellent for my eyes (on a 57 inch display). The SD quality is not so good, but I watch very few SD channels and expect to be watching none soon.

The biggist problem is occasional audio dropouts on all channels. I wish I knew if its from Time Warner or the source. However, I have read complaints of audio dropouts on FiOS also, so it may be a digital TV problem that we just have to live with.

Cynthia

even with the errors in the FiOS chs(i.e. Animal Planet, Versus/Golf, Speed, Encore, & NHL are HD on FiOS) it looks like TWC still has a 20 ch deficit.

C/NET needs to update that chart.

having had a basic TWC subscription when I lived there(mostly for NY1) I suspect FiOS PQ IS significantly better.

OT it would be interesting to see NY1 in HD!!


You mentioned errors in the above mentioned, I might have missed it but what errors do you refer to? Those channels, plus National Geographic have issue with sound through my DD 5.1 receiver. They don't work. Just wondering if that is what you were referring to.

I am bailing on D* after 5 yrs and the constant breakdowns of their hd dvrs and sd dvr. I have verizon coming Thursday to install the Triple play extreme package and can't wait. I got 6 months free movies and 6 months free HD home media guide from a rep that lives a few doors down. Thats going to save me a few bucks each month plus I got 7 neighbors/friends to sign uip. That puts @ $800.00 in my refer a friend account.
I can't wait to see the picture in my house. I have only seen it in a store but with the same model tv as mine but smaller.
I am concerned about the noise (issues)I hear about the home media dvr and how frustrating it can be to use. But I figure that if I love the picture the way I did in the store then eventually I'll get a Tivo series 3with an upgraded hard drive that holds about 100 hrs HD recordings.
D* Cs has been really easy for me to deal with over the years but there DVR's since they didn't renew the contract with Tivo are junk. Then yesterday my Nad rep send me a link @ some new upgrades coming out for my reciever and there is a story about D* and Tivo have reached a new contract to have Tivo make there DVR's and HD DVR's.
LOL.
Anyway counting the days till they come and hook me up.

I Posted this over at DSL, thought it might be useful to some here:

To make the "Guide Button" permanently show a listing of only the channels you want:
1) - Initially set up favorites 1 with your preferred/subscribed channels.
2) - Go into the favorites settings menu, & select the option of the "Favorites button" to " Toggle Flip by favorites" then exit settings.
3) - Hit the "Guide" button to bring up the Guide.
4) - While the Guide is on the screen, hit the left arrow & scroll up to the "Favorites 1" selection & select.
** That's it, Your "Guide Button" will now always show you a Guide of just Your subscribed or wanted channels, no more duplicates, unsubscribed or unwanted music channels will appear when hitting "Guide".
Note: Setps 1 & 2 are required, otherwise step #4 won't "stick" beyond that single viewing of the guide.

...I have read complaints of audio dropouts on FiOS also, so it may be a digital TV problem that we just have to live with.


And on Comcast. Guess there's no getting away from it.:(

What audio dropouts?

I've been mainly watching HD recordings on my TiVos from the local stations on FIOS the last few weeks and have not encountered any audio dropouts.

What audio dropouts?

I've been mainly watching HD recordings on my TiVos from the local stations on FIOS the last few weeks and have not encountered any audio dropouts.

I haven't noticed audio dropouts, but I've noticed:

- NBC DC - regular frequent slight "clicks" in the audio stream, at least during the shows I watch (e.g. Life)

- CW DC - larger clicks, but less frequent than NBC

- CBS DC - I think the best HD audio of everyone - really sounds great in my HT (great separation, use of all channels, emmersive, great LFE channel use)

I think that's all I've notices either above or below the line.

You mentioned errors in the above mentioned, I might have missed it but what errors do you refer to? Those channels, plus National Geographic have issue with sound through my DD 5.1 receiver. They don't work. Just wondering if that is what you were referring to.

my fault for not being precise in wording-I meant the errors in the C/NET chart, which indicates Animal Planet, Speed, & Versus/Golf are not available in HD on FiOS when in fact they were part of the initial NYC rollout. not sure about NHL Network or Encore as these chs seem to be added market-by-market(tho you'd think NYC would be near the top of the list).

bottom line is the C/NET chart is out of date & needs an update.

Boo.....no HD available on De La Hoya fight. Come on FiOS.

Boo.....no HD available on De La Hoya fight. Come on FiOS.

Agreed. We decided not to order without HD. There are certain markets where FIOS is showing it in HD, but the majority of FIOS customers are getting it in SD crapovision for $60 bucks lol

Hopefully it will air in HD on HBO later sometime.

my god this thread is huge. there is no way i can read or search it effectively.

someone just tell me if FIOS is better than Cablevision for HD (choice and picture quality/transfer rate).

thanks

Fortunately, VA is one of the areas that can see the fight in HD. It does look good.
If HBO follows their normal routine, they will re-show the fight before the replay of the Klitschko/Rahman fight next Saturday evening.

my god this thread is huge. there is no way i can read or search it effectively.

someone just tell me if FIOS is better than Cablevision for HD (choice and picture quality/transfer rate).

thanks

Yes.

my god this thread is huge. there is no way i can read or search it effectively.

someone just tell me if FIOS is better than Cablevision for HD (choice and picture quality/transfer rate).

thanks
Unless you watch Cablevision-owned channels like Voom and MSG HD, FiOS is superior. The Dolan family (owners of CableVision and MSG) tend to be, well, saying "giant douchebags" probably wouldn't be nice, so we'll call them "anticompetitive" when it comes to allowing others to carry their HD channels.

They can keep their VOOM channels.

Verizon added NHL Network SD (87) and HD (587) to the Washington Metro market today. The Center Ice NHL HD game channel is also active at 1474. According to dslreports, Northern NJ, MA, RI also got the HD channels today. The rest of the markets will get the channels either Tuesday or on Thursday. No word on when NBA TV HD might be added.

The MLB Network SD channel is live on channel 86 - nothing on 586. It was showing highlight or old file footage when I looked. The scroll at the bottom of the screen stated the official launch will be at 6 PM, Jan 1, 2009 so they will probably show only older filler programming until then. HD channel may not be live yet.

As was communicated, VHO8 is now live with the latest sports additions..

86 MLB Network (SD) - Frequency 177 MHz
87 NHL Network (SD) - Frequency 243 MHz
587 NHL Network (HD) - Frequency 861 MHz
1474 Center Ice HD - Frequency 861 MHz

Afiggat-
Checked something for your benefit - NHL Network HD is actually on frequency 861 MHz here - I think that's the highest possible frequency on the FIOS system, correct? NHL SD is on 243 MHz.

So, it looks like they aren't following every area by putting it on QAM Channel 54.

Ahhhh, NHL Net HD PQ looks awesome. It's a great day to be a hockey fan. Thanks VZ!

They can keep their VOOM channels.

I wouldn't mind having them.

Checked out the HD NHL network, really crisp, good quality. Excellent.

As was communicated, VHO8 is now live with the latest sports additions..

86 MLB Network (SD) - Frequency 177 MHz
87 NHL Network (SD) - Frequency 243 MHz
587 NHL Network (HD) - Frequency 861 MHz
1474 Center Ice HD - Frequency 861 MHz

Thanks for the heads up. The guide still says 'coming soon'.

Max-
Give a reboot to the STB - it will pull in the guide data. I had it as of 7am.

No Golf HD yet here in MA despite yesterday's channel split. I heard rumors it was to appear on 593, but there's nothing there so far. Golf SD is still on 304 and Versus HD on 590.

Yes, I have Extreme.

My Guide gives the program description for 587, and I didn't need to reboot the box.

Sensei-
Golf HD "will" be on 593 - but there aren't any immediate plans to add it. Look for it to be an early 09' addition.

So, are the markets that didn't have HSN "HD" and Encore HD also getting those with NHL Network HD?

The following HD channels live as of today in North Texas:
587 NHL Network HD
651 HSN HD
850 Encore HD
1474 Center Ice HD

Is anyone else getting a "CHANNEL UNAVAILABLE" for Channel 866, Showtime West HD? I have noticed this for the last several days on both of my QIP 6416s, so I know that it isn't my STBs giving me trouble. I called tech support several times and they have no knowledge of any unavailability for Channel 866. I'm in Montgomery County, MD and in VHO4. I would appreciate any corroboration.

An issue which really gets under my skin is the poor PQ on SD for the 6200 and the 6416 and the ignorance of tech support. The SD channels lack the sharpness that they once had. I understand that it was caused by IMG 1.6. For some reason, QIP7216s did not get affected but only the 6 series STBs. What annoys me is that most of the tech support people don't even know that there is this issue with the 1.6 firmware. They actually have no idea that there is a problem on the 6200s and the 6416s. I can't believe how ignorant some of these people are. On the other hand, there is a very small minority of tech support people who know about the issue but don't know when the IMG will be updated.

Are any one of you familiar with this SD PQ problem on the 6200s and the 6416s. What have you heard about a fix with either 1.6.1 0r 1.7 and when? Thanks for the help.

As was communicated, VHO8 is now live with the latest sports additions..

86 MLB Network (SD) - Frequency 177 MHz
87 NHL Network (SD) - Frequency 243 MHz
587 NHL Network (HD) - Frequency 861 MHz
1474 Center Ice HD - Frequency 861 MHz

Ahhhh, NHL Net HD PQ looks awesome. It's a great day to be a hockey fan. Thanks VZ!

These new channels are not showing up here in the Seatte area. Do I need to restart my box? Or do they just show up?

Washington isn't until Thursday. Here's the schedule, from DSL Reports:

12/8 - MD/MA/RI/NJ
12/9 - TX/FL/CA/PA/IN
12/11 - Pittsburgh/OR/WA/Harrisburg/Buffalo

Washington isn't until Thursday. Here's the schedule, from DSL Reports:

12/8 - MD/MA/RI/NJ
12/9 - TX/FL/CA/PA/IN
12/11 - Pittsburgh/OR/WA/Harrisburg/Buffalo

OK...good. where did you get this info? Is there a FIOS pressroom online?

Someone in the know posted it on DSL Reports here: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r21330503-FiOS-adding-NHL-Network-NBA-TV-or-MLB-Network~start=160

Not sure where they got it.

Washington isn't until Thursday. Here's the schedule, from DSL Reports:

12/8 - MD/MA/RI/NJ
12/9 - TX/FL/CA/PA/IN
12/11 - Pittsburgh/OR/WA/Harrisburg/Buffalo

Thanks for the info URFLoormatt, looking forward to the new channels in Wa on Thursday!

Someone in the know posted it on DSL Reports here: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r21330503-FiOS-adding-NHL-Network-NBA-TV-or-MLB-Network~start=160

Not sure where they got it.

Thanks...I will have to keep that page bookmarked.

It's posted in the Verizon hosted FIOS forums by a technician.

http://forums.verizon.com/vrzn/board/message?board.id=FiOS_TV&thread.id=4218

Can anyone point me to somewhere that details the best FIOS bundles and promotions available?

FIOS is now live in my neighborhood and I just signed up for the double play (10/5 Internet and Phone - $69+tax/mo). The door-to-door sales guy couldn't really answer my questions on the HD equipment and I think I still have a few months to go on a Dish Network commitment.

If the HD & DVR equipment is OK I'd like to add TV soon. I'd like to have 2-3 HD tuners and 1 or 2 SD tuners and keep equipment fees to the minimum.

I really like the Dish HD-DVRs and the ability to offload to external USB storage but it would be nice if they networked together.

Are any one of you familiar with this SD PQ problem on the 6200s and the 6416s. What have you heard about a fix with either 1.6.1 0r 1.7 and when? Thanks for the help.

Sorry; I can't help. I can only tell you that I thought I noticed a degradation recently in the SD PQ, but wasn't sure if I was imagining it. I usually don't watch the SD channels. My wife and daughter do, but they couldn't care less about PQ. I've only noticed it when walking through the room while they're watching.

Doug

Unfortunately, their is no bundling of equipment, just the "triple" service discount. You'll pay for each box that you get. There was a "three free digital adapter" package, but that offer is no longer valid.

I really like the Dish HD-DVRs and the ability to offload to external USB storage but it would be nice if they networked together.

I will say this. If you are coming from comcast, Verizon's DVRs are a breath of fresh air. If you are coming from dish and have something like the ViP622, you will probably be very disappointed by Verizon's DVRs.

As far as the SD image quality on the 6xxx units, there is a workaround. Don't use HDMI for the SD channels. The people in the know seem to indicate that the post processing only happens on HDMI and that the component, svideo, and composite are free of the issue.

I'm currently only using component for my setup due to shortage of HDMI ports and my image quality on my 6xxx box didn't change when 1.6 came out. You also may be able to sidestep the post processing on HDMI if you set the SD channels to 480i rather than have the box upscale them (I prefer that anyways since my TV does a better job), however some TVs may not accept 480i over HDMI (I know mine doesn't).

I will say this. If you are coming from comcast, Verizon's DVRs are a breath of fresh air.

I can vouch for this as well. The FiOS DVR is definitely better than the Comcast DVR. That's not to say it's great, but it works much better.

Anyone having major FIOS internet problems?

I don't seem to be able to do anything that is HTTPS, at least that appears to be the common factor. Speedtests seem fine, tracert's seem fine, but no HTTPS. I can't get to my work e-mail or intranet, but I can get to the www (all on the same network).

Same with my wife's work.

And if I try to go to amazon, it works until I need to log in.

Paypal is the same.

What's up with this?

Anyone having major FIOS internet problems?

I don't seem to be able to do anything that is HTTPS, at least that appears to be the common factor. Speedtests seem fine, tracert's seem fine, but no HTTPS. I can't get to my work e-mail or intranet, but I can get to the www (all on the same network).

Same with my wife's work.

And if I try to go to amazon, it works until I need to log in.

Paypal is the same.

What's up with this?All is well in Virginia Beach, VA... Checked multiple sites...

Anyone having major FIOS internet problems?

I don't seem to be able to do anything that is HTTPS, at least that appears to be the common factor. Speedtests seem fine, tracert's seem fine, but no HTTPS. I can't get to my work e-mail or intranet, but I can get to the www (all on the same network).

Same with my wife's work.

And if I try to go to amazon, it works until I need to log in.

Paypal is the same.

What's up with this?You might try checking the Verizon FiOS Fiber Optics forum over on DSL Reports: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/vzfiber. No one's mentioning anything about problems so far. Maybe your router's doing something strange and needs a reboot?

so lookin at the post by the verizon tech it says pa as 12/9 i live in pittsburgh and dnot have the nhl network as of right now altho on the list it also says 12/11 so it better show up tomorrow ive been waitin for the nhl network for about 8 months now

You might try checking the Verizon FiOS Fiber Optics forum over on DSL Reports: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/vzfiber. No one's mentioning anything about problems so far. Maybe your router's doing something strange and needs a reboot?

Just spent 2 hours on the phone with them, ended up bypassing everything (took me a few minutes to figure out how to do a PPPoE connection on my laptop). They finally acknowledged it was their problem, and they said a few more people have reported it and they're working it as a network engineer problem now.

Bizarre.

Never saw a problem where SSL traffic was slowed to a crawl, but all other traffic was fine...

so lookin at the post by the verizon tech it says pa as 12/9 i live in pittsburgh and dnot have the nhl network as of right now altho on the list it also says 12/11 so it better show up tomorrow ive been waitin for the nhl network for about 8 months now

Pittsburgh is VHO11. So, it is the 12/11 date. The VHOs are in order on those charts (there are two VHO9s, VHO9a and VHO9b.)

any1 know if pittsburgh has gotten the nhl netword today?

im at work and cannot check

Anyone having major FIOS internet problems?

I don't seem to be able to do anything that is HTTPS, at least that appears to be the common factor. Speedtests seem fine, tracert's seem fine, but no HTTPS. I can't get to my work e-mail or intranet, but I can get to the www (all on the same network).

Same with my wife's work.

And if I try to go to amazon, it works until I need to log in.

Paypal is the same.

What's up with this?

Can't log into AOL, Facebook or Rhapsody in Germantown MD.

Can't log into AOL, Facebook or Rhapsody in Germantown MD.

Check your firewall settings? Check what's going on with Port 443.

Not having any problem in MA.

Anyone having major FIOS internet problems?

I don't seem to be able to do anything that is HTTPS, at least that appears to be the common factor. Speedtests seem fine, tracert's seem fine, but no HTTPS. I can't get to my work e-mail or intranet, but I can get to the www (all on the same network).

Same with my wife's work.

And if I try to go to amazon, it works until I need to log in.

Paypal is the same.

What's up with this?

I have been having intermittent problems with HTTPS sites in Explorer 8 beta 2. Works OK in Firefox though.

any1 know if pittsburgh has gotten the nhl netword today?
im at work and cannot check
According to the posts at the Fios TV forum at dslreports, NHL SD & HD, MLB SD were indeed added to Pittsburgh and other markets today. I believe all the markets should now have NHL HD.

Check your firewall settings? Check what's going on with Port 443.

Not having any problem in MA.

I plugged directly into the ONT, it still didn't work.

I connected to my neighbors WiFi (Comcast), it works fine.

FIOS has acknowledged the problem and it working on it, but it's still not fixed.

It's at least the Germantown, MD area.

If you have problems getting to SSL sites, please call and log an issue! It will ensure this gets fixed.

587 - NHL HD is up and running here in Seattle today.

thank god this is like an early christmas present for me haha

ps: Go Pens

Just spent 2 hours on the phone with them, ended up bypassing everything (took me a few minutes to figure out how to do a PPPoE connection on my laptop). They finally acknowledged it was their problem, and they said a few more people have reported it and they're working it as a network engineer problem now.

Bizarre.

Never saw a problem where SSL traffic was slowed to a crawl, but all other traffic was fine...

All is back to normal for me tonight. Several others in the Germantown, Boyds MD area reported the same problem at the dslreports FiOS thread. At least two were told their computer may have a virus or their router settings were to blame. You were the only one I found that Verizon acknowledged it was their problem.

I see where Vz. has agreed to carry "Team HD". That's a new one to me--Anyone know what that is? Anyone?

InDemand has two HD channels for its four sports packages. Game HD carries select NHL Center Ice and MLB Extra Innings games in HD. Team HD carries select NBA League Pass and MLS Direct Kick games in HD.

So Verizon will only be carrying 1 MLB
HD game a night? yeech

I think I'm getting addicted to the NHL Network. I just watched the Canes vs. Flyers on Comcast Sportsnet HD. After the game (amazing!!! :D), I switched over to NHL network HD program, "On the Fly". Nice. They switched to cover the Flyers' win within a few minutes of real time.

Too bad that they only got the SD feed from Comcast. Or, maybe this is an SD program and that's only what they use. The video got botched during the studio discussion after the shootout replay. Sidebar logos were OK, so it was a problem with the SD feed.

Good balanced discussion between blaming the Canes for blowing a 4 goal lead in the 3rd period and praising the Flyers for the comeback (sounds balanced to me :p).

All is back to normal for me tonight. Several others in the Germantown, Boyds MD area reported the same problem at the dslreports FiOS thread. At least two were told their computer may have a virus or their router settings were to blame. You were the only one I found that Verizon acknowledged it was their problem.

Fixed for me around 3pm today, and still okay.

I think you can thank me for the fix. I was on the phone with them again for a couple hours this afternoon (about 4 hours total), here's how it went:

- Last night I spent 2 hours walking through everything they wanted from me, including resetting my router, rebooting PC's in safe mode, resetting browsers, downloading Opera and Firefox, etc.
- I finally pushed them to let me connect directly to the ONT with my laptop, showing the same problem.
- The tier-1 help desk person told me the network engineer kept hanging up on him, telling him "it's not a network problem!"
- The help desk person had to go to another help desk person to get the network engineer to at least listen and open a ticket.
- Eventually he opened a ticket, escalated it, and said a few other people reported the same problem. The help desk person "tagged" it to his manager as well.

- Today, they told me my ticket was open and would be fixed by 1pm
- At 1:30, they told me the ticket was closed. I had to call them, they never called me or verified it was working (it wasn't) or anything. They just closed the ticket.
- They said it wasn't a network problem, and started to walk me through the same nonsense. I cut them off and said that I connected to the ONT and it shows the same problem, so it's clearly their problem.
- He said he would open a ticket again
- I said that wasn't okay, since I'd be having the same conversation tomorrow, as the network techs appear to just be ignoring the tickets.
- I expressed my frustration that the network techs seemed too arrogant to accept that this might actually be a network problem. I said I wasn't okay with just another ticket, I wanted to speak to a network tech, or I wanted one to come to my house so they could see for themselves what they seemed to refuse to accept.
- He tried to get a network tech to talk to me, but they wouldn't (they aren't allowed to, it seems).
- Then he asked if next Tuesday was an okay time for a visit - I of course said no, and that I wanted someone out today, since they basically ignored the issue from last night.
- He called the local office, and they said Friday from 1-5. Not okay, I work, it would have to be today or early tomorrow morning.
- He called the office again, and said 9:30am. I figured that was the best I would get, but I expressed my frustration at the techs again (not the phone support).
- He confirmed the time.

Within 20 minutes it was fixed. Once the techs realized they would actually have to spend time to come out to see it, they must have decided to really look into the problem, and managed to fix it.

I don't have an issue with their being a technical problem. I don't have an issue with it taking a couple days to fix. I don't have an issue with walking through painful diagnostics even though I know they won't do anything (the techs have to follow protocol, and they don't know if I'm an idiot or not). And the help desk staff are very nice and really try, but they are crippled in terms of tools to get additional support.

What I have a serious issue with is that the network techs simply ignored the problem, and ignored the help desk support. I went through every hoop they asked of me, and they still ignored the problem and refused to accept it was actually a network issue. They even hung up on their own support staff!

Anyway, it's fixed now, but I need to write a letter to some group of executives somewhere (anyone have e-mail and snail-mail addresses?). This behavior between the help desk staff and the network engineers has to change, as it's resulting in horrible customer service. And the attitude of the network techs, that every customer must be an idiot, and they don't even try to diagnose a complicated problem, is unacceptable (to me).

Eh, I'll probably stop caring about it tomorrow, but it's really annoying. I can't imagine how long it would have taken had I not persisted and insisted on additional support!

Fixed for me around 3pm today, and still okay.

I think you can thank me for the fix. I was on the phone with them again for a couple hours this afternoon (about 4 hours total), here's how it went:

- Last night I spent 2 hours walking through everything they wanted from me, including resetting my router, rebooting PC's in safe mode, resetting browsers, downloading Opera and Firefox, etc.
- I finally pushed them to let me connect directly to the ONT with my laptop, showing the same problem.
- The tier-1 help desk person told me the network engineer kept hanging up on him, telling him "it's not a network problem!"
- The help desk person had to go to another help desk person to get the network engineer to at least listen and open a ticket.
- Eventually he opened a ticket, escalated it, and said a few other people reported the same problem. The help desk person "tagged" it to his manager as well.

- Today, they told me my ticket was open and would be fixed by 1pm
- At 1:30, they told me the ticket was closed. I had to call them, they never called me or verified it was working (it wasn't) or anything. They just closed the ticket.
- They said it wasn't a network problem, and started to walk me through the same nonsense. I cut them off and said that I connected to the ONT and it shows the same problem, so it's clearly their problem.
- He said he would open a ticket again
- I said that wasn't okay, since I'd be having the same conversation tomorrow, as the network techs appear to just be ignoring the tickets.
- I expressed my frustration that the network techs seemed too arrogant to accept that this might actually be a network problem. I said I wasn't okay with just another ticket, I wanted to speak to a network tech, or I wanted one to come to my house so they could see for themselves what they seemed to refuse to accept.
- He tried to get a network tech to talk to me, but they wouldn't (they aren't allowed to, it seems).
- Then he asked if next Tuesday was an okay time for a visit - I of course said no, and that I wanted someone out today, since they basically ignored the issue from last night.
- He called the local office, and they said Friday from 1-5. Not okay, I work, it would have to be today or early tomorrow morning.
- He called the office again, and said 9:30am. I figured that was the best I would get, but I expressed my frustration at the techs again (not the phone support).
- He confirmed the time.

Within 20 minutes it was fixed. Once the techs realized they would actually have to spend time to come out to see it, they must have decided to really look into the problem, and managed to fix it.

I don't have an issue with their being a technical problem. I don't have an issue with it taking a couple days to fix. I don't have an issue with walking through painful diagnostics even though I know they won't do anything (the techs have to follow protocol, and they don't know if I'm an idiot or not). And the help desk staff are very nice and really try, but they are crippled in terms of tools to get additional support.

What I have a serious issue with is that the network techs simply ignored the problem, and ignored the help desk support. I went through every hoop they asked of me, and they still ignored the problem and refused to accept it was actually a network issue. They even hung up on their own support staff!

Anyway, it's fixed now, but I need to write a letter to some group of executives somewhere (anyone have e-mail and snail-mail addresses?). This behavior between the help desk staff and the network engineers has to change, as it's resulting in horrible customer service. And the attitude of the network techs, that every customer must be an idiot, and they don't even try to diagnose a complicated problem, is unacceptable (to me).

Eh, I'll probably stop caring about it tomorrow, but it's really annoying. I can't imagine how long it would have taken had I not persisted and insisted on additional support!

We owe you our gratitude! Thanks for being so persistent.

For those who missed the message in their STB/DVR, Verizon is having a free preview weekend from Dec 12 to 15 for HBO and Cinemax. All of the HD and SD HBO & Cinemax channels are available. I checked and Verizon turned off the encryption, so the HBO & Cinemax channels can be viewed on TVs hooked up directly through the QAM tuner as well.

We should take the opportunity to map exactly where all the HBO & Cinemax HD channels are, but HBO HD East should be at QAM 94, Cinemax HD East at QAM 110.

InDemand has two HD channels for its four sports packages. Game HD carries select NHL Center Ice and MLB Extra Innings games in HD. Team HD carries select NBA League Pass and MLS Direct Kick games in HD.

Does that mean that you must subscribe to this channel, or is it included in our packages?