You mean 3 of the 4 formats. Plasma, LCD, DLP, and CRT! :)

Yes, I was kind of placing DLP and LCD in the same group because they both exhibit the same off-center viewing deficiency. FredB

Had my TV install two weeks ago tomorrow. Included was the swap out of the Dlink router with the Actiontec. Several days later, according to the speakeasy speed test, I had my first loss of bandwidth after 15 months of internet service. Downstream speed went down to about 8.8. Upstream was unaffected. 8.8 is still fine but not what I am paying for. VZ sent a tech out and after several tests and extended conversation with a network guy at the FSC, he swapped out the router and that solved the problem.

I was also able to hang my zyxel router off of the Actiontec has a wireless access point eventhough zyxel tech support said that model i have could not be used as an access point. Anyway the combo works fine -- the wireless range and performance of the zyxel is far superior to the actiontec.

So far, so good with the PQ. Agree with others that the functionality of the DVR especially the buffering of the current channel is quirky. Hoping that this will improve over time. But overall I have absolutely no regrets switching from Comcast.

I’ve just wanted to share my install experience which took place last Friday. One technician arrived at 10:00AM and work thru 6:00 PM. Four days earlier a two-man crew had laid the underground fiber line from the side walk to the side wall of my house (without digging the lawn or cutting any concrete.) Install on Friday was basically uneventful. Just like most other posters said, the technician first surveyed the house, shared his thoughts with me, got my concurrence on what he wanted to do and then proceeded with the installation. For TV, he tapped into Time Warner’s coaxial line. The fact that 7 years ago Time Warner had re-wired my entire house with high grade coaxial probably made Verizon tech’s life easier. For the phone and internet he ran his own wiring (coaxial to the router.) All work was neat and clean.

He installed one HD-DVR, one SD box and two CableCards. He could have been done in 6 hours, if he had not run into problems with one CableCard, which did not produce a "Host ID." He had to leave the house, hunt for another Verizon tech in the vicinity to get an extra CableCard.

At the end of the day, everything was up and running, except about half a dozen channels were missing on one of the TV’s with the CableCard (including the National Geographic HD channel.) I will follow up with Verizon customer service for a fix later this week. One thing I noticed that TV guide on TV’s with CableCard no longer works. Not necessarily the TV’s or Verizon’s fault. It appears that TV Guide still lists Time Warner as the only cable provider for our zip code. Wonder how long it will take for the TV Guide people to update their records.

As for my limited weekend experience, SD picture quality is excellent, almost DVD quality; HD picture is as good as Time Warner’s, which has always been excellent in my area. The Motorola DVR is similar to Scientific Atlanta’s running on Passport and easy to use. Internet connection speeds (I chose 5/2 package) was somewhat slower on the hard wired PC and 30 to 40 percent slower on the wireless one. I will not worry about it for the time being.

I highly recommend Verizon.

FredB

He installed one HD-DVR, one SD box and two CableCards. He could have been done in 6 hours, if he had not run into problems with on CableCard, which did not produce a "Host ID." He had to leave the house, hunt for another Verizon tech in the vicinity to get an extra CableCard.
FredB

Glad you're happy with your installation. I am too, except I continue to have issues with my Tivo S3 and the Verizon cable cards.

Previously I had severe intermittent pixelization on several channels, including NFLHD, ESPNHD, HDNET, etc., etc. which would come and go. Last night, one of my cable cards stopped working. This AM, I did a reset and they both began to work again. However, when I went to test the cards individually, by doing the channel test, I noticed severe pixelizing again. I have another HD STB, which is the Verizon Moto 6200, and I checked the problem channels, and they were all fine. I then called Verizon tech support who insisted it must be a Tivo problem. Finger pointing began.

I called Tivo tech support, who had me do a reset again. Still pixelization, and if you go to the diagnostics screen, you can see the signal strength bouncing all over the place, and the signal lock being lost. Tivo is sending me an advanced replacement receiver (unfortunately it's one that's been remanufactured) and when I get it, if I still have pixelization, I'll then call Verizon for a service call to replace the cable cards. That way they can't point to a faulty receiver.

Beyond that, I'll give up on the Tivo, get the Verizon DVR, and sell my Tivo which has a lifetime subscription.

Anyone else have Tivo/Cable Card issues that have either been resolved with replacement of STB or cards, or are still unresolved?

This is similar info. to other installs if you want to skip:

I had my install done on Friday 4/6 in Arlington, VA. On Monday 4/2 a crew ran the fiber from the central box to my house underground. This was very clean and barely noticable - including having to run it under my driveway and around a series of french drains (I left them a note after I noticed MISSUTILITY had been there indicating the location of the french drains).

A female installer arrived on Friday around 9 a.m. (she called to tell me that is when she would be there). I have a Verizon structured wiring package so the install was rather straight forward and no lines had to be run in the house. She finnished at 3 p.m. I think she was rather slow, but she was thorough and neat. She carefully ran the lines into the house and the structured wiring package, as well as connecting the router. Connecting the router was a little difficult b/c the person who had installed the structured wiring package 5 years earlier had put all the ether net connections behind the panel - so it took a while to realize that is where they were, but once that was discovered is was just a matter of plugging in 4 of them to router and it was off to the races.

Another issue was my wiring panel has a built-in amplifier. The signal was coming in so strong on FiOS that she was having to put compression devices on each TV. This was concerning her that the signal quality might not be consistent after she left. She called the main office and talked through the issue. Their recomendation was to by-pass the amp in the panel. She put on a splitter and bypassed the amp. She went back and removed the compression devices at each TV and the signal was exactly were it was suppossed to be.

Before leaving she gave me her card w/ her cell phone number on it in case anything came up - she even called back 2 hours latter to see if there were any problems. There was one problem in that I was getting none of the "National HD" channels. However a call to customer service and two remote reboots later it was up and running.

After watching over the weekend I am very pleased with the switch. PQ on SD is much better than Comcast. HD is as good or better. I'm going to call it better because there have been far fewer breakups during watching than with Comcast. In several hours of watching I've only scene very minor pixelization.

We also go the Multi room DVR (we have 1 HD DVR and 3 SD STB). So far it has worked as advertisied in terms of recording in SD and being able to replay in SD on the SD TVs. The FF is a little slow to respond - not as bad as like the FF or Pause on Comcast IN-Demand, but the similar type of delay. Today will be the real test as my wife will get home to watch her Soaps recorded today.

I called Comcast to disconnect. They didn't even try to keep me. A very professional and courtsey parting.

In closing for $10/mo less (actually that does not include an additional $10 for the first 6 months) I'm getting more channels, more HD, 3 more DVRs that I had w/ Comcast.

This is similar info. to other installs if you want to skip:

I had my install done on Friday 4/6 in Arlington, VA. On Monday 4/2 a crew ran the fiber from the central box to my house underground. This was very clean and barely noticable - including having to run it under my driveway and around a series of french drains (I left them a note after I noticed MISSUTILITY had been there indicating the location of the french drains).

A female installer arrived on Friday around 9 a.m. (she called to tell me that is when she would be there). I have a Verizon structured wiring package so the install was rather straight forward and no lines had to be run in the house. She finnished at 3 p.m. I think she was rather slow, but she was thorough and neat. She carefully ran the lines into the house and the structured wiring package, as well as connecting the router. Connecting the router was a little difficult b/c the person who had installed the structured wiring package 5 years earlier had put all the ether net connections behind the panel - so it took a while to realize that is where they were, but once that was discovered is was just a matter of plugging in 4 of them to router and it was off to the races.

Another issue was my wiring panel has a built-in amplifier. The signal was coming in so strong on FiOS that she was having to put compression devices on each TV. This was concerning her that the signal quality might not be consistent after she left. She called the main office and talked through the issue. Their recomendation was to by-pass the amp in the panel. She put on a splitter and bypassed the amp. She went back and removed the compression devices at each TV and the signal was exactly were it was suppossed to be.

Before leaving she gave me her card w/ her cell phone number on it in case anything came up - she even called back 2 hours latter to see if there were any problems. There was one problem in that I was getting none of the "National HD" channels. However a call to customer service and two remote reboots later it was up and running.

After watching over the weekend I am very pleased with the switch. PQ on SD is much better than Comcast. HD is as good or better. I'm going to call it better because there have been far fewer breakups during watching than with Comcast. In several hours of watching I've only scene very minor pixelization.

We also go the Multi room DVR (we have 1 HD DVR and 3 SD STB). So far it has worked as advertisied in terms of recording in SD and being able to replay in SD on the SD TVs. The FF is a little slow to respond - not as bad as like the FF or Pause on Comcast IN-Demand, but the similar type of delay. Today will be the real test as my wife will get home to watch her Soaps recorded today.

I called Comcast to disconnect. They didn't even try to keep me. A very professional and courtsey parting.

In closing for $10/mo less (actually that does not include an additional $10 for the first 6 months) I'm getting more channels, more HD, 3 more DVRs that I had w/ Comcast.

Similar to my installation and initial use experience.

With so many positive comments on Verizon, I cannot believe that municipalities nationwide actually forming a coalition to kill the federal bill that is intended to make easier for Verizon and AT&T to secure local video franchises (right to start cable service.)
FredB

With so many positive comments on Verizon, I cannot believe that municipalities nationwide actually forming a coalition to kill the federal bill that is intended to make easier for Verizon and AT&T to secure local video franchises (right to start cable service.)
FredB


Because it doesn't include time tables and build out requirements that are standard as part of local agreements. Verizon (or AT&T or whomever) would be able to cherry pick affluent areas while ignoring lower income areas. While that is a good thing for Verizon it is not good for customers.

In a competitive market place why businesses shouldn’t be allowed to define their markets?
What you say was true a few years back when cable franchises were granted almost on an exclusive basis.

If it were not for the State of California stepping in and started granting state-wide franchises, I wouldn't be enjoying the Verizon's Fios TV now. City of Huntington Beach probably would still be negotiating with Verizon for a new wing to the city library or parking lot improvements for annual surfing contest before allowing the franchise!

With so many positive comments on Verizon, I cannot believe that municipalities nationwide actually forming a coalition to kill the federal bill that is intended to make easier for Verizon and AT&T to secure local video franchises (right to start cable service.)
FredBCompletely different issues... and I believe the municipalities would characterize that bill as making things harder for them, rather than easier for Verizon. So of course they're opposing it, and I join them in their opposition, despite being a (mostly) satisfied Fios customer. BTW, Verizon managed to make an old-fashioned franchise deal with my town, with no federal or state intervention, as they've done in many other towns. And they're perfectly able to do it anywhere else... they just don't feel like it.

Previously I had severe intermittent pixelization on several channels, including NFLHD, ESPNHD, HDNET, etc., etc. which would come and go. Last night, one of my cable cards stopped working. This AM, I did a reset and they both began to work again. However, when I went to test the cards individually, by doing the channel test, I noticed severe pixelizing again. I have another HD STB, which is the Verizon Moto 6200, and I checked the problem channels, and they were all fine. I then called Verizon tech support who insisted it must be a Tivo problem. Finger pointing began.


I did not notice any pixelization on my 2 TV's that are running on CableCard. There are occasional freeze-up's, though. I was lucky with CableCards when I was with Time Warner. With one TV I've had CC for over two years, with absolutely no problems. And the recently added plasma TV was also running great with the CC. I am crossing my fingers that my luck will continue with Verizon as well. From you’ve said it looks like Verizon, being new to the ball game, may not yet have the technical savvy to solve this type of problems expeditiously and effectively. FredB

With so many positive comments on Verizon, I cannot believe that municipalities nationwide actually forming a coalition to kill the federal bill that is intended to make easier for Verizon and AT&T to secure local video franchises (right to start cable service.)
FredB

The are other issues in play including "net neutrality" which seems to be the biggest issue holding up federal legislation.

I am in NJ and I think Verizon received statewide approval here recently. I noticed Verizon trucks everywhere since then. This would be good for Verizon as we are a heavily populated state with little area to cover compared to some of the larger more sparsely populated states.

The install job was great. He even gave me some HDMI cables to replace my component.
I noticed after he left that the HD PQ wasn't as good as BH.
I then switched back to the component cables and things were almost as good as BH.
But the SD channels were still not as good as BH. I thought HDMI cables were better then component. Could it be the fact that his free HDMI cables were inferior to my 100$ components?
Why would the SD PQ not be as good as they were before the switch to verizon?
I called verizon and they will be sending a tech by. What can they do to make things better?
Could it be the cable box?
I had the SA 8300 but now I have the motorola dvr box that doesn't switch from SD to HD without a 3 second pause. I have a Pioneer PDP 5070. The sa 8300 allowed the signal to pass through but I heard the moto doesn't. Is this true? Would a cable card do a better job as it will allow the pioneer to do the conversion duties?
I guess the most important question is there any tweaking the tech can do to make my PQ better??

Could it be the fact that his free HDMI cables were inferior to my 100$ components?


No, the only fact in that statement is that you got ripped off on your component cables.


What's BH?

holy crap.. 100 bucks?! Were they solid gold and did they come with a free (use your imagination)?

What's BH?

Bright House, the "other" cable company in the Tampa area.

Depending on your display, the components may yield a better picture. It can depend if your TV is capable of doing the upconverting. You can try this on your box: With the TV on, tuen off the STB and within 3 seconds hit the menu button (on remote or front panel). In this menu set the 4:3 overide to 480i. Also if you are using HDMI, I would recomend changing the HDMI settings to RGB over the 4:4:4... this is probably all that the tech will try. If your TV cannot accept a 480i over HDMI then the 4:3 overide will have to be at 480p or greater, but the PQ (imho) would be less. If thats the case, I would definitely go with the components.

I bought them back whem component were just coming on market and at the time they were the only ones I could get that were 9 ft long.

The PQ looks worse in 480p.

I think I will get better quality HDMI (not over 30$ lol) Im sure nthe free HDMI were of the poorest quality.

I have one of the better displays on the market and im afraid the cableman is goiing to say that " you cant get much better than that.

I think I will want another box. At BH I had a cable in my old house that I had to wiggle sometimes to get reception annoying but still a better picture and I KNOW that verizon should be better.

I bought them back whem component were just coming on market and at the time they were the only ones I could get that were 9 ft long.

The PQ looks worse in 480p.

I think I will get better quality HDMI (not over 30$ lol) Im sure nthe free HDMI were of the poorest quality.

I have one of the better displays on the market and im afraid the cableman is goiing to say that " you cant get much better than that.

I think I will want another box. At BH I had a cable in my old house that I had to wiggle sometimes to get reception annoying but still a better picture and I KNOW that verizon should be better.

Try setting 4:3 override to 480i. Many posters have reported much better results with the box at that setting.

I bought them back whem component were just coming on market and at the time they were the only ones I could get that were 9 ft long.

The PQ looks worse in 480p.

I think I will get better quality HDMI (not over 30$ lol) Im sure nthe free HDMI were of the poorest quality.

I have one of the better displays on the market and im afraid the cableman is goiing to say that " you cant get much better than that.

I think I will want another box. At BH I had a cable in my old house that I had to wiggle sometimes to get reception annoying but still a better picture and I KNOW that verizon should be better.

Hasn't it been said on this forum many times that there is no such thing as "poor quality HDMI"? It's a digital signal, so it either works or it doesn't. The problem probably lies eslewhere(possibly the box, maybe even the ONT?).

Please help.

My Verizon FIOS Internet install is scheduled on April 23.

From what I can see they want to charge me $60 per 802.11g wireless adapter for each of the additional three computers I have in the house.........my question is, should I buy my own 802.11g's.....it looks like I can get these for half the price......and is there a particular brand that is compatible?

Thanks!

Please help.

My Verizon FIOS Internet install is scheduled on April 23.

From what I can see they want to charge me $60 per 802.11g wireless adapter for each of the additional three computers I have in the house.........my question is, should I buy my own 802.11g's.....it looks like I can get these for half the price......and is there a particular brand that is compatible?

Thanks!

I am no computer guru, but what you're thinking should work. Adapters don't have to be furnished by Verizon alone. My existing adapter on the remote PC works with the Verizon-furnished router. Good luck.

I am no computer guru, but what you're thinking should work. Adapters don't have to be furnished by Verizon alone. My existing adapter on the remote PC works with the Verizon-furnished router. Good luck.

I too can confirm that any wireless B or G adapter will work, whether it's built in to a laptop or external. If you are not aware, G is 54 mbps vs. B which is slower at 11 mbps.

Please help.

My Verizon FIOS Internet install is scheduled on April 23.

From what I can see they want to charge me $60 per 802.11g wireless adapter for each of the additional three computers I have in the house.........my question is, should I buy my own 802.11g's.....it looks like I can get these for half the price......and is there a particular brand that is compatible?

Thanks!

How are the computers hooked to the internet now?

Yes you can order the adapters at online retailers for rather cheap, and they will work fine with the VZ supplied router.

Any 802.11G will work, some brands are better (netgear, belkin, etc.) but they should all function. The router is probably more important for things like range (distance from the server that you get a good signal) and throughput (how fast it is).

Please help.

My Verizon FIOS Internet install is scheduled on April 23.

From what I can see they want to charge me $60 per 802.11g wireless adapter for each of the additional three computers I have in the house.........my question is, should I buy my own 802.11g's.....it looks like I can get these for half the price......and is there a particular brand that is compatible?

Thanks!

I picked up a Belkin from Newegg for $30 about a month ago. Works beautifully.

Thanks all.......I called the tech support line at Verizon and was told exactly what you are saying.......brand does not matter........so I need to pick up three 802.11g adapters........a friend of mine is sold on Linksys, but they seem to be high priced.

If anyone has a link to a good deal, please let me know........

How are the computers hooked to the internet now?

Yes you can order the adapters at online retailers for rather cheap, and they will work fine with the VZ supplied router.

The computers are hooked to the internet via dial-up right now.....we were waiting for FIOS and it's now available.

Any brands to completely avoid?

Anyone else have issues with the speed on the wireless with the Actiontec? I did. Never got over about 10-11. Put a linksys wirelessG into the mix and I get full-spped when connected to it.

Anyone else have issues with the speed on the wireless with the Actiontec? I did. Never got over about 10-11. Put a linksys wirelessG into the mix and I get full-spped when connected to it.I get 16-17Mbps with an old D-Link 520.

I think it probably has a lot to do with your network adapter, driver, and the signal conditions in your home.

Anyone else have issues with the speed on the wireless with the Actiontec? I did. Never got over about 10-11. Put a linksys wirelessG into the mix and I get full-spped when connected to it.

Before I had FIOS TV installed, I had the Dlink wireless router and the range was awful. I swapped it out for the zyxel x-550 and speed and range was much better. After the TV install, I hung the zyxel off the actiontec as a wireless access point. It provides much better wireless performance than the actiontec. Our Nintendo Wii is about as far away as possible in my house from the zyxel and performs well.

We have had FiOS internet 20/5 service for a year now and love it - had comcast for 10 years and also loved it but speed and price points win in my book. We just got FiOS TV here in Eatontown, NJ so I made the move and so far so good - in my 3rd billing cycle now.

Our ONT is inside in the basement by our other utility panels.
It then runs CAT5 to a linksys wrt54g and COAX to the NIM100.

I have one QIP6416-2 and one standard box.

On the QIP6416-2 when we watch an on dmd show and record a show at the same time the on dmd show skips and pixels a lot. Anyone else experience this?

Thanks
Randy

Sounds like you may have a bad DVR, but that's just a guess.

I'm having pixelization issues, but they are with my cable cards and Tivo. Yesterday, the ONT was replaced, the splitter was replaced and new cable was run. Still pixelization. Tomorrow they are coming back with replacement cable cards, which I suspect may be the cause. Reason I mention that is because when going to the Tivo cable card test menu, I get pixelization on a range of channels on one cable card, but not the other one.

Good luck with resolving your issues.

After the TV install, I hung the zyxel off the actiontec as a wireless access point.. What exactly does that entail? I've seen various references to daisy-chaining routers like that, some more complicated than others. Where do I start? Thanks

For starters, disconnect the wireless router from the network and plug a laptop directly into it (you may have to restart the computer to tap into the router's web browser utility function). To use a wireless router as a wireless access point you have to disable the DCHP Server function and--sometimes--change the default IP address of the router. Then plug the incoming feed from the actiontec to a WAN port of the wireless access point.

There is a tutorial on how to do this for Netgear routers that may help: http://kbserver.netgear.com/kb_web_files/N101236.asp

Hope that's what you were looking for,

Brandon

What exactly does that entail? I've seen carious references to daisy-chaining routers like that, some more complicated than others. Where do I start? Thanks

You want to connect your FIOS data feed into the wireless router you want to use as your wireless access point. You then follow that routers instructions to access its web interface. You want to change its IP address to one that in the actiontec range. You also want to turn DCHP off. You then want to use a cat5 cable to connect from one of the LAN ports on the Actiontec to one of the LAN ports on your router to be used as the access point. In the Actiontec you want to turn wireless off and assign a fixed IP (the one you chose when in the access point's interface) to the access point (in advanced settings of the actiontec interface). You then be able to access the access point's interface by typing in the fixed IP address into your browser. You can then turn wireless on and set your wireless settings. With all the resets, it should take about 15 minutes.

Brandon & Rosh -

Thanks so much, I'll give it a try!

If for any reason the new setup doesn't work as well as I'd hoped, it's possible to go back, right?

I have one QIP6416-2 and one standard box.

On the QIP6416-2 when we watch an on dmd show and record a show at the same time the on dmd show skips and pixels a lot. Anyone else experience this?Sounds like a faulty unit.

Sounds like your wireless connection on the laptop was unable to obtain an IP address from the router after the reboot. Assuming you're running Windows XP in the future I would attempt to repair your wireless connection before rebooting the router. Here's how to do that: Start>Control Panel>Network Connections> Right click on the wireless connection and choose repair. That forces the network connection to re-obtain an IP address from the router/DHCP server.

Thanks Wade...I usually do attempt to repair the connection first, but what is happening is that it is not repairing, I get the "system could not repair your wireless connection" message. I try several times, and then do a router reboot and once the router reboots, the connection comes up fine right away.

I am thinking that somehow hibernation was powering down the network adapter and a repair was not waking it. I did shut down hibernation options under my laptop's power options and have not had a problem since...but that is mostly because I am cautious of letting the battery run down. However, another family member is having the same problem and it has nothing do with with hibernation issues...he boots his laptop up and cannot connect to the wireless connection and is also getting the "cannot repair" message.

Guess a call to Verizon is in order.

Brandon & Rosh -

Thanks so much, I'll give it a try!

If for any reason the new setup doesn't work as well as I'd hoped, it's possible to go back, right?


You really aren't changing any settings on the actiontec except for turning wireless off and it easy to change it back to on.

Is anyone's wireless connect time to the Actiontec slow? When I connect my laptop, it takes about 1 to 2 minutes to negotiate an IP address and get connected. I have good signal (in the same room) but it just seems slow to negotiate. My Linksys wireless that I used to use with Cox was much faster (matter of seconds) to negotiate and address.

I realize in the grand scheme of life - that's not such a big deal but it just seems like a long time. Once connected all is fine. Its just a slow connect. I may just put my Linksys back into play as a wireless access point.... thoughts?

Is anyone's wireless connect time to the Actiontec slow? When I connect my laptop, it takes about 1 to 2 minutes to negotiate an IP address and get connected. I have good signal (in the same room) but it just seems slow to negotiate. My Linksys wireless that I used to use with Cox was much faster (matter of seconds) to negotiate and address.

I realize in the grand scheme of life - that's not such a big deal but it just seems like a long time. Once connected all is fine. Its just a slow connect. I may just put my Linksys back into play as a wireless access point.... thoughts?

In my setup, it takes me no more time to connect than it did with my Linksys, which I had prior to activating the Verizon service.

Thanks Wade...I usually do attempt to repair the connection first, but what is happening is that it is not repairing, I get the "system could not repair your wireless connection" message. I try several times, and then do a router reboot and once the router reboots, the connection comes up fine right away.

I am thinking that somehow hibernation was powering down the network adapter and a repair was not waking it. I did shut down hibernation options under my laptop's power options and have not had a problem since...but that is mostly because I am cautious of letting the battery run down. However, another family member is having the same problem and it has nothing do with with hibernation issues...he boots his laptop up and cannot connect to the wireless connection and is also getting the "cannot repair" message.

Guess a call to Verizon is in order.

It actually sounds like this could be a problem with your router (or whatever is acting as the DHCP server). It sounds like once the lease on a particular IP expires or is terminated (through powering off/hibernation, etc) the computer is not assigned a new one properly. I couldn't find your original post, but do you have a daisy-chained Router->Wireless Access Point combination? Did a call to Verizon help?

Brandon

Is anyone's wireless connect time to the Actiontec slow? When I connect my laptop, it takes about 1 to 2 minutes to negotiate an IP address and get connected. I have good signal (in the same room) but it just seems slow to negotiate. My Linksys wireless that I used to use with Cox was much faster (matter of seconds) to negotiate and address.

I realize in the grand scheme of life - that's not such a big deal but it just seems like a long time. Once connected all is fine. Its just a slow connect. I may just put my Linksys back into play as a wireless access point.... thoughts?Chuckle ... I have the exact same issue. No, I haven't really spent any time looking at it. I too an coming from a Linksys wireless router and Cox ... and have thought about (but have not done so) dragging the Linksys back out to use as an access point.

Has anyone had any problems with a show that is set up for series recording, NOT being recorded? Twice this week I had shows not record. On Monday, 24 did not record, and there was no shortened recording because of a power issue or EBS alert...there was simply no 24 in the list of recorded shows. I'm fairly certain that I checked the guide earlier and it showed that it was scheduled to be recorded. Then, last night, the same thing with LOST...and I know for a fact that when I checked early in the evening it was shown in the guide as scheduled for recording. Luckily I arrived home 10 minutes after it started and recorded the rest, and rewatched it today online. Was just wondering if anyone else has experienced this problem. I have had FIOS TV since February and this is the first time I've had this happen. I don't know if this is strictly a series recording issue or not, so perhaps the question should be if anyone has experienced scheduled shows not being recorded.

Thanks :o

All my SP's have been recording fine unless there is a conflict.

Is anyone's wireless connect time to the Actiontec slow?


Your lucky, at least yours works. :rolleyes: I just bought a Dell laptop a couple days ago and cant connect no matter what I try. Not sure if its me, the new laptop or the Actiontec/Verizon.

I have no idea :( where I should put the ESSID and other stuff it says to use in the manual.

Of course by now all my fooling around has probably made things worse than they were. I did connect to a neighbors linksys for a few minutes by accident thinking it was me. :eek:

Is anyone's wireless connect time to the Actiontec slow? When I connect my laptop, it takes about 1 to 2 minutes to negotiate an IP address and get connected. I have good signal (in the same room) but it just seems slow to negotiate. My Linksys wireless that I used to use with Cox was much faster (matter of seconds) to negotiate and address.

I realize in the grand scheme of life - that's not such a big deal but it just seems like a long time. Once connected all is fine. Its just a slow connect. I may just put my Linksys back into play as a wireless access point.... thoughts?

That sounds like your network DHCP client is trying to get an address from a non-existent router, timing out and then negotiating with the Actiontec.

Check your connections, I expect you would have two network connections: your disconnected wired connection and an active wireless. If it's defaulting to the disconnected wired connection and waiting the 1-2 minutes until the client realized there's no answer and switching over to the wireless connection. A quick test for this would be to connect your laptop by CAT-5 cable to the router, to see if the problem goes away.

That sounds like your network DHCP client is trying to get an address from a non-existent router, timing out and then negotiating with the Actiontec.

Check your connections, I expect you would have two network connections: your disconnected wired connection and an active wireless. If it's defaulting to the disconnected wired connection and waiting the 1-2 minutes until the client realized there's no answer and switching over to the wireless connection. A quick test for this would be to connect your laptop by CAT-5 cable to the router, to see if the problem goes away.

I'll give that a try but from what I can tell, its already passed that part of the process. I have two icons in my system tray showing me what is going on - a connection is established pretty quick but it takes the 1-2 minutes to actually negotiate a good ip address routed. I do come from a wired connection but the laptop bails on that right away and gives the wireless a try, finds the router and produces a green icon in the system tray saying its connected but then another icon appears stating its trying to get an IP address - ipconfig /all confirms there is no address yet. Then after a couple of minutes of negotiating with the router - I'm online.

Just to summarize though - I did not have this issue at all when I was connecting to my linksys router - it was pretty quick - as in seconds. Now that that is out and the Actiontech from Verizon is in its place - the connection speed is down to a crawl. Nothing else has changed - no change in environment - no change in connect process - no change in hardware except for the Actiontech.

I'll try the process you suggested as well as put my Linksys back in the mix and report back - nice weekend coming in NO VA though - may spend most of it outside instead of playing network jock inside. :)

PMcmil5450

I've had the same problem - try to record "The Tonight Show" as a series ... it records fine on Mon - Tues - Wed ... then Thurs and Fri it DOES NOT record. They show up in the guide as being set to record and then the next day - NOTHING! I've tried every combination of options - new only, both new and repeats, anytime, only at 11:35, etc. ... nothing changes anything! One night I sat there with the guide on ... it showed the triple red dots to indicate it would record as part of the series ,,, then at 11:35 - THE RED DOTS WENT AWAY and show did not record! WTF????

I've called tech support and they've re-zapped the DVR twice now ... still doing the same thing. Finally I just went and set the show that on prior to it (the 11:00 news) and then set the option to record 60 minutes past the end ... and that works. This is DEFINITELY NOT the way system should work ... but then remember ... this is FiOS we're dealling with!

Has anyone had any luck in getting discounts from Verizon for all these problems related to the DVR??

Verizon (through tech dept) will credit back $7 / month until DVR multi-room problems are "fixed". Call tech service and tell them about the probs and ask for credit.

Hi..
I work for verizon.. in the FIOS noc.. I handle most all group outages.. to single ont outages on the entire US fios network... I deal with the data noc and video noc on issues.. so.. I offer myself.. I don't know everything.. way to much for on eperson.. but I can usually get answers...

anonfios

Hi..
I work for verizon.. in the FIOS noc.. I handle most all group outages.. to single ont outages on the entire US fios network... I deal with the data noc and video noc on issues.. so.. I offer myself.. I don't know everything.. way to much for on eperson.. but I can usually get answers...

anonfios

Welcome to the forum. I'm sure you'll be a widely used resource with lots of questions, comments, etc., thrown at you.

Here's mine. Are you aware of the problems on the TV side of pixelization occuring on certain HD stations when using cable cards and Tivo? It's not isolated , because I'm in Florida, and the same symptoms have been reported in at least MA and TX. If you'd like any additional information, let me know. If you have any solutions, I'll take those too.

Hi..
I work for verizon.. in the FIOS noc.. I handle most all group outages.. to single ont outages on the entire US fios network... I deal with the data noc and video noc on issues.. so.. I offer myself.. I don't know everything.. way to much for on eperson.. but I can usually get answers...

anonfios

I'll second the welcome!!! just hope you know what you're getting into :)

BTW no problems with phone or internet(had it for 3 mos. now.) only problem is no TV yet(launched in my city today-but not in my neighborhood).

I'm sorry if this has been addressed but I could not find an answer. I wanted a Verizon FIOS installation for phone, internet and four (4) HD sets and at least six (6) other TVs (some are outside locations with no TV, but I'll attach a small LCD to the coax cable at that location). Comcast had accomplished this with several coax cables running to my house. Although I mentioned this requested hook-up many times to sales and customer service in setting up the appointment and was told "no problem," the installer explained this is impossible without two lines and Verizon won't run two lines. Customer support agreed (maximum is 6 or 7, depending on who I talk to) and told me to call their "problem resolution" phone number in Texas. I've called twice over the course of a week, no call back. Anybody have a similar situation, and, more important, a good resolution?

I'm sorry if this has been addressed but I could not find an answer. I wanted a Verizon FIOS installation for phone, internet and four (4) HD sets and at least six (6) other TVs (some are outside locations with no TV, but I'll attach a small LCD to the coax cable at that location). Comcast had accomplished this with several coax cables running to my house. Although I mentioned this requested hook-up many times to sales and customer service in setting up the appointment and was told "no problem," the installer explained this is impossible without two lines and Verizon won't run two lines. Customer support agreed (maximum is 6 or 7, depending on who I talk to) and told me to call their "problem resolution" phone number in Texas. I've called twice over the course of a week, no call back. Anybody have a similar situation, and, more important, a good resolution?

Wow, that's alot of TVs. But irrespective of that, Verizon supposedly runs a very hot signal to the ONT. In fact they usually need to reduce it with splitters and inline attenuators. Maybe the maximum is 6 or 7 TVs, but it would seem to me that inline amplifiers would solve to accomplish the signal boost needed for all your runs. But that's just my uninformed response. Perhaps someone who is more technically savvy than me can provide a better response to your question.

Welcome to the forum. I'm sure you'll be a widely used resource with lots of questions, comments, etc., thrown at you.

Here's mine. Are you aware of the problems on the TV side of pixelization occuring on certain HD stations when using cable cards and Tivo? It's not isolated , because I'm in Florida, and the same symptoms have been reported in at least MA and TX. If you'd like any additional information, let me know. If you have any solutions, I'll take those too.

First off.. Those states have different OLT's.. TX has motorola's and Florida has tellabs.... Now for pixelation.. this is for VOD mostly..What happens is when you get a VOD programm it d/l's it to your STB.. It actully opens a 30meg pip or so directly to your box to d/l..

So... The issue on tellabs is that there is 5 to 8 shelfs.. that they would initially provision the oc3's on shelf 1.. and make the VOD travel the backplane to another shelf.. What they did to fix this is run a OC3 card to each shelf.. now this migration is pretty much done.. but there are a few cx's still out there...

Thats for the VOD issue.. There's a few more.. but I've got to go for now..

First off.. Those states have different OLT's.. TX has motorola's and Florida has tellabs.... Now for pixelation.. this is for VOD mostly..What happens is when you get a VOD programm it d/l's it to your STB.. It actully opens a 30meg pip or so directly to your box to d/l..

So... The issue on tellabs is that there is 5 to 8 shelfs.. that they would initially provision the oc3's on shelf 1.. and make the VOD travel the backplane to another shelf.. What they did to fix this is run a OC3 card to each shelf.. now this migration is pretty much done.. but there are a few cx's still out there...

Thats for the VOD issue.. There's a few more.. but I've got to go for now..

Thanks for your response. I understand some of your terminology, but not all of it. What's OLTs?

My pixelization issues are not VOD related. They are on the HD channels broadcasting on frequencies 717mhz, 723mhz and 735mhz, which are TNT, ESPN, ESPN2, NFL, HDNET & HDNET Movies. Allegedly, per the VZ tech and his Sunrise meter, the signal is perfect, yet the diagnositics screen of the Tivo has its signal strength jumping all over the place and signal lock going on and off. I've had VZ and Tivo techs talk to each other, yet nothing's been resolved. It's come down to finger pointing. Tivo says the signal is not strong enough and VZ says it's fine. That really doesn't solve anything. I'm considering running a straight line from the ONT to the Tivo, without splitters or attenuators, and seeing what happens.

But last night my wife reported that pixelization was all over the place, even on SD channels. I wasn't home to see it, so not sure if that behavior exhibited itself on the VZ STBs as well. I'll be looking into it later today.

I'll second the welcome!!! just hope you know what you're getting into :)

BTW no problems with phone or internet(had it for 3 mos. now.) only problem is no TV yet(launched in my city today-but not in my neighborhood).


Video gets turned up by the Video Noc.... We often Don't know about the video untill we get a Field tech, calling us to tell us he has no video light... (First customer on PON).. Most likely that the fiber jumper from the EDFA erbium doped fiber amp isn't run into the WDM (combiner)....

Thanks for your response. I understand some of your terminology, but not all of it. What's OLTs?

My pixelization issues are not VOD related. They are on the HD channels broadcasting on frequencies 717mhz, 723mhz and 735mhz, which are TNT, ESPN, ESPN2, NFL, HDNET & HDNET Movies. Allegedly, per the VZ tech and his Sunrise meter, the signal is perfect, yet the diagnositics screen of the Tivo has its signal strength jumping all over the place and signal lock going on and off. I've had VZ and Tivo techs talk to each other, yet nothing's been resolved. It's come down to finger pointing. Tivo says the signal is not strong enough and VZ says it's fine. That really doesn't solve anything. I'm considering running a straight line from the ONT to the Tivo, without splitters or attenuators, and seeing what happens.

But last night my wife reported that pixelization was all over the place, even on SD channels. I wasn't home to see it, so not sure if that behavior exhibited itself on the VZ STBs as well. I'll be looking into it later today.


Hey, PM me.. Give me your service telco number.. I can look in the logs.. see whats going on...

Has anyone else had a problem with their non-DVR HDBox forgetting their menu settings every time they turn it off. Everytime I want to watch tv I have to reenter the menu and reset all of my settings to 1080i and turn the 480i scaling off. Then the next time I watch tv all of my settings are back to the defuaults and I have to do it again. Anyone else have this problem?

Has anyone else had a problem with their non-DVR HDBox forgetting their menu settings every time they turn it off. Everytime I want to watch tv I have to reenter the menu and reset all of my settings to 1080i and turn the 480i scaling off. Then the next time I watch tv all of my settings are back to the defuaults and I have to do it again. Anyone else have this problem?

I have the 6200 and it works just fine. Perhaps you have a defective STB. Call it in to tech support. That's what they're there for.

Thanks for your response. I understand some of your terminology, but not all of it. What's OLTs?
PON = FiOS is A PON network (Passive optical network)
OLT = Optical Line Terminator (The entire rack, multiple OLT's in one CO Possible)
ONT = Optical Network Terminals (On/in the house)
PON Card= Passive Optical Network card (In the OLT shelf in the CO)

The OLT (Housed in the local CO) has typically 5 to 8 shelfs. Each Shelf holds up to 20 PON cards. (Plus 2 slots are used for OC3 and gigE cards). Each PON card holds 32 Customers.... Each PON generally supplies 1 Splitter/Hub. The Splitter/Hub is where your feeder fiber(From the CO) terminates to.(Aka "The Curb").
Your fiber drops(From your house/ONT) terminate to a distribution frame. (In the same physical box as the Splitter/hub) Then a jumper is placed between the Distribution Frame and the Splitter/Hub.


There is a lot more to it.. But Hopefully that

Hey, PM me.. Give me your service telco number.. I can look in the logs.. see whats going on...I don't know if you ever follow the forums over at TivoCommunity.com, but a lot of other CableCard customers are having the same constant pixelization issue. The problem is apparent on the Tivo Series3 and some other CableCard DVRs, but is not apparent on the Motorola DVR. Many of these customers have had service call, after service call, after service call with no progress. Many customers have had every part of their installation replaced -- including the coax, ONT, CableCards, and Tivo Series3 --- without any improvement.

Of the nine VHOs, it appears that only the NYC Metro and DC / Balt areas are free of constant pixelization with these CableCard DVRs. It's hard to know what areas are affected, because not every poster specifies where they live, but the VHOs in Tampa, Forth Worth (locals only?), and Philly / DE all exhibit the problem to varying degrees. It doesn't affect all channels, only certain channels. The problem affects random FiOS channels all across the spectrum, from the 70s (420+MHz) to the 120s (720+MHz).

Tampa customers have been the most vocal about the problem online. The DC / Balt / N. VA area exhibited the issue up until ~3 weeks ago when it was "fixed." If information is available on what was changed with that VHO in the last 3-4 weeks, it would probably help address the issue in other areas as well. Perhaps compare the equipment, firmware, and settings used on the DC / Balt and Tampa VHOs?

I've already bothered FLB with other issues in the past, so I've been hesistant to ask him, especially after the problem was fixed in my area (DC/VA). However, if you know anyone that could look into this issue, I'm sure FiOS customers with CableCard would appreciate it.
Current Status

Fort Worth TX Metro (ex: locals)
Tampa FL Metro (ex: TNT, ESPN, ESPN2, NFL, HDNET & HDNET Movies)
Southern California
Boston Metro
NYC Metro
North Jersey
DC / Balt / N. VA
Philly(PA) / DE / S. Jersey Metro
Richmond / Norfolk (ex: UHD, DHD, Wealth, and sometimes NGHD)

Markets in green no longer exhibit the pixelization issue. Markets in red still exhibit the pixelization issue with the Tivo Series3 and other CableCard DVRs. The status in other areas is unknown.
On the plus side, Tivo did apparently figure out the source of the FFW/REW "jumping" problem. The FiOS DVR exhibited the same issue -- the DVR would jump to the end of the program when using FF4 -- up until a firmware or two back. Tivo said its next firmware update should address the "jumping" problem with FF/REW on their DVR as well, but they can't figure out what is causing the pixelization on certain FiOS channels. The Tivo Series3 does use the same Broadcom MPEG decoder found in the QIP6416.

Sure, I'll look into it.. Video is really busy as are we this week so far... so it will probly be a few days.. But on the VZ boxes.. there is word that the new user interface for the boxes blows the socks off everyone else.. that's including tivo and media center.. said its super fast.. ive yet to have seen it yet.. but as excited as the guy telling me about it tells me something...

Sure, I'll look into it.. Video is really busy as are we this week so far... so it will probly be a few days.. But on the VZ boxes.. there is word that the new user interface for the boxes blows the socks off everyone else.. that's including tivo and media center.. said its super fast.. ive yet to have seen it yet.. but as excited as the guy telling me about it tells me something...

Any projected release dates for the new user interface that you want to throw into the rumor mill?

I'll give that a try but from what I can tell, its already passed that part of the process. I have two icons in my system tray showing me what is going on - a connection is established pretty quick but it takes the 1-2 minutes to actually negotiate a good ip address routed. I do come from a wired connection but the laptop bails on that right away and gives the wireless a try, finds the router and produces a green icon in the system tray saying its connected but then another icon appears stating its trying to get an IP address - ipconfig /all confirms there is no address yet. Then after a couple of minutes of negotiating with the router - I'm online.

Just to summarize though - I did not have this issue at all when I was connecting to my linksys router - it was pretty quick - as in seconds. Now that that is out and the Actiontech from Verizon is in its place - the connection speed is down to a crawl. Nothing else has changed - no change in environment - no change in connect process - no change in hardware except for the Actiontech.

I'll try the process you suggested as well as put my Linksys back in the mix and report back - nice weekend coming in NO VA though - may spend most of it outside instead of playing network jock inside. :)

I just got Verizon FiOS installed and have the same exact problem. With wireless and ethernet, I connect instantly but it takes 30 seconds or so to get an IP. Actually, to come to think of it, some times the DHCP request times out completely and I have to restart the interface to get it to work. I think the Actiontec is just slow and buggy at assigning addresses. Hopefully a firmware update will fix this problem. By the way, I also used to use a Linksys which was instant. Any tips from Actiontec users in the mean time?

Any projected release dates for the new user interface that you want to throw into the rumor mill?

No idea what so ever.... sorry

The Actiontec BHR (Broadband Home router ) isn't that great.. at all.. The ones I've seen are huge.. but I've heard the next release will be much smaller.. My understanding ( I could be very wrong on this) is that if you use the Moca port.. you need the actiontec.. but if you use the ethernet port.. you can connect your own router... I'm not sure if you need to supply verizon with its mac or not..

I just got Verizon FiOS installed and have the same exact problem. With wireless and ethernet, I connect instantly but it takes 30 seconds or so to get an IP. Actually, to come to think of it, some times the DHCP request times out completely and I have to restart the interface to get it to work. I think the Actiontec is just slow and buggy at assigning addresses. Hopefully a firmware update will fix this problem. By the way, I also used to use a Linksys which was instant. Any tips from Actiontec users in the mean time?

I had the Actiontec installed yesterday, they replaced the D-Link router, but I've Linksys routers as well. I'm not having a significant lag time getting IP addresses on the my wireless PCs. I get an IP address within 5 seconds.

I just got Verizon FiOS installed and have the same exact problem. With wireless and ethernet, I connect instantly but it takes 30 seconds or so to get an IP. Actually, to come to think of it, some times the DHCP request times out completely and I have to restart the interface to get it to work. I think the Actiontec is just slow and buggy at assigning addresses. Hopefully a firmware update will fix this problem. By the way, I also used to use a Linksys which was instant. Any tips from Actiontec users in the mean time?

We just got Verizon FiOS installed (internet & tv). Our connection speed varies from second to second - we're signed up for 15Mbps, yet using a speed test site said I was only getting 4Mbps, then I ran it again right away, & was getting 8Mbps, while my husband's pc was getting 1Mbps, then 20 minutes later he was getting 14Mbps. We're hooked up wirelessly - I"m having pc probs unrelated to the installation of FiOS, so at this point I'm happy I can even get on the internet. But his pc is fine. He ran all of Verizon's site's recommendation (optimizer, cleaner, etc) & the only thing it found was a bad ethernet cable. BUT WE DON'T HAVE ETHERNET!!
The router comes in thru the basement, then our computers are on the second floor connected to the router wirelessly. Would this affect anything, & if so why would the speed change so drastically??
Any ideas?? And why verizon's online troubleshooting says he has a bad ethernet cable?

Where can one go to learn more about the verizon equipment installed in/on house ?
Specifically ONT. Thanks Owenf

We just got Verizon FiOS installed (internet & tv). Our connection speed varies from second to second - we're signed up for 15Mbps, yet using a speed test site said I was only getting 4Mbps, then I ran it again right away, & was getting 8Mbps, while my husband's pc was getting 1Mbps, then 20 minutes later he was getting 14Mbps. We're hooked up wirelessly - I"m having pc probs unrelated to the installation of FiOS, so at this point I'm happy I can even get on the internet. But his pc is fine. He ran all of Verizon's site's recommendation (optimizer, cleaner, etc) & the only thing it found was a bad ethernet cable. BUT WE DON'T HAVE ETHERNET!!
The router comes in thru the basement, then our computers are on the second floor connected to the router wirelessly. Would this affect anything, & if so why would the speed change so drastically??You need to run FiOS optimizer on every computer, not just one. It optimizes the PC, not the connection.

http://www2.verizon.net/help/fios_settings/optimizer/

You indicate you are using wireless. Do you have 802.11g cards in every computer? With 802.11g wireless, your PCs will max out at around 17Mbps. However, with older 802.11b cards, you'll max out at around 2Mbps. Further, if you have any computers with older 802.11b wireless, they will slow the throughput to the computers with 802.11g. Ideally, you want every PC and device on your wireless network to use 802.11g.

The range on the Actiontec router supplied by FiOS isn't as good as some others, so having it in the basement doesn't help your speeds. When you're using a router across such a larger distance, the wireless signal is weaker, and prone to more interference from lights, microwaves, etc. Cordless phones using the 2.4GHz band (check your phones) will also interefere with your signal, reducing speeds. You may decide to buy another router with superior wireless range and connect it to the Verizon-supplied router; that's what I would do.

Any ideas?? And why verizon's online troubleshooting says he has a bad ethernet cable?The router might have older firmware. Browse to 192.168.1.1 with login "admin" and password "password" (no quotes) and you should be able to check the firmware version. Look under Advanced -> Firmware upgrade. The current version is 4.0.16.1.45.160.

http://www2.verizon.net/micro/actiontec/actiontec.asp?

When possible, you should update with a direct ethernet connection to the router. If that isn't possible, then turn off every other PC with wireless access, and do not attempt to access the Internet until the firmware upgrade is complete, which can take up to five minutes.

Depends where you are.. There Are Different ONT's for Different OLTS.. VZ has Tellabs and Motorola.. There starting to turn on Alcatel in the midwest.. Tellabs has 610, 611, 612 and 625's.. Moto has well. I try to stay away from the moto myself. lol (Not that its bad.. just I hate the backend interface)

We just got Verizon FiOS installed (internet & tv). Our connection speed varies from second to second - we're signed up for 15Mbps, yet using a speed test site said I was only getting 4Mbps, then I ran it again right away, & was getting 8Mbps, while my husband's pc was getting 1Mbps, then 20 minutes later he was getting 14Mbps. We're hooked up wirelessly - I"m having pc probs unrelated to the installation of FiOS, so at this point I'm happy I can even get on the internet. But his pc is fine. He ran all of Verizon's site's recommendation (optimizer, cleaner, etc) & the only thing it found was a bad ethernet cable. BUT WE DON'T HAVE ETHERNET!!
The router comes in thru the basement, then our computers are on the second floor connected to the router wirelessly. Would this affect anything, & if so why would the speed change so drastically??
Any ideas?? And why verizon's online troubleshooting says he has a bad ethernet cable?

The speed that they advertised is for cabled connections only. If you take an ethernet / CAT5E cable and connect one of your computers (a notebook?) to the router, I think you should see a constant 14.5 - 15 MBPS without problem (as I do). The issue you're dealing with is the wireless connection. As noted, the different technologies a/b/g have increasingly larger bandwidth, but may not have as much range. For example, an 802.11g interface is rated at ~50 MBPS, but that is probably only if you are a couple of feet in front of the router; the signal degrades as you increase the distance and number of obstructions in the way. Other things that interfere with wireless are: any radiating appliances (TV's, radios, wireless phones...) as well as other wireless networks which are being run in your neighborhood. In your case, you are going through two floors, which may cause problems. I have a very strong router (a 108 MBPS pre-N Belkin) which has great range, but my connection speed still ranges from about 4 MBPS to 8 or 9. This is actually pretty good to me. I have my house wired also, so if it's too slow I just plug into a wall and get the 15 MBPS. My advice if it's possible is to run CAT5E cable to the computers that you are most concerned about, or to get a pre-N or N1 router with better range. I don't think this is a FIOS issue, unless they want to upgrade their router

As far as the 'bad ethernet cable' goes, I can't speak for their software, but being practiced with networks, I don't think the software can tell whether you're connected through a cable or wireless, all that it sees is a connection in trouble. I might also suggest checking for viruses or other malware that may be interfering.

Where can one go to learn more about the verizon equipment installed in/on house ? Specifically ONT.

This is a couple of years old, but might help.
http://www.bricklin.com/fiosinstall.htm

One constant that in this topic is that the Actiontec router sucks. I wasn't a huge fan of it either, but as it's the only MoCA capable device that I can get my hands on, I knew it would have to work for what I was wanting to do, and work well it does.

Since FIOS was installed, the Actiontec router has been upstairs, far away from my media center that I stream content too. Most of the time it worked, some times it didn't. Streaming HD content was never really a possibility. I didn't have the bandwidth.

I recently acquired a second Actiontec router off ebay with plans to use its MoCA port and my existing coax cable as a bridge to my LAN upstairs. I am still shocked how easy it was to set up. All I had to do was turn off the DHCP server and turn on DNS forwarding and I was up and running. I now a fast, reliable, connection to my LAN. Fast enough to stream HD content. No new subnet. No nonsense. It's seamless.

For those of you planning on running cat5 in your house, but haven't yet, look in to getting a second Actiontec. So far, I'm really happy with my setup.

Kevin

The speed that they advertised is for cabled connections only. If you take an ethernet / CAT5E cable and connect one of your computers (a notebook?) to the router, I think you should see a constant 14.5 - 15 MBPS without problem (as I do). The issue you're dealing with is the wireless connection. As noted, the different technologies a/b/g have increasingly larger bandwidth, but may not have as much range. For example, an 802.11g interface is rated at ~50 MBPS, but that is probably only if you are a couple of feet in front of the router; the signal degrades as you increase the distance and number of obstructions in the way. Other things that interfere with wireless are: any radiating appliances (TV's, radios, wireless phones...) as well as other wireless networks which are being run in your neighborhood. In your case, you are going through two floors, which may cause problems. I have a very strong router (a 108 MBPS pre-N Belkin) which has great range, but my connection speed still ranges from about 4 MBPS to 8 or 9. This is actually pretty good to me. I have my house wired also, so if it's too slow I just plug into a wall and get the 15 MBPS. My advice if it's possible is to run CAT5E cable to the computers that you are most concerned about, or to get a pre-N or N1 router with better range. I don't think this is a FIOS issue, unless they want to upgrade their router

As far as the 'bad ethernet cable' goes, I can't speak for their software, but being practiced with networks, I don't think the software can tell whether you're connected through a cable or wireless, all that it sees is a connection in trouble. I might also suggest checking for viruses or other malware that may be interfering.


15 MB connections are set for about 1mb cir... 15 eir... 1mb constant.. up to 15mb burstable.. if your getting 8 to 12.. you're doing great....

Commited Information Rate (CIR); Excess Information Rate (EIR)

One constant that in this topic is that the Actiontec router sucks.


I've got no complaints about the Actiontec router. Once you get it set up properly, including whatever specific port forwarding you need for your specific situation, it works just fine.

I've got no complaints about the Actiontec router. Once you get it set up properly, including whatever specific port forwarding you need for your specific situation, it works just fine.
I have to agree, I have had no issues with the actiontec.

I had many issues with the Actiontec wifi, and if you check the Dell forums, if you have a Dell, its filled with Actiontec wifi problems. My first Actiontec stopped working, just the wifi, after less than a month and Verizon overnighted me a second one which is working fine. The wifi light was still on and every test showed it was working but in reality it was not and swapping the modem out fixed all problems.

I plan to just hard wire my connection this weekend with Cat6 cable and found a place on the net that sells 50' or 75' with connectors for under $20. I only use the lap top in two rooms really and one is the computer room with a direct connection to the Actiontec and my other PC and the living room. Running the cable will be easy and can be done from the basement easily. I plan to just run the wire up the heater/AC vents on the floor so no drilling should be necessary.

When it does work, the connection is fast and the speed is very nice. I get over a meg a second on downloaded files usually and I have the cheapest plan.

Hi..
I work for verizon.. in the FIOS noc.. I handle most all group outages.. to single ont outages on the entire US fios network... I deal with the data noc and video noc on issues.. so.. I offer myself.. I don't know everything.. way to much for on eperson.. but I can usually get answers...

anonfios

Welcome and many thanks for your information.

I'm having a problem w/ the DVR (Multi room) that when I get near the end of a recorded show (less than 15 minutes remaining) the 30 second skip button won't work and the FF speed slows down. This happens on both the DVR and the remote boxes. Is this a known issue? Does it require a reboot from Verizon or a new DVR?

Thanks,
Zebras 23

Welcome and many thanks for your information.

I'm having a problem w/ the DVR (Multi room) that when I get near the end of a recorded show (less than 15 minutes remaining) the 30 second skip button won't work and the FF speed slows down. This happens on both the DVR and the remote boxes. Is this a known issue? Does it require a reboot from Verizon or a new DVR?It's a memory glitch that occurs occasionally. Pull up any menu (i.e. hit menu on remote) and it is fixed.

It's a software issue -- it's the same on all units.

It's a memory glitch that occurs occasionally. Pull up any menu (i.e. hit menu on remote) and it is fixed.

It's a software issue -- it's the same on all units.

Thanks, I'll give that a try tonight. Any chance the new rumored software will fix it?

On another issue - where can I provide feedback directly to Verizon FiOS? Namely I'd like to suggest they renumber the locals. I don't understand why they can't make our local NBC which is Channel 4, Channel 804 instead of 807, when the ABC local which is 7 and on FiOS channel 803. It would make life so much simplier if they could try to get the numbers closer. Now I realize our PBS on 26 can be 826 as that gets into the National tier, but couldn't it be 810? I guess my "dream" arrangement would be:

804 - NBC
805 - Fox
807 - ABC
809 - CBS
810 - PBS (MD - 22)
811 - PBS (VA - 26)

So that at least when you surfed they came in the channel order.

I'd really like to pass this on and have the numbers changed before they get a lot more subscribers and line changes wind up angering more folks.

Thanks, I'll give that a try tonight. Any chance the new rumored software will fix it?Yes.

On another issue - where can I provide feedback directly to Verizon FiOS? Namely I'd like to suggest they renumber the locals. I don't understand why they can't make our local NBC which is Channel 4, Channel 804 instead of 807, when the ABC local which is 7 and on FiOS channel 803. It would make life so much simplier if they could try to get the numbers closer. Now I realize our PBS on 26 can be 826 as that gets into the National tier, but couldn't it be 810? I guess my "dream" arrangement would be:

804 - NBC
805 - Fox
807 - ABC
809 - CBS
810 - PBS (MD - 22)
811 - PBS (VA - 26)

So that at least when you surfed they came in the channel order.The strange thing is that they do this in other markets, like New York. Whoever was in charge of the DC/VA/MD local lineups dropped the ball, it seems.

Thanks to all of you who made input to this master thread. I recently added fios TV to my home once it became available. I have been using phone and internet access for a while now and have been extremely pleased with the service. Most importantly, Verizon service has been outstanding during the install and during any reported problems.

I have found the tv picture good, but not Outstanding. The reason is the interaction with the Motorola box and my Samsung HL-P 5674W. On that set, I have ended up using 720P output from the STB via HDMI to my set. The HD picture is extemely good, comparable with my OTA reception which was outstanding. However, the majority of non-HD channels leave much to be desired. Some are just plain horrible....like Fox news and CNN news. Others, are just ok. I hope that at some point they will solve these issues with the Samsung sets.

The service technician agreed that the picture was less than optimum, and after extensive troubleshooting he found the wiring and system to be all normal. In order to get an acceptable pictue, I have had to set the box to 720P, 4:3 override off, and turn my sharpness all the way down.

Thanks to you guys talking about some of these issues on this forum I saved myself and the tech much anxiety.

Yes.

The strange thing is that they do this in other markets, like New York. Whoever was in charge of the DC/VA/MD local lineups dropped the ball, it seems.
Looking at several of the channel line-ups, I only see that in New York City did they match the big four stations with 80x locations. In Philadelphia, the HD locals start at 810. Did they do this so the Mercer county line-up in the middle of NJ can have the NYC at 801 to 809 and Philadelphia locals at 810 to 817?? Not very convenient for the subscribers in Philadelphia.

The shared or dual market areas complicate the channel assignment issue, but I do agree that Verizon should have started by matching the VHF 2 to 13 locals to 802 to 813 and then placing the UHF HD locals in the open spots in the 801 to 819 block. I do think Verizon should have put HBO HD and the other premium movie channels higher up to 861 or 871 because if all the nets that have announced their HD plans go HD by the end of the year, Verizon will have to do another channel realignment by end of 07 or early 08 to accommodate them. But this is a topic more suited to the Fios Programming thread, not the installation and hardware thread.

I've got no complaints about the Actiontec router. Once you get it set up properly, including whatever specific port forwarding you need for your specific situation, it works just fine.

My main point was that if you get TWO Actiontecs, you can save yourself the hassle of running cat5 in your house. No other product on the market can network over coax.

Okay, I have Fios, and the Actiontec router. However, it does not throw a good wireless signal. Therefore, I have a D-Link xtreme router to do that. However, after numerous calls to support, they are not in this country perhaps. Not sure what the problem is. I need to have the D-Link act as a wireless router, but I don't want to use two firewalls; therefore, what is wrong. I can connect directly to the D-link which is connected to the Actiontec, and I can get online via both routers. However, I can only connect wireless through the actiontec.

I have turned off UPNP and DHCP as the instructions said, but I guess that is why I can't get a wireless signal on my D-link. I have left Actiontec as is.

I have an ethernet running to one of the LAN ports on the D-Link and to a Lan port on the Actiontec. What am I doing wrong....

Okay, I am guessing it has something to do with the Ip address I gave the router. I gave it per instructions an IP in the range of the IPs from the actiontec.

For example: 192.168.1.50 if the Actiontec goes from 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.250. Is this correct?

Also, does the D-Link router just relay the signal of the Actiontec, if so how do you turn on this feature, and which router do you screw with to do this, or am I setting up an entirely new wireless connection. I don't care either way as long as I am not killing my game systems with super firewalls, and I am getting the full bandwidth that I am paying for. Actiontec limits the wireless signal down to like 15 or 20 MBit. :-( So is it a relay or is it another wireless setup that the actiontecs security protects. :-(

Okay, I have Fios, and the Actiontec router. However, it does not throw a good wireless signal. Therefore, I have a D-Link xtreme router to do that. However, after numerous calls to support, they are not in this country perhaps. Not sure what the problem is. I need to have the D-Link act as a wireless router, but I don't want to use two firewalls; therefore, what is wrong. I can connect directly to the D-link which is connected to the Actiontec, and I can get online via both routers. However, I can only connect wireless through the actiontec.

I have turned off UPNP and DHCP as the instructions said, but I guess that is why I can't get a wireless signal on my D-link. I have left Actiontec as is.

I have an ethernet running to one of the LAN ports on the D-Link and to a Lan port on the Actiontec. What am I doing wrong....

Okay, I am guessing it has something to do with the Ip address I gave the router. I gave it per instructions an IP in the range of the IPs from the actiontec.

For example: 192.168.1.50 if the Actiontec goes from 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.250. Is this correct?

Also, does the D-Link router just relay the signal of the Actiontec, if so how do you turn on this feature, and which router do you screw with to do this, or am I setting up an entirely new wireless connection. I don't care either way as long as I am not killing my game systems with super firewalls, and I am getting the full bandwidth that I am paying for. Actiontec limits the wireless signal down to like 15 or 20 MBit. :-( So is it a relay or is it another wireless setup that the actiontecs security protects. :-( Wegafan, I am no expert on this, but I just set up a Netgear as an access point only feeding off the Actiontec router.

Reading what you wrote, the 2 things I did differently from you is 1) turned wireless OFF on the actiontec - it should only be running on your d-Link; and 2) in the router config of the actiontec, in the Advanced section, I added the netgear by its fixed IP address as a new client for the DNS server of the Actiontec.

Try that and let us know if it works.

HTH

Esschoir

Sweet. Okay, I understood the first part, and even thought about trying that, but I need to look at the actiontec and figure out what you are getting at with the fixed IP address as a new client. Now I have something to go on.

Much appreciatation!!! I will try it tomorrow.

I have found the tv picture good, but not Outstanding. The reason is the interaction with the Motorola box and my Samsung HL-P 5674W. On that set, I have ended up using 720P output from the STB via HDMI to my set. The HD picture is extemely good, comparable with my OTA reception which was outstanding. However, the majority of non-HD channels leave much to be desired.
I have a Sony Grand Wega (788p) and found on that set that using 1080i output and 4:3 Override to "off" (which means that box scales 4:3 content to 1080i) provides the best SD picture, and perhaps a bit better HD picture as well. The SD picture quality at 1080i vs. 720p is significant for me, although you would think that 720p would be better given that it is closer to my set's native resolution. Letting the set upconvert SD content to 1080i for some reason provides a much brighter and crisper (vs. fuzzy) image.

Note that one thing I had to do with the Sony that you have caught on to was to turn off *ALL* video processing like edge enhancements, etc. On the Sony this meant a trip into the service menu vs. just the user menu. The result you will see is exactly what the SD image looks like, rather than a overly-enhanced image that for some reason just looks worse.

We are very happy with the SD picture at this point (and the HD is obviously good). It is significantly better than DirecTV's locals and is on par with the upconverted HD equivalent.

I have a Sony Grand Wega (788p) and found on that set that using 1080i output and 4:3 Override to "off" (which means that box scales 4:3 content to 1080i) provides the best SD picture, and perhaps a bit better HD picture as well. The SD picture quality at 1080i vs. 720p is significant for me, although you would think that 720p would be better given that it is closer to my set's native resolution. Letting the set upconvert SD content to 1080i for some reason provides a much brighter and crisper (vs. fuzzy) image.

Note that one thing I had to do with the Sony that you have caught on to was to turn off *ALL* video processing like edge enhancements, etc. On the Sony this meant a trip into the service menu vs. just the user menu. The result you will see is exactly what the SD image looks like, rather than a overly-enhanced image that for some reason just looks worse.

We are very happy with the SD picture at this point (and the HD is obviously good). It is significantly better than DirecTV's locals and is on par with the upconverted HD equivalent.

What box do you have?

What box do you have?
QIP6416-2

All of that being said, you also have to factor in the quality of the source material that FiOS receives from the local stations. You also have to make sure you aren't sitting too close to the TV. I was making some adjustments to my in laws set this past weekend and the SD version of ESPN was on the set. From close up I saw a lot of blockiness in the picture, but when I went back to the couch it looked very sharp. Note that HD looks better close up, but even then you are going to see more artifacts if you have your nose a foot from the screen (didn't our moms warn us about this sort of thing? :))

(didn't our moms warn us about this sort of thing? :))

HA! Now you know why - she was just ahead of her time!! :)

Hmmm, whatever happened, happened. Now I am connected, WTF. I guess SPI is important to turn off or something. I turned that off, and the wireless signal stayed up and running. At least for now. I am guessing the Actiontec protection will suffice.
...
...
...
UGGGGGGhhhh! It cut off again. Wireless signal keeps becoming inactive. WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Actiontec wifi died after not even a month. The light was on, the tests report everything was fine but it was bad. Verizon overnighted me another Actiontec and everything has been fine since. (knock on wood)

Last weekend I did run a Cat6 cable to the living room for just in case future problems.

Is there a step by step explanation of how to put a D-link Xtreme router to a Actiontec router to use the D-Link as the wireless signal provider, and have it not go inactive for some reason. When I got it working, the signal was incredible. Then a few minutes later, poof. Gone. I need help ladies and gentlemen.

The only other idea I have is to hook it up where the router is outside the ip range of the actiontec. I am guessing this is my problem where the D-Link wireless goes poof every time I get up and running.

Thanks to all of you who made input to this master thread. I recently added fios TV to my home once it became available. I have been using phone and internet access for a while now and have been extremely pleased with the service. Most importantly, Verizon service has been outstanding during the install and during any reported problems.

I have found the tv picture good, but not Outstanding. The reason is the interaction with the Motorola box and my Samsung HL-P 5674W. On that set, I have ended up using 720P output from the STB via HDMI to my set. The HD picture is extemely good, comparable with my OTA reception which was outstanding. However, the majority of non-HD channels leave much to be desired. Some are just plain horrible....like Fox news and CNN news. Others, are just ok. I hope that at some point they will solve these issues with the Samsung sets.

The service technician agreed that the picture was less than optimum, and after extensive troubleshooting he found the wiring and system to be all normal. In order to get an acceptable pictue, I have had to set the box to 720P, 4:3 override off, and turn my sharpness all the way down.

Thanks to you guys talking about some of these issues on this forum I saved myself and the tech much anxiety.

Rudy, I have a Samsung HLR and found that using component cables has given me a good to excellent SD picture as opposed to when I was using the HDMI cable and getting a poor SD pic. I am also in the Dallas area so our feed would be similar.

I keep my cable box set to 1080i for HD, and scaling off for SD. The FIOS tech told me to keep my cable box set to 720p also to avoid the stutter (not sure you are having it, but if you switch to 1080i, you may), but I find the pic much better at 1080i (my tv is 1080p) so I just do the following when problems come up... Sometimes I get some stutter with the 1080i setting as the MOT box has issues with 1080i, but all you need to do if that happens, is go into the cable box menu and set the HD feed to 480p and watch the tv in that mode for about 10 minutes to reconfigure the Mot problem and then switch back to 1080i and the pic stays good for weeks to months.

Give the component cables a try, they may help.

When I was just speaking with a tech rep he mentioned that the new IPG had been released in certain areas already for testing and should be out in mid-May for everyone unless they run into problems (which they probably will). I had not seen any previous posts discussing a prelliminary rollout and I was wondering if this tech rep was right. Does anyone have the new IPG and if so how is it?

This is getting Ridiculous... How long am I going to have to wait to get FiOs in Arlington Virginia Condo/apartments? I'm in the biggest complex in the heart of Clarendon. This area is one of the original pilot areas of Verizon fios... It is all around me but not in the condos or apartments. Arlington is 90% condo/apartments, so how long is it going to take? Ridiculous...

At this pace there will be something else out by the time they bring it into multidwelling units... ridiculous.

Anyone with D-Link Xtreme router trying to stick it in a Actiontec to improve their wireless singal????

If you could see my posts above, and if you have suggestions, I would greatly appreciate it.

Should D-Link be in IP range of Actiontec or outside, and what are pros and cons of each.

Also, because I currently have it in range is that why my signal is becoming inactive, or goes bye-bye!!!!

:(

OK, I've been seriously considering dropping Comcast in favor of Verizon ever since they installed the underground boxes in our cul-de-sac. For the same money, I can go from Comcast Extended Basic to Verizon's Premier package (plus one CableCard and one SD-STB). Assuming the taxes are similar, I would be gaining about 15 HD channels and a boatload of other channels that are normally part of Comcast's digital tier.

The downside is that I would lose a lot of channels on analog. We have two "secondary" TVs. I can live with the locals on the basement TV, but the kitchen TV does get a workout.

OK, so my questions are regarding the installation process.

All of our telephone and coax lines "home-run" to a panel (On-Q) in the basement. It would make sense to put the ONT right next to the On-Q panel. There's an outlet there that the BB could plug into. I could remove the Comcast line from the 4-way splitter and replace it with the Verizon one and that would solve the TV feeds.

I'm thinking that I could put the SD-STB in the basement and run the output through coax into the line that runs to the kitchen TV. Set the kitchen TV to channel 3 (or 4) and use an IR-RF device for the remote. This would be the cleanest set-up.

Alternatively, I could put the SD-STB in the family room cabinet and then run an S-video line to the back of the kitchen TV. This would involve running some cables in and through a few walls, but it's doable. I'd also need an IR blaster type device, and it wouldn't have to be the fancy one mentioned above.

The family room TV would be set up like now, but I would put a CableCard in my Sony DVR. That way, I could get the encrypted digital channels on our big-screen. I could also run the straight coax into the TV for the unencrypted QAM channels. I would lose a little flexibilty to watch something while recording, as I would get fewer channels on the TV's QAM tuner. But this is made up for with the extra HD channels.

Now, the hardest part is the Internet connection. I currently have my cable modem on the 2nd floor. There's a phone and coax line running to that room. The cable modem is connected via coax and my 11g router is connected to the modem. It works great right now. I have reservations with the FiOS Internet. From what I've read, the Actiontec router will replace the cable modem, right? Could I put the Actiontec on the 2nd floor, or does it need to be next to the ONT? I would like/need to have the 11g router stay upstairs for maximum coverage. How does the Actiontec work and how is it connected?

I guess the kitchen TV is doable and the family room TV is a slam dunk. The internet is a major issue in my mind.

Please help ease my fears, uncertainties, doubts.

ft

Actiontec can either be ethernet or coaxial. You could have it on the second floor as long as you could run coaxial from ont to the actiontec. Which if you have had cable, may already be run. Sorry didn't read all of your post. Hope that helps. Only problem, actiontec wireless signal is weak, and it caps at 20Mbit. :-(

Actiontec can either be ethernet or coaxial. You could have it on the second floor as long as you could run coaxial from ont to the actiontec. Which if you have had cable, may already be run. Sorry didn't read all of your post. Hope that helps. Only problem, actiontec wireless signal is weak, and it caps at 20Mbit. :-(
Yeah, it was a long post. ;)

Don't I need to run a line back from the Actiontec to the lines going to TVs? I thought the Actiontec needed to feed information (TV Guide) to the STBs. I only have one coax line going to the computer room upstairs.

I was thinking if I could convert the phone line to an ethernet line by switching the connections from RJ-11 to RJ-45. Not sure if that would work or if Cat3 has enough bandwidth to support the Actiontec.

Thanks.

ft

Yeah, it was a long post. ;)

Don't I need to run a line back from the Actiontec to the lines going to TVs? I thought the Actiontec needed to feed information (TV Guide) to the STBs. I only have one coax line going to the computer room upstairs.

I was thinking if I could convert the phone line to an ethernet line by switching the connections from RJ-11 to RJ-45. Not sure if that would work or if Cat3 has enough bandwidth to support the Actiontec.

Thanks.

ft

is I understand it the Vz tech(s) run coax from the ONT to a splitter-one feed to the Actiontec, other to the STB(s). only Cat5 cables needed are from the Actiontec to your computer(s).

is I understand it the Vz tech(s) run coax from the ONT to a splitter-one feed to the Actiontec, other to the STB(s). only Cat5 cables needed are from the Actiontec to your computer(s).

That's correct. The Actiontec has the ability to either be connected with either coax or Cat 5 from the ONT. It just depends on which is best for the particular installation. In my case, the Actiontec router was located near an STB, so the coax was split, with one feed to the router and the other to the STB. And it doesn't really seem to matter where, in the system, that router is located. If you were not aware, the router is needed even if you don't subscribe to Verizon internet, as the router is what acquires the guide, the widgets and is used for video on demand. In fact, if you log on to your router, you can see when an STB has made a connection, as each STB has a MAC and each one is assigned an IP address.

That's correct. The Actiontec has the ability to either be connected with either coax or Cat 5 from the ONT. It just depends on which is best for the particular installation. In my case, the Actiontec router was located near an STB, so the coax was split, with one feed to the router and the other to the STB. And it doesn't really seem to matter where, in the system, that router is located. If you were not aware, the router is needed even if you don't subscribe to Verizon internet, as the router is what acquires the guide, the widgets and is used for video on demand. In fact, if you log on to your router, you can see when an STB has made a connection, as each STB has a MAC and each one is assigned an IP address.
I'm still a little confused here. If all I have to run to the Actiontec is coax, then I'm set. But in some diagrams that I've seen, they have an additional run of coax from the Actiontec to the lines going to all of the STBs for guide data. ft

I'm still a little confused here. If all I have to run to the Actiontec is coax, then I'm set. But in some diagrams that I've seen, they have an additional run of coax from the Actiontec to the lines going to all of the STBs for guide data. ft

Not in my installation. No additional coax run for the Actiontec router. The installation tech will make sure that the signal level is where it needs to be through use of splitters and attenuators, if needed. The straight signal, from the ONT through the coax, is very "hot" and needs to be attenuated down with these inserted devices. That's the only installation. I can comment on with certainty.

Someone else can chime in if they have any additional information, but if you have coax, you're all set.

Not in my installation. No additional coax run for the Actiontec router. The installation tech will make sure that the signal level is where it needs to be through use of splitters and attenuators, if needed. The straight signal, from the ONT through the coax, is very "hot" and needs to be attenuated down with these inserted devices. That's the only installation. I can comment on with certainty.

Someone else can chime in if they have any additional information, but if you have coax, you're all set.

My understanding (as explained by the installer) is that a two-way communication takes place between the router and set top box (es) via ONE coaxial connection. Incoming FIOS signal, in my application, is split two ways: one to the router, the other one to the set top box (may be further split downstream to feed more than one set top box.) Somehow, a two -way communication is established between the STB's and the router. I may be wrong.

My understanding (as explained by the installer) is that a two-way communication takes place between the router and set top box (es) via ONE coaxial connection. Incoming FIOS signal, in my application, is split two ways: one to the router, the other one to the set top box (may be further split downstream to feed more than one set top box.) Somehow, a two -way communication is established between the STB's and the router. I may be wrong.

There is two way communication going on between the router and the STBs through the coax in your house. The one coax connection of the router, even from a split connection, makes that possible. I don't know any other way to explain it.

I think what you are getting at, is....

The actiontec and the STBs talk via coax, but it only needs one line. Some how, the info is passed to and from via the one coax line and the network.

you need one coax to the actiontec, and the one to each stb, which you will need anyway. No additional coaxs are needed. I think that is what you are getting at. Many people already have coax run from prior installs. Comcast, etc. Just get the coax to each box, and you are set.

I need HELP!!!

I have D-Link Xtreme Router; however, there is something the matter with it.

Please tell me the model number of a router that you guys have used that I can buy at CC, to have the router act as wireless signal for my network, since ACtiontec doesn't send a good signal. I would like to have a router that helps with Gaming, etc, and a N would be fine, but what is one that you guys have successfully connected to Actiontec for success.

HELP!!!!!!!!!!

MODEL NUMBER PLEASE :p PS: Not the Dlink Xtreme that is depressing. I am taking that puppy back!!!! Thanks in advance.

I think what you are getting at, is....

The actiontec and the STBs talk via coax, but it only needs one line. Some how, the info is passed to and from via the one coax line and the network.

you need one coax to the actiontec, and the one to each stb, which you will need anyway. No additional coaxs are needed. I think that is what you are getting at. Many people already have coax run from prior installs. Comcast, etc. Just get the coax to each box, and you are set.

Exactly correctly. Once the Actiontec is inserted into the internal coax system, on premises, two way communication between the router and the STBs happens.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, if, for instance, you force an activity that requires the router's use, like a VOD free preview, if you log onto the router, you can actually see that there's a coax line connected with a DHCP assigned IP address. It also tells you the MAC address. That MAC address is also on the bottom of each STB.

Cool, you just beat me to the punch with the post. Yeap, but I need to take the floor back because at lunch I am going to CC.

Anyone with a Router that is easily configurable, and is at least G, maybe N that has good game action, that can act as a wireless router for my actiontec.

Please I beg of you kind people, HELP!!!! :D

I have been trying to network for a week, and am losing my mind...

Exactly correctly. Once the Actiontec is inserted into the internal coax system, on premises, two way communication between the router and the STBs happens.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, if, for instance, you force an activity that requires the router's use, like a VOD free preview, if you log onto the router, you can actually see that there's a coax line connected with a DHCP assigned IP address. It also tells you the MAC address. That MAC address is also on the bottom of each STB.

What I believe is happening is that you have two networks active here. One is the ethernet (CAT5) network that the computers use and another network (COAX) that delivers your video. The MOCA (multimedia over coax) network is a data network that delivers the video but has no problem carrying information back. That is how a set top box can retrieve a recorded program from the multi room DVR.

The reason there is a connection to the ActionTec router is so any requests that need to go outside of the MOCA network can reach the internet. On Demand seems to work this way, being fed to the router and sent to the server that feeds the requested programming back. It also raises all sort of good possibilities for your computers interacting with your DVR's, set top boxes, etc, because the router bridges both networks, but I digress.

If you go into the router management screen, you can see the IP addresses of the DVRs / set top boxes. This means that the MOCA network is a standard IP based network with all of its capabilities.

What I believe is happening is that you have two networks active here. One is the ethernet (CAT5) network that the computers use and another network (COAX) that delivers your video. The MOCA (multimedia over coax) network is a data network that delivers the video but has no problem carrying information back. That is how a set top box can retrieve a recorded program from the multi room DVR.

Actually I think it's just one network, and it lists the devices on the network by their connection type: Ethernet, Coax or Wireless.

Cool, you just beat me to the punch with the post. Yeap, but I need to take the floor back because at lunch I am going to CC.

Anyone with a Router that is easily configurable, and is at least G, maybe N that has good game action, that can act as a wireless router for my actiontec.

Please I beg of you kind people, HELP!!!! :D

I have been trying to network for a week, and am losing my mind...
Wegafan, I'll take pity on your plight.

The Netgear I mentioned setting up as a wireless access point is a wgt624 'super G' 108 speed router.

Surely not the latest and greatest any more but it does the job.

Dunno about gaming, but the speed with my Netgear wireless card in the laptop stays at a "rated" speed of 108 - of course actual throughput is much less.

Internet speeds over the wireless pretty consistent at 15 MB down to East coast servers, with WPA security.

HTH

Esschoir

Actually I think it's just one network, and it lists the devices on the network by their connection type: Ethernet, Coax or Wireless.

Correct. One network. As some were questioning how they are all connected... just imagine you have 3STB's, you would (at its basic) have one coax in from ONT, split 4 ways to each of the 3 STB's and 1 router. The Actiontec can be placed anywhere in the coax system as long as the signal is good. No different than how cable internet connects. Your PC's are connected via cat5e or wireless, and the STB's are connected thru the coax on the MoCa side of the network and get their own IP address (typically starting at 192.168.1.100).

Correct. One network. As some were questioning how they are all connected... just imagine you have 3STB's, you would (at its basic) have one coax in from ONT, split 4 ways to each of the 3 STB's and 1 router. The Actiontec can be placed anywhere in the coax system as long as the signal is good. No different than how cable internet connects. Your PC's are connected via cat5e or wireless, and the STB's are connected thru the coax on the MoCa side of the network and get their own IP address (typically starting at 192.168.1.100).
Is that how it is for all FiOS installations? It would be great if that is the case, as I wouldn't need any additional wiring for my home system.

However, I refer to this diagram where they show the Actiontec connected to the ONT via ethernet and the STB connected to the ONT via coax. There's a separate line from the Actiontec to the STBs using coax (MOCA). It's like the Actiontec and the ONT supply the STBs with a combined signal.

http://fiosfaq.com/content.php?contentid=41

I'm just wondering how they'll be able to hook up my house.

Alternatively, has anyone been able to use the Actiontec and a 3rd party router to create a "super" network. If I have to keep the Actiontec in the basement, could I use my Netgear 11g router on the second floor to extend the Actiontec network for better coverage?

ft

Is that how it is for all FiOS installations? It would be great if that is the case, as I wouldn't need any additional wiring for my home system.

However, I refer to this diagram where they show the Actiontec connected to the ONT via ethernet and the STB connected to the ONT via coax. There's a separate line from the Actiontec to the STBs using coax (MOCA). It's like the Actiontec and the ONT supply the STBs with a combined signal.
ft

Obviously, I can't speak for ALL installations, however on the few I've seen, it's been coax to the router. Since the wiring from the ONT to the router has several options, it's simply a matter of what works best in each specific installation. When the existing inside coax wiring is up to Verizon spec, it seems they will use that, rather than running new coax. I've personally not seen (in my neighbor's installations) Cat 5 to the router.

Is that how it is for all FiOS installations? It would be great if that is the case, as I wouldn't need any additional wiring for my home system.

However, I refer to this diagram where they show the Actiontec connected to the ONT via ethernet and the STB connected to the ONT via coax. There's a separate line from the Actiontec to the STBs using coax (MOCA). It's like the Actiontec and the ONT supply the STBs with a combined signal.

http://fiosfaq.com/content.php?contentid=41

I'm just wondering how they'll be able to hook up my house.

Alternatively, has anyone been able to use the Actiontec and a 3rd party router to create a "super" network. If I have to keep the Actiontec in the basement, could I use my Netgear 11g router on the second floor to extend the Actiontec network for better coverage?

ft

This diagram is exactly how my FiOS is configured. There is combiner outside the house where all the RG6 hooks into including the one from the Actiontec router.

Esschoir!!!

Okay, I have more info. I replaced my D-Link with a Belkin. Amazingly the Belkin has an Access Point option that cuts off everythig. So once I selected the Access Point option, and added my wireless info, there should be no reason for this not to work.

It worked for a while, and then the Belkin signal went bye bye. Reboot was required, and then the same thing happened again.

Therefore, there is something in the Actiontec causing a conflict.

What the heck am I supposed to change in the Actiontec.

I turned off wireless on Actiontec. Have the Belkin set up for wireless. Connected Lan to Lan port. It worked for a few then turned off just as the D-Link had done.

[SCREAMING] :(

Thanks for any help you can lend, but I am certain now that the problem is with the Actiontec, and some option that I have failed to switch.

Also, I put the accesspoint Belkin in and outside the IP range. Still nothing. At least now I am not anti-D-Link since even strictly AccessPoint mode that Belkin offers does not give continued success.

Also, I am sure that the signal is being sent out and then just stops due to Belkins color coded leds on the front of the router, which gives play by play of what the heck is happening with the router.

Why has my Actiontec forsaken me :(

Is that how it is for all FiOS installations? It would be great if that is the case, as I wouldn't need any additional wiring for my home system.

However, I refer to this diagram where they show the Actiontec connected to the ONT via ethernet and the STB connected to the ONT via coax. There's a separate line from the Actiontec to the STBs using coax (MOCA). It's like the Actiontec and the ONT supply the STBs with a combined signal.

ft

I believe that the ONT in the link you provided is the older model that required a Cat 5 Ethernet connection to the router. In the newer models of the ONT (like mine) coax does that job. And that is why Verizon says the newer model of ONT speeds of the installation process. Yours will most likely be the new model and will not require a Cat 5 Ethernet from ONT to the router. By the way, the picture of the ONT in the link does not look like mine at all (which was installed a few weeks ago.)

I believe that the ONT in the link you provided is the older model that required a Cat 5 Ethernet connection to the router.Yes ... I've got the 'old' ONT that requires CAT5 (and coax) from the ONT to the router. New installs / new ONTs only require coax.

I believe that the ONT in the link you provided is the older model that required a Cat 5 Ethernet connection to the router. In the newer models of the ONT (like mine) coax does that job. And that is why Verizon says the newer model of ONT speeds of the installation process. Yours will most likely be the new model and will not require a Cat 5 Ethernet from ONT to the router. By the way, the picture of the ONT in the link does not look like mine at all (which was installed a few weeks ago.)
Excellent. The barriers against getting FiOS are breaking down.

ft

Excellent. The barriers against getting FiOS are breaking down.

ft

Go for it. You'll be glad you did. IMO, Fios blows away both the other cable provider in my area (Comcast) as well as satellite.

Go for it. You'll be glad you did. IMO, Fios blows away both the other cable provider in my area (Comcast) as well as satellite.
For me, going FiOS will cost me $1 more per month for the cable TV portion. Adding in Internet, I think I come out cheaper than cable.

I still have two issues that I want to ferret out before getting FiOS (which should be available soon).

1. Confirm that CableCard works good with the Sony DHG-HDD250. - I've read that most people are having success, with the exception that Verizon doesn't pass the TVGOS signal via analog, meaning I'll have to connect an antenna to the Sony.

2. Come up with a workable solution for connecting the SD-STB to the kitchen TV. I've found a $35 IR-RF device that should allow me to leave the STB in the basement and run the output of the STB through coax to the kitchen.

ft

Go for it. You'll be glad you did. IMO, Fios blows away both the other cable provider in my area (Comcast) as well as satellite.

Ditto. :D

For me, going FiOS will cost me $1 more per month for the cable TV portion. Adding in Internet, I think I come out cheaper than cable.

I still have two issues that I want to ferret out before getting FiOS (which should be available soon).

1. Confirm that CableCard works good with the Sony DHG-HDD250. - I've read that most people are having success, with the exception that Verizon doesn't pass the TVGOS signal via analog, meaning I'll have to connect an antenna to the Sony.

2. Come up with a workable solution for connecting the SD-STB to the kitchen TV. I've found a $35 IR-RF device that should allow me to leave the STB in the basement and run the output of the STB through coax to the kitchen.

ft

Sounds like you have your ducks lined up.

As for the cable card, I have the Tivo S3, and there's issues between the two which Tivo and Verizon are working on. However if you know users that have had good luck with the Verizon cable card and the Sony device you're referring to, then you're probably in good shape. Officially, Verizon won't say they support their cable card in some other device, for obvious reasons, although I've found them willing to try to work out compatibility issues.

Any suggestions for the guy with Fios, and no wireless signal :p

See above and:

The only options on the Belkin are Router IP and DNS (Actiontecs).

Thus, the problem has to be on the Actiontec, to end this wireless conflict....

:confused:

My Question is when will Upper Darby/Drexel Hill PA get FiOS

Any suggestions for the guy with Fios, and no wireless signal :p

See above and:

The only options on the Belkin are Router IP and DNS (Actiontecs).

Thus, the problem has to be on the Actiontec, to end this wireless conflict....DSLReports has a thread dedicated to using other routers with the Actiontec to expand wireless range:

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,17679150

If you need a new router, check out the Buffalo WHR-HP-G54 ($59 @ Circuit City), a very popular router over on the DSLReports and PC hardware forums. There are several different firmwares you can use with it -- Buffalo's stock firmware, Tomato (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Tomato_Firmware#Upgrading_The_Firmware) (simple, friendly UI), and dd-wrt (http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/ddwrt.php) (lots of advanced options, highly tweaked performance).

Confirm that CableCard works good with the Sony DHG-HDD250. - I've read that most people are having success, with the exception that Verizon doesn't pass the TVGOS signal via analog, meaning I'll have to connect an antenna to the Sony.


I have two TV's with CableCard. One of the TV's has the TVGOS feature and it mostly does an adequate job in providing the program information. By adequate I mean about a dozen or so channels are missing in the program guide (out of some 200 plus FIOS channels.) They must be carrying at least one PBS station in analog.

Holy Smokes, thank you for the Link!!!

Alternatively, has anyone been able to use the Actiontec and a 3rd party router to create a "super" network. If I have to keep the Actiontec in the basement, could I use my Netgear 11g router on the second floor to extend the Actiontec network for better coverage?

ft

if by super network, you mean wireless, I tried to pull that off with two Actiontecs. I didn't get very far. Still, a wired network bridge is better than a wireless one.

if by super network, you mean wireless, I tried to pull that off with two Actiontecs. I didn't get very far. Still, a wired network bridge is better than a wireless one.
Yeah, what I would try to do is to use the Netgear 11g router I have to extend the network for more range. But since it's been revealed that in my set-up the actiontec can be placed upstairs, it's a moot point.

ft

Yeah, what I would try to do is to use the Netgear 11g router I have to extend the network for more range. But since it's been revealed that in my set-up the actiontec can be placed upstairs, it's a moot point.

ft
We have 3 WAPs daisy chained off of the Actiontec. CAT-5 comes off of one of the ActionTec LAN ports and goes to a LAN port on a LinkSys... then another LAN port on the LinkSys goes to the next router, etc. (The only WAN port being used is the one on the ActionTec, going to the ONT.) DHCP is disabled on all but the ActionTec.

I am converting from comcast to fios soon. I hope to install the HD dvr and connect this to my older Samsung HLN 760p TV dvi port. Will I need to supply my own hdmi-dvi cable? Various posters said they did, but it wasn’t clear if they did this out of necessity. Sound will be an optical cable to the receiver. At times comcast had hand shaking issues with this tv, hope these disappear.
Also I had a question about the software they install, is this just to set up the modem? How much junk ware does it install? Is it needed on all connected computers? Or on any of them?
thanks

I am converting from comcast to fios soon. I hope to install the HD dvr and connect this to my older Samsung HLN 760p TV dvi port. Will I need to supply my own hdmi-dvi cable? Various posters said they did, but it wasn’t clear if they did this out of necessity. Sound will be an optical cable to the receiver. At times comcast had hand shaking issues with this tv, hope these disappear.
Also I had a question about the software they install, is this just to set up the modem? How much junk ware does it install? Is it needed on all connected computers? Or on any of them?
thanks

Verizon will supply an HDMI/HDMI cable, if needed, however I don't think they have the HDMI/DVI adapter. So you may be on your own as far as that. However if your current installation has that cable, why can't you use that?

No junk software was installed on my installation. Verizon has it's own home page, like other providers, but you don't really need to use it if you don't want.

You'll be happy you switched. I know, I was. :)

ron,
I have dvi-dvi connections now (cable, tv & dvd), i'm just about 5 years behind the times. I would rather cables and not use adapters, i think. I'll buy a cable, thanks for the heads up.
Big day is the 15th. I'll be "sick" that day.

not looking foward changing my email addresses though.

thanks

some more dangerous thoughts:
been pricing cables (better cable, monster & pureav were pricey), the winner was monprice.
I hadn't looked into 2x1 hdmi(dvi) switchers in a long time.
Now I am pondering a 2x1 push button hdmi switcher, 2 hdmi-dvi & 1 hdmi-hdmi cables for a grand total of about $75
with the Samsung hln tv & the fios hd-dvr in mind, any one see any gotchas?
A remote switcher is extra 25. but i have to get out my lazy-boy to change dvds anyway!
All this is tempting as my tv only has 1 dvi input.
Don’t suppose anyone has done this set up with the verizon fios source?

thanks?

I am converting from comcast to fios soon. I hope to install the HD dvr and connect this to my older Samsung HLN 760p TV dvi port. Will I need to supply my own hdmi-dvi cable? Various posters said they did, but it wasn’t clear if they did this out of necessity. Sound will be an optical cable to the receiver. At times comcast had hand shaking issues with this tv, hope these disappear.
Also I had a question about the software they install, is this just to set up the modem? How much junk ware does it install? Is it needed on all connected computers? Or on any of them?
thanks

I too have the Samsung HLN series DLP TV and the Verizon tech not only supplied me with the HDMI-DVI cable but also supplied the digital audio cable.
just ask them....they seemed to be very willing to hand out cables.

HDfathom,
thanks,
you wouldnt be using a hdmi switcher?

No hdmi switchers on this setup.

I'm a brand new FiOS customer and after a couple minor hiccups we're doing quite well. I love the picture I'm getting all-around, the internet speed is great and the phone works fine. No issues, really.

EXCEPT, I can't seem to find a way to dim the clock/channel readout on the Moto boxes (2500 and 6416, I believe). We have resorted to a small towel over the clock on the bedroom 2500 STB.

Anyone have any hints/ideas? Help and thanks in advance!

I'm a brand new FiOS customer and after a couple minor hiccups we're doing quite well. I love the picture I'm getting all-around, the internet speed is great and the phone works fine. No issues, really.

EXCEPT, I can't seem to find a way to dim the clock/channel readout on the Moto boxes (2500 and 6416, I believe). We have resorted to a small towel over the clock on the bedroom 2500 STB.

Anyone have any hints/ideas? Help and thanks in advance!
There is a menu setting to turn the clock off.

There is a menu setting to turn the clock off.

I'm not entirely sure about this, but I think if you turn off the clock, when the STB is "on, it will show the channel number. With the STB "off", it still shows the time.

But to answer the original posters question, just go into the menu settings and see what's available. If all else fails, you still have your trusty towel. :)

But to answer the original posters question, just go into the menu settings and see what's available. If all else fails, you still have your trusty towel. :)
And if the towel isn't "aesthetically pleasing" enough, you might be able to find some window tint and cut a piece out to fit the display. At least it will make it less bright.

And if the towel isn't "aesthetically pleasing" enough, you might be able to find some window tint and cut a piece out to fit the display. At least it will make it less bright.

Or black electrical tape, black colored paper, or any other thing you have hanging around your house that you can cut out to cover the display area. ;)

I have FIOS TV installation for a HD-PVR scheduled for Friday 12/30. I've been using FIOS internet for about 2 months. I currently use DirecTV.

I'm actually considering cancelling/holding off of the installation because I found out the HD-PVR that Verizon uses cannot upscale 480i sources to 1080i. This is important to me because I'm using a Mitsubishi CRT RPTV that takes a second and a temporary "freak out" when you feed different resolutions to the 1080i component video inputs. So, if I for example change channels from HDNet to CNN, my TV is gonna go wacko for about 3 seconds until it can lock on to the 480p signal. Makes channel surfing very difficult. All three HDTV DirecTV boxes I've had for the past 5 years have been able to output a single 1080i format for all channels. :(
You probably wouldnt wanna do that anyway, a 480i signal upconverted to 1080i looks much worse than it would output at 480i, with the upconverting you seem to get alot of noise in the picture. Just a thought, i would rather deal with the small "freakout" my sony a2000 does it too

Verizon will supply an HDMI/HDMI cable, if needed, however I don't think they have the HDMI/DVI adapter. So you may be on your own as far as that.

The tech should be able to provide you with a hdmi/dvi cable, providing its on their truck.

FIOS tv/internet install thoughts and musings. note: I'm copying nearly everything Keller (thanks, dude) said as we've had identical experiences for the most part.

I had D* w/a DirecTivo box (hughes SD model with forty hours of record time - don't recall the model #) previously. The tivo box would lock up *all* the time which was a common problem I'm told. I dealt with it as I heard the new models made by D* were bad as well. Laziness and $$ were other factors for not making the upgrade to a new box.

I only had an older (2001) SD CRT with D*, thus I cannot comment on HD PQ. However, I did notice that PQ wasn't nearly as good as it was when I first got D* back in 2002 or so. If I had to put a percentage on how much worse it was I'd have to give it around 15%.

As much as I LOVE my Steelers and D* Sunday Ticket, I had to make changes since as the warmer season arrived it meant I couldn't watch the local channels as line of sight wasn't something I had to the satellite that broadcast them. Naturally when I signed up for D* I had LOS, but they switched the satellite that broadcast the locals screwing me in the process.

Now that the background is out of the way, I had FIOS tv/internet installed on March 23rd. I live off Francistown Rd (Castle Point subdivision) in Henrico, in a home I moved in to at the end of March. A new home means a new TV so I ended up getting the Panny TH-50PX6U from Costco. Side note: I give this TV two very enthusiastic thumbs up.

Installation
I called in early February (yeah, I'm anal about that stuff) and requested the 23rd for an install as I knew I'd have the day off. The rep was friendly and knowledgeable, and she helped walk me through all the options. I had done my research as to what was available on their website, so this went pretty smooth. I didn't get much of a discount but a savings of $5/month is still $5/month There is no charge for installation, and the only service agreement was for the internet for 1 year.
The fiber had already been buried up to the house prior to our moving in so I can't speak to that process. However, it was dropped at the house where all the other phone cabling is and the yard didn't look like a mess.
I was given a window of 8am - 12pm and the tech called about 9:15 and said he was on his way. He was very nice, knowledgeable and professional. In addition to the box on the outside of the house, they need to install a battery backup box inside and plug it into an open outlet. This is a white box about a foot square. They also give you a router to use with built in wireless G capability. It's an Actiontec router, and is fairly large as far as routers go.
Once they install all the hardware, they tap into your existing house wiring to feed everything. He replaced the splitter on the outside and even weather sealed it where it went into the house. My wiring was mostly new and fine, so no upgrades were needed except for a place or two. He noticed the coax was kinked in one place in the bedroom and replaced it. He also re-routed the cabling between two closets that backed up to each other in different bedrooms to accommodate where we'd be putting the TVs. The way the wiring was setup prior to his work would have had it going around the entire room. He fixed it and the run was very short. He also installed two new coax wall plates (?) where they cable exited the closet. I'm aware what I just noted makes little sense, but know that what he did was above and beyond what other companies would have provided. (yet another side note: he didn't charge us for installing the two wall plates. maybe it's because I didn't mind that he smoked while outside installing the ONT and didn't make him wear the booties...and I offered him beer which is worth its weight in gold, especially at 10am!).
Overall, installation went pretty smooth. He asked where he wanted the battery backup (laundry room) and did a very good job of that and on the ONT. The whole install took about 4.5 hours mostly because he had no other work to do that day and I asked him a lot of questions. Overall, I was very pleased with the install. The installer seemed very interested in making me happy which makes him a rock star.

Hardware
Overall I'm pleased with the current hardware I have (one HD DVR, two SD STB's, one actiontec router). At my old home I had the 15/2 internet package and it worked flawlessly save the wacky router. I couldn't get ports to open at my old home with the actiontec router even though the interface said they were. To fix that problem I just cloned the MAC address of the actiontec to my linksys and that did the trick. I figured that router was broken but once again laziness prevailed so I just deal with it.
I asked for a new router with the new home and this one works just great. the nice touch came from having pre-assigned port settings for various games, telnet, FTP, et al. I use a citrix box, RDC and ahem...torrents in my daily activities and all worked flawlessly with the new router. Speed tests consistently show 15200 mbps download, 1850 mbps upload.

Had I not come from a Tivo home I'd say the Fios dvr is great but I did so I can't help but compare the two. It's a completely different guide and user interface, but it works the same. You can do season passes and such, which have worked fine so far. They provide all the cables you need. (the HD boxes have HDMI, not DVI outputs). I don't recall what type of cabling the SD STB's use but I'm 95% it's not DVI or HDMI.
I've got a harmony remote so I can't speak too much about the fios-provided remote. however, the biggest frustrations are the page up/down buttons do not work, and you cannot program a 30 sec skip like on the tivo remotes. The tech acknowledged the page up/down was a problem, and they will need to upgrade the remotes again soon. One nicety is that when FF or REW the system will jump back a little to compensate for "overshooting", putting you much closer to where you wanted to be when you hit play, just like tivo does. Tivo is better at this than the fios dvr or maybe I'm just better with it when using a tivo.

Picture Quality
Here is the true test. In a nutshell, yes - it's much much much better than D*. Again, I cannot comment on HD as I never had it prior to six weeks ago but SD looks pretty gosh darn good and, of course, HD absolutely dominates.

Two weeks ago my DVR flaked out and popped leaving me with no picture. This happened on an early saturday morning. I called verizon and they asked me if I'd like a tech there *that day*. Not expecting this I told them to bring someone out on monday after 4pm. they told me this wasn't a problem. oh snap. you never EVER see something like that. If FIOS were a girl I'd get it drunk and try to take advantage of it.

Overall, I am very pleased with FIOS and would highly recommend it to anyone.

Overall, I am very pleased with FIOS and would highly recommend it to anyone.

Weenah:
Glad you're happy about the switch. Most are. I have the Tivo S3, and although there are cable card issues between Tivo and Verizon, it's being addressed (I think). I too converted from satellite to Fios. You'll find that the Verizon installation techs are generally eager to please, and will do a good job, and also provide "extras" that other companies might charge for.

Your post was quite long, so not sure how many will read it thoroughly, although I did.

Your post was quite long, so not sure how many will read it thoroughly, although I did.
are you one of my college professors? they always yelled at me for being verbose. :p

are you one of my college professors? they always yelled at me for being verbose. :p

Don't think so. :rolleyes: Actually, I was trying to be kind. Some others might not have been.

But back to your post. A good description of a positive installation experience.

I've got a harmony remote so I can't speak too much about the fios-provided remote. however, the biggest frustrations are the page up/down buttons do not work, and you cannot program a 30 sec skip like on the tivo remotes. The tech acknowledged the page up/down was a problem, and they will need to upgrade the remotes again soon. One nicety is that when FF or REW the system will jump back a little to compensate for "overshooting", putting you much closer to where you wanted to be when you hit play, just like tivo does. Tivo is better at this than the fios dvr or maybe I'm just better with it when using a tivo.



I've also got a Harmony remote (670) and the page up / down works fine, as well as the 30s skip. The page up / down is not mapped to ch up / down as in D* tivo (which I also had) but to another two keys (^ and v ) just above the arrow wheel. It took a bit for me to find this out, but it works as advertized. The 30 s skip is below the arrow wheel.

Don't think so. :rolleyes: Actually, I was trying to be kind. Some others might not have been.
But back to your post. A good description of a positive installation experience.
thankfully from years of forum experience and a thick skin, I can take criticism as well as compliments. and I do thank you for yours.

I've also got a Harmony remote (670) and the page up / down works fine, as well as the 30s skip. The page up / down is not mapped to ch up / down as in D* tivo (which I also had) but to another two keys (^ and v ) just above the arrow wheel. It took a bit for me to find this out, but it works as advertized. The 30 s skip is below the arrow wheel.
you got it. I've been using the harmony remote since day one. hell, I had it even before the move to the panny and before fios TV ever came to my house. my time spent with the fios remote has been all of four minutes.
sadly, though, I'm horrible with the 30 second skip so it's just easier for me to FF2.

HDfathom,
thanks,
you wouldnt be using a hdmi switcher?

I use the monoprice 2 port hdmi switch, works fine.

But here are two other fios issues:
2) evidently the fios remote shares some infrared signals with my Barco. Anyone identify the crossovers?
3) anyone know if the usb port can or will be activated to accept an external hard drive?

Saturday night my house got hit by lightening- killing:
the ONT, interior power supply, battery back up, actiontec router, 1 DVR, 1 pc, 1 sdtv & some partial damage to my hdtv.
I called Verizon at 10:30 that night and got a service appointment for between 11:30 and 3 Sunday. 10 AM Sunday the tech is at my door, his earlier appointment had finished fast and he could start then, or if I wanted he would come back later. I had him start right away.
The tech had to replace the entire installation twice- I had the original 10 series ONT that isn't supported anymore. He replaced with a series 13 which isn't supported in my area( HQ support told him to use it so i don't hold this against the home tech) so that had to be removed and re-replaced with a series 12 ONT.
The guy left at 5 PM and I had time to hit BB to replace the dead sd with a new hd. The tech was extremely nice-wished my wife a happy Mother's Day- and quite knowledgeable. The only downside was the time it took, owing to the full replacement of the ONT and supporting equipment twice (the different ONTs use different batteries and power supplies) and the paperwork required because the ONT series changed.
All in all though in less than 24 hours Verizon came out and fixed the problem and I'm quite happy.

Has anyone gone through cancelling Verizon FIOS? What will happen to all the stuff they installed? Will the phone line still be on fiber? Will it work? What about the battery back up?

Has anyone gone through cancelling Verizon FIOS? What will happen to all the stuff they installed? Will the phone line still be on fiber? Will it work? What about the battery back up?

AFAIK, they plan to convert everyone to fiber (obviously over a long time period) and do away with the twisted pair wiring. Therefore, even if you cancel, the battery backup, which is primarily for the phone, as well as the ONT will stay.

All in all though in less than 24 hours Verizon came out and fixed the problem and I'm quite happy.
Good deal! Are they billing you for the damage? (If so insurance should cover it...after the deductable.) Also (a little OT) will the insurance company give you $$ for the dead TV? When that happened to us a few years ago, Allstate paid for repair to the set... which was about half the cost of a new one.

Good deal! Are they billing you for the damage? (If so insurance should cover it...after the deductable.) Also (a little OT) will the insurance company give you $$ for the dead TV? When that happened to us a few years ago, Allstate paid for repair to the set... which was about half the cost of a new one.

There was no charge at all for the service call or for the replacement of the equipment.
I probably could make an insurance claim for the TVs but the SD is about 6 years old and I'm glad to have an excuse to upgrade it. The HD has off-color patchs in each corner and I'm hoping that once i have a chance to rig-up a degaussing coil this weekend it'll all be ok.

Does anyone know what's the difference between the YCC (4-4-4) and RGB settings in the DVR's setup screen. I think they are in advanced settings for HDMI.

I just switched to Verizon and am just a little bit disappointed in the HD picture quality versus Cablevision (which really makes no sense). No matter how much I tweak my TV, the HD seems a tiny bit less sharp than before. Cablevision uses the Scientific Atalanta 8300HD, which I now think is far superior to this Motorola DVR. For one thing the 8300 allows you to use native resolution pass through (all scaling is done by your TV). I've set the Motorola to output HD at 720P because that is the TV's native resoluton.

Also, the installer said my signal was a little hot and needed to be attenuated. I don't see any attenuator between the box and the cable wire. I might try buying one and testing it out. Any other suggestions?

Also, the installer said my signal was a little hot and needed to be attenuated. I don't see any attenuator between the box and the cable wire. I might try buying one and testing it out. Any other suggestions?

They usually attenuate by inserting splitters and/or attenuators at the distribution point. There's many different ways to do so.

My FIOS install is scheduled for the 5th of June and I can't wait to get rid of Comcast and my local phone service I have currently. Anyways after reading a few of the posts from the previous pages, it seems that the new ONTs can distribute everything on coax now? If so that would be great. Then I won't have to run cat5e two floors up to the third floor where our PC is located.

Also it seems that the use of Verizon's router is required as the STBs communicate to it. Is this true? I have a Linksys WRT54GL that was recently purchased and I have had great wireless performance with it. I'd like to be able to at least use it as a wireless access point. Anyone do anything like this with their setup? Thanks!

The internet is still distributed by cat5 or by wireless. For the TV, the router controls the on demand and other interactive services only, but is required. The router has wireless G built in, but I have mine in the basement and the signal is too weak upstairs, so I have two other routers (which I already was using) acting as wireless access points - a Belkin G for laptops, etc., and a Linksys B for my Roku players. I have entered both manually into the router as network objects, with IP addresses outside the DHCP range. Periodically the Actiontec expires the Linksys IP for some inexplicable reason, but I just go to the router's page on my computer (198.162.1.1), select the Linksys, and click 'apply' and it comes back.

Maybe I should still run some cat5e upstairs along with the RG6 that is there just to be safe then. Only thing is that I will have to rout it outside for 12 feet or so...

My FIOS install is scheduled for the 5th of June and I can't wait to get rid of Comcast and my local phone service I have currently. Anyways after reading a few of the posts from the previous pages, it seems that the new ONTs can distribute everything on coax now? If so that would be great. Then I won't have to run cat5e two floors up to the third floor where our PC is located.

Also it seems that the use of Verizon's router is required as the STBs communicate to it. Is this true? I have a Linksys WRT54GL that was recently purchased and I have had great wireless performance with it. I'd like to be able to at least use it as a wireless access point. Anyone do anything like this with their setup? Thanks!


For my install (northern nj), the installer used existing coax (from my existing cable setup) from the ONT to the actiontec router on my first floor where 2 of my computers reside. The TV part of the install also used existing coax. My install was in April '07

For my install (northern nj), the installer used existing coax (from my existing cable setup) from the ONT to the actiontec router on my first floor where 2 of my computers reside. The TV part of the install also used existing coax. My install was in April '07


good deal... I've got the coax figured out and it should be a snap for the installer. Basically a 3-way splitter at the ONT should take care of everything.

One more thing... is the Motorola HD-DVR box that they are using have an active firewire port? I have a DVCR that I would like to use with the thing if possible... thanks again!

One more thing... is the Motorola HD-DVR box that they are using have an active firewire port? I have a DVCR that I would like to use with the thing if possible... thanks again!Yes, it does.

Preview of the upcoming FiOS v2.0 guide software for STBs and DVRs:

http://verizonfios.com/img/

Preview of the upcoming FiOS v2.0 guide software for STBs and DVRs:

http://verizonfios.com/img/

Very cool!!!! :)

Yes, it does.


sweet .... :D thanks


With that said, is Verizon using ay 5c broadcast flags? This is in Montgomery County MD...

sweet .... :D thanks


With that said, is Verizon using ay 5c broadcast flags? This is in Montgomery County MD...Yes, cable channels are flagged as "copy one generation." If you have the JVC D-VHS HDTV VCR, that shouldn't matter.

If you want to record Firewire output with a PC, then you'll be limited to the local channels.

I have a Mitsubishi HD2000U... so the copy once flag is ok... just won't be able to move stuff off the DVHS tape to a hard drive I guess...

So the new FiOS IMG software will be rolled out as a software update to my 6416 set top box? Any idea when this will happen or if we'll be made aware of the update ahead of time?

Preview of the upcoming FiOS v2.0 guide software for STBs and DVRs:

http://verizonfios.com/img/So the new FiOS IMG software will be rolled out as a software update to my 6416 set top box?Yes.
Any idea when this will happen or if we'll be made aware of the update ahead of time?Verizon has only said "Spring / Summer." One area evidently has it now, but it will be a few months before all customers have it.

I just got my FIOS Installed today.
Went Smooth, getting used to it.
Phone Works, (It Better)
Internet ~5.1Mps down, 1.8Mps up (OK)
Haven't fully configured the router but seems to be OK (although it responds to ping even when I put it on High Security)
Funny the phone tech support said just leave the default password on the router...I had to call in because the deault password was not what they said it was...heheh

PQ looks good...HiDef PQ Looks Darn Good! (Thats important!)

Audio Is Good (TWC/SA83000 has some issues there)

Came form TWC /SA 8300 (I had pretty good service from them..gasp!, but my share of HDMI issues)

The 6416 Will take a little getting used to, fired right up...seems usable, need to reprogram the Harmony...but glad to see new SW on the way.

Interesting, the techs mentioned "That there was a new STB coming in a few months"... wonder if that is true or whether they were just speaking about the SW upgrade. The one tech seemed pretty sure but couldn't give any details when I pressed him.... (didn't seem to know much more than that)

Hmmmm wondering if that is true....I am in SoCal... any guesses? or anyone want to add or kill that rumor?

Oh... and I have a happy Wife Tooo!
HGTV-HD & FOODTV-HD

When it comes to SD content, should I leave my STB at 480i and have the TV scale or set the box to scale 720p for everything? (My TV is 720p)

When it comes to SD content, should I leave my STB at 480i and have the TV scale or set the box to scale 720p for everything? (My TV is 720p)


I think it depends how you like how you tv manages the 4:3 content. I like my tosh's (crt) 'stretch 1' mode, so I have the stb send 480, 'p' I think.

I just got my FIOS Installed today.
Went Smooth, getting used to it.
Phone Works, (It Better)
Internet ~5.1Mps down, 1.8Mps up (OK)
Haven't fully configured the router but seems to be OK (although it responds to ping even when I put it on High Security)
Funny the phone tech support said just leave the default password on the router...I had to call in because the deault password was not what they said it was...heheh

PQ looks good...HiDef PQ Looks Darn Good! (Thats important!)

Audio Is Good (TWC/SA83000 has some issues there)

Came form TWC /SA 8300 (I had pretty good service from them..gasp!, but my share of HDMI issues)

The 6416 Will take a little getting used to, fired right up...seems usable, need to reprogram the Harmony...but glad to see new SW on the way.

Interesting, the techs mentioned "That there was a new STB coming in a few months"... wonder if that is true or whether they were just speaking about the SW upgrade. The one tech seemed pretty sure but couldn't give any details when I pressed him.... (didn't seem to know much more than that)

Hmmmm wondering if that is true....I am in SoCal... any guesses? or anyone want to add or kill that rumor?

New IMG coming over the summer, and CA should be the last rollout. Moto has new boxes, but I've heard nothing about these coming to Verizon.

BVader, I am in HB as well and had "one of the first" (according to the tech) Huntington Beach FiOS TV installs, back on the 4th of April.

My Vizio P50HDTV10A loves the signal, and I am finding I can almost stand the HD DVR. But, everything else, from PQ to the pricing has TWC beat cold.

It was so satisfying to tell those boneheads to cancel my service, after waiting for three months for a HD DVR!

As for the router ping, you have to turn it off in Firewall Settings. Unselect the Allow Incoming ICMP Echo Requests (e.g. pings and ICMP traceroute queries) checkbox button under Remote Administration and you should be set...

What scaler does the Fios HD STB use anyway? Do people consider it good? Is the Faroudja DCDi better?

New IMG coming over the summer, and CA should be the last rollout. Moto has new boxes, but I've heard nothing about these coming to Verizon.

BVader, I am in HB as well and had "one of the first" (according to the tech) Huntington Beach FiOS TV installs, back on the 4th of April.

My Vizio P50HDTV10A loves the signal, and I am finding I can almost stand the HD DVR. But, everything else, from PQ to the pricing has TWC beat cold.

It was so satisfying to tell those boneheads to cancel my service, after waiting for three months for a HD DVR!

As for the router ping, you have to turn it off in Firewall Settings. Unselect the Allow Incoming ICMP Echo Requests (e.g. pings and ICMP traceroute queries) checkbox button under Remote Administration and you should be set...

Thanks found the Allow ICMP setting...looked there just didn't see it...

Yeah I just calmly walked in TWC with my equipment and "terminated" ... the lady was very nice...kinda resigned in fact...She said if you had let us know we would match the price... I told her nicely I wanted to try something different and if they wanted to price match they should be proactive...not wait until some is already to leave...

Yeah after a few days ....I am pretty happy overall.. I am glad I made the switch

What scaler does the Fios HD STB use anyway? Do people consider it good? Is the Faroudja DCDi better?

Faroudja should be and is much better. I just wish the box had a "pass-through" feature, as that is the one thing the TWC SA box had, that I wish the Moto had also.

What scaler does the Fios HD STB use anyway? Do people consider it good? Is the Faroudja DCDi better?The Motorola STBs and DVRs do not have a dedicated scaler. They use a Broadcom BCM7038 to decode MPEG-2 and accelerate certain DVR functions. A very small portion of the chip provides scaling capability. The focus of the BCM7038 was on component integration and cost reduction, not high performance de-interlace and scaling, so you'll almost always get better SD picture quality with modern TVs by enabling the 4:3 override function set to 480i (turn box off, press menu), so your TV or AVR scaler is used.

I hope customers in PA / DE / S. Jersey are complaining regularly to Verizon about the recent degradation in picture quality on their high-definition channels.

Some equipment recently failed at the video hub (VHO) serving that region, which significantly reduced the bandwidth Verizon had available to transmit video to local markets in those areas. Verizon compensated by substantially increasing the compression on many of their SD and HDTV channels. Customers in PA / DE / S. Jersey should make it clear to Verizon that they will not tolerate such reduced quality on their high-def channels.

I'll try to get more information on the issue this week.

I'm a Fios customer in MD. I ordered an On-demand movie (one of the new ones out) Friday night, and the picture quality was quite degraded (pixels dropping out, motion blurring, etc) and the audio was dropping out as well. When I ran the movie again Saturday morning the picture quality was much improved with no audio problems.

Has anyone else been having problems with on-demand during peak hours? Verizon tech support today (Tuesday) didn't have any records of a network outage. I know on demand is delivered by IP and assuming they either had bandwidth problems or server capacity problems. Kind of dissapointing, especially since I was assuming that the DVR would buffer the picture.

some more dangerous thoughts:
been pricing cables (better cable, monster & pureav were pricey), the winner was monprice.
I hadn't looked into 2x1 hdmi(dvi) switchers in a long time.
Now I am pondering a 2x1 push button hdmi switcher, 2 hdmi-dvi & 1 hdmi-hdmi cables for a grand total of about $75
with the Samsung hln tv & the fios hd-dvr in mind, any one see any gotchas?
A remote switcher is extra 25. but i have to get out my lazy-boy to change dvds anyway!
All this is tempting as my tv only has 1 dvi input.
Don’t suppose anyone has done this set up with the verizon fios source?

thanks?

I would not get the manual HDMI switch, mine had glitches -- it would get stuck on one or the other (the buttons would push in but would not change it properly). I replaced it with a 3-in-1 powered switcher from Belkin, which works flawlessly.

I've had the same problem with COMCAST. On Demand never works very well during peak periods but at 6am it's gangbusters. Sad to hear FIOS is no better since I have been considering switching over.

I've had the same problem with COMCAST. On Demand never works very well during peak periods but at 6am it's gangbusters. Sad to hear FIOS is no better since I have been considering switching over.

I've done on demand at various times day and nite and never had a problem (unlike when I had Cablevision). Also, my internet speeds have been consistently fast no matter what time of day. I'm in northern NJ.

I have problems with On-Demand, but only if I'm also recording something (or 2) at the same time.

I wired my old linksys router to the actiontec turned off dhcp and it works great as a wap for my upstairs. the hard part was running the cable through the wall. Pain!

Oh... and I have a happy Wife Tooo!
HGTV-HD & FOODTV-HD

yes, wives love that stuff!

I am totally fed up with Verizon FiOS. Long story short, the neighbor cut our fiber line a few weeks ago. We called Verizon and they came and made some temporary patches, then proceeded to cut our coaxial line (for internet) in 2 different places. Brighthouse came and fixed that, but couldnt bury it because it was tangled with Verizons line. This was weeks ago, I have had a repair ticket with Verizon for over three weeks, and no one has come to do anything. My yard is a total mess, with the fiber and coaxial line now both above ground. Thanks a lot Verizon.

Oh and good luck trying to get in touch with them, I just got disconnected after waiting on hold for 10 minutes. Great.

Well, I almost had Verizon FIOS installed today. They ran the fiber yesterday to the house.. Today, the tech showed up on time, even with Tropical storm Barry in the mix. He did not seem to have much detail about my scheduled install so we walked around the house and I showed him where I wanted the internet and TV connections installed. He quickly informed me that it would be $55 per TV if he ran any coax. We stopped at that point. I signed up last week at a promotional event that Verizon was running at a local CC store. I asked the Verizon reps several times about what was included and what the pricing for the Triple Play offer included. I was told that I could have three (3) TV's installed under the offer.

The tech was very nice and after I mentioned that I wanted to cancel the order he went to call in and see what he could do. About this time, it started raining very hard and he was still trying to get the OK on the TV installs (without the $55/TV charge), so we tentatively rescheduled for next week.

Did anyone else run into this "additional charges" problem with a recent install ? I supervised my Dad's install when Verizon started offering TV service and they ran all new coax. I have rg59 that is over 20 years old and the Verizon tech seemed more than happy to try and use it.

I'll wait a few days and see if they (Verizon) followup to reschedule. I think I'll give Brighthouse a call and see if they can offer a similar or better deal while I wait.

Has anyone noticed that the programming guide for Universal HD is not even close...
new to thread...Says Movies all day... but according Uni HD website normal scheduling etc.

Does anyone know what's the difference between the YCC (4-4-4) and RGB settings in the DVR's setup screen. I think they are in advanced settings for HDMI.

I just switched to Verizon and am just a little bit disappointed in the HD picture quality versus Cablevision (which really makes no sense). No matter how much I tweak my TV, the HD seems a tiny bit less sharp than before. Cablevision uses the Scientific Atalanta 8300HD, which I now think is far superior to this Motorola DVR. For one thing the 8300 allows you to use native resolution pass through (all scaling is done by your TV). I've set the Motorola to output HD at 720P because that is the TV's native resoluton.

Also, the installer said my signal was a little hot and needed to be attenuated. I don't see any attenuator between the box and the cable wire. I might try buying one and testing it out. Any other suggestions?


I too am having the same problem. Verizon will be making a second trip to my house. I long for my SA pass through box. Im starting to think that a cable card might be an option. Does that mean I cant use my dvr? Will that allow the pass through option?
Also on my sd tv the pq leaves a lot to be desired. for example the music channels,
arena rock text seems to have rings around it . Is this called false contouring?
since im haveig problems on my plasma and sd tv im starting to think is is NOT my box
Who else has this problem

Well, I almost had Verizon FIOS installed today. They ran the fiber yesterday to the house.. Today, the tech showed up on time, even with Tropical storm Barry in the mix. He did not seem to have much detail about my scheduled install so we walked around the house and I showed him where I wanted the internet and TV connections installed. He quickly informed me that it would be $55 per TV if he ran any coax. We stopped at that point. I signed up last week at a promotional event that Verizon was running at a local CC store. I asked the Verizon reps several times about what was included and what the pricing for the Triple Play offer included. I was told that I could have three (3) TV's installed under the offer.

The tech was very nice and after I mentioned that I wanted to cancel the order he went to call in and see what he could do. About this time, it started raining very hard and he was still trying to get the OK on the TV installs (without the $55/TV charge), so we tentatively rescheduled for next week.

Did anyone else run into this "additional charges" problem with a recent install ? I supervised my Dad's install when Verizon started offering TV service and they ran all new coax. I have rg59 that is over 20 years old and the Verizon tech seemed more than happy to try and use it.

I'll wait a few days and see if they (Verizon) followup to reschedule. I think I'll give Brighthouse a call and see if they can offer a similar or better deal while I wait.

They tried the same charge with me in NJ.I said you can cancel the order,the tech called the office and the charge was waived.

You know I got a letter a few weeks ago that said something like after may 31st they will charge you 75 bucks for them to pick up your boxes if you cancel service. who do these clowns think they are?

I too am having the same problem. Verizon will be making a second trip to my house. I long for my SA pass through box. Im starting to think that a cable card might be an option. Does that mean I cant use my dvr? Will that allow the pass through option?
Also on my sd tv the pq leaves a lot to be desired. for example the music channels,
arena rock text seems to have rings around it . Is this called false contouring?
since im haveig problems on my plasma and sd tv im starting to think is is NOT my box
Who else has this problem

I did a bit more tweaking of my TVs and put a splitter on the main TV. I also switched to 1080i for HDTV output. While I still miss the pass through option of the SA DVR, I have to say I am now EXTREMELY pleased with the picture quality. The SD picture quality is noticeably better than Cablevision, and the HD quality is no less impressive. Also, I used to have intermittent HDMI "handshaking" problems with the SA box - I've yet to experience it once with Verizon's DVR.

You know I got a letter a few weeks ago that said something like after may 31st they will charge you 75 bucks for them to pick up your boxes if you cancel service. who do these clowns think they are?

I recall getting a letter saying something like that. However, I believe that there are drop off locations for boxes, that don't have any charges associated with them. Essentially, the $75 must be to discourage a house call.

Is anyone running a DVI-HDMI cable with their FIOS setup. I have an older DLP and has DVI inputs on it. I tried using this cable with Cox and it didn't work. Let me know if anyone is using this type of setup. I will be using my Outlaw Receiver before if goes to the TV too since I have a DVI DVD player.

Yes, HDMI-DVI to an older tosh crt. Fios tech actually gave it to me to use

I did a bit more tweaking of my TVs and put a splitter on the main TV. I also switched to 1080i for HDTV output. While I still miss the pass through option of the SA DVR, I have to say I am now EXTREMELY pleased with the picture quality. The SD picture quality is noticeably better than Cablevision, and the HD quality is no less impressive. Also, I used to have intermittent HDMI "handshaking" problems with the SA box - I've yet to experience it once with Verizon's DVR.

I agree on all counts...I think 1080i is better to passthrough... I think your panel/display usually has a better de-interlacer than the STB box, and that it is actually easier to convert 720p to 1080i in the STB, (plus for me the 1080i channels are more my favs anyway) and yup no more HDCP Handshaking issues here either and it always seems to me that I get the correct DD5.1 vs PLII depending on the content and channel, that didn't always happen with the SA box. And the channel changing seems a bit smoother although that may be an artifact of the panel not having the passthrough and the panel need to change the scaling / de-interlacing more often.

My PQ is excellent too!

Although I do laugh a bit at the channel guide...it has been off as of late...and is it my imagination or does every movie get 2 stars...sersiously...duds and greats alike get 2 stars!...its a crack up!

Is anyone running a DVI-HDMI cable with their FIOS setup. I have an older DLP and has DVI inputs on it. I tried using this cable with Cox and it didn't work. Let me know if anyone is using this type of setup. I will be using my Outlaw Receiver before if goes to the TV too since I have a DVI DVD player.I'm using an HDMI->DVI cable into my Sony TV from the FiOS HD DVR (QIP-6416) ... no problems. Then again, I was using HDMI->DVI cable from my Cox supplied SciAtl 8300HD to the same TV before the FiOS install ... no problems.

I'm using an HDMI->DVI cable into my Sony TV from the FiOS HD DVR (QIP-6416) ... no problems. Then again, I was using HDMI->DVI cable from my Cox supplied SciAtl 8300HD to the same TV before the FiOS install ... no problems.

Cox in Hampton Roads is using the Motorola 6412 DVR.

Cox in Hampton Roads is using the Motorola 6412 DVR.

There are no absolutes. Wouldn't it depend, among other things, on when he got it. In any case, my COX supplied "Motorola 6412" is a 3416 :D

Verizon tried the $50+ installation charge with me too. I didnt know it until I received my bill later on though. I did call and ask about it and they credit me right away.

New subscriber - Long Beach

Just switched to Verizon from Charter in Long Beach -- mostly to add Fox Sports HD and ESPN2 HD, but there are others that Charter didn't have as well. SD picture quality is better, though I did prefer the SA8300 box to the Motorola we have now -- am guessing, though, it's a firmware issue. I'm not crazy about Verizon's interactive guide set up and DVR recording option (complicated to set "record series" options), but the version 2.0 link I saw posted here looks to be much better.

The installers told me that they've been doing "a lot" of homes in my East L.B. neighborhood, though not many TV installs (mostly just internet). Apparently it doesn't take too long to do when there are two installers, but due to the demand, most teams are just one guy and so they estimate 4-6 hours per install. We had them come out twice later in the week, first to replace a bad SD box, and second to correct a problem they created when they were troubleshooting the bad box. All in all, minor issues and have had no problems connecting with customer service.

Verizon tried the $50+ installation charge with me too. I didnt know it until I received my bill later on though. I did call and ask about it and they credit me right away.

Overcharge in my first bill was close to $300. After a phone call everything was quickly reversed. Moral of the story is that the first bill should be reviewed very carefully. These errors seem to be indicative of a systemic problem at Verizon. Perhaps a disconnect between their FIOS business division and the billing office that is accustomed to do billing exclusively for Verizon's phone division. It is disturbing to think that I could have been on a business trip at the time the bill arrived and my unsuspecting wife would have paid the whole thing and filed it away!

What's up all,
Just got FiOS installed yesterday...which killed my PiP set up.
I used to have Comcast and I could split the line from the wall and go straight into my TV and that would give me basic cable for PiP.
Well now I get some of the channels, but not the same ones as before...I basically used it for watching sports in the PIP window, but now all of those channels are gone (channels 60 - 69, ESPN, ESPN2, NESN, FSN). The tech claims that it is because those channels are Analog and the line is digital...but I think it is the other way around...The line is digital and those channels are digital...am I can get the Analog...

Otherwise...does ANY know how I can get around this? I have the dual tuner DVR box...is there any way to utilize the second tuner for the PIP?

Or can I run the line through a "walmart" box or VCR and that will be ok?

My TV does have a "cablecard" slot in it...so would that be a way to do it...Does anyone know how much the CableCards cost for VerizonFiOS? It would be a rip off it is the same price as the set-top boxes.

My TV (with auto program in channel manager) picked up a BUNCH of channels that are like "64-100s", "66-1057" and "66-400s" ...The 400s are the music channels...so I will have to search through all of those and see if one of them is what I am looking for. There are a huge amount of them...is it worth going threw them all?

PLEASE HELP!!! I need my PIP!!!

Thanks!

Just got FiOS installed yesterday...which killed my PiP set up.As it sounds like you've surmised ... it's because FiOS does not carry analog versions of the channels you're looking for. Most cable companies have a larger selection of analog channels than FiOS. They usually include most of the channels in the first cable tier (whatever your cable company calls it ... "Expanded Basic", "Classic", whatever) ... channels like CNN, ESPN, MTV, etc. FiOS, however, does not carry analog versions of these channels. They are only available digitally ... and, also relavant to you, they are encrypted.

FiOS does carry analog versions of the locals / PEGs (channels 2-49). Not what you're looking for ... but that's what you're getting. They also carry unencrypted digital versions of the HD locals and their multicast channels (channels 801-824 and 860-899) and a few other odds and ends (like the music channels) which you're also seeing (QAM tuner) ... but again, no, they (probably) won't include what you're looking for.

No, the DVR in and of itself can't (currently) be used to provide PIP. No cheap / easy walmart boxes or VCRs I can think of.

The essential thing you need is another tuner that can pick up the encrypted digital channels you're looking for ... which means CableCard (or another box from Verizon).

Last I checked, Verizon charged $2.99 / month for CableCards. Not sure if that's changed. Yes, this would seem like the best / easiest / cheapest way to get what you want. However, this depends on functionality of the TV so ... YMMV. Basically, you'd be using the internal / CableCard tuner for one source / picture ... and the external Verizon STB / DVR for the other source / picture. Many (most?) current CableCard sets with PIP handle this situation pretty well ... for exactly this use case. But I'm sure there are some that don't. Check the manual, threads on your TV, etc. Play around with those unencrypted digital channels and see how your TV hadles PIP as one of them as the source for one picture ... and the external DVR for the other.

In an ideal world you could potentially stick a multi-stream card in your TV and everything would be using the TV's native PIP functionality and you wouldn't have to worry about an external source (ie, Verizon's DVR / STB) for PIP. But ... AFAIK, there aren't any TV manufacturers doing / supporting that yet and AFAIK, Verizon isn't distributing multistream cards so ... not really an option.

Thanks dt_dc!!! for that VERY detailed description!
I am not sure about the PiP source on the TV...I know that it will combine the OTA HD that i have hooked up and the cable coming from the splitter. Now I am unsure that if I remove the coax going into the TV and replace it with the CableCard that it would be ok...Is the CableCard usually considered a different source? I would assume no, since it probably just uses the internal tuner of the tv? But I might be mistaken...If it uses the internal tuner then I should be "good to go"...

What I was doing (with comcast) was having the CableBox (HD-DVR) be the main window and the split cable be the PiP window which would use the internal tuner...so I would assume that with the CableCard it would work the same way...But again...i am new to the cablecard and don't really know much about it.

I have a Samsung DLP HLS6188W, so if anyone out there that has this TV and using a CableCard could throw their 2 cents in that would be great!

Thanks again!

Here's an update to my problem with Verizon wanting to charge 55$/TV if they ran any coax.



I called back to check on my order to see if it had been rescheduled. It had not. I then had the "pleasure" of using the Verizon VRU many times. I talked with three tech support reps that tried to transfer me to the Order department to get the charges waived. I got put into several queues, never the correct one, and once for someone elses phone number.

Finally, I got transferred to the local Florida billing department. Of course, each time I spoke to a person I had to provide my phone number, alternate phone number, Email account and explain the whole history of this order. I told the billing rep I wanted the charges waived or my pending order cancelled. He checked with someone and told me he could not waive the $55 /TV install charge so I cancelled the order.

I know many people were able to get FIOS installed without paying the $55 charge. It appears that it easier to get it removed AFTER the install than dealing with it up front. I supervised my Dad's install and they ran all new wiring to three rooms without charging for it.

Just wanted to provide this information so you can be prepared for this during your discussion with the installer. At least I was told about it before he did the work.

I signed up for the FiOS Triple offer during a promotion at a CC store and they did not provide much paperwork. I have a two-foot long order confirmation that printed out at the cash register on standard receipt paper. Here is the only phrase that mentions anything about additional wiring:

NOTE: Verizon FiOS Internet Service requires CAT5e or higher grade wiring. Our technician will evaluate the wiring to determine if any existing CAT5e or coaxial wiring can be used. If necessary, CAT5e or coaxial wiring will be installed along with any required wall jacks. If you don't have CAT5 or higher grade wiring installed in your home, our technician will provide that wiring on the day of installation.

I've scanned the receipt several times and I can not find anything about any additional charges. It's possible it was on some other form, but this is the only receipt I was given.

I was looking forward to FiOS TV because of the number of HDTV channels. I'm going to check with our local cable company (Brighthouse) and see what they can offer. At least they don't require a commitment.

Good luck to the rest of you. I've seen FiOS HDTV and it does look good. Maybe I'll catch another offer someday.

I was the biggest FiOS fan in the world until I dealt with their customer support. Yea, the picture is nice. Is it worth your soul? No.

...I have a Samsung DLP HLS6188W, so if anyone out there that has this TV and using a CableCard could throw their 2 cents in that would be great!

Thanks again!
The manual isn't all that clear but it says a digital picture can be viewed in PIP if the main source is external. Hard to tell if that means you can have a component (or HDMI... unlikely) source and the cablecard. You can probably use the s-video output from the STB as one source and the cablecard as another. Shame that you'd have to pay for an STB and Cablecard but we'll all be there in a couple of years, when the cable companies also go all digital (and encrypted.)

I am not sure about the PiP source on the TV...I know that it will combine the OTA HD that i have hooked up and the cable coming from the splitter. Now I am unsure that if I remove the coax going into the TV and replace it with the CableCard that it would be ok...Note: You'd keep the coax the way you have it. Splitter with one feed going to the TV. You'd just add the CableCard. All the CableCard does is handle decryption (for those encrypted digital cable channels coming in via coax).Is the CableCard usually considered a different source? I would assume no, since it probably just uses the internal tuner of the tv? But I might be mistaken...If it uses the internal tuner then I should be "good to go"...

What I was doing (with comcast) was having the CableBox (HD-DVR) be the main window and the split cable be the PiP window which would use the internal tuner...so I would assume that with the CableCard it would work the same way...But again...i am new to the cablecard and don't really know much about it.Yes, you should be good to go. And yes, it should work the same way with the CableCard (based on a quick perusal of the manual). DVR (external source) would be on the 'main' window ... use the TV's PIP window for the cable channels. As fmsjr noted above though ... the manual isn't real clear about CableCard / encrypted channels as the PIP source. This isn't really a 'CableCard' thing ... it's a TV / manufacturer thing. Some TVs just handle PIP and digital channels and whatnot different than others.

But anyway ... yes, as far as I can tell from the manual, it should work.

Oh, and some people have reported that Verizon has recently started mailing CableCards to customers and allowing them to do a self-install. They mail you the card ... you pop it in ... go to the CableCard screen on the TV ... call Verizon and read them the numbers off the screen ... you're good to go ... no tech visit neccesary.

I was going to add a Cable Card for $2.99 per month but they would not send it to me and I could not pick it up because thier stores don't stock them (only boxes, the cards are special). They wanted to charge $24 for a Tech to hand deliver it to my house. I begged and pleaded for them to just send it or let me pick it up but they would not budge. In the end they said they would only charge $12 to have it Hand delivered. I decliend because I would have had to take a day off of work to wait for them to deliver the Card. :eek: Ridiculous

The RF signal coming to your Set Top Box (STB) is a digital signal with the non-encrypted channels being re-broadcast in analog (ch 1-52). You could run the splitter and get 1 - 52 in you pip. If you use a cable card, you will not be able to ge the IPG (Interactive Program guide) on the input that utilizes the card. The card is just the decrypter. Since the guide and VOD come across the internet portion of your connection, the card can not use those features.

The dual tuner portion of the DVR is local to the DVR and can not be used for your PIP. It is set up so that you may record 2 shows simultaneously. or record one show and watch another on a different channel. THere is no "output" for the 2nd tuner. Verizon is in the process of developing a software version of PIP in which the STB will display a movable pip window on your screen. I am not sure when this feature will be availabe. I have just heard some of our engineers talking about it.

MJDallas

What's up all,
Just got FiOS installed yesterday...which killed my PiP set up.
I used to have Comcast and I could split the line from the wall and go straight into my TV and that would give me basic cable for PiP.
Well now I get some of the channels, but not the same ones as before...I basically used it for watching sports in the PIP window, but now all of those channels are gone (channels 60 - 69, ESPN, ESPN2, NESN, FSN). The tech claims that it is because those channels are Analog and the line is digital...but I think it is the other way around...The line is digital and those channels are digital...am I can get the Analog...

Otherwise...does ANY know how I can get around this? I have the dual tuner DVR box...is there any way to utilize the second tuner for the PIP?

Or can I run the line through a "walmart" box or VCR and that will be ok?

My TV does have a "cablecard" slot in it...so would that be a way to do it...Does anyone know how much the CableCards cost for VerizonFiOS? It would be a rip off it is the same price as the set-top boxes.

My TV (with auto program in channel manager) picked up a BUNCH of channels that are like "64-100s", "66-1057" and "66-400s" ...The 400s are the music channels...so I will have to search through all of those and see if one of them is what I am looking for. There are a huge amount of them...is it worth going threw them all?

PLEASE HELP!!! I need my PIP!!!

Thanks!

So I finally got my DVR box activated.... I had FIOS installed two days ago and because of network issues, the DVR box was not activated and it took up until this evening to get it up and running. Anyhow, is it just me, or does the HDMI output of the thing look like crap? I tried both RGB output and YPrPb and both look hazy and dull. Component looks fine as does firewire. I have a PS3 and a Pioneer 59avi DVD player hooked up through a 5x1 HDMI switch and they look just fine. The DVR box looks terrible.

I think I will ask for a cablecard. Anyone else have issues with the HDMI output on their Motorola DVR box?

Oh, and as a side note, the HDMI input has been calibrated using the DVD player and PS3 to use RGB colorspace so it can't be a calibration issue unless the RGB levels from the box are vastly different than the DVD player and the PS3... The HDMI output just looks that much worse than component.

So I finally got my DVR box activated.... I had FIOS installed two days ago and because of network issues, the DVR box was not activated and it took up until this evening to get it up and running. Anyhow, is it just me, or does the HDMI output of the thing look like crap? I tried both RGB output and YPrPb and both look hazy and dull. Component looks fine as does firewire. I have a PS3 and a Pioneer 59avi DVD player hooked up through a 5x1 HDMI switch and they look just fine. The DVR box looks terrible.

I think I will ask for a cablecard. Anyone else have issues with the HDMI output on their Motorola DVR box?

I use the component connection for that same reason - HDMI on my Pioneer panel just isn't as smooth on the HD channels and the SD channels have the same issues. With component, everything smooths out and just looks great. I've tried tweaking as best I can but just can't get there with HDMI. Don't know if its the box or the tv - with COX the HDMI was basically unwatchable - component was fine though not nearly as good as FIOS.

I haven't tried the difference between the RGB and YPrPb - I don't know what mine is set at.... just reading these posts alerted me to it and will check tonight.

I think there is something inherently wrong with the HDMI output... either it is clipping the RGB levels at the extreme, or not mapping them properly. HDMI looks great from my other two sources into the same input and all have been calibrated the same way using RGB color space, so that leads me to believe it is the box.

Component looks great and I will try a cablecard as well. I have a feeling that will look the best... I may keep both the card and DVR for now...

Posted this in a new thread but figured it might get more views in here...does Verizon provide Component and/or HDMI cables when installing their Moto HD DVR? I upgraded my parents to HDTV but the tech simply hooked up the new Moto HD DVR with the existing S-video connection I was using with the SD box. He didn't bother to leave any components and I wasn't there to question it. I've called tech support and created a ticket to receive a component cable, but should I also insist on the HDMI? Or is it either/or.

ahsan,
just ask. I've never had issues with getting cables if I asked.
hdmi and component and audio.
they are not best quality, but should be good enough, I would guess.
The price is right.

nw

Posted this in a new thread but figured it might get more views in here...does Verizon provide Component and/or HDMI cables when installing their Moto HD DVR? I upgraded my parents to HDTV but the tech simply hooked up the new Moto HD DVR with the existing S-video connection I was using with the SD box. He didn't bother to leave any components and I wasn't there to question it. I've called tech support and created a ticket to receive a component cable, but should I also insist on the HDMI? Or is it either/or.

Posted this in a new thread but figured it might get more views in here...does Verizon provide Component and/or HDMI cables when installing their Moto HD DVR? I upgraded my parents to HDTV but the tech simply hooked up the new Moto HD DVR with the existing S-video connection I was using with the SD box. He didn't bother to leave any components and I wasn't there to question it. I've called tech support and created a ticket to receive a component cable, but should I also insist on the HDMI? Or is it either/or.

i had to buy my hdmi cable from monoprice for a few bucks, but that was 8 months ago.

My tech offered the component cables for 2 sets and HDMI for the other 2 sets. I had the component cables already, but I was 1 short on the HDMI cable. He got one out of his truck and I was good to go.

Posted this in a new thread but figured it might get more views in here...does Verizon provide Component and/or HDMI cables when installing their Moto HD DVR? I upgraded my parents to HDTV but the tech simply hooked up the new Moto HD DVR with the existing S-video connection I was using with the SD box. He didn't bother to leave any components and I wasn't there to question it. I've called tech support and created a ticket to receive a component cable, but should I also insist on the HDMI? Or is it either/or.

My installer gave me whatever I asked for. HDMI , component, and nicely terminated custom length coax.

has anyone traced lip sync issues back to the FiOS signal or the FiOS hardware?
I returned a tv to CC yesterday for this issue, but I'm starting to think it is the signal coming in, rather than the TV.

Has to be some sort of check at some point in the transmission stream to re-sync audio and video, right?

nw

It is very unlikely a TV would ever cause a lip sync issue - a quick way to check if the problem is in the FIOS STB is to connect the TV directly to the coax and try to tune one of clear QAM chs and compare.

has anyone traced lip sync issues back to the FiOS signal or the FiOS hardware?
I returned a tv to CC yesterday for this issue, but I'm starting to think it is the signal coming in, rather than the TV.

Has to be some sort of check at some point in the transmission stream to re-sync audio and video, right?
Are you getting lip sync issues for just several channels or all channels? TNT-HD, of course, has had lip sync issues on and off for months. How is your sound hooked up? Are you using a A/V receiver and a 5.1 sound system or are you using the speakers in the TV?

Could someone give me the codes for LG 42pc3d for verizon...I tried the
4 or 5 that came with the booklet with verizon and they don't work,it may
be my remote on the TV doesn't work because the remote that came with it
doesn't work,Anyone have this problem and can give advice on how to fix
it without taking it back to get it serviced?Thanks for any and all help.J

Could someone give me the codes for LG 42pc3d for verizon...I tried the
4 or 5 that came with the booklet with verizon and they don't work,it may
be my remote on the TV doesn't work because the remote that came with it
doesn't work,Anyone have this problem and can give advice on how to fix
it without taking it back to get it serviced?Thanks for any and all help.J
You may want to post this is the flat panel section as this is a TV issue, not FIOS.

Are you getting lip sync issues for just several channels or all channels? TNT-HD, of course, has had lip sync issues on and off for months. How is your sound hooked up? Are you using a A/V receiver and a 5.1 sound system or are you using the speakers in the TV?

afiggatt,
mostly the tv speakers.
Running it thought the receiver delayed the audio more, made it worse.
If it was not the TV, it must have been the incoming signal.

I'm back to my old analog till CC gets another SXRD in to replace mine.
Part of it might be that the picture on the analog is more forgiving and I'm just not seeing the lip sync due to resolution (partly).

Who knows?
I had to exchange the TV before the 30 days was up...


nw

My installer gave me whatever I asked for. HDMI , component, and nicely terminated custom length coax.


my tech was great as well... extremely neat install and he re-did all the terminations on the coax cable and left any cable I needed, plus more.

I just had FIOS TV and internet installed yesterday.

I was told since I am in a condo the main FIOS box is in the central location and they reuse the telephone and cable wires to my unit to setup my condo.

So for Internet...they used the phone lines and ran a line to a DSL modem then to the router. Said I gets the same speeds as a normal install because I was connecting to the FIOS box in the equipment room and not back at the central switch like with normal DSL.

The TV was brought up via the cable line and also was run to the router.

Everything looks good on TV...and I am getting 2.5 mbts to the 5 mbts supposed to receive via the internet.

Any thoughts on this...or what I should look for?

thanks

I just had FIOS TV and internet installed yesterday.

I was told since I am in a condo the main FIOS box is in the central location and they reuse the telephone and cable wires to my unit to setup my condo.

So for Internet...they used the phone lines and ran a line to a DSL modem then to the router. Said I gets the same speeds as a normal install because I was connecting to the FIOS box in the equipment room and not back at the central switch like with normal DSL.

.
.

Any thoughts on this...or what I should look for?

thanks

Curious. The DSL modem is unnecessary in a FIOS configuration, since they should be able to run CAT5E directly to your router. Is the installation setting up a OTM -> DSL -> DSL modem connection ?

Curious. The DSL modem is unnecessary in a FIOS configuration, since they should be able to run CAT5E directly to your router. Is the installation setting up a OTM -> DSL -> DSL modem connection ?

Well I was told they would use the existing cat 3 telephone wire from the main FIOS box to my condo....then they ran cat 5 from the phone jack to my computer...were they said they needed the DSL modem since it wasn't coming directly from the box like a normal installation.

This is whats got me confused...

I am seeing issues like with Radio stations were I am looking connectivity sporadically...and the station via iTunes just shuts down...there is an error saying its lost connection and can reconnect. Never had this problem with CABLE Roadrunner modem.

Hello everyone,

I have Verizon FIOS internet service - love it, very smooth install - and I am strongly considering getting FIOS TV as well. I currently have DirecTV, but I haven't gone HD with my setup yet, because the PQ wasn't worth stepping up to me - mainly due to cable/satellite bandwidth limitations. So, reading here about the PQ has really made me want to step up to HD - despite my misgivings about Verizon as a broadcast provider.

Since I also troll about on ebay from time to time, I noticed that occasionally there will be Motorola QIP6416 boxes for sale - some new, some used. Has anyone bought a box and installed one themselves? Would you just need a smart/cablecard to receive all channels and dual tuner capabilities? And is it legal to own (I would guess so), but just frowned upon by Verizon? Or wise to do so?

Any thoughts would be appreciated,

Brian

You can get the DVR off e-bay, but you will have to get Verizon to authorize it for use on their network. It does not take a cablecard. Whether they let you do something like that or not is not known, but I doubt they would authorize a box that they did not source directly.

As for their HD, I must say it it is better than Comcast. I used to get pixelation on TNT HD and a few other HD channels with Comcast, but with FIOS, they are perfect. I have both a cablecard and QIP-6416 box and both deliver great PQ...

Hello, I am interested in Fios for cable and tv but they are not in my area yet . Does anyone know of a way to find out when the Latham NY area was scheduled for Fios. Tried calling Verizon but no information around. Thanks Paul D.

So... Summer starts a week from tomorrow. If they're sticking to "Spring and Summer 2007" for the new IMG, somebody should get rolled out in the next seven days.

So... Summer starts a week from tomorrow. If they're sticking to "Spring and Summer 2007" for the new IMG, somebody should get rolled out in the next seven days.Fort Wayne, Indiana already has it.

BTW, IMG page from Verizon Help & Support site:
http://netservices.verizon.net/portal/link/help/item?case=c30701

My program guide does not appear to have been upgraded. Is there a problem?
No, it will take several months for the upgrade to be completed. All FiOS TV customers should be upgraded to the new IMG on or before October, 2007.Also, includes a bunch of their help videos with the new software:
How to use the Search feature (http://onlinehelp.verizon.net/consumer/bin/video/fios/tv/Search_M.wmv) (12.5 MB)
How to use the DVR (http://onlinehelp.verizon.net/consumer/bin/video/fios/tv/DVR_M.wmv) (19.6 MB)
Setting up and using the Favorite Channels feature (http://onlinehelp.verizon.net/consumer/bin/video/fios/tv/Favorites_M.wmv) (8.74 MB)
Accessing Pay Per View & On Demand Programming (http://onlinehelp.verizon.net/consumer/bin/video/fios/tv/PPV_VOD_M.wmv) (13.9 MB)
Setting up Parental Controls (http://onlinehelp.verizon.net/consumer/bin/video/fios/tv/Parental_Control_M.wmv) (14.2 MB)
Philips Universal Remote Control - Basic Functionality (http://onlinehelp.verizon.net/consumer/bin/video/fios/tv/Philips_1_M.wmv) (17.4 MB)
Philips Universal Remote Control - More Buttons and Features (http://onlinehelp.verizon.net/consumer/bin/video/fios/tv/Philips_2_M.wmv) (5.94 MB)
etc.

I guess FIOS is only available for home owners and not Condo owners....right?