Verizon FiOS HDTV [Text View] - Page 9

Quatre

02-02-07, 11:45 PM

What is the Funimation channel? On my box 233 is MTV TRL latino channel. How do you have the moto box connected to your receiver? I have an outboard dolby decoder that is connected to the moto DVR via optical cable. I havent had any trouble with FIOS but when I had the Directv Tivo it would loose audio lock quite a bit.

sorry funimation chan is 231. I have the stb connected to my receiver via optical audio cable as well.

others have confirmed this chan loses audio to receiver. its the only chan i know of that does it.

the problem isnt as bad if my receiver keeps the connection and then i just use tv sound for that chan and still have surroudn sound for other chans/sources.

but if for some reason it loses connection/lock because that chan doesnt' have digital sound (speaker icons on receiver disappear) then i dont have surroudn sound for any oher chan or source until i mess around with the receive and/or reset it all of wh ich is a pain.

Quatre

02-02-07, 11:58 PM

just wanted to add that i really dont like the fact thaat the Guide on the fios boxes, you cannot see the full name of the show/program. you have to hit info to see the full name and then if you are scrolling through the guide there is no way to go back to the chan you were browsing in the guide and instead will go back to the chan you are currently viewing and you hae to scroll all the way back to wher eyou were or type it in.

i see no options to change this or other box/guide options in the menus. comcasts was already better in that you could see full name of the program in the guide without hittin info and if you did you can hit last and go back to where you were in the guide where as fios puts you back to current chan in guide as i said.

plus comcast lets you adjust other options for the box like color of the guide menus etc.

i just dont get why fios uses same moto boxes but then can't even copy the good things about comcast boxes and ends up offering an inferior version of the same moto boxes.

still no swap button?!!? even on new remote which now doesn't have the day + and - buttons. so now while some things are better about new philips remote, some things are worse so you end up needing both plus keep your old comcast remotes which is too many.

why can't fios get anything right with the stb's guide , menus and remote? is it that hard to just copy comcast in these areas.

i have said it before. once they match comcast in the good attributes th en they can worry about beating them.

instead they just think they are better but in reality aren't even on par with comcast in most of the important areas.

....clears throat... on demand... ahem.

still no HD on demand for fios!?!? what gives?

i have to keep a comcast hd dvr box just for hd on demand w hich is ridiculous to pay for both.

if fios doesn't get the swap feature working on their moto boxes on their remotes soon, working day + - button, and get some HD on demand, i mine as well switch back to comcast?

is just getting slight better std pq with fios worth all the things you lose. To me all the features you lose from comcast doesnt 'seem to be worth slight better std pq. The HD on demand and swap feature etc. etc. seems to far outweigh fios one plus of slight better std pq which is marginal and debateable.

believe me i want fios to be better, but lets be honest, for hte most part so far its not really even on par with comcast in many ways let alone better.

i know its still new, buy i dont want to pay to be a guinea pig and its been long enough that these simple features could have been added once they realized that they overlooked these minor but important features (and fired the ppl that overlooked them which costed them money) and how hard can it be to add HD on demand if they supposedly have so much more bandwidth and all then comcast?

eddiscus

02-03-07, 12:10 AM

FWIW have been enjoying fios tv for several days. Coming from cablevision I have noticed a higher quality picture on all channels. The HD channels seen to be slightly more detailed and crisp. They do not suffer from creeping color banding on background objects (ie: browns that look like boiling mud and grass that looks like it is growing before your eyes)
I also noticed with cablevisions broadcast of ER that when someone walked between the camera and the subject in focus the out of focus fast moving person would suffer macroblocking. Not so with fios.

On the down side the multi room dvr has no sata port to add a external drive to extend record capacity. 160 gig is kind of small for HD content. Also only programs recorded on SD channels can be shared with the other multi room boxes.

Picture quality = extreme satisfaction
Functionality= needs improvement

jwheeler

02-03-07, 10:56 AM

sorry funimation chan is 231. I have the stb connected to my receiver via optical audio cable as well.

others have confirmed this chan loses audio to receiver. its the only chan i know of that does it.

the problem isnt as bad if my receiver keeps the connection and then i just use tv sound for that chan and still have surroudn sound for other chans/sources.

but if for some reason it loses connection/lock because that chan doesnt' have digital sound (speaker icons on receiver disappear) then i dont have surroudn sound for any oher chan or source until i mess around with the receive and/or reset it all of wh ich is a pain.

Well I have since found the channel and I too do not get sound. I do on my anaolog tv though. I think it must be how the channel is encoded cause I cant get it to come in even if i reset my decoder box. Have you reported it to Verizon?

kes601

02-03-07, 11:01 AM

JWhip

02-03-07, 11:18 AM

The HD streaming is due to be implemented some time in the second half of the year.

JohnGZ28

02-03-07, 11:21 AM

instead they just think they are better but in reality aren't even on par with comcast in most of the important areas.

i have to keep a comcast hd dvr box just for hd on demand w hich is ridiculous to pay for both.

if fios doesn't get the swap feature working on their moto boxes on their remotes soon, working day + - button, and get some HD on demand, i mine as well switch back to comcast?

i know its still new, buy i dont want to pay to be a guinea pig and its been long enough that these simple features could have been added once they realized that they overlooked these minor but important features (and fired the ppl that overlooked them which costed them money) and how hard can it be to add HD on demand if they supposedly have so much more bandwidth and all then comcast?

Sounds to me like Fios is not for your. Doesn't make sense to spend your hard earned money on something that results in a bunch of complaints on a message board. Best way to show your displeasure with Fios is to spend your money elsewhere and go back to Comcast.

finetunes

02-03-07, 02:44 PM

I may be shifting over to FiOS sooner that I thought. On Thursday Time Warner "migrated" us over from the old Adelphia system to Time Warner. This resulted in substantial pixelization and signal degradation. The Time Warner representative confirmed that this has been a problem with the changeover but she claimed they have a fix they implement out at the street. We'll see when they come out on Monday.

If the problem is not fixed, there will likely be a mass exodus to FiOS.

JohnGZ28

02-03-07, 04:16 PM

jeepmatt

02-03-07, 04:42 PM

Sounds to me like Fios is not for your. Doesn't make sense to spend your hard earned money on something that results in a bunch of complaints on a message board. Best way to show your displeasure with Fios is to spend your money elsewhere and go back to Comcast.

John-
Yeah, Quatre is just here to post the same bitching in his thread every week or so.
We answered his questions - told him of the guide changes that are coming soon - but it doesn't look like he listens.

JohnGZ28

02-03-07, 05:57 PM

John-
Yeah, Quatre is just here to post the same bitching in his thread every week or so.
We answered his questions - told him of the guide changes that are coming soon - but it doesn't look like he listens.

Just seems pretty stupid to me. This is what freedom of choice is all about. Vote with your wallet. Money is too hard to come by to throw it away when you have a choice, and he clearly thinks the other choice is better. :confused:

finetunes

02-03-07, 06:06 PM

Is this a problem that's going to impact Superbowl viewing? Mass exodus may be an understatement if folks can't watch the Superbowl.

The pixelization fortunately is not as bad on our local CBS station so it is watchable but just not as good as before. It was worse on the channels with the best picture quality like Discovery HD. Before this happened I had no complaints. From what I have been seeing here, FiOS should be as good and maybe even slightly better than a top notch cable signal so I may switch over soon.

jr461

02-05-07, 01:25 PM

Anyone have anything further on the addition of SNY HD in northern NJ?

I just had Fios TV installed Friday (2/2) and was happy with how things went and overall happy with the service (well I'll see this week if all the shows I set up to record actually record). As far as user interface, the Fios DVR blows Cablevision away (CV graphics are like a Commodore 64!).

The only disappointment is no SNY HD, but I am hoping it is a short term thing as it is available in the rest of the metro area.

Ken Ross

02-05-07, 10:16 PM

Well tomorrow is the day for channel realignment. Hopefully we'll hear of additional HD before too long.

DarkFudge

02-05-07, 11:11 PM

eddiscus

02-05-07, 11:43 PM

jr461

02-06-07, 12:06 AM

Guys, I am a NJ Cablevision subscriber and have the Triple Play package ( Telephone, cable TV and Internet) I am pretty satisfied with Cablevision but I have seen some posts here that suggest the FIOS TV channels are superior in quality to Cablevisions...is this true?

ALso, how does the speed of Internet uploading and downloading compare to Optimum Online's?

The FIOS complete cable TV package seems awfully expensive compared to Cablevision's Gold package....unless of course I am not understanding it correctly?...Any Channels that FIOS offers that Cablevision does not?

A head to head comparison of someone who has had BOTH would really be helpful....Im in NJ

thanks!

I just had Fios TV installed Fri (2/2) after having DirecTV for about 10 years and Cablevision since last May (for HD).
The installation went well. The guy thought things out and did the install efficiently and neatly, checking signals at each TV.
The DVR initialization had a glitch where any channel above the analog group (>49) wasn’t coming in. He got on the phone and stayed on the phone until it was resolved (about 20 min). He then checked every channel including HD and VOD. No problems.

DVR: I have had DirecTV Tivos for many years and I agree, that is the gold standard. That said, the Fios DVR runs rings around the CV one. I actually don’t find the Fios interface much worse than the Tivo in terms of recording options, storing recordings in groupings and resuming playback of recordings where you left off, none of which is present in the CV POS. It’s also nice to have the times on the play bar to see where you are in a program or recording, rather than that arrow on a bar that CV uses with their best Commodore 64 typeface! It’s also nice having the full show names and descriptions rather than cutting off after a handful of characters like CV does. Channels are also grouped logically and not all over the place. Fios channel changes are also quicker. Finally, you can remove channels you don’t watch from both the guide and while surfing, which is not possible on CV (lots of fun having to go thru all of the foreign language, music, shopping, etc). I really see no area where CV has an advantage over Fios in terms of DVR interface and user functionality.

Picture quality: As background, I have a Sony LCos SXRD 60” using HDMI cables. SD on CV was blurry, grainy or, best case, soft, depending on the channel. The digital channels were not awful but channels in the lower register such as CNN or TBS were unwatchable. On Fios, the worst SD pictures are better than CV’s best. Many are fairly sharp and somewhat crisp. No comparison. HD looks great on both.

Offerings: Again, no comparison. Fios offers many more SD and HD channels than CV. I have much more confidence that Fios will add more HD than CV. The only national HD channels on CV are ESPN, INHD, TNT, UHD & the premium movie channels. Fios does NOT currently offer SNY HD in northern NJ, but I am hopeful it will be on by the time the season starts or shortly thereafter (it is available in the rest of the NY metro area and from what I hear they just need to upload it to the NJ facility, scheduled for March). MSNBC is also not available, but this is not as big a deal for me as SNY in HD. Discovery HD and NGHD are great to have in HD along with HDNet and HDNet movies. I also look forward to watching ESPN2 HD when baseball season starts. And I had no idea what Wealth TV was but they actually have some interesting fare and a stunning HD picture. CV does have MSG and FSN in HD which Fios does not (they had SD of each), but I don’t watch much basketball or hockey, so not an issue for me.

Costs: For comparable service, CV is more expensive. On Fios I have all movie channels except Cinemax (HBO, Showtime/Flix, TMC, Starz/Encore), more SD, more HD and a DVR for $84 per month. CV is about the same but only with the HBO & Starz/Encore package (no Showtime, TMC, Flix). Also, all of the VOD for the premium movie channels are included with Fios. On CV, they are $5 more per month EACH. For comparable service, I would have to add Showtime to CV for $10/month plus VOD for 4 premium services for another $20 per month ($5 each).

Anyone with CV who has an HD TV and Fios available should seriously consider switching, unless a big hockey or Knicks fan (I will amend this statement if the DVR fails to record something!!). Why be held under their thumb when they obviously have not made a commitment to HD and offer fewer national HD channels than any other cable company.

I am keeping CV on the broadcast basic level (still gets me local HDs) as a backup for a couple of weeks to make sure the Fios DVR records without issues (so far tonight, all was as scheduled). Once confident I will drop CV altogether.

afiggatt

02-06-07, 12:45 AM

Well tomorrow is the day for channel realignment. Hopefully we'll hear of additional HD before too long.
The channel realignment for NY is on Feb 6. We don't get it here in the Washington DC Metro area until Feb. 20. The last re-alignment date on the FiosTV channel line-up web page is for Texas on March 6. The question is will they wait to add new HD national channels until after all the re-alignments are done or start adding them for each region after they do the re-alignments? They may add the regional HD sports networks such as Comcast Mid-Atlantic as they go along, but those are unique to each region anyway. I doubt we will see national HD channels added until after March 6, but I hope I am wrong.

BTW, I got Verizon FiosTV in October and the national HD line-up has been stable since at least September. When and what was the most recent national HD channel(s) added?

DarkFudge

02-06-07, 01:18 AM

Very tempting...but I love INHD on Cablevision....also I am a big NY Rangers Hockey and NY Knicks fan.

Will FIOS have these channels??

Also how is the speed of FIOS Broadband Up/down versus Cablevision's?

I am very happy with Cablevisions Internet....and am even thing about the BOOST package

rosh400

02-06-07, 08:15 AM

jeepmatt

02-06-07, 09:44 AM

The channel realignment for NY is on Feb 6. We don't get it here in the Washington DC Metro area until Feb. 20. The last re-alignment date on the FiosTV channel line-up web page is for Texas on March 6. The question is will they wait to add new HD national channels until after all the re-alignments are done or start adding them for each region after they do the re-alignments? They may add the regional HD sports networks such as Comcast Mid-Atlantic as they go along, but those are unique to each region anyway. I doubt we won't see national HD channels added until after March 6, but I hope I am wrong.

BTW, I got Verizon FiosTV in October and the national HD line-up has been stable since at least September. When and what was the most recent national HD channel(s) added?

I'm voting with you on that we won't see anything new until after March 6th. We've had the "new" lineup here in DE since we went live in December, and haven't seen anything new. If you think about it, if they are "planning" on announcing something big, it'd make the most sense to wait until everyone's on the same lineup grid.

I think MHD was the last addition to the HD lineup, which was some time ago - so they're definitely due for some additions.

davee106

02-06-07, 10:19 AM

serialmike

02-06-07, 11:51 AM

anyone know when the heck they are going to fix the page up page down feature on thier remotes.

5w30

02-06-07, 01:20 PM

finetunes

02-06-07, 03:32 PM

The pixelization fortunately is not as bad on our local CBS station so it is watchable but just not as good as before. It was worse on the channels with the best picture quality like Discovery HD. Before this happened I had no complaints. From what I have been seeing here, FiOS should be as good and maybe even slightly better than a top notch cable signal so I may switch over soon.

The Time Warner tech came out last night and could not fix the problem. He said similar complaints have arisen since the switchover from Adelphia to the Time Warner system and mentioned something about the change of the signal coming from Van Nuys to Hermosa Beach.

So I have an appointment for FiOS installation next week and am hoping that the picture quality is as good as what I was receiving before. I have a 60" Sony XBR2 and any defect in the signal is noticeable.

I'm having three cable cards installed (XBR2 plus two for Tivo) plus two boxes for the non-HD sets. Are the installers in the Southern California area generally proficient when it comes to cable card installation?

Ken Ross

02-06-07, 04:47 PM

Anyone having problems with their Tivo S3 adjusting to the new channel alignment? All of my FIOS boxes, including PVR, had no problem. However the Tivo still thinks it's the old alignment even after going through a new guided setup.

jdoe7890

02-06-07, 05:04 PM

Ken Ross

02-06-07, 07:30 PM

No, just the new guide, no new channels yet. But Tivo hasn't yet caught up on the proper channel alignment. The FIOS units have.

jr461

02-07-07, 01:59 PM

Update concerning SNY in HD in NJ from Sportsnet.
Below is their response to my e-mail (I bolded the bottom line answer):

Thank you for your inquiry regarding SportsNet New York. It is up to each cable and satellite provider to allocate channel space for viewers to see SNY in HD. Currently, not all service providers have allocated this space, but we are encouraging them to do so because SNY has extensive HD programming including all Mets home games. In addition, SportsNite, a comprehensive re-cap of all New York sports is shot in HD from SNY's state-of-the-art street level studio in the heart of Manhattan every night at 6pm, 10pm and 1am.

Verizon is working towards launching SNY in HD (channel 831) on their NJ systems over the next few months.

Thanks again for your email.

SportsNet New York

barth2k

02-07-07, 11:56 PM

just got installed in redondo beach. looking good so far. a couple more hd channels to flip through. yay! I *think* there's a FoxSportsWestHD. It's in the 8xx group, but right now it only shows a test pattern in 480i. the next event won't be til the 11th.

I have the QIP6416-2 with a black remote. it has no setup button. am I screwed as far as the swap and 30 sec skip go? I have no other boxes / remotes from, say, comcast. I'm going to miss my hdtivo.

anyway, is there a way to make it not switch mode when you go from an SD <-> HD channel. it's really annoying, and 480i is truly ugly on my set. can't the box upconv 480i to 1080i?

finetunes

02-08-07, 12:45 AM

barth2k

02-08-07, 01:06 AM

finetunes: my hdtivo is d* only. i also have a s2 tivo (SD) and it works with the fios box fine, using the IR blaster.

haven't done much a/b comparison yet. my initial impression is hd is better, but sd is worse. But that is probably only b/c the hdtivo box upscales 480i to 1080i and 480i is really bad on my set since I've never bothered to adjust it because I never watch it. everything I watch is either upconverted dvd / sd or hd.

Bushman4

02-08-07, 02:15 AM

kes601

02-08-07, 07:36 AM

Anybody know why the Wizards games get blacked out with other programming on Comcast Sports Net on the Virginia Beach system? Anytime there is a game on they go to other programming.

jimapp

02-08-07, 08:32 AM

mrvegas1

02-08-07, 08:34 AM

afiggatt

02-08-07, 10:24 AM

I have the QIP6416-2 with a black remote. it has no setup button. am I screwed as far as the swap and 30 sec skip go? I have no other boxes / remotes from, say, comcast. I'm going to miss my hdtivo.

anyway, is there a way to make it not switch mode when you go from an SD <-> HD channel. it's really annoying, and 480i is truly ugly on my set. can't the box upconv 480i to 1080i?
The 30 second skip is there, but you may have to get a programmable remote to access it. It was easy to add with my Logitech harmony remote once I figured out the labeling for it. I can swap channels by directly entering the channel number for other channel being recorded when 2 channels are being recorded at the same time. If you don't remember the number, you can press menu, look at the recording list and get the information that way. Once you have jumped to the 2nd recording channel, the previous button should work to swap.

As for setting up the Motorola output, see http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Setup.

JWhip

02-08-07, 10:34 AM

The swap function does not work on the FiOS Motorola DVR. I kept my old Comcast remote and the 30 second skip works great but not the swap function.

barth2k

02-08-07, 01:29 PM

update: fixed the mode output so it's constant 1080i now. HD PQ is very good. I saw Apocalypse Now Redux last night, and it looked close to the HDDVD titles I've seen. I think if you have a 1080p display, you'll see even more improvement. (I think my set can only resolve about 1200x900 anyway. )

SD PQ is MUCH better. For ex, TNT SD on D* is really horrible, but on F* it's comparable to TNTTHD (for SD shows, obviously). Actually, it's arguably better since you have the choice to not stretch. In fact, the SD channels look close to OTA digital channels. Some channels are duplicates. The lower numbered ones I assume are analog. They look just as good to me as the digital (take that, Jessica Simpson).

I can't see any difference b/t local HD and OTA.

Now, for bad looking PQ, see the music channels :)

In short, you can't go wrong PQ wise.

As for the DVR vs the d* hdtivo, I miss the 30sec skip, the tivo sound feedback when you click a button, the smooth responsiveness of the uncluttered remote (the tivo UI team should get an award!!), 250gb vs 160gb HD. On the positive side, the guide scrolls so much faster, channel changing is faster, setting up a recording or season pass is nearly instantaneous, guide data go for like 2 weeks, and it doesn't take 5 mins to come back from a power loss.

now if they add food and hdtv hd and give me an option to add an ext. drive, I'll be one thoroughly happy camper. oh and lower the price too or give me some freebies for being an early adopter :)

joeinma

02-09-07, 09:35 AM

I've got a question about the technical aspect of hooking up FiOS. Currently I have DirecTV and my town's local cable company (for HD & VOD). Both services run to a structured media panel in the basement and then I have RG6 cable running from the panel to all the rooms in the house.

I know FiOS uses the coaxial in the house, but do they need to run a direct line from the box they install on the house to each room that will get the service or can they run it to my panel and then connect to the individual cables running to each room?

It will be awhile before the service will even be available in my town (Braintree, MA), if at all, as they are just in the licensing stage with the town. Where the town's own electric company runs the cable service, I hope they don't deny FiOS just to protect the town's coffers.

Mikey Palmice

02-09-07, 09:57 AM

Mikey Palmice

02-09-07, 09:59 AM

The big question with Fios is WHEN will you be able to get this in your house. Unfortunately at the high cost of Fiber Optic wiring and the slow speed that Verizon is known to upgrade their any new endeaver, it might be some time.
Even big cities such as New York City, only have this in Far and FEW Places. I was surprised that a borough of New York (STATEN ISLAND) had this in more places than New York City (Manhattan itself).
In Manhattan, there are many Huge buildings with thousands of apartments and you would think that these multiple dwellings would be the incentive for Verizon. Yet COST has put a brake on the upgrade of Fios for now anyway.

Hopefully Verizon gets it act together and puts some speed on.

It isn't verizon that is slowing down the process. It's the slow franchise process the government has in place. verizon has to go town by town to get approval, unless you are in california, texas and NJ, they have state frachises. In NY, we have to go town by town, and the process gets bogged down for approvals.

steverobertson

02-09-07, 10:12 AM

mallu2u

02-09-07, 10:17 AM

Is VZ planning to get more international channels? Any news on it?

Mikey Palmice

02-09-07, 10:24 AM

Is VZ planning to get more international channels? Any news on it?

I only know of the African Channel and ImaginAsian and shop asia and bbc world

mallu2u

02-09-07, 10:26 AM

thanks. guess it shall take them time to get some mainstream Asian (Indian) channels since best are taken by Dish Network or DirecTV. Wonder if they shall ever be able to get them to VZ.

TimGoodwin

02-09-07, 10:35 AM

Mikey Palmice

02-09-07, 10:48 AM

Most likely your Central Office has not been setup for the TV part of Fios.

yeah, the data and voice is good to go, but they are awaiting the government franchise. once the franchise is ready, the equipment will be ready too

JWhip

02-09-07, 01:55 PM

Mikey, how about INHD and VSGLF?

rickypicky

02-09-07, 02:00 PM

HGTV HD, History HD, Food HD, A&E HD, Sleuth HD, and Lifetime Movies HD are all on the way.

does anybody know if MSG HD is coming in NY?

Any time frame on these new HD channels?

Mikey Palmice

02-09-07, 02:10 PM

Any time frame on these new HD channels?

that I don't know, sorry

jeepmatt

02-09-07, 02:10 PM

Any time frame on these new HD channels?

Ricky-
We're thinking we may hear some news after Texas is realigned on March 6th. Then, all states will have the same premier lineup.

I was told we'd see new HD in the 1st quarter - so March would still qualify.

Mikey Palmice

02-09-07, 02:11 PM

Mikey, how about INHD and VSGLF?

Haven't heard anything about those? What do they stand for?

kes601

02-09-07, 02:12 PM

Haven't heard anything about those? What do they stand for?

INHD is a station that loops HD content, I think it is a partnership with cable companies, could be wrong on that one though. VSGLF is a combo Versus and Golf Channel HD station.

Ronin_R6

02-09-07, 02:16 PM

INHD is a station that loops HD content, I think it is a partnership with cable companies, could be wrong on that one though. VSGLF is a combo Versus and Golf Channel HD station.
Both of those channels are owned by the cable companies, so I would not expect to see them anytime soon.

Mikey Palmice

02-09-07, 02:21 PM

INHD is a station that loops HD content, I think it is a partnership with cable companies, could be wrong on that one though. VSGLF is a combo Versus and Golf Channel HD station.

oh, VS HD would bw sweet

philo77

02-09-07, 02:28 PM

I've got a question about the technical aspect of hooking up FiOS. Currently I have DirecTV and my town's local cable company (for HD & VOD). Both services run to a structured media panel in the basement and then I have RG6 cable running from the panel to all the rooms in the house.

I know FiOS uses the coaxial in the house, but do they need to run a direct line from the box they install on the house to each room that will get the service or can they run it to my panel and then connect to the individual cables running to each room?Verizon can use the existing RG6 cable if they can locate and access each of the signal splitters installed along the lines. They may replace the splitters with new ones and replace the connectors if needed. If for some reason they cannot use the existing cable, then they would have to install new cable. This would be in a "tree branch" configuration with splitters, similar to cable TV installations. Extra charges may be involved if you want them to install cable in the walls.

There is a forum for this topic: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=621323 (Verizon FiOS Installation & Hardware - Master Topic!)

jeepmatt

02-09-07, 02:38 PM

Both of those channels are owned by the cable companies, so I would not expect to see them anytime soon.

As far as VS/Golf, yes, they are both owned by Comcast, but they are offering the HD channel FREE to any provider carrying the two stations, which FIOS already is.

So it should not be an issue for FIOS to gain carriage of this station. (well, at least you'd think!) :D

mallu2u

02-09-07, 03:29 PM

So VZ does not announce what channels they'll be launching soon?

taeboguy

02-09-07, 09:08 PM

For those of you who have gone through the channel moves, what does this do with your DVR series recording schedules? Will I need to reset everything or will it automagically auto correct?

johnqpixel

02-09-07, 09:36 PM

Arrghhh ... well they laid the cable months ago in my Columbia, Maryland neighborhood and I finally got a brochure in the door about hooking it up. Guess what? NO FIBER OPTIC TV!!!! They are offering me phone, internet and DIRECTV! I called them and they said that sometimes it takes longer to get the TV part worked out with the local authorities.

Anybody have similar experiences in the DC/Colubia Md area?

i live in Ellicott City, just off Centennial Lane, not in Columbia though, but close. i have FiOS TV, Internet and telephone. my suspicion is that the TV part is not far behind. i work with people that live in Columbia and they have said that VZ is offering TV to their neighborhoods. i suspect TV for your neighborhood will follow soon.

to other posters' concerns about the lack of a 30-sec skip feature on the remote. I bought a Radio Shack Model 15-2200 remote on sale for $4. it has a 30-sec skip button for the DVR.

davidwb

02-09-07, 10:23 PM

we have fios tv in the river hill village in columbia, so i would guess it will be in the other villages soon.

Ronin_R6

02-09-07, 11:29 PM

For those of you who have gone through the channel moves, what does this do with your DVR series recording schedules? Will I need to reset everything or will it automagically auto correct?

While I havent seen the changes yet here in NoVA. it has been said that all of your recordings will still work as they are, but it you had made changes to the channels in the guide you will have to redo that to reflect the changes.

Mikey Palmice

02-10-07, 10:54 AM

As far as VS/Golf, yes, they are both owned by Comcast, but they are offering the HD channel FREE to any provider carrying the two stations, which FIOS already is.

So it should not be an issue for FIOS to gain carriage of this station. (well, at least you'd think!) :D

sweet, can't watch the rangers in HD on msg, but maybe on VS's

DCFan

02-11-07, 08:27 AM

DCFan

02-11-07, 08:47 AM

and 480i is truly ugly on my set. can't the box upconv 480i to 1080i?
Try switching from 480i to 480p mode. That made a big difference for my SD viewing. From your remote control it's off/menu/menu (you might have to hit this a few times).

barth2k

02-11-07, 02:30 PM

to other posters' concerns about the lack of a 30-sec skip feature on the remote. I bought a Radio Shack Model 15-2200 remote on sale for $4. it has a 30-sec skip button for the DVR.

could you give some detail on how this is done? thanks. I have a QIP6416-2 and a black remote with no setup button.

arnoldevns

02-11-07, 04:07 PM

I got a letter this week from Verizon that was seperate from the note about the channel lineup change.

This letter was about new features that are coming soon. Among them is a new remote for the cable box and a new program guide.

It talked about some new "local widgets" and things like that, but didn't spell out a whole lot of specifics.

Again, I suspect that after the channel change in March, we'll start to see new channels and these new features added "all at once" for a bigger "wow" factor in an attempt to steal viewers away from cable and satellite.

SonyHD

02-11-07, 04:17 PM

I've heard that Verizon was planning on launching Realmadrid TV (English version) and Setanta Sports USA, but was wondering if anyone knows when this will happen? Both of these channels cover soccer and of course RMTV covers the famed soccer club, Real Madrid. Real Madrid and Verizon I heard were in discussions, but haven't heard anything official as to if a deal was struck. I have heard a contract has been signed for Setanta Sports, which has Champions League matches, MUTV (Manchester United TV), Chelsea TV, English Premiere League, Coca-Cola Championship (England's first division).

johnqpixel

02-11-07, 08:48 PM

could you give some detail on how this is done? thanks. I have a QIP6416-2 and a black remote with no setup button.

i found that the DVR functions of the Motorola QIP6416-2 seem to be controllable with the SAT/CBL selected and the remote set to code #1376. That is the last of 6 codes for Motorola under cable box converters.

fog80

02-12-07, 05:38 PM

FAZ8218

02-12-07, 06:24 PM

sweet, can't watch the rangers in HD on msg, but maybe on VS's
Oh yeah, great... I'm awaiting the arrival of MSG HD and VS HD to FiOS. Verizon was actually nice enough to call me back after I inquired about MSG, FSNY, and VS in HD. Basically they gave me a generic "We're still in negotiations" answer. Same goes for NHL Center Ice. Anyone out there have any other info on this stuff?

Tiyuri

02-12-07, 06:27 PM

I believe MSG/FSNY is covered very well in this thread and the NYC-Verizon HD thread. The short answer is don't hold your breath. Cablevision knows that FSNYHD and MSGHD are big hooks to keep customers so they won't give them up.

Ken Ross

02-12-07, 06:44 PM

If they got the YES HD network, I'm sure the others may well be in reach. The Yankees in HD were a huge draw for Cablevision, yet FIOS now has it.

Tiyuri

02-12-07, 07:00 PM

The Yankees own YES so Cablevision had nothing to do with Verizon being able to offer it. Cablevision owns MSG and FSNY and for good reason refuse to give the HD versions to direct competitors.

kamgol

02-12-07, 07:29 PM

Does anyone know when FiOS is reaching the SD area? And which parts?

Five Hole

02-12-07, 10:43 PM

Does anyone know when FiOS is reaching the SD area? And which parts?

I believe most or all of San Diego county is covered by AT&T. If that is the case, it will never show up. If Verizon has a presence in SD county then I have not heard of any plans for FIOS in that county.

SJKurtzke

02-13-07, 07:35 AM

I believe most or all of San Diego county is covered by AT&T. If that is the case, it will never show up. If Verizon has a presence in SD county then I have not heard of any plans for FIOS in that county.
AT&T has a similar TV service called U-Verse.
http://www.uverse.att.com/

rosh400

02-13-07, 08:59 AM

At avsforum and dslreports, I've read a mix of reports about FIOS installation, DVR hardware and software, and PQ. While the disatisfied customers are vehement in their complaints they seemed to be outweighed in numbers by those that are pleased. This must mean that the service must be pretty good because usually only customers with problems post.

Anyway, I have inserted an excerpt from the Libes Libation with a summary from the quarterly Montgomery County MD cable and communications advisory committee meeting on January 24 which seems to give FIOS a thumbs up for their initial rollout in our county. For those of you not familiar wtih the Libes Libation, Don Libes is a computer programmer who is quite knowledgeable in the area of telecomunications and closely follows the cable TV business in this county. He is an impartial observer with no bones to pick but without any favorites either. When he has something positive to report, it carries alot of credibility. Anyway here is the excerpt.

Apart from complaints about the inability to get Verizon TV (only available to 75000 homes in MC so far), the committee spent more of its time grousing about Comcast. Complaints included poor analog picture quality, poor audio quality, poor HD quality, and so on. Cable Office staffer Marjorie Williams described how disappointed she was in her own Comcast service, specifically pointing out that on some channels, she could detect little difference between digital and analog quality. Verizon TV, on the other hand, seems to be delivering on quality. Everyone to whom I've spoken is quite happy with what they're seeing. Margie went on to say that the early complaints received by the office about Verizon were entirely about billing. No service complaints and no installation complaints. (If you're reading this and have complaints that aren't being resolved by Verizon, please file them with the county.) Complaints are understandable with a brand new service. We won't know the true extent of them until the council's MFP review at the end of Q1. (Note: The Q4 review will be Feb 5, 2007.)

joeinma

02-13-07, 10:07 AM

Anyone know if FiOS is available in Naples, FL? I will be down there visiting friends in a few weeks and where one of them works for Verizon, I'm thinking that if it's available in Naples, he'll have it and I can check it out before it's available in my area of MA.

fmsjr

02-13-07, 09:40 PM

kamgol

02-14-07, 03:04 PM

Anyone know of FiOS coming to San Diego anytime soon? Also, I'm curious about the AT&T U-Verse service.

Thanks,

James

ccapozzoli

02-14-07, 07:48 PM

Ronin_R6

02-14-07, 10:04 PM

Anyone know of FiOS coming to San Diego anytime soon? Also, I'm curious about the AT&T U-Verse service.

Thanks,

James

No Fios since your in AT&T country. If you look around the forum here there is a UVerse thread that probably has the information you're looking for.

I cant wait for the channel lineup to switch. these freaking **ALERT** messages in teh guide info for every channel is getting really annoying, I have to push info to find out if the show is one i have seen or not, instead of being able to read the first few lines of description straight from the guide.

tmembrino

02-15-07, 10:08 AM

I just heard from the FIOS TV salesman that NESN HD is coming within the next few weeks in the MA area, so I decided to switch over from Comcast. ANy special deals I should know about?? I am only saving $10.00 per month from Comcast, but I am excited about the FIOS picture quality.

I hope you're right about NESN HD but I'm not holding my breath. Back in October when I signed up I was told NESN-HD would be up in November. If you scan back through this thread you'll see others have been told various dates in the past. At this point I'm just hoping it's up by Red Sox Opening Day.

ccapozzoli

02-15-07, 11:08 AM

The guy said by opening Day. If not I will take the boxes, find him and make him eat them.

CHolleman

02-15-07, 01:42 PM

i'm intently watching things roll out with fios and i'm pretty excited from what i hear so far. one thing concerns me. does anybody think that with the addition of all those extra channels down the pipe, that quality may suffer? i wasn't privy to the rollout of D* of yesteryear, but sentiments that i gather from posters was that "it's not what it used to be" does anyone think verizon will follow suit and as their installed base increases, they'll not put superior PQ as a priority to their customers? of course, anything has got to be better than Cox/D*.

ccapozzoli

02-15-07, 01:50 PM

Q-bert

02-15-07, 02:21 PM

The fiber offers VZ a lot more flexibility with their distribution. Depending on the head-end supporting all the ONT's they can modulate multiple streams at very high bit rates so it's unlikely they'll turn to HD-Lite (ala D*) anytime soon.

Cable will catch up with Switched Digital Video deployments over the next 2 years but guess what, VZ can roll that hardware out as well. So the end result is the same. The STB can pull a couple of streams at the same time without pulling down every single channel. Thus you can setup dual-tuner recording and watch live TV, etc.

I'm expecting FIOS TV announcements in my area in April so as long as NESN HD is included and they pick up Center Ice for next season I'll be getting of Cox asap.

clockworkgreen

02-15-07, 02:55 PM

Just FYI on the Verizon FiOS billing for this month.

I autopay my verizon bill, and, honestly, don't pay much attention to it. But noticed this month it was a little higher than normal. I just figured the wife had some PPV purchases.

Well, the way Verizon does their billing is 12/5-1/4 was a billing period. 1/5-1/12 is another billing period. And 1/13-2/12 is another billing period. This month's bill contains both the 1/5-1/12 (prorated) and 1/13-2/12 periods.

This may be Verizon par for the course, I'm just mentioning it in case anyone else doesn't get paper copies of their bill. I had to login to my account to figure out what was going on and why it was about $18 more than normal.

jwheeler

02-15-07, 04:57 PM

Anyone here have verizons voicewing along with FIOS? If so how is it?

blklacker

02-16-07, 12:50 AM

Using a Sony Xbr3 46" great set no problems except I had krapcast before I was very dissapointed with service and happy as hell to get ride of them.
nuff said

Upgraded to FIOS TV
FIOS TV produces the cleanest HD feed I have ever seen. I feel like im really getting my money worth out of my HDTV now. The picture was so clean I had to adjust my settings on my set becuase the picture came in so much better than krapcast.

Install was a little rough thou they missed 2 appointments but the installer was a pro. Had my PON/ONT up and running in no time. Internet speed is just sick running 30mb download. and Im paying less than I was paying for krapcast.

FIOS FTW

robmfielding

02-16-07, 08:09 AM

Anyone here have verizons voicewing along with FIOS? If so how is it?

My mom got Voicewing with FIOS installed in Montgomery County, MD and is not happy with it. She said the few long distance calls she has placed have been very poor quality with lags and dropouts. It may be too early to tell but she is probably going to drop it before the 30 day trial is up.

She has FIOS Internet, TV and Voicewing currently.

-Rob

properbostonian

02-16-07, 08:32 AM

I hope you're right about NESN HD but I'm not holding my breath. Back in October when I signed up I was told NESN-HD would be up in November. If you scan back through this thread you'll see others have been told various dates in the past. At this point I'm just hoping it's up by Red Sox Opening Day.
FIOS TV became available in my city (Newton, MA) in December 2006. I was about to pull the trigger and order FIOS TV/Internet/Phone but I found out (thanks to this forum!) that NESN-HD is not offered which is a dealbreaker for me. As soon as Verizon offers NESN-HD, I will order the service and not before.

AEC

02-16-07, 10:47 AM

My brother in law lives in Kemp Mill (Silver Spring) near Wheaton Regional and he made the switch to FIOS TV a couple of weeks ago. He is pleased w/the service and picture. I live in Olney and I am still waiting for Verizon to get into our area (already have FIOS internet access). Based on the cable maps provided by Verizon, it could be a year or more until they roll down Georgia Ave and into our area.

NR68

02-16-07, 12:53 PM

This morning, I emailed the following message to NESN(sports@nesn.com)

As a subscriber to Verizon FiOS-TV, we receive NESN only in SD format. Many of us are contacting Verizon as to the reason. We are told that they are in negotiations with NESN to carry the HD signal. We would like to know if this is true, or is it a technical issue for them to allocate space on their HD tier.

I would suggest that others do the same(as many of you as possible), so we can once and for all get to the bottom of the dilemma and get a straight answer.

Again their email is: sports@nesn.com Let's see what we can find out!

ccapozzoli

02-16-07, 04:10 PM

I just sent my email to NESN...We shall see?? I told NESN that the verizon sales rep said we would have it by opening day. Am I being lied to????

Thanks

steverobertson

02-16-07, 04:19 PM

NR68

02-16-07, 05:00 PM

I heard the negotiation thing for Directv for over 2 years I hope you get yours quicker

Good Luck

Ya, I heard that one too! I just don't understand why they're not up front w/their customers.

Ken Ross

02-16-07, 10:02 PM

FIOS is now showing a message that new HD channels will soon be added!

rickypicky

02-16-07, 10:23 PM

FIOS is now showing a message that new HD channels will soon be added!

Where is FIOS showing the message?

bfdtv

02-17-07, 01:08 AM

Where is FIOS showing the message?New York -- which was also the first market to adopt the new channel lineup.

kfarzin

02-17-07, 02:42 AM

New York -- which was also the first market to adopt the new channel lineup.

Where, as in, is it being displayed on your box or you got a message on your STB, email, website?

TVJunkyMonkey

02-17-07, 12:56 PM

Where, as in, is it being displayed on your box or you got a message on your STB, email, website?

On the front of your STB there is a LED light for messages, close to the record LED.

jeepmatt

02-17-07, 03:22 PM

CSN-MA showed up on Channel 66 today in Northern Delaware.

So we now have CSN-Philly on 65, CSN-MA on 66, and MASN on 67.

Thanks Verizon!

AndyHDTV

02-18-07, 03:54 PM

Andy,

Verizon does provide FiOS in Manhattan, but only in a few greenfield locations. Manhattan is a difficult location to obtain city franchise, build permits as well as agreements with MDU owners. Any deploments in the city will be will orchestrated but limited. Can provide more specifics tommorow.

John

david4788

02-18-07, 04:18 PM

I want to switch to FIOS but have a delema...I inject 4 in-house channels using ChannelPLus Modulators into my current cable system (Tivo, baby cam, etc). Will I be able to do this with FIOS? Are there unused channels I can use? Anyone else tried?
It's been some time and wondered if anyone has had a chance to try this?

raven313

02-18-07, 05:05 PM

I just switched over to the hockey and noticed the DC NBC affiliate had the game in HD and the Baltimore affiliate did not. The HD broadcast looked very crisp. The Baltimore broadcast seemed like a digital 480i feed.

jrbrangi

02-18-07, 10:27 PM

I just sent my email to NESN...We shall see?? I told NESN that the verizon sales rep said we would have it by opening day. Am I being lied to????

Thanks

I was just thinking this today, was searching for NESN and relized it wasn't in HD, considering that almost all the games will be on it, I want my HD :)

edit - just sent NESN an email as well

Ken Ross

02-18-07, 10:43 PM

Where, as in, is it being displayed on your box or you got a message on your STB, email, website?

It is showing up on the previously occupied HD channels that are now vacant. So if you tune to where HDNet used to be, it will show up there.

dtv757

02-19-07, 11:24 AM

dtv757

02-19-07, 11:32 AM

New York -- which was also the first market to adopt the new channel lineup.

i could be mistaken but i believe the VA BEACH market was the first market with the new pricing and new channels, if you look @ the VA BEACH lineup the channel numbers are already assigned to the new numbers ex NFL NET ch 72 verses ch 75.

VA BEACH FIOS CH LINEUP (http://www22.verizon.com/NROneRetail/NR/rdonlyres/1BA01569-F67B-469B-8750-D703465B0AF2/0/VA_VABeachArea.pdf)
changes to the FIOS ch LINEUP (http://www22.verizon.com/content/fiostv/channel+lineup/channel+lineup.htm)

here in the VA BEACH market we started @ the $42.99 price for the Premier package where other markets changed from $39.99 to $42.99.

bfdtv

02-19-07, 11:40 AM

i could be mistaken but i believe the VA BEACH market was the first market with the new pricing and new channels, if you look @ the VA BEACH lineup the channel numbers are already assigned to the new numbers ex NFL NET ch 72 verses ch 75.Verizon has used the new lineup from the beginning with new service areas. New York was certainly not the first to have it. However, as far as I know, New York is the first market to launch with the original lineup that has since moved to the new one.

jeepmatt

02-19-07, 12:58 PM

BF-
You are correct.

Delaware, NJ and PA all launched with the "new" lineup. (I'm still not sure why they list PA with Mass. on the realignment calendar).

New York was the first state to change on 2/6.

This week we have VA and MD tomorrow, then MA on Thursday.

derek

02-19-07, 01:21 PM

Voicewing and FIOS: I've been using both for about two weeks now and overall getting pretty much what I expected. That is slight conversational lag and echoing during some calls. Right now I'm keeping it for the cost savings vs. residential landline (and those taxes!) I haven't done much long distance calling though. Must say Voicewing customer service has been very good.

SJKurtzke

02-19-07, 01:28 PM

Just wondering, does the new interface come when you switch over to the new lineup? (Ours is tomorrow) Or does that come at a later date?

dt_dc

02-19-07, 01:31 PM

Just wondering, does the new interface come when you switch over to the new lineup? (Ours is tomorrow)No, it doesn't.Or does that come at a later date?Later date ... "by midyear".

CHolleman

02-19-07, 05:56 PM

ok so my parents finally got their fios service installed today. first impressions....not very impressed. SD looks about the same as what i'm seeing on my Pioneer plasma with D*. believe it or not, they had a SD D* box hooked up to their pioneer via svideo and i thought SD actually looked better. i don't know how or why, i cann't explain it. i thought if it looks this good with junk connections and an SD box, imagine what fios will look like.

HD, well after looking at SD for awhile, HD always looks amazing. I was really more concerned with SD service.

the one equip. caveat i found was no page up/page down while going through the guide. i hit channel up/down but to no avail. am i missing something? also, how does one access the adjustments and/or settings in the moto box? i couldn't find anything in the menu, but i'm assuming it's set to native.

i think i've read some posters have called and complained about PQ and they had techs come out and look at the system and adjust the signal. is the soft PQ something that they could have fixed?

Installer was cool. hooked everything up via component but i was there and asked for an HDMI cable so i've got one to a/b the connections there. also tossed in a second remote since my parents like to argue over it. for those who're interested, i did a very quick a/b with component and hdmi and component actually looked clearer. this was only on HGTV as i was running out the door.

so i'm a bit disappointed with SD PQ. enough to keep me from jumping ship? not sure. i'm definately more apt to wait now though. I'm in a contract with D* for one more year and even though fios is $12/mon cheaper with a DVR, it would take a year to recoup my losses for breaking the contract.
Report Post

rickypicky

02-19-07, 06:53 PM

ok so my parents finally got their fios service installed today. first impressions....not very impressed. SD looks about the same as what i'm seeing on my Pioneer plasma with D*.

IMHO, FiOS SD, for the majority of the SD channels, is about the same as D* SD, maybe just a tad bit worse.

Having said that, some FiOS SD channels are really, really good - much better than the corresponding D* channel. I don't have a list of these channels, but off the top of my head, one or two of the HBO SD channels look outstanding, almost DVD like quality.

FiOS HD is really good. I think FiOS doesn't reduce the bitrate like D* does. For example, TNT-HD on FiOS looks much, much better than on D*.

bfdtv

02-19-07, 06:57 PM

the one equip. caveat i found was no page up/page down while going through the guide. i hit channel up/down but to no avail. am i missing something? also, how does one access the adjustments and/or settings in the moto box? i couldn't find anything in the menu, but i'm assuming it's set to native.Be sure to turn the box off, press menu, and then enable the 4:3 override option at 480i. By default, the Motorola DVR does the scaling, and it does not do a good job. Enabling the 4:3 override option (set to 480i) will let your Pioneer use its high-quality SD processing.

On my 92" screen, FiOS SD was a significant improvement over DirecTV SD, at least on the channels I watch -- SciFi, History, Military, CNN, FOX News, and CNBC. With HD, of course there was no comparison.

the one equip. caveat i found was no page up/page down while going through the guide. i hit channel up/down but to no avail. am i missing something? also, how does one access the adjustments and/or settings in the moto box? i couldn't find anything in the menu, but i'm assuming it's set to native.FiOS is about to completely revamp its guide / interface software, and the new remotes are supported by the new software, but not the older (current) one.

CHolleman

02-19-07, 07:25 PM

Be sure to turn the box off, press menu, and then enable the 4:3 override option at 480i. By default, the Motorola DVR does the scaling, and it does not do a good job. Enabling the 4:3 override option (set to 480i) will let your Pioneer use its high-quality SD processing.

On my 92" screen, FiOS SD was a significant improvement over DirecTV SD, at least on the channels I watch -- SciFi, History, Military, CNN, FOX News, and CNBC. With HD, of course there was no comparison.

FiOS is about to completely revamp its guide / interface software, and the new remotes are supported by the new software, but not the older (current) one.

if i enable the4:3 override, it doesn't force black bars for SD material does it? my parents are the most techno-savvy people in the world, and i've warned them numerous times about black bars with extended viewing. the pio should be able to stretch the material to fit the screen with the 4:3 override off, right? i'll have to try that tomorrow. i knew there was something weird going on when the PQ was noticeably softer. perhaps the old SD box that looked so good doesn't have these features (like a scaler) so the tv was doing all the work and not the moto box. sounds plausible?

Ronin_R6

02-19-07, 08:32 PM

if i enable the4:3 override, it doesn't force black bars for SD material does it? my parents are the most techno-savvy people in the world, and i've warned them numerous times about black bars with extended viewing. the pio should be able to stretch the material to fit the screen with the 4:3 override off, right? i'll have to try that tomorrow. i knew there was something weird going on when the PQ was noticeably softer. perhaps the old SD box that looked so good doesn't have these features (like a scaler) so the tv was doing all the work and not the moto box. sounds plausible?

No with 4:3 override set to off, the box ads black bars on the side, if you set it to 480 (i or p) then you can choose your zoom mode on your tv. if you set it to stretch, then the box sends a 16:9 stretch to the tv, with the only exception being the guide, the guide is still 4:3 even though 4:3 video is stretched.

CHolleman

02-19-07, 08:39 PM

bfdtv

02-19-07, 09:04 PM

damn how confusing. what's the function of 4:3 override? it doesn't sound like a native on/off. if i turn it off, but set it to stretch, then i should have untouched resolution for a particular program and let the tv do the scaling but the screen will be filled, right?With override set to disabled (off) -- the default -- SD content is scaled to 720p or 1080i HD resolution and bars are added. As I mentioned above, Motorola boxes do not do a good job with SD scaling.

With 4:3 override enabled (on) at 480i, the box outputs SD channels as they are in the system, without any modification or scaling of any kind. No bars are added. The video processing in your Pioneer plasma would add bars or apply stretch, depending on what you choose. This is the setting you should choose.

Note when 4:3 override is enabled, SD channels are sent as 480i and HD channels are still output as 720p or 1080i, so when switching between SD and HD channels, there may be a short delay while your display syncs to the new resolution. This delay is in the TV, not the box. Some displays are able to sync to new resolutions very fast (<0.5 secs), while others are slow (2.0 secs).

CHolleman

02-19-07, 09:20 PM

With override set to disabled (off) -- the default -- SD content is scaled to 720p or 1080i HD resolution and bars are added. As I mentioned above, Motorola boxes do not do a good job with SD scaling.

With 4:3 override enabled (on) at 480i, the box outputs SD channels as they are in the system, without any modification or scaling of any kind. No bars are added. The video processing in your Pioneer plasma would add bars or apply stretch, depending on what you choose. This is the setting you should choose.

Note when 4:3 override is enabled, SD channels are sent as 480i and HD channels are still output as 720p or 1080i, so when switching between SD and HD channels, there may be a short delay while your display syncs to the new resolution. This delay is in the TV, not the box. Some displays are able to sync to new resolutions very fast (<0.5 secs), while others are slow (2.0 secs).

i appreciate the thorough yet consise answer. yes, i'm familiar with the delay when switching resolutions with my own pioneer and D*. I'll have to check to make sure that 4:3 override is enabled. i didn't see any black bars on first glance, so it may be on as the default setting.

firemantom

02-19-07, 10:37 PM

Verizon has used the new lineup from the beginning with new service areas. New York was certainly not the first to have it. However, as far as I know, New York is the first market to launch with the original lineup that has since moved to the new one.
this all started in keller tx. Super head in in tampa florida. fios can handle any number of high def channels out there. they are now working on 8000 line of res.

jrbrangi

02-20-07, 12:31 AM

bfdtv

02-20-07, 07:00 AM

ok guys, I have the FIOS DVR HD Box on my Sharp Aquos LC-37D40U. now im playing with box off..... in the mode setings and it shows as 16:9 is that the setting I want to have it on ? or do I switch it to the 480i mode. Question I guess is what do you guys recommends for the setup.For output, set to 720p or 1080i. There is no perfect setting for your TV -- 720p will look better on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2, while 1080i will look better on the rest.

Set 4:3 override to 480i.

Updated: and re updated . reread the post a few times Changed it from 480i to 480p for now till I get a better understanding of how to set this thing. Should I keep it at 480i or 480p? Won't my tv upscale it making the 480p look better than the 480i . Im new to the whole HD thing so bear with me if I sound like a n00b. :)You want 4:3 override set to 480i so your display will do the 480i->p deinterlace. The box doesn't do a good job of 480i->480p.

You'll see the biggest difference between the 480i and 480p settings on film-sourced material, i.e. movies and episodic programming.

SJKurtzke

02-20-07, 07:07 AM

Okay, so the channel lineup switchover went relatively well for me in the DC area. At around 6:00 AM, I decided to go through and redo my channel lineup manually, and most of the new channels were blank, but the old ones were still there, displaying a default "this channel has moved" message. Around 6:45-7:00, the blank channels started displaying guide data, and I was amazed to find that the season passes had all realigned by themselves.
A couple things to note:
--CSN: MA HD has yet to be added (it was supposed to be added with the channel lineup chnages)
--As previously mentioned, the new interface has not shown up either
Still, I'd check to confirm your recording schedule, especially if you have anything set for this morning or this afternoon.

rosh400

02-20-07, 08:08 AM

There have been a lot of problems reported with Voicewing and FIOS.

I believe it is the Voicewing system that is not 100% and causing problems. My regional manager said they tried putting voicewing and Fios in one of the other kiosks (either in northern, va or somewhere in MD) and they took voicewing out because of some issues.

Fios should work well with VioP but i personally have not tested it so i cannot give you a full opinion. so that could be the cause of the problems.

I think the problem is voicewing, not FIOS. I had Quantumvoice but they got bought out and the quality of service took a dive. I switched to Voicepulse in November and have been very pleased with the service. I have occassional hiccups when accessing my work email and using the phone at the same time but I think I just need to upgrade to a router that has QoS so I can reserve bandwidth for VOIP.

On Broadband Reports, Voicewing gets a poor rating. Too bad, I think there web portal is supposed to be quite good. Voicepulse's web portal is eh.

rosh400

02-20-07, 08:13 AM

if i enable the4:3 override, it doesn't force black bars for SD material does it? my parents are the most techno-savvy people in the world, and i've warned them numerous times about black bars with extended viewing. the pio should be able to stretch the material to fit the screen with the 4:3 override off, right? i'll have to try that tomorrow. i knew there was something weird going on when the PQ was noticeably softer. perhaps the old SD box that looked so good doesn't have these features (like a scaler) so the tv was doing all the work and not the moto box. sounds plausible?

I've got the Comcast version of the Moto DVR. I set my 4:3 override to 480i and have the ability to zoom and stretch the picture on both my Sony flat panel and my Sony rear projection. That being said, I know there are some displays where folks have had difficulty. You should try it and see if it works for their display.

Ronin_R6

02-20-07, 08:20 AM

Also I urge everyone to try all the 4:3 settings and ee what looks best to them, On my older big screen it looks much better set to stretch, but on my newer sets 480i looks best.

Glad to hear that there are not any problems with the new lineup and series recordings, I was dreading having to change them all.

CHolleman

02-20-07, 08:43 AM

billodom

02-20-07, 09:07 AM

A couple things to note:
--CSN: MA HD has yet to be added (it was supposed to be added with the channel lineup chnages)I must have missed that it was supposed to be added. I got a letter last month announcing the channel realignment and enclosing a Washington Metro Channel Lineup dated 12/06. Listed as channel 829 is Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia. This was an obvious error. I have yet to see any post stating that our area was to receive Comcast SportsNet MA. Mind you, I have read any number of posts speculating that our area might be getting CSN MA. I kept waiting for someone to step forward with some definitive information, but alas nothing was forthcoming. With such a small installed base, I'm happy to have what we presently have.

rickypicky

02-20-07, 09:40 AM

jeepmatt

02-20-07, 09:59 AM

--As previously mentioned, the new interface has not shown up either

Sj-
There still is no official date on when the new interface will be rolled out. The PR stated by mid-year. (Just FYI)

Glad your re-alignment went well.

jim1959

02-20-07, 10:04 AM

afiggatt

02-20-07, 10:23 AM

I checked this morning and the channels have indeed been moved to their new slots. My guide, however, was still showing the 'old' channel assignments. I unplugged/plugged the boxes and the guide then updated with the new channel assignments.

I will be upset if CSN MA HD doesn't show up soon.
I just checked and the guide display is still mostly showing the old channel assignments with a lot of no information fields. I'm the Washington Metro area as well. I'm going to wait until this afternoon to see if there is a Verizon update to the STBs that will fix this before I do a cold reset. Most Verizon subscribers won't think to unplug their STBs and DVRs, so this step should not be necessary. Not unless Verizon is ready for 1000s of phone calls to their CSRs. :eek:

I hope we get CSN MA HD in the next few days. But I would not be surprised if it takes longer than that and we don't see any new HD channels for RSN or the national channels until after the channel realignments for all the regions are done on March 6. Of course, if I do get CSN MA HD, this means it will be added AFTER the Orioles have moved to MASN and it has already been announced that not to expect MASN-HD to happen this year. So the O's will move from HD to SD for regional sports network programming and while the Nats games will finally be more widely available, they will both be SD only on MASN. For this, we can thank Peter Angelos. :rolleyes:

jim1959

02-20-07, 10:38 AM

I just checked and the guide display is still mostly showing the old channel assignments with a lot of no information fields. I'm the Washington Metro area as well. I'm going to wait until this afternoon to see if there is a Verizon update to the STBs that will fix this before I do a cold reset. Most Verizon subscribers won't think to unplug their STBs and DVRs, so this step should not be necessary. Not unless Verizon is ready for 1000s of phone calls to their CSRs. :eek:

You can bet they probably will get many calls. I wonder why they just didn't send out a hard reset to all the boxes from the CO?

What I found interesting this morning was if I got to a channel that had changed (while surfing up my channel list), the box just froze for about 1-2 minutes. My impatience had me pushing buttons to get it going and then all the commands cued up and after the 1-2 minute pause - all the commands cycled through. Maybe this was because the box was updating something from having been "off" all night? Once I de-programmed all the non-channels off my channel list, I could surf normally and the freezing went away.

redskins4life

02-20-07, 10:39 AM

I am so sick of not having csn hd,l as soon as I switched to fios they said they would have it soon. Then d* gets it and then out here in loudoun adelphia switches to comcast. It seems that this channel is avoiding me at all costs. And btw, showing csn hd philly on a program guide it is reasonable toa assume that they meant csn ma hd. A little questionable if you ask me.

dt_dc

02-20-07, 11:17 AM

I checked this morning and the channels have indeed been moved to their new slots. My guide, however, was still showing the 'old' channel assignments. I unplugged/plugged the boxes and the guide then updated with the new channel assignments.Yah, I was getting this too. Kindof fugly ... guide data on 'old' channel ... no info on 'new' channel ...

Did the reboot too ... much nicer results ... guide data on the 'new' channel ... 'moved' messages on the old channel ... etc.

Hopefully this will be taken care of automatically for those at work before they get home.

afiggatt

02-20-07, 11:40 AM

I just checked the TV and the Guide info has been updated without doing a cold reset. So Verizon must have sent out a guide reset and update.

On the now vacated channels such as 810 to 823, the old channel assignment is still shown on the guide, but with information alert fields for each hour on the guide page. I had figured that the *alert* notices would finally go away in the info pop-up, but nooooo, they are now showing *alert* XXX has moved to channel YYY in the info pop-up for all the moved channels. I hope these *alert*s go away soon, because they crowd out the useful info in the pop-up info box. But I bet they will be around for a week or two.

Ronin_R6

02-20-07, 11:44 AM

jim1959

02-20-07, 11:56 AM

dt_dc

02-20-07, 12:22 PM

So there are alert messages on the new channels numbers?Depends on if the new channel number was empty or not ...

If the 'new' channel was empty, no ... there's no alerts (on the new channel).

However, if the 'new' channel used to have something (else) on it ... you'll get a "*Alert* WhateverTV has now changed to channel XXX" message.

dtv757

02-20-07, 01:36 PM

i could be mistaken but i believe the VA BEACH market was the first market with the new pricing and new channels, if you look @ the VA BEACH lineup the channel numbers are already assigned to the new numbers ex NFL NET ch 72 verses ch 75.

here in the VA BEACH market we started @ the $42.99 price for the Premier package where other markets changed from $39.99 to $42.99.
Verizon has used the new lineup from the beginning with new service areas. New York was certainly not the first to have it. However, as far as I know, New York is the first market to launch with the original lineup that has since moved to the new one.

i stand corrected, i believe richmond was also launched with the new pricing and channels, and yes i also belive NY market was the first to change the lineup. Jan 15, 07 i believe was the date that the pricing change in all markets to $42.99.

as most of you already know the date that the change occurs in the specific market can be found here (http://www22.verizon.com/content/FIOSTV/New+PopUp/New+PopUp.htm)

wmcbrine

02-20-07, 02:41 PM

Okay, so the channel lineup switchover went relatively well for me in the DC area.They lost The Tube -- formerly on 853, should now be on 863. Instead, 863 is showing a mirror of 808 (20-1), with the guide data for 50. :rolleyes:

I called them, and of course the guy had no idea what I was talking about... didn't understand digital subchannels... and even tried to tell me that our lineup ended at 855. :mad: But he said he'd forward it to what sounded like the right department.

HDntheCity

02-20-07, 03:08 PM

They lost The Tube -- formerly on 853, should now be on 863. Instead, 863 is showing a mirror of 808 (20-1), with the guide data for 50. :rolleyes:

I called them, and of course the guy had no idea what I was talking about... didn't understand digital subchannels... and even tried to tell me that our lineup ended at 855. :mad: But he said he'd forward it to what sounded like the right department.

OT i thought The Tube was dropped by Sinclair-owned stations due to a contract dispute. is it on a non-Sinclair station up there?

Jim

barth2k

02-20-07, 03:23 PM

wo, it sucks they took away IFC from the standard package. D* gives you that channel for "free". I can't find a feedback link on their site to complain about this.

bicker1

02-20-07, 03:32 PM

One other note about 4:3 override... the setting does affect how Closed Captioning works with regard to Component Video outputs.

jeepmatt

02-20-07, 03:33 PM

IFC is part of the Movie pack (along with Starz, Encore, etc.)

rosh400

02-20-07, 03:52 PM

wo, it sucks they took away IFC from the standard package. D* gives you that channel for "free". I can't find a feedback link on their site to complain about this.

IFC was never a part of the standard package according to the channel lineup.

rosh400

02-20-07, 03:56 PM

one more thing. when you set the 4:3 override to 480i, i assume it's passing all material untouched from the box to the tv. if 4:3 OR is set to 480i, when you switch to HD channels, does it pass the material in it's broadcast resolution or does the box scale at all? i'm going to play with this later this afternoon when i get back to my parents, i just want to get a grasp of the situation before i get there. 4:3 OR is a little confusing. what exactly is is "overriding"? native on/off would have been a better way to word things.

never mind, i re-read BFDTV's post and it all makes sense now. 4:3 override enabled is "native on" and 4:3 OR is "native off". just confusing as i'm used to my D* H20.

4:3 override has no effect on HD broadcasting. For HD, you need to select either 720p or 1080i. Because some HD channels broadcast at one resolution, and some broadcast in others, the box will always be doing something to at least some of the HD signals. I have switched back and forth and haven't noticed any difference. Some folks say to pick the rez closes to the native rez of your display. Others say to switch back and forth and choose which looks best. I wish the box would just send what comes in and not force one or the other.

rickypicky

02-20-07, 03:56 PM

FIOS is now showing a message that new HD channels will soon be added!

I'm still not getting any message that new HD channels will soon be added. My guide is saying new channels will be added (no mention of HD channels).

Now, I guess you can assume they mean HD when the message is displayed in the HD channel range of the guide, right? ;)

clockworkgreen

02-20-07, 04:16 PM

IFC was never a part of the standard package according to the channel lineup.

It was definitely part of the lineup for a short period of time, because I recorded some movies.

It may have only been a few days, or a mistake, or a preview, but it definitely showed up on my guide.

jwheeler

02-20-07, 05:05 PM

I think the problem is voicewing, not FIOS. I had Quantumvoice but they got bought out and the quality of service took a dive. I switched to Voicepulse in November and have been very pleased with the service. I have occassional hiccups when accessing my work email and using the phone at the same time but I think I just need to upgrade to a router that has QoS so I can reserve bandwidth for VOIP.

On Broadband Reports, Voicewing gets a poor rating. Too bad, I think there web portal is supposed to be quite good. Voicepulse's web portal is eh.

I just ordered Voicewing and received the hardware and will be connecting it to FIOS shortly. I hope it works out and shouldnt think it should be anything different from my neighbor who uses Comcast/Time Warner and is very satisfied. The problem with broadband reports is that most of the comments I could find on Voicewing were from 05.

SJKurtzke

02-20-07, 05:22 PM

CHolleman

02-20-07, 05:25 PM

4:3 override has no effect on HD broadcasting. For HD, you need to select either 720p or 1080i. Because some HD channels broadcast at one resolution, and some broadcast in others, the box will always be doing something to at least some of the HD signals. I have switched back and forth and haven't noticed any difference. Some folks say to pick the rez closes to the native rez of your display. Others say to switch back and forth and choose which looks best. I wish the box would just send what comes in and not force one or the other.

yeah i just played with it today for a little while. what a crappy situation. ideally, i'd like the box to just pass through whatever it receives. 4:3 OR was already set to 480i so no big change there, and i didn't like the fact that HD res's are set it and forget it. oh well. SD did look better after some tinkering on my part with the tv and i saw some mosquito noise on the HD channels. still up in the air.

Ken Ross

02-20-07, 08:08 PM

I'm still not getting any message that new HD channels will soon be added. My guide is saying new channels will be added (no mention of HD channels).

Now, I guess you can assume they mean HD when the message is displayed in the HD channel range of the guide, right? ;)

Correctamundo.

redskins4life

02-20-07, 08:09 PM

What ever happened to BBC World being available on FiOS?
I thought it was supposed to be added with the channel lineup changes.

Anyway
If you call to complain about the CSNHD thing, call billing. Aparently, they have the "lastest-and-greatest" in regards to HD and channel lineups. My guy at tech support couldn't do much but say that it's not physically there (which I already knew)

So what was the latest and greatest?? I called up and didn't get past one person who hung up on me, so much for the honeymoon. I am huge supporter of fios but this has really irked me, I don't like the bait and switch stuff.

dtv757

02-20-07, 09:00 PM

any problems with FiOS call the Solution Center 1 888 553 1555

5w30

02-20-07, 10:19 PM

So what was the latest and greatest?? I called up and didn't get past one person who hung up on me, so much for the honeymoon. I am huge supporter of fios but this has really irked me, I don't like the bait and switch stuff.
FiOS = just another brand of cable tv.
Verizon customer service for its telephone and wireless products here in NY is pretty lousy.
Trying to decide between a cable provider, Verizon and a satellite provider?
Same 'ol B S.

redskins4life

02-20-07, 10:29 PM

FiOS = just another brand of cable tv.
Verizon customer service for its telephone and wireless products here in NY is pretty lousy.
Trying to decide between a cable provider, Verizon and a satellite provider?
Same 'ol B S.

true but up until this point they had a much higher level of service with their fios products here in the dc area. Part of it is that I am just dissapointed that I can't watch the wizards and caps in H D. I just would like to know if they are really adding this station so I can either fish or cut bait.

CHolleman

02-21-07, 08:07 AM

4:3 override has no effect on HD broadcasting. For HD, you need to select either 720p or 1080i. Because some HD channels broadcast at one resolution, and some broadcast in others, the box will always be doing something to at least some of the HD signals. I have switched back and forth and haven't noticed any difference. Some folks say to pick the rez closes to the native rez of your display. Others say to switch back and forth and choose which looks best. I wish the box would just send what comes in and not force one or the other.

just a thought. would a CC issued from V* and a tivo for the dvr allow unmanipulated material to be passed to the TV? i don't like the idea of the box messing with the material before it gets to my tv.

rosh400

02-21-07, 08:50 AM

bfdtv

02-21-07, 10:34 AM

just a thought. would a CC issued from V* and a tivo for the dvr allow unmanipulated material to be passed to the TV? i don't like the idea of the box messing with the material before it gets to my tv.Yes.

That is a distinct advantage of STBs/DVRs with a native output option. The Tivo Series3 offers such as option, and you get it with CableCard (in the display) as well.

On a display like a 1366x768 plasma, having an "all native" signal (via Series3 Tivo or CableCard inside TV) lets you take full advantage of that resolution, rather than simply throwing away the extra 86 pixels with the 720p output setting on the box.

CHolleman

02-21-07, 10:58 AM

Yes.

That is a distinct advantage of STBs/DVRs with a native output option. The Tivo Series3 offers such as option, and you get it with CableCard (in the display) as well.

On a display like a 1366x768 plasma, having an "all native" signal (via Series3 Tivo or CableCard inside TV) lets you take full advantage of that resolution, rather than simply throwing away the extra 86 pixels with the 720p output setting on the box.

the only downside i can think of is a tivos3 is about a million dollars

rosh400

02-21-07, 11:11 AM

the only downside i can think of is a tivos3 is about a million dollars

I'm waiting to be a FIOS TV subsciber. In the meantime I am a Comcast subscriber and use the Comcast Moto DVR. I don't think it's worth sweating over the HD signal that the box passes. I'm not a fan of Comcast but in general I think their HD PQ through the Moto box is excellent eventhough it is not native. Variations in PQ have more to do with the quality of the picture being sent out by the station than anything that Comcast is doing or the box is doing. For example, Discovery Theater HD is excellent while PBS is ho him but PBS has to compress their signal because they have less bandwidth available for HD due to their multichannel setup. I don't think using a cable card would change. Certainly not worth the hefty sticker price for the Tivo 3 unless you absolutely have to have Tivo. I've never had it so I don't know what I am missing and I prefer not to know. I expect that having lived with the Comcast DVR without much of a problem, I will be able to live with the FIOS DVR too.

wmcbrine

02-21-07, 01:57 PM

OT i thought The Tube was dropped by Sinclair-owned stations due to a contract dispute. is it on a non-Sinclair station up there?Yes. It's on lots of non-Sinclair stations, AFAIK. In DC, it's on 50-2 (WDCW-DT2). It also used to be on Baltimore 54-2 (WNUV-DT2), but that is a Sinclair station.

afiggatt

02-21-07, 06:08 PM

drewras

02-21-07, 06:42 PM

Any idea if and when Verizon will get access to vsglf which handles The Golf Channel's HD broadcasts. I understand Comcast has the rights to this channel, but would like to consolidate all my services and try to package a lower monthly cost. But, I have to have certain channels.

kes601

02-21-07, 06:49 PM

New Verizon FiosTV Channel Line-up posted for Wash Metro area

The updated Verizon FiosTV channel line-up PDF file for the Washington Metro area has been posted to the Version website (http://www22.verizon.com/content/fiostv/channel+lineup/channel+lineup.htm). It now has the new channel assignments with the HD national channels starting at 825. However, this line-up does NOT show Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic HD at 829 or any CSN HD channel there. Since the date at the bottom of the PDF file is 3/1/07, I take this to mean that CSN-MA-HD won't be added to the line-up until sometime in March at the earliest. I suspect Verizon won't be adding any new national HD channels or RSN HD channels until after they have completed the channel re-assignments for all their regions with Texas the last to be done on March 6.

I hope the national channel realignment is also the reason for them being so slow in adding the local HD stations to the Virginia Beach market. They signed an agreement for our Fox and NBC affiliates in early January and still have not added them to our lineup. They also have a national agreement with CBS Corp(so I've heard) and could add our CW station, but that has not been done either.

Ken H

02-21-07, 10:01 PM

Topics merged.

robmfielding

02-22-07, 08:31 AM

afiggatt

02-22-07, 09:37 AM

Actually, if you go to Maryland-Washington Metro Area it still shows the old lineup. ie Comedy Central on 217. But if you go to Virginia-Washington Metro Area it shows the new one. This was as of this morning.
You are right, there is a screw-up on the channel line-up links. If you go to the MD - Anne Arundel - Howard County link, you get the new line-up. But MD - Washington Metro leads to the old PDF file. Problem with Verizon is that you don't give out an email address to drop a note which you can point out the problem. They have phone numbers you can call, but I am not going to waste time on hold to talk to a CSR who has no idea about what to write down and who to pass the info on to. They have this live chat option, but I am not going to bother with that for a web page bug on their part. Have to check the MD- Washington Metro link periodically to see how long it takes for them to fix it.

derek

02-22-07, 10:01 AM

I actually got a large envelope from Verizon yesterday with a copy of the new channel lineup. It was geared toward 'new customers' but nice having a hard copy. Anyone using TV Guide on Screen (TVGOS) and FIOS? The channel changes haven't been affected there yet as of this morning (DC metro.)

rickypicky

02-22-07, 10:05 AM

You are right, there is a screw-up on the channel line-up links. If you go to the MD - Anne Arundel - Howard County link, you get the new line-up. But MD - Washington Metro leads to the old PDF file. Problem with Verizon is that you don't give out an email address to drop a note which you can point out the problem. They have phone numbers you can call, but I am not going to waste time on hold to talk to a CSR who has no idea about what to write down and who to pass the info on to. They have this live chat option, but I am not going to bother with that for a web page bug on their part. Have to check the MD- Washington Metro link periodically to see how long it takes for them to fix it.

And now, no CSN-MA HD on 829!!! :mad: The lineup they sent to me in the mail last month showed CSN-Philiadelphia HD on 829 (I assumed it was a typo and meant to say CSN-MA HD). Now it is completely gone!!

Talk about bait and switch (or in this case, bait and remove) !

Ronin_R6

02-22-07, 11:09 AM

And now, no CSN-MA HD on 829!!! :mad: The lineup they sent to me in the mail last month showed CSN-Philiadelphia HD on 829 (I assumed it was a typo and meant to say CSN-MA HD). Now it is completely gone!!

Talk about bait and switch (or in this case, bait and remove) !

No kidding, I think most of us though it was typo that it said CSN_Philly, not that someone royally screwed up and put a channel on the list that was not supposed to be.

Now this brings the question, do they (FiOS) have any immediate plans to add the channel, or is there even an agreement in place?

jrbrangi

02-22-07, 11:55 AM

well just switched over in MA, right now instead of just swapping the channels over there are alert screens on all the channels that have been changed so now you have to drudge through a bunch of channels that all say "alert" to find the new channels. Kind of stupid, would have been much easier to just change it all at once. there isn't a need for 100 channels of alert messages.

rosh400

02-22-07, 12:01 PM

One theory about CSN-HD is that it will be rolled out with the rest of the additional National HD's (e.g., Food, HGTV, etc.). This may be a two stage process. If CSN HD is important to you, try both the sales number and tech support numbers and keep asking to be elevated until you get somebody who knows what they are talking about. Right now I read alot of anger in the posts but it may be based more on speculation than fact. There are three possibilities. One, that there was some screwup and it is not going to be added in which case the anger is justified. I would be surprised if this is the case because I would think that the marketing people would realize the important of having this station in luring people to switch to FIOS. Option 2 is that Verizon had intended to add it now but there may be some delay due to negotiations with Comcast for carriage rights. It's tricky picking up stations that are owned by other cable companies. It can be done but the contractual issues may be complicated and may have taken longer to workout than anticipated. Third, it is going to be rolled out, but as part of the additional national HD's. Again, I would call and keep elevating if this is important to you or call Verizon corporate in NY at 212-395-1000.

rickypicky

02-22-07, 12:17 PM

It's frustrating. I just looked at the NY FiOS lineup and they have both YES HD and SportsNet NY HD listed in their channel lineup.

I really don't have the patience to speak to clueless customer reps. I remember the last time I called to enquire about HDNET, and the customer rep did not know anything about it.

billodom

02-22-07, 12:36 PM

jeepmatt

02-22-07, 12:46 PM

Bill-
On CSN-Philly, the only thing that is actually shown in HD are LIVE sporting events (Phillies, Flyers, Sixers) and some nights the "Daily News Live" show that the Philly channel airs (it's a sports talk-show type thing)

Other than that, it's "bars on the side" the rest of the time.

rosh400

02-22-07, 01:14 PM

My take on the addition of this channel in Northern Virginia.

I'm not counting on getting this channel until--and unless--it is going to be carried by Cox. Do you really think Comcast would allow Verizon to gain that much of a competitive advantage over one of their corporate partners? And speaking of Cox, why haven't they ever offered this channel in Fairfax County?

Also, does this channel offer any other HD programming besides the live events, mostly the Wizards and Caps home games? Do they even show the replays in HD? Just curious as to what will be on in HD on this channel after the basketball and hockey seasons.

I'm far from any kind of expert on FCC regs but from what I've read on other posts, I don't think Comcast can refuse the carriage rights to Verizon. I would welcome folks knowledeable on this issue to weigh in. As far as Cox is concerned, given their monopoly position, maybe they just don't care but as the climate starts to change, they may start caring.