Have you tried calling Verizon? You can also try posting over in the DSL reports Verizon FiOS forum: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/vzfiostv

The launch of the 6 .tv channels has been delayed until next Monday.

That's not good news, but what's another week???

Hi everyone

I have had FIOS since 2007 - and absolutely love it. I am moving this summer - and just found out that the place I bought does not have FIOS - as of now. I did call Verizon and they said they expect to have the Greater Philadelphia covered with FIOS by the end of the year (I know that doesn't include Center City) - can anyone confirm that? Thanks!

As expected, the 6 .tv HD channels are live this morning.

Is it me... or are these things a waste of bandwidth?

What, you don't want the added benefit of the Pet Channel??? :D

Shouldn't you be watching BD's and listening to SACD's on your new -83?!?!?!? :)

Comcast reached a deal to put the NFL Network on their digital tier and the new "Redzone" channel on the sports tier. Any chance we'll get the Redzone thing?

Also, Comcast said they sometimes search the Internet for "Comcrap" to see what people are saying about them, which I thought was funny.

Shouldn't you be watching BD's and listening to SACD's on your new -83?!?!?!? :)
That seems to be taking up all my evening hours, much to my wife's chagrin, although she is appreciating the implementation of the new sound codecs!

I remember your config :)

The new codecs along with the SVD-A/SACD has got to sound fantastic coming out of the -83.

BTW Jim, have you noticed any change in WPVI-HD's sound lately? It seems to have got better. But, I haven't paid that close attention.

Comcast reached a deal to put the NFL Network on their digital tier and the new "Redzone" channel on the sports tier. Any chance we'll get the Redzone thing?

Also, Comcast said they sometimes search the Internet for "Comcrap" to see what people are saying about them, which I thought was funny.

Comcast knows everything that is said about them on the web. They have enough employees assigned to that task. They also search to see what is said about their competition.

Then there should be no doubt in their Comcastic minds, that many folks think that their HD PQ is terrible!!!

...have you noticed any change in WPVI-HD's sound lately?....
I haven't noticed a problem, but at most, I watch Jeopardy at dinner time, and then throw in a BluRay disc...just not enough time to watch great movies and mediocre TV! ;)

Hi. I was wondering if anyone here on the board has their original fios order number from the install day? If so, would you mind going to www.verizon.net/fiosbundleterms and entering it and your zip. If it works you should see a screen about accepting bundle terms (Don't obviously). I tried using mine and it says invalid order number. It did work with my user name and password, but I want to make sure my account isn't messed up. My install was a year ago and I wonder if verizon archives order numbers? Thanks.

Is there any time line that Verizon may update the print-out of the channel lineup? I like to put those in locations throughout the house where non-FiOS users can access the various channels vs. what they are accustomed to for their own cable network. I thought there may be a new one to print out, but it's still the November 2008 version. :(

Is there any time line that Verizon may update the print-out of the channel lineup? I like to put those in locations throughout the house where non-FiOS users can access the various channels vs. what they are accustomed to for their own cable network. I thought there may be a new one to print out, but it's still the November 2008 version. :(

I'm not sure what surprises me more: that you have non-FiOS users roaming your house, channel surfing without you or that you feel compelled to provide them with up-to-the-minute channel listings. :)

Jim has been known to take in stray Comcast viewers, in his attempt to proliferate HD to the HD-disadvantaged. I believe that the real reason he wants the guide is to shame them, by showing how many HD channels are available with FIOS.

It may be all of the above! Gotta' love the number of HD channels, but what's better is the picture quality as compared to the others. Is there a FiOS pledge or oath to be given to house guests??? ;)

Be on the lookout next week (most likely) for some exciting HD news for the month of June. :cool:

Don't tell me... we're finally getting Paint Drying-HD? :)

I really (read: R E A L L Y) hope that it's one of 3 things:

1. New HD 16x9 Guide (and to dream big - with a new provider)
2. New DVR's with native passthrough mode and/or 1080p broadcast.
3. Free HD.

Back to reality... it'll be the Paint Drying channel, in HD :)

...Back to reality... it'll be the Paint Drying channel, in HD :)
Ah, seems you have exhausted yourself watching the Recipe channel! I am wondering who makes the decisions that they can provide 24 hour coverage in high-def for some obscure programming. I include the Big Ten Network, NHL, MLB, etc in this mix, and I'm a sports fan. 24/7 for 12 months of what is essentially a seasonal interest means lots of reruns!

Be on the lookout next week (most likely) for some exciting HD news for the month of June. :cool:More .tv channels? The NASA channel? :D

I do a seasonal cycle between NHL and MLB.

Well, since the post came from jeepmatt and not from Verizon, I'd say you can probably trust that it's good news.

HAHAHHAH...thanks Maxman..

Let's just say there will be a "six-pack" of HD Channels arriving sometime in mid-late June. :rolleyes:

I wouldn't expect anything to do with the IMG (HD guide) until later in the year, since i'm not sure if it's going to be part of the 1.7 update.

I'm stumped; the only "6-pak" I can think of are the .tv channels we just got.

I'm stumped; the only "6-pak" I can think of are the .tv channels we just got.

Think Viacom.

Think Viacom.

That would be great! But there's 8 available Viacom HD channels not carried by FIOS. We have Palladia, so that leaves: Comedy Central, Logo, BET, Spike, Nickelodeon, MTV, VH1, & CMT. Which six?

Speaking of the .TV channels, anybody notice there wasn't even a message on the box regarding the channel additions?

Max-

It will be Comedy Central, Spike, Nickelodeon, MTV, VH1, & CMT.

MTV HD 710
VH 1 HD 717
CMT HD 721

Nick HD 752
Spike HD 554
Comedy Central HD 690

Wow - that'll put smiles on a lot of people's faces :)

How about as a thank you to Verizon for these channels, we give them back the .tv channels and free up their bandwidth? That would be a win-win!

Max-

It will be Comedy Central, Spike, Nickelodeon, MTV, VH1, & CMT.

MTV HD 710
VH 1 HD 717
CMT HD 721

Nick HD 752
Spike HD 554
Comedy Central HD 690

Thanks! So glad I dumped Comcast. I think they're still at 24 or 25 HD channels in my area.

Has anyone noticed a slow to respond Guide info at the bottom of the screen when you use the up/down channel button to surf channels? The last few days, when you scroll, the Guide shows the last channel you were on, and then changes a second or two later to the one that you are now watching.

Has anyone noticed a slow to respond Guide info at the bottom of the screen when you use the up/down channel button to surf channels? The last few days, when you scroll, the Guide shows the last channel you were on, and then changes a second or two later to the one that you are now watching.

I have seen that frequently with my HD STB ever since it arrived a couple of months ago. I also have the HD DVR and it has never had that problem.

Has anyone noticed a slow to respond Guide info at the bottom of the screen when you use the up/down channel button to surf channels?

It's annoying as hell. I don't surf, but my wife does and thus, I have to listen to her complain :(

In related PITA news... I am finally fed up with the HDMI handshake issues on the 7216. I am going to reconfigure tonight to go back to component and OPT. Last night while watching Weeds, it dropped at least 10 times. I don't expect that there will be any significant difference in PQ or AQ - but, it's really a shame that Vz cannot get the bugs ironed out with this. Folks over at DSL forums have been complaining about this for at least a year!!!

I have the older 64xx DVR, and don't have those handshake problems. When I asked about the newer 7216 box, the Verizon tech told me that I didn't want it, and wait for them to fix their problems with it! Steve, I don't think you'll see any difference with the component set...I run it that way with my one HDMI input panel, using the HDMI for the upconverting Oppo 980. The problem will be running that thick cable to your new location, or did you have it there already?

Jim-

I see that guide lag problem only on my 7100 HD box - VZ is aware of the problem. It should be fixed in the 1.7 update (whenever that happens).

In other news - 2 weeks from today should be a nice day for us. (See my previous posts) :cool:

I have the older 64xx DVR, and don't have those handshake problems. When I asked about the newer 7216 box, the Verizon tech told me that I didn't want it, and wait for them to fix their problems with it! Steve, I don't think you'll see any difference with the component set...I run it that way with my one HDMI input panel, using the HDMI for the upconverting Oppo 980. The problem will be running that thick cable to your new location, or did you have it there already?

I'll still use the HDMI cable path between my Denon and the Display :) I'll only swap out the HDMI for component/OPT between the DVR & the Denon. That's in the cabinet and will be easy to do !!!

I think I'll also look at getting one of the older DVR's. I'll try both and see which is better.

God help what that may do to my bill :confused:

Ah, I assumed to the wrong conclusion. Of course it will be a simple run in the cabinet. They will swap boxes if you want to go to the 64xx for awhile until they get it settled out.

I didn't seem to get the lag last evening, but had it all weekend...strange!

jeepmatt: MSNBC is scheduled to go high def at the end of the month. Any word you have heard about this channel being available to us?

Ah, I assumed to the wrong conclusion. Of course it will be a simple run in the cabinet. They will swap boxes if you want to go to the 64xx for awhile until they get it settled out.

I didn't seem to get the lag last evening, but had it all weekend...strange!

Ugh - there is no way I am going to run component cables up to the display. That would be a huge PITA :) I am not looking forward to unmounting/remounting the panel when the time comes to work on replacing the fireplace surrounds :(

I'm just worried that if I get a different box, I'll be trading one set of problems for another.

jeepmatt: MSNBC is scheduled to go high def at the end of the month. Any word you have heard about this channel being available to us?

Jim-
MSNBC is not one of the channels in the crystal ball at this time...but, anything could pop up unexpectedly without my knowledge. :)

Thanks! That's the only standard def channel that I tune in for the Morning Joe program. I was hoping we'd get it on 603 when it came on-line at the end of the month.

Has anyone else noticed the timing is off on the 6416-2 DVR? I'm posting it here because it was fine a while ago and it started happening within the last few months, so I'm wondering if it's due to the latest SW version Verizon has pushed out.

In brief, the clock on the STB and the time the shows actually start no longer sync up. The clock seems to be about 1-2 minutes ahead of when programming starts. Secondly, if I manually start recording a program the moment it begins, within that same 1-2 minutes the DVR will stop, as though it caught the very end of the previous show (which it did not). This doesn't happen when I select a program to record from the Guide. Again, this only started happening within the last few months.

Hey folks-

Latest news on the Viacom HD's - we'll see them added to the Philly region on Monday, 6/29.

Also - if you're internet subscribers - there's a nice upgrade in speeds effective Monday. You will have to renew your agreements to get them - but they're fairly decent.

Has anyone else noticed the timing is off on the 6416-2 DVR? I'm posting it here because it was fine a while ago and it started happening within the last few months, so I'm wondering if it's due to the latest SW version Verizon has pushed out.

In brief, the clock on the STB and the time the shows actually start no longer sync up. The clock seems to be about 1-2 minutes ahead of when programming starts. Secondly, if I manually start recording a program the moment it begins, within that same 1-2 minutes the DVR will stop, as though it caught the very end of the previous show (which it did not). This doesn't happen when I select a program to record from the Guide. Again, this only started happening within the last few months.

Mine is spot on... as compared to the time shown on the DVR's front panel, compared to the annoying time and logo displays on all the local news broadcasts.

Many shows no longer start exactly on the hour or half-hour. Plus/minus 5 minutes is becoming more common. The fix is to pad the front & back of all recordings by 5 minutes.

Also - if you're internet subscribers - there's a nice upgrade in speeds effective Monday. You will have to renew your agreements to get them - but they're fairly decent.

Any details you can share?

Mine is spot on... as compared to the time shown on the DVR's front panel, compared to the annoying time and logo displays on all the local news broadcasts.

Many shows no longer start exactly on the hour or half-hour. Plus/minus 5 minutes is becoming more common. The fix is to pad the front & back of all recordings by 5 minutes.

Thanks Steve. I wasn't sure about mine as it seemed to happen so suddenly. Up until recently everything was in perfect alignment.

I know this is a TV forum..but here is the official news straight from Verizon (this starts Monday) regarding the internet speeds...

I for one am very excited with the 20/5 ==> 25/15 increase.

(1) What speeds are available and where?

10/2 -> 15/5 (all service areas)
20/5 -> 25/15 (all service areas)
20/20 -> upgraded to 35/20 in NYC only
50/20 -> No change

(2) Will it be an automatic upgrade? Or will I need to call?

It will not be an Automatic upgrade. It will be just like last year however there may be a pricing change of $5-10 more check with your local Billing rep on for exact amounts. You can reach them through 888-553-1555 and following the billing prompts for a representative.

(3) When can I call and what should I say?

You can call on Monday and ask to be upgraded to the higher speed and rebundle.

(4) How much will the upgrade cost?

The best person to ask would be the Verizon Billing office on Monday. However if you only had internet service and are month to month the upgrade is free since that price hasn't changed. This will also be a 1 year Terms of Service agreement

(5) Can I get the upgrade if have just have an Internet+phone bundle? How about Internet+TV bundles?

you can get the upgrade if you have a bundle or not

DSL Reports just posted the story. For the record, JeepMatt beat them by a few hours. Full details here: http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Verizon-Announces-New-FiOS-Tiers-Promotions-103069

Since this is the TV forum... :D

Latest word is that we'll see the Viacom HD's Thursday morning (6/25). 5 VHO's launched yesterday, 5 more today, and the remaining tomorrow and Thursday.

On the internet speed front - I took the bait and upgraded to 25/15 yesterday. As many people are saying on DSL Reports - it appears this may be a "soft launch" of symmetrical 25/25 speeds. All tests are coming back around 26/24 - no joke!

Matt - What number did you call to get the U/G? Were you able to lock in rates or get any of the other promos?

Steve-
I just called the standard 888-553-1555 number.

I was able to get the All Access Movie Pack (even though I already had it) - FREE for 3 months ($105 value).

With all of the hype of the speed upgrades and Viacom HD's this week (which should come to VHO-8 tomorrow)....

A new PEG - New Castle County TV, was added on Channel 29 in Delaware overnight. (Guide data still not populated).

Officially for me - this is my first PEG! (cheering stopped).

Enjoy DE viewers!

The 6 new HD channels are live this morning.

Enjoy!

Not in the guide yet but can enter them directly. Any HD on these channels?

4 SD Big 10 Network overflow channels will be added to the lineup by the end of July.

They will be located at 330-333 in the guide.

Before anyone asks - all programming is identical except for game days, so it would be a waste of bandwidth to also carry the HD versions. :cool:

There have been a number of complaints (in VH08) about the audio on WGN, Comedy Central & Discovery sounding like AM radio, but I haven't seen anything here (just wondering). The poor audio disappeared with the local ad insert and returned when they rejoined the network.

Then yesterday I was watching my neighbor's HDTV and noticed all three channels in SD having poor audio while their HD counterparts had no problem. I also noticed today Comedy Central HD had an HD on their logo while the SD channel (190) had a different logo (it wasn't pushed off the side of the screen). Thus there must be a seperate HD network feed for for CC HD.

If they can't fix the sound and have CC SD net sound good all the time why not run CC HD on 190 in SD the way they run WTXF HD in SD on 13 (unless WTXF produces a seperate SD feed for cable TV which I don't see happening but I could be wrong)? Same for WGN and Discovery please. :)

Or they could make the SD boxes HD compatible (like the CECB set-top boxes). Then we'd have good sound on all three channels, proper widescreen on NBC and all the HD channels numbers would be easier to find (WPVI SD 6 HD 506? NO!). That and the space saving from not having to run channels in SD for SD boxes (see Australia HDTV). :cool:

There have been a number of complaints (in VH08) about the audio on WGN, Comedy Central & Discovery sounding like AM radio, but I haven't seen anything here (just wondering). The poor audio disappeared with the local ad insert and returned when they rejoined the network.

Then yesterday I was watching my neighbor's HDTV and noticed all three channels in SD having poor audio while their HD counterparts had no problem. I also noticed today Comedy Central HD had an HD on their logo while the SD channel (190) had a different logo (it wasn't pushed off the side of the screen). Thus there must be a seperate HD network feed for for CC HD.

If they can't fix the sound and have CC SD net sound good all the time why not run CC HD on 190 in SD the way they run WTXF HD in SD on 13 (unless WTXF produces a seperate SD feed for cable TV which I don't see happening but I could be wrong)? Same for WGN and Discovery please. :)

Or they could make the SD boxes HD compatible (like the CECB set-top boxes). Then we'd have good sound on all three channels, proper widescreen on NBC and all the HD channels numbers would be easier to find (WPVI SD 6 HD 506? NO!). That and the space saving from not having to run channels in SD for SD boxes (see Australia HDTV). :cool:

Palladia has pretty poor audio most of the time anymore, and it sure aint' 5.1 even when it says so. They're compressing the heck out of the audio. What a disappointment.:(

I just had my first "problem" with FiOS. My original 6416-2 DVR failed today. After an "wonderful" long time on-phone with FiOS support, they had to call me back to tell me they would send a replacement DVR! Wherever the woman was, she suggested some convenient return sites about 4-5 hours from the Philadelphia area...they obviously don't give any geography or map reading skill courses to their reps! The DVR would not turn on, and was very hot to the touch when I pulled it to replace it with one that I knew was working.

Jim-
You can always drive down to New Castle, DE - we have a drop-off site there.

I know it's beautiful down there at this time of the year, but I'll wait for the delivery! :D

I know it's beautiful down there at this time of the year, but I'll wait for the delivery! :D

You don't have to go further than your closest UPS store. Any FIOS equipment can be dropped off at any UPS location at no charge to you. They'll pack it and will ship it to VZ. Just hang on to your UPS receipt. Just in case...:)

Yes, I received the new DVR today via UPS, and it's running its activation now. I'll drop it at the local UPS pickup. Verizon included the return ticket to place on the box.

I just had my first "problem" with FiOS. My original 6416-2 DVR failed today. After an "wonderful" long time on-phone with FiOS support, they had to call me back to tell me they would send a replacement DVR! Wherever the woman was, she suggested some convenient return sites about 4-5 hours from the Philadelphia area...they obviously don't give any geography or map reading skill courses to their reps! The DVR would not turn on, and was very hot to the touch when I pulled it to replace it with one that I knew was working.

In case your new DVR fails (I hope not) or you have a future problem, go to DSL forums VERIZON DIRECT FORUM. You can post there, a FIOS tech will reply and solve your problem.

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/vzdirect

When I got fed up with my 7216 HDMI problems, I went there, told them about the problem and that I wanted a 6416 as a replacement. I received a post reply/response in about 4 hours and the replacement DVR was sent the next day. It included a prepaid return label, so all I had to do was swap out the DVR's, box up the old one and run to local UPS drop off.

Never picked up the phone :)

I had the triple play installed yesterday with little to no issues. So far so good but time will tell.

...Never picked up the phone :)
Thanks for that web reference. For the activation, I used the phone number provided, and it went well, completely linked on within about 20 minutes or so. It could have even been quicker, but I only walked back to that location to be sure it was going through and it was done at that time. Completely painless. I had the DVR below my BluRay player, but have swapped them to allow the DVR to better vent through the top cover. Hopefully that helps...I'm only assuming it was a heat issue that caused the problem.

Yep - I have the DVR on top of my -83. The DVR is "on" all the time, so having nothing on top of that is ideal.

I didn't realize that until I was installing it again, and could hear a whirring noise from the DVR without powering it up. I assumed it would turn on when required and then go back into standby mode after recording.

The mental midgets at Motorola chose to keep the HDD spinning all the time. Which makes me wonder just exactly what turns "off", when you hit power?!?!?!?!

Powering down the tuner & processing circuits is not really gaining anything.

The mental midgets at Motorola chose to keep the HDD spinning all the time....
How difficult would it have been to put a 'sleep' mode on it? The other circuits being digital can't be all that power hungry, but the HD implementation here certainly won't get a 'green' award.

What's really odd is, I think the Comcrap flavor of the DVR does power the HDD down. It's been a while since I had Comcrap, but I don't remember the HDD always spinning.

And, I didn't have a DVR when I had their service. That would be interesting to see since they use Motorola boxes also.

Palladia has pretty poor audio most of the time anymore, and it sure aint' 5.1 even when it says so. They're compressing the heck out of the audio. What a disappointment.:(

I think I finally have an answer to poor audio reporting. When Verizon looks into it have them look at the audio, a spectrum view.

I have Adobe Audition (this also works in Cool Edit and other audio editing software with the feature) and viewed the audio clip in spectral view mode. Normal audio has naturally occuring top ends depending on the input audio. When Verizon audio gets that AM radio thing going the top end looks like a well trimmed hedge. Everything above 7kHz is gone.

Poor audio is difficult to hear, but easy to see. :)

I'm having major issues with the 7216 box and it's HDMI output -- it doesn't like the yamaha Z7 receiver it's plugged into, and keeps forcing a green screen... Tech support is less than helpful... any suggestions any of the resident experts here can suggest to get the hdmi to work? I'd really like to use HDMI instead of component to get all the functionality the Z7 offers.

See my previous posts here.... long story short - have VZ swap the 7216 for a 6416 DVR. Problem solved. The 7216 is notorious for HDMI problems. Be aware, that some downstream equipment (AVR's TV's, etc.) may still experience HDMI issues.

You will lose nothing by using component, if you have to go that route, however. The best you can get out these DVR's is 1080i and DD (for audio). So a component connection will carry that video just fine. You won't even notice the difference. And if you use an OPT cable between the DVR and your AVR, you'll get all the audio. A possible last resort,if you cannot get HDMI to play nice in your world.

OK, I can try that. The reason I want HDMI is because the yamaha receiver allows a fair amount of functionality with digital signals, including full video processing to 1080P and also allows for pass-through when the receiver is in stand-by. I love that feature because I don't have to turn the yamaha on every time just to watch tv. While component signal is fine, I lose the extra capabilities hdmi offers.

Sounds like getting a 6416 as a replacement, is the way to go!

...the yamaha receiver allows a fair amount of functionality with digital signals, including full video processing to 1080P....
How good is your panel at deinterlacing the 1080i signal? Set the box to that, and try a direct HDMI to the panel. I run a digital coax to the AVR for when I want to have surround sound, just muting the panel's built in speakers. That way I can also have separate picture settings for the cable box vs. any disc player's.

Has anyone heard if Verizon will be upgrading to BBC-America HD? I know BBCA was supposed to make their switch today.

I might not know for a while. My Samsung 67" DLP just imploded. Rather impressive crash followed by the sound of many tiny plastic pieces being scattered inside the box.

First step is to confirm a shattered color wheel which is buried inside the DLP's light engine. AVS forum has good info on how to replace it. Four weeks parts backorder...

Update: Shattered color wheel confirmed. Found part in stock. Replacement ordered. Not for the faint of heart.

Are you going to attempt the repair on your own?

Light engine is sitting on my workbench, color wheel extracted.

DLPs are no longer popular due to the high failure rates of the DMD boards (the one with the DLP mirrors) and color wheels. The failures are the reason for the move to LED / LCD. Samsung owner's thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=559872&page=398 For my display, it's not worth any additional repair costs, as the failures will continue - 2 Light Engines were replaced while it was under warranty.

How to extract the color wheel: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1050735

I'm using my 2nd system 26" Toshiba CRT (16:9) as a replacement until it's fixed. Man, what a difference from 57" DLP to 26" CRT. :rolleyes: The CRT has an HDMI input, so it was a no-brainer easy hook up to just swing the cable over from the STB.

Even though it's much closer to my viewing position, it's a reminder of what a CRT could do. In spite of being a consumer grade set, it's not that bad. HDMI really helps a lot. However, I can't get the basic adjustments where they need to be and the focus is a bit soft. For what I got it for, it's just fine.

I'm wondering how people would have judged CRT performance if HDMI was available a few years ago. Back then, your best option was component. In theory, the performance is similar, but a lot of people weren't using the best quality component cables.

Perhaps, you might want to consider on of the Kuro's... before they are all gone.

You have a compelling event that could justify it :)

...DLPs are no longer popular due to the high failure rates of the DMD boards (the one with the DLP mirrors) and color wheels....
And that flat panels have come down in price so dramatically over the last few years. I agree with Steve...if you can, grab a plasma and enjoy your hockey with the puck looking black instead of gray! ;) Actually, the greatest difference to my eyes is the viewing angle allowed versus an LCD or your rear projection, and the price point is very similar now.

Good luck with the repair!

Success ! :)

Part arrived today, 2 days after I placed the order. Followed the instructions for replacement, relatively painless. Just be careful.

Display came right up like nothing happened. Fired up my trusty HDnet test pattern and... found a bunch of weird shadows at the bottom of the screen. :eek:

Back to the workbench. Pulled the color wheel and looked a bit closer. Turns out that vacuuming out the broken glass wasn't enough. I turned the light engine upside down and shook out a whole bunch of glass shards that the vacuum didn't get. Will add that step to the instructions.

HDnet test pattern was clean. The picture does look different than before, but I'll work on it later. I tweaked a few things in the service menu. It's good enough for now.

Next failure and this puppy is toast. Interesting. But not until the next failure. Plasma?

Success ! :)

Part arrived today, 2 days after I placed the order. Followed the instructions for replacement, relatively painless. Just be careful.

Display came right up like nothing happened. Fired up my trusty HDnet test pattern and... found a bunch of weird shadows at the bottom of the screen. :eek:

Back to the workbench. Pulled the color wheel and looked a bit closer. Turns out that vacuuming out the broken glass wasn't enough. I turned the light engine upside down and shook out a whole bunch of glass shards that the vacuum didn't get. Will add that step to the instructions.

HDnet test pattern was clean. The picture does look different than before, but I'll work on it later. I tweaked a few things in the service menu. It's good enough for now.

Next failure and this puppy is toast. Interesting. But not until the next failure. Plasma?

Conga-rats on the surgery. Nice job!

Plasma? Yes, absolutely. Far superior picture to LED/LCD/DLP technologies. There are no off axis viewing issues. You do not have to view it from the "sweet spot". There is no motion blur, which is inherent to *all* LCD/LED technology. There are also no rainbows.

The latest generation of plasma's (especially the Pioneer's) are very resistant to IR. Of course you still don't want to leave CNN tickers, or a static game screen on the display for hours on end. But, with general "common sense" you should not get burn in. It's virtually a non-issue.

I could not tolerate any display that looks different depending on the viewing angle. And, I watch a lot of sports and action movies. Motion blur (yes, even the supposed 120/240Hz LED/LCD displays have it) is also unacceptable. If I want to see trails on what I am watching, I'll eat some mushrooms or, drop a tab :)

Keep these things in mind when you go audition your next display. The most obvious is off axis performance. Stand directly in front of the LED/LCD display,with your head in the center of the viewing screen. Now, move off to the side a few steps and/or up or down from center of the screen. Notice how the PQ turns to crap. You have to always be in the sweet spot to get an optimal picture.

I hope you get a lot of life out of your repaired display, though :)

Thanks for the info. I'm aware of off-axis viewing. However, a 67" screen doesn't leave much room for me to go off-axis.

Yes, I watch a LOT of sports. My criteria is perfect rendering of fast moving hockey pucks.

I'll have to stay out of the AVS Display forums. Don't go there. Don't even look. Well, a quick peek wouldn't hurt. :rolleyes:

LOL - especially stay away from the 9G Pioneer Kuro threads :)

There you will learn that the best displays.... E V E R... are soon to be gone forever :(

You might have a premature hardware failure after reading those!!!!

This morning I noticed the On Screen Display was missing on my set. The set uses a DTA (I think, that's the little black box with no guide data right?). Anyway, yesterday it would display the channel number whenever I changed channels and this morning it didn't. I was on my way to work and didn't take time to do any troubleshooting including resetting the STB.

I doubt the DTA is very popular in these parts but I thought I'd ask if anyone has seen this before. I really prefer not getting "Customer Service ;-)" involved.

Thx,
Frank

I assume you mean the DCT-700 "digital adapter". Works fine here. The diagnostics menu FAQ: http://www.dslreports.com/faq/verizonfios/4.0_FiOS_Television#15925

Update on my Samsung display saga. After nearly 3 days, the picture suddenly started tearing on all inputs. I could hear the color wheel changing speeds. After a few minutes, nothing but gray intermixed with partial frozen pictures.

I fired up the service menu and it displayed "Mode: Error, Res 480p". That's on the 1080i STB input, watching ESPN-HD in 1080i. It lost internal video sync. Now, I have no picture whatsoever. Audio OK.

Maybe this problem caused premature color wheel failure. So much for a $100 gamble. I'm glad I didn't spend any more on this.

Time to take it out back and put it down. :(

Off to the AVS display forums....:rolleyes:

FWIW, I can't buy anything until I come back from vacation, which starts this weekend.

Sadness on the demise of your old friend :(

Run... Don't walk... No kidding here.

Pioneer Elite 141/151 60" - if you can still find one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The KRP's are a nice 2nd, if you absolutely cannot find a 141/151.

Best of luck. And, enjoy the vacation. I leave for Vegas tomorrow. Vacations must be contagious :)

Thanks GG, it came back after resetting the power. Good thing it did that was my only idea. Congratulations on the upgrade excuse.

Frank

stevec325 - Great. I lose a $100 gamble and you go to Vegas? When I get back from vacation, I'll take a look at everything in person. Not so sure about plasma, we'll see.

It will certainly be purchased locally. Circuit City and Tweeter are gone. A friend recommended Ed's TV in Hatfield, so I'll check things out there when I get back. http://www.eds-tv.com/

frankd - You may have noticed that those adapters default to power-on when you cycle power. That's how you'll know that you've lost power to the house - the adapter's LED is on.

I've heard about Ed's - no info good or bad. However, a 6th Ave store just opened a few months ago, in Montgomeryville. Good prices there. I checked it out in person and ended up getting a pair of DefTech speakers for a GREAT price. Check the website: www.6ave.com

Sorry you lit $100 on fire :( I never gamble... I play poker!

I got my 141 from Robert at Value Electronics. He is an AVS Forum sponsor, located in Scarsdale, NY. But, he delivered & installed here for me. He is a very, very reputable business person. You'll find a ton of kudo's for him on AVS. Prices are EXTREMELY competitive and no tax. PM me and I'll tell you how little I paid for my 141 :) I have also purchased other gear from him. Definitely worth a conversation!

Yes, plasma... specifically the Pio Elite Kuro's are the best displays available <period>.

Enjoy your vaca and we'll catch up after you get back! You're welcome to come take a peek at my 141 in action. But, be prepared to go buy one, once you see it :)

I am in 100% agreement with Steve. I have seen all the new LCD's and plasmas and the Kuros are still the best by a good margin. I have the 141 and love it. You can't buy a better display.

6th Ave is in Montgomeryville? They don't show Pio on the website. I'd hate to go smaller than 67" (what I have now). Price is a factor at this size. But, that problem can be solved if the deal is good enough.

I almost forgot, there's a spouse involved in the decision...However, he's into home theater and wants to be sure that we have decent PQ. So, first thing first. Vacation. Then, compare in-person followed by some serious deal hunting.

Will checkout Value Electronics, 6th Ave, Ed's TV, etc. I'll catch up with you guys in a few weeks. Thanks! :)

I don't think 6ave is a Pio dealer, but they do carry the "other" brands. And, it's a good place to go kick the tires and to get some perspective. I don't know who, if any B&M dealers are left for Pio, where you could actually see one. That's why i offered a look at mine. Your Hubby is welcome, too. We could also invite Jim Hef and his other... I've been looking for a reason to crack open my last bottle of Staggs Leap :)

My sig other was involved in our decision, too. Such as it was... we replaced our 42" Pio 940, with the 141, so she was already primed :) One look sealed the deal!

The latest gen Panny plasma is available in 65". From what I read here, that may be the new "king of the hill" in plasma, with Pio bowing out.

Anyway, enjoy the vacation. Look me up when you get back. I'm off to Vegas in a few hours!

...I'd hate to go smaller than 67" (what I have now). Price is a factor at this size....
Unfortunately, with plasma and LCD, you'll most likely want to top at the 58-60" size due to cost. While there are some 65" panels, they get very pricey very fast.

Jim - It seems that 63" is the upper end of what's commonly available. I'm surfing the plasma forum and it looks like it'll be a toss between the newer Panny or Samsung. I see the new Panny's about to debut in August.

As for as the pio, I really don't feel comfortable with a potential support problem in a few years.

FWIW, my QIP6416 is now connected to my 26" CRT widescreen with component. Not bad for a consumer grade aging CRT. I've done all I can on the user adjustments and will have to be content for a few weeks.

As I was getting it setup, ESPN-HD News was reporting the Phillies trade...

The new Panasonics are an excellent choice if you are worried about the Pioneer support. They're very reasonably priced. You may want to head over to AudioLab on Route 1 in Fairless Hills to see what they are offering. Not the big box discount, but it is a local retailer, and you may get some ideas for future equipment purchases.

Has anyone else had problems with WGN, Comedy Central, FX and Discovery in regard to the audio having no treble? It's hard to hear so I'll show you ...

http://www.geocities.com/ajc_trw/spectralview.jpg

The top represents Comcast while the bottom is Verizon's SD channel. It is Comedy Central and both graphs represent the same piece of audio to rule out the source having poor treble.

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r21983249-AM-quality-sound-on-Comedy-Central-WGN-and-others

has posts from others who are hearing this.

Anyone else like to chime in?

The new Panasonics are an excellent choice if you are worried about the Pioneer support. They're very reasonably priced. You may want to head over to AudioLab on Route 1 in Fairless Hills to see what they are offering. Not the big box discount, but it is a local retailer, and you may get some ideas for future equipment purchases.

Greetings from poolside at Bellagio...

All true. I don't expect pio support to be an issue, but I hope I am not wrong.

Once again, I can wholeheartedly say that Robert from VE will give you a great deal on whatever you decide.

Now, back to a TV free vacation :)

On Wednesday, 8/5 - we should see the 4 Big 10 Network overflow channels show up on 330-333. These will be SD only.

Also, Hallmark Movie SD will appear on 239.

Rumor mill? Potentially October will be a big month for the next wave of HD's.

Hope everyone enjoyed the hurricane yesterday. :D

...Now, back to a TV free vacation :)
9:55AM our time...were you just getting up, or possibly hadn't been to bed yet???

It would have been so much nicer to get those Big Ten extra channels on the HD feeds, but I would imagine they are limited to how much can be sent out, and how many HD games they have at one time. Maybe next year? Hopefully PSU is televised somewhere each week in HD! October for MSNBC???

A little of both, actually. One of the things I enjoy out there is breakfast at the pool. Even though I slugged in at 4AM, I still managed to scrape myself up at 9AM to enjoy that... then a nap for an hour. You have to get back indoors before noon, or you will burst into flames :)

When I came home last night, I found my DVR flashing "DU-1". I didn't feel like messing with it, so I just went to bed. This morning, however, it appears normal and everything worked fine.

Did we have storms here? That could explain it.

Has anyone else had problems with WGN, Comedy Central, FX and Discovery in regard to the audio having no treble? It's hard to hear so I'll show you ...

http://www.geocities.com/ajc_trw/spectralview.jpg

The top represents Comcast while the bottom is Verizon's SD channel. It is Comedy Central and both graphs represent the same piece of audio to rule out the source having poor treble.

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r21983249-AM-quality-sound-on-Comedy-Central-WGN-and-others

has posts from others who are hearing this.

Anyone else like to chime in?

Just as a matter of interest, what is the quality of the sound in the channels where concerts are broadcast - Palladia, HDNET?

...Did we have storms here? That could explain it.
Violent storms on Sunday, and a lot of the area was without power for some reason on Monday morning. Most of Yardley seemed to be shut down, but I don't know about the Newtown area. My boxes came back to life within a few seconds of getting power back yesterday about noon.

Just as a matter of interest, what is the quality of the sound in the channels where concerts are broadcast - Palladia, HDNET?
That I don't know as I have the SD box and those are HD channels. I've heard some complaints about Palladia but when I got the chance to hear it on my neighbor's HD box it sounded fine.

The real problem, as I've found out, is you really can't complain about sound quality as 1) they really don't know what you're talking about and 2) they assume it's you're equiptment that's faulty even if you say it's only a couple channels during network programming fixing during local commercial inserts. For me it's watch VOD, tweet and update facebook and live with some channels in beautiful AM stereo. :rolleyes:

I'm currently getting WCAU 10 in mono (When I watch NBC I turn on WBAL 11 to get stereo Conan etc) but, yea, I don't want to ride that coaster again. :)

Update: I got into the STBs service menu and found WCAU's Dolby Digital output as 1/0 while the stereo sounding channels were 2/0 including WBAL so I was RIGHT! :) I'm not going to report it because I have NBC from BoMo and that Hurricane guy kind of creeps me out. :p


Naw, he's a great guy! ;)

Well was just informed that the Big 10 overflow channel launch (along with Hallmark Movie SD) that was scheduled for tomorrow has been delayed.

No further info at this time.

...was scheduled for tomorrow has been delayed....
Well, you certainly aren't the bearer of good news! Hopefully we'll see it before it affects the 'local' team!

Just as a matter of interest, what is the quality of the sound in the channels where concerts are broadcast - Palladia, HDNET?

They mostly suck. No better than mono in many instances. Only occasionally do you get full 5.1 sound (Eagles, Cream videos). This is one of my pet peeves with Palladia especially.

The SQ of the "Heart" show was excellent on Palladia. It's a permanent part of my DVR.

I'm currently getting WCAU 10 in mono (When I watch NBC I turn on WBAL 11 to get stereo Conan etc) but, yea, I don't want to ride that coaster again. :)

Update: I got into the STBs service menu and found WCAU's Dolby Digital output as 1/0 while the stereo sounding channels were 2/0 including WBAL so I was RIGHT! :)

UPDATE: WCAU (and WPVI which was the same) is now 2/0 stereo. I guess I spoke too soon. :rolleyes: I'm quite sure nothing I said caused this change or perhaps I was wrong or I was lying. [sarcasm mode off] :eek:

Anyway, I know what I saw and what I heard. You're Welcome!:p

Why even have FIOS, if you are watching in SD?

Why even have FIOS, if you are watching in SD?

Because it's not Comcast

Good point, but SD is still... well, SD :(

Why even have FIOS, if you are watching in SD?
For those channels that we don't get yet! MSNBC for Morning Joe, and now that I'm hooked on the series, AMC for Mad Men. Problem is, I purchased Season 1 & 2 on BluRay, and will be forced to watch now in all that SD glory. Perhaps I should just wait 'til next year and resume my watching via disc! If you haven't watched this yet, it's some of the smartest TV writing since West Wing and the Sopranos went off the air.

I'll have to wait for the HD flavors.

I... have... become... an HD elite snob <sigh>

I'm not sure AMC even has an HD component, so it's watch in SD, or wait for next year when the BluRay disc comes out for Season 3. I too am a snob, but some things get in the way of that!

Violent storms on Sunday, and a lot of the area was without power for some reason on Monday morning. Most of Yardley seemed to be shut down, but I don't know about the Newtown area. My boxes came back to life within a few seconds of getting power back yesterday about noon.Got back late Saturday night from my vacation and was wondering when the power failure happened. The digital adapters were powered on, which always happens when a power failure occurs (and the usual appliance clocks had to be reset). At least the Phillies are still in first place. Barely.

Now, for that replacement display. Got my info. Time to hit the stores.

Hope your vacation was a good one, and that you are now feeding the economy with your TV purchase! Good luck during the hunt.

GG - Welcome back from (I hope) a great vacation.

Looking forward to hearing what your replacement turns out to be.

Hunting report: Success!! Dollars pumped into the local economy, but next county over. :)

I just pulled the trigger on the Sammy PN63B550 plasma. Got a good deal over at Ed's TV (http://eds-tv.com/) in Hatfield (North of the Montgomeryville mall). I wasn't interested in any internet or networking "features", so the basic model is just fine for me. With tacks, it was very close to internet price. I even negotiated on the delivery fee.

This is not a chain, been in business for a long time. The salesman recommended to not get the extended warranty, as it's covered for 2 years (I used AMEX buyer's assurance). I have some time to think about it if I change my mind. Ed's TV is a warranty service station for everything they sell.

During my hunt, I stopped at another local store in Montgomeryville and saw the Pioneer 141FD. Dang it! Wish I didn't stop... All the units were sold out anyway.

The higher-end Sammy models, "6" and "8" series, only go up to 58" display sizes. Coming from a 67" DLP, I would not have been happy to downgrade this much- even for a slight improvement in PQ.

The Panny "V10" series is not available yet (this week or so) and it's a significant jump in price for the same size. So, I got the Sammy. I figure that I'll be tweaking things anyway (after burn-in). Delivery expected by this weekend.

FWIW, Best Buy had the highest prices.

Woo-Hoo!!! Conga-rat's on the new display!!!

I know that you will love the Sammy when you get it in the house, set up, broken in (yes, I FIRMLY believe in that for plasma), tweaked and settle back with Hubby and dim the lights, to watch a nice blu-ray (now you need an Oppo BSP-83)!!!

Does it offer an ISF cal mode, or can you accomplish that via a "service menu" mode? I'm not intimate with them, nor have I followed the Sammy threads.

Ed's has a very good reputation for being "good guys". A couple neighbors have done biz with them and felt that they were treated fair and pricing was good. I's always nice to get a good deal *and* buy from someone reputable. Good work there!!!

Sooooooo.... if they did have a 141 left, what were the odds of you coming home with one of them? LOL :) Hey - no worries. The Sammy is a great panel.

I knew once you saw LCD/LED live in person, that you'd end up with a plasma :) How horrible did you find the motion blur and off-axis viewing? For me, I wouldn't take one if they gave it to me.

Best of luck for many years of enjoyable viewing! FIOS viewing, that is (maintaining some semblance of on-topic)!!

Tanks! I saw the difference between LCD and plasma immediately at Ed's. The salesman tried to sway my decision to LCD. However, once he saw that I had my heart set on plasma, he wanted me to be happy and offered to get me whatever I wanted.The higher prices of the Panny's didn't seem to be justified compared to the Sammy. I felt very comfortable doing biz with them.

I didn't see an ISF cal mode in the manual and just started surfing the owner's thread in the display forum.

As for off-axis viewing, I did see some degradation, but it wasn't severe. However, if I can see it in the store, it will be much worse at home.

Early DLPs are known to have rainbow effects due to the color wheel. My Sammy DLP never had any of these artifacts. However, my eyes weren't comfortable watching the LCDs. Something didn't seem right, which I'm attributing to some sort of artifacting or motion blur. The plasmas were just easy to look at.

Back on topic - I was starting to get used to the PQ on my 26" Toshiba consumer grade CRT. Not bad on HDMI.

Told ya so :)

You'ra plasma girl now!

...Something didn't seem right, which I'm attributing to some sort of artifacting or motion blur. The plasmas were just easy to look at....
Congrats! Come hockey season, you're going to pat yourself on the back for choosing the plasma...no streak across the screen as the puck moves! BestBuy had a demo video that showed different scenes across their panel display. Snow scenes made the LCDs really wake up, with bright whites vs. the tan/gray snow of the plasmas, but they had one scene of a Notre Dame running back heading down the sidelines for a touchdown (I know, that hasn't happened in several years). On the LCDs, there was a gold tracer of his helmet that proved to me that plasma was the only way to go for a panel that I would be using for all sports.

I would imagine your DLP rear projection also had a sweet spot for viewing, and got less bright as you moved off axis. The Samsung won't do that, so you'll have a larger viewing area now. Enjoy the panel, and let us know how you like it after you have some time with it. As Steve said, now it's time for that Oppo to make it really shine!

Calibrated properly, any good plasma will NOT have tan.gray snow or whites. I have a 141 and the reproduction of snow scenes and the whites of sports uniforms is spot on. I have seen the new Sammy's calibrated and they have excellent color accuracy with pristine whites as well. If Geekgirl is ever looking to get a great calibration, I can recommend two of the best.

Not all plasma's are created equal :)

That's why we have our 141's!!!

However, the Sammy that she bought can be dialed in to give faithful reproduction of greyscale, which will give her perfect whites. Black level, OTOH, not so much. But, plasmas in general are getting close to the Kuro reference.

Don't remind me. That 141 was spectacular... However, a 60" display is too small for what I wanted. Buyers remorse would have set in.

There's another aspect to proper viewing setup - the background lighting behind the display needs to be about 10% luminance compared to white. That makes a huge difference in perceived PQ. Discussed here: D65 Video Bias Lighting- Fundamental Theory And Practice (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=16817598) and elsewhere. I've already got that covered.

I'm waiting to watch that puck go end-to-end across the living room. I'll think about the calibration.

I was blown away by how much of a difference this actually makes. It is definitely NOT snake oil.

There are a couple of ways to do this:

http://www.cinemaquestinc.com/ideal_lume.htm is perhaps the easiest turn-key solution.

Or, you can do a DYI method by going to a lighting store and getting a D65 lamp. This would be more inexpensive,but you have to fabricate the setting to accommodate.

Being me, I chose option #2 :)

GG - you have about 200 hours of break in and another 100 +/-, before you even consider calibration. That said, I bet you end up doing it yourself.

I use the ideal lumen and it works great. In addition to giving the picture more depth, it also helps to reduce eye strain in a totally dark room, which is great for me as I have to sometimes watch 3 Blu-rays a night to get my reviews out on time. Don't consider a calibration, get it done as it will greatly improve the performance of your set.

Calibrated properly, any good plasma will NOT have tan.gray snow or whites....
Agreed...I was speaking of the panel comparison in a big box store. Please PM me with the two names of calibrators.

I like HDTV technology as much as anybody, but this off-topic conversation is going a little far. Not trying to be rude :)

Perhaps there will be something worth discussing regarding Verizon soon. It's been pretty boring on that front lately. I actually welcome the distraction.

Point taken, though :)

Any on topic thoughts?

Hunting report: Success!! Dollars pumped into the local economy, but next county over. :)

I just pulled the trigger on the Sammy PN63B550 plasma. Got a good deal over at Ed's TV (http://eds-tv.com/) in Hatfield (North of the Montgomeryville mall). I wasn't interested in any internet or networking "features", so the basic model is just fine for me. With tacks, it was very close to internet price. I even negotiated on the delivery fee.

This is not a chain, been in business for a long time. The salesman recommended to not get the extended warranty, as it's covered for 2 years (I used AMEX buyer's assurance). I have some time to think about it if I change my mind. Ed's TV is a warranty service station for everything they sell.

During my hunt, I stopped at another local store in Montgomeryville and saw the Pioneer 141FD. Dang it! Wish I didn't stop... All the units were sold out anyway.

The higher-end Sammy models, "6" and "8" series, only go up to 58" display sizes. Coming from a 67" DLP, I would not have been happy to downgrade this much- even for a slight improvement in PQ.

The Panny "V10" series is not available yet (this week or so) and it's a significant jump in price for the same size. So, I got the Sammy. I figure that I'll be tweaking things anyway (after burn-in). Delivery expected by this weekend.

FWIW, Best Buy had the highest prices.

Eds tv is one of the worst stores and experiences I ever had. So bad that I boycott them for life and tell everyone the experience I had so that they don't buy from them. Basically they sold me a used or display model tv with like so many hours on the tv it would have taken me a year or more to put on it. That's called sellig used goods as new and is considered fraud. They were pissed I caught them and then the young punk nephew of the owner threatened me and made other coents which if I went to the news or papers with it they would have been done in the business. At the time there was also another bad seed tv Nazi guy that worked there. Unless they are under new ownership I wouldn't patronize them.

If you want local non chain then bob and rons down te street would be a much better choice.

Also isn't 6ave.com have a store in that area bow which is good since circuit city closed. Also hh Greg is bring a store or more to the Philadelphia area.

I hate best buy as much as the bet guy but they do prie match and the reward zone points makes it not a bad choice sometimes. As long as there is competition for best buy they aren't so bad. It was just worrisome I'm that area when circuit city closed cus you don't want best buy to be the only guy in town. Luckily 6ave is around there now and bob & rons. But tweeter closed too I guess so hopefully hh Greg comes soon.

Cancel your order with eds though, they are the worst there is unless it's under new ownership which idoubt. Eds puts a lot of ads in local circulars etc claiming they won allthese awards for being a great merchant but it's all bs and they are the worst I ever dealt with.

Sorry for my third post in a row but now for some fios questions because I plan on switching back soon.

Had comcast and switched to fios a few years ago when it was pretty new. O got pissed when they didn't have tbshd for the phillies playoffs a few years ago. Also they didn't have HD on demand like comcast.

Figured I just had comcast previously and directv had 5x more HD channels so went with D*, big mistake. No clock on the box, not really any HD on demand and the vod they do have didn't come to after I had it awhile and it requires downloading it so it's nt really on dand and takes ain't time even with a fios high speed wired connection, goes out in severe weather like heavy rain and wind which while it has only happened a few times it is a factor and has effected both a dvr'd program at least once and a live sporting event at least once.

Worst of all they do not have comcast sports net, gasp. And the phillies games are usually blacked out on directv for this reason including when it's on espn. I don't k ow how directv gets any customers in the philadelpbia area. I guess of you pay for the MLB package you'd get the games bit to not have the rsn in this area is a fail. They lied to me last year and said they won a battle I. Court and would have csn phily by this past spring. Well that was obviously a lie.

I mean granted it's comcast who is blocking them from carrying it with loop hole that let's them get away with it so they are the bad guy but fact is directv doesn't have it and didn't givens the MLB package or anything to make up for it.

Bottom line is the advantages of directv and all the special features are far outweighed by the negatives so it's long overdo to get rid of them and I have to figure a way out of the 2 yr contract a few months early.

Fios should be much better now.

Do they have the black & silver moto HD dvr boxes like comcast has? Cus that is what I have with comcast and like it better then the ugly silver and red verizon moto boxes.

Do they have as much HD on demand as comcast now?

Does fios have as many or more hd channels as comcast? When will they catch up to directv on # of HD channels? I think comcast claims they havemore then Fios cus they count HD on demand so I guess fios still doesn't have as much HD ondawnad as comcast? Also I remember hearing not long ago that a lot of fios's HD on dEmand was short useless stuff.

I felt like the sd & HD pq was best on fios most notably on the sd which is I
operant for cjans like g4 (owned by comcast) that don't have HD. Directv ses to have the worst sd and even HD quality of the 3.

Can't wait to get rid of directv and paying $90-100/mo for one comcast HD dvr box. Which recently went out and then cr back all pixelated and no sound and unwatchable bit now of course came back just before the service appointment.

We already have phone and Internet with fios and have equiPment so theymay just have to upgrade our fios tv equipment and find the cable wires run from it and going to the diff tvs cus while i did have new lines ran For directv, I switch most of the old lines fom fios to comcast (so I could hey my comcast feed with no box on those tvs with directv boxes as an alternative but never made use of it) so I hope it's not going to be lot of trouble for them to find the lines from the fios feed and get them to the tvs.

I'm thinking they are the best overall choicefor me so I ca have just them instead of directv and comcast which is ridiculous and just stick with them for awhile now as they should have the tech and the bandwidth to surpass comcast and match directv and their satelites.

It just seemed like for awhile that even comcast was adding new HD Chans awhile back and fios was doing nothing and I know comcast had more HD Chans (including tbshd back when fios didnt) then fios plus HD on demand that fios didn't have and sounds like they are in a bit of a slow time again since ppl said there was nothing new and resorted to talking about tvs which personally I'm fine with but also want to find out a out the current offering of fios tv and how it compares to the 2 other main competitors on our area though at this point I would t even count directv as competition since it doesnt have sportsnet.

Fios should be much better now.

It is - much better!

Do they have the black & silver moto HD dvr boxes like comcast has? Cus that is what I have with comcast and like it better then the ugly silver and red verizon moto boxes.

The DVR boxes are silver Moto boxes. QIP7216 and QIP 6416.

Do they have as much HD on demand as comcast now?

Arguably no. But, seeing as though comcrap's HD is compressed and horrible, more is NOT better.

Does fios have as many or more hd channels as comcast?

More. And, they are all uncompressed, full bandwidth.

When will they catch up to directv on # of HD channels?

Probably, but right now they (IMHO) have all the popular ones and are adding more.

I think comcast claims they havemore then Fios cus they count HD on demand so I guess fios still doesn't have as much HD ondawnad as comcast? Also I remember hearing not long ago that a lot of fios's HD on dEmand was short useless stuff.

They do claim that... it's BS. Sure, counting on demand - perhaps. From an HD channel count perspective... not even close. If you are looking at current on demand movies, they are all the same. FIOS' library is not as extensive as comcrap, though.


I felt like the sd & HD pq was best on fios most notably on the sd which is I
operant for cjans like g4 (owned by comcast) that don't have HD. Directv ses to have the worst sd and even HD quality of the 3.

FIOS has the best HD PQ <period>

Can't wait to get rid of directv and paying $90-100/mo for one comcast HD dvr box. Which recently went out and then cr back all pixelated and no sound and unwatchable bit now of course came back just before the service appointment.

Call FIOS and ask what they can do to help you get out of your contract. They may give you bill credits for the early term fees.


It just seemed like for awhile that even comcast was adding new HD Chans awhile back and fios was doing nothing and I know comcast had more HD Chans (including tbshd back when fios didnt) then fios plus HD on demand that fios didn't have and sounds like they are in a bit of a slow time again since ppl said there was nothing new and resorted to talking about tvs which personally I'm fine with but also want to find out a out the current offering of fios tv and how it compares to the 2 other main competitors on our area though at this point I would t even count directv as competition since it doesnt have sportsnet.

You should be able to compare the channel lineups by going to their web sites. There you will also find out pricing and deals.

Eds tv is one of the worst stores and experiences I ever had. So bad that I boycott them for life and tell everyone the experience I had so that they don't buy from them. Basically they sold me a used or display model tv with like so many hours on the tv it would have taken me a year or more to put on it.

This happens all the time, from all retailers. It's called "open box".

I would NEVER buy anything that is not in a factory sealed box, from anyone.

That's called sellig used goods as new and is considered fraud.

Only if they represented it as NEW. Was this the case?

It's official. The first complaint of the (pre) season is in: WPVI-SD is about 7 seconds behind WYSP 94.1 FM for tonight's Eagles game. Watching on DCT-700 digital adapter (SD).

Quatre - you'll find more info over on DSl Reports Verizon FiOS forum: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/vzfiostv There's a lot of Philly members over there.

Some things never change <sigh>

Since you're watching SD, I'm guessing the new Sammy has not yet arrived. Hope it comes tomorrow, so you can spend the weekend playing :)

Looking forward to a full report!

...The first complaint of the (pre) season is in: WPVI-SD is about 7 seconds behind WYSP 94.1 FM for tonight's Eagles game....
What a coincidence...the radio broadcasting industry has a rule called "7 second delay!" :p

It's official. The first complaint of the (pre) season is in: WPVI-SD is about 7 seconds behind WYSP 94.1 FM for tonight's Eagles game. Watching on DCT-700 digital adapter (SD).

Quatre - you'll find more info over on DSl Reports Verizon FiOS forum: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/vzfiostv There's a lot of Philly members over there.

And it's a shame because the new ETN broadcast team is dreadful, in particular Kevin Reilly. I really like Hugh Douglas a lot, but he kept repeating the same thing about how young the players are. No kidding, it's preseason, and this is the only time the coaches can take a long hard look at the newbies. Herm Edwards is okay, but he is getting drowned out by Hugh, who I think was just excited to be there...

Hugh does the same thing on any radio program...he just doesn't know when to shut up. And, why do these guys need to call the others "Coach" when they were never coached by that person, and that person is not employed as a coach?

Hugh does the same thing on any radio program...he just doesn't know when to shut up. And, why do these guys need to call the others "Coach" when they were never coached by that person, and that person is not employed as a coach?

I guess it's a sign of respect. Yesterday at the Vick press conferences they referred to Tony Dungy as Coach Dungy.

Plasma is up and running. Wow. :) Ed's TV delivered exactly as promised, on-time, and was very helpful to move the shell of my 67" DLP out to the garage. I gutted the DLP to lighten the weight and for stress reduction "therapy".

I fired up the HDNet test pattern (saved in my STB) and saw that the color pluge pattern was off (couldn't see the "10" in the lower number chart). I changed the STB's setup menu (HDMI --> Additional Settings) to change the color space from RGB to YCC 4:4:4, but it didn't make any difference.

I'll experiment with it later. Further comments will be in the Samsung owner's thread. Back to FiOS...

Glad to see you are up and running. How dim was the room when you tried to do the setup? You may want to experiment with different picture modes for day and night...bright light will wash out a plasma more so that other sets.

First, conga-rats on the delivery/installation. Glad to hear that it is up and running without issue. Not sure about your feelings on plasma break in, however, I am a *firm* believer that the first 150-200 hours are uber-critical. If you can, I'd highly recommend performing break in. I'm sure the Sammy threads will direct you to the appropriate place to get the images and settings.

I have found that the HDNet patterns require some adjustments. I was not at all pleased with the results when using them. I ended up abandoning them and used DVE and/or Spears & Munsil discs.

You have a 6416, right? How did you get to the setup menu?

EDIT: never mind, I figured it out... power, OK, menu.

I watched the first episode of the new season of Mad Men last night on AMC, our channel 231. It appears that, while not a high def feed, there was a 16:9 picture with very nice definition. I was more interested in the content of the show than to try to figure what I was getting (I have my panel set to stretch the screen for 4:3 images), so can anyone confirm that AMC broadcasts in their HD aspect ratio on the standard def channel?

The movie running now (7:30 PM) is 4:3, no letter box.

4:3 override is set to Off on my STB.

Thanks! I checked it on one of my other panels last night, and sure enough, it was 4:3 width, but must have been a wide movie, as it had black bars top and bottom also! Normally my Pioneer takes a second or so to switch to Wide mode when I encounter a 4:3 aspect, but I must have turned away before looking at the screen. I wish we could add this HD channel since it does exist on other cable companies' lineups.

I'm not fond of watching commercials during movies. That's the down side of AMC.

:cool: Awesome!!! :cool: Anyone watching the Phillies game on CSN-HD catch that double-lightning strike just before they broke for the rain delay? Two strikes, the first one to the right side of the shot, the 2nd behind the light tower. The cloud cover rapidly moving in prior to the rain didn't look half-bad, either. IMHO, CSN-HD still has the lead on best PQ.

I paused and replayed it on my DVR. Took some doing to get a freeze frame, as the skip is longer than the strikes. It would have also looked awesome on my former DLP (but not as much as the plasma)...:p

Thunderstorms on the way. Time to double check the UPS...

yes, i did... :) that was my hint that it was time to run around the house and close the windows.. :D whatever they get at the bank, we get about 5 minutes later...

yes, i did... :) that was my hint that it was time to run around the house and close the windows.. :D whatever they get at the bank, we get about 5 minutes later...

I always have the opposite experience in Chester county - I see the bad weather outside and I know the Phillies have another 20 minutes until it hits South Philly.

so does Fiostv have AMC HD or not?

i had comcast first in this house over 5 years ago, then fiostv then when they didn't have TBSHD for the phillies playoffs i switched to directv. big mistake, directv sucks, doesn't have csn (i know how did i ever even agree to getting directv with no csn and the answer is i had to keep a comcast hd dvr box which is rediculous to pay for both) I got sucked into the fact that directv had like more then 5x the # of hd chans that others had and at the time comcast had taken the lead in hd chans over comcast but i wasn't going back to then. the way i used to watch tv is i would browse strictly hd chans so there was much much much more on directv.

but it goes out in extreme weather though very rarely we have had in 2 years at least one or 2 dvr'd programs lose a few minutes that were important and ruins the show and i've had at least one important penn state college football go out in a heavy rain storm which made us have to run to the room with the comcast hd box. why have directv then.

they lied to me and said they finally won the court battle against comcast who had found a loop hole to keep directv from getting csn philadelphia even though directv has the rsn including comcast sportsnet for most other cities. they still dont have it.

i'll have to see if they have amc hd but i also saw this article and info about posted on the general comcast theread

http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2009/08/14/bus_544321.shtml

looks like comcast is getting like 39 new hd channels soon in sept. are they going to take a major lead in # of hd chans over fios again? are they currently even or does one have a few more then the other.

i'm between going back to comcast or fiostv and heavily leaned toward fios cus i know its the better sd and hd pq (though mostly sd is noticeable but hey that is important cus i hate sd but if the chan only has sd then fios gives you the best pq)

i noticed one of the new chans is G4 which i always wanted in HD though i never watch it anymore i would now in HD. i'm just concerned that comcast owns g4 tech tv and will try to stop fios and directv from getting it.

we have fios data and phone so it would be best to just go with fios tv but i need to be open to comcast if it is competing in features, # of hd chans and price. i

i know i can't get sucked into # of hd chans cus thats how i ended up stuck in a directv contract and i know comcast compresses and that their technology should limit them at some point while fios should have the technology and bandwidth to keep up with directv and their satelites (directv is launching a new sat in end of 2009/early 2010 which will add more hd chans) i think comcast is only able to add more now after getting rid of analog chans.

but if fios has the technology and bandwidth how come they go long periods with no new additions and have let comcast surpass them in # of hd chans let alone keeping up with directv. and it took them so long to get hd on demand and i heard that even then a lot of fios hd on demand was useless 5 min bs.

how level is the playing field now as far as # of hd chans and hd on demand between comcast and fios tv?

Here are the FiOS channels for Philly (http://www22.verizon.com/NROneRetail/NR/rdonlyres/B9D24ACF-594B-4B5B-9FEE-105AEDA1219E/0/SEPA2_Web_CLU.pdf). The HD channels that are part of the HD Extreme package are between 510 and 781. FiOS is a much better deal than Comcast. I'm paying about $40 less per month than I would be paying with Comcast. See if Verizon will give you a promotional deal. If they won't, tell them you're going with Comcast.

OT... but in the context of weather related coolness...

I'm in Denver and we had some pretty severe storms yesterday. I was up in Broomfield, looking out over the plains and the clouds were really dark & thick. Then someone noticed a funnel spout forming and we watched that from birth until it vanished in the clouds. I saw on the news that it was a pretty nasty one, that plowed through Lafayette.

First time I ever saw a tornado - hope it's the last. It was pretty awesome (not in a cool way). I'm looking forward to coming home to the heat wave tomorrow.

Hopefully, the DVR didn't crap out with all the storms back there.

Hey, I managed to finish up on-topic :)

Here are the FiOS channels for Philly (http://www22.verizon.com/NROneRetail/NR/rdonlyres/B9D24ACF-594B-4B5B-9FEE-105AEDA1219E/0/SEPA2_Web_CLU.pdf). The HD channels that are part of the HD Extreme package are between 510 and 781. FiOS is a much better deal than Comcast. I'm paying about $40 less per month than I would be paying with Comcast. See if Verizon will give you a promotional deal. If they won't, tell them you're going with Comcast.

yeah this has really sucked with directv with no comcast sportsnet philadelphia. what happened was they had finally won a ruling in court to get it after years of comcast finding a loophole to block them from carrying it just so comcast has one less competitor in the philadelphia region but then comcast appealed the ruling which originall favored directv, so they never got csn philly.

also had some annoying audio drop outs and artifacting on a local hd chan, called up and told them how we can't wait to get rid of it with no rsn (at which point he told me about the appeal and why i was told they would be getting it last year and now didnt and to be honest its not directv's fault, they tried, comcast is just evil) .

I told him we aren't going to pay the etf even if its only like $50 or something with only a couple months left on our contract and that i need csn before phillies season is over as its ridiculous i have to run to a diff room with the comcast hd dvr box to watch the phillies on csn. i had told them they should give philly subscribers the mlb channel in the past during baseball season but he said it would even blacked out on that too if its only on csn since directv doesn't have csn, terrible.

he said there is no use giving you any credits for the malfunctioning service because you made up your mind to get rid of it but then when i told him he should at least try to retain us because we will evaluate the bill and price we pay for the service, he did end up not only doing a $10/mo credit but also an additional one to cover the hd service or whatever so i think 20/mo. at this rate i should prob keep directv but eff this. paying for directv and comcast is stupid.

fios is probably the best so i'm still pretty set on going with just them instead of directv and either comcast or fios as a backup for when directv goes out in bad weather and for csn. he also told me it really shouldn't go out and found out that my signal to one of the sats at least was a little weak which is why it would go out in severe weather. i paid for a 5/mo protection plan which covers realigning the dish which we never had done so i should make use of that and he set up an appointment.

still most likely going to go with fios but still have some questions.

thanks for the channel lineup but how does that compare to comcast and directv as far as # of hd chans? i'm sure that info is available without having to looking at the channel lineup of all 3 and counting them up.

back when i had fios it was more then comcast, then comcast surpassed them and then directv blew them both away with like 5-10x more. but quantity over quality was a bad way to go. i told the csrep that both the sd and hd pq was worse on directv then comcast and fios with fios being slight better then comcast. He said he had seen and heard the opposite but i called bs though we decided it could be dependent on area and that i must just be in a good comcast and fios area cus pq on both is surprisingly good.

maybe i was comparing the csn hd pq on my comcast box to phly 17 in hd on directv in which i was having audio drop out and some artifacting due to a weak line of sight to the sat but still.

I guess my main questions are

1. what are all the choices for tv service in the Philadelphia area, particularly Montgomery County?
Just Fiostv, Comcast, Directv, and Dish (which i wouldn't consider because though they have made big improvements and supposedly added 1080p, i've always known them to be worse then directv and if we weren't happy with directv then we aren't going to be happy with Dish)

I guess we dont have ATT uverse in our areas?

2. of the main 3 who has the most hd chans?
I'm assuming directv sstill does but i already learned not to go for quantity over quality. I just hope fios keeps at it as far as competing cus that really wasn't cool when they didn't have TBSHD a couple years ago and what caused me to get rid of them cus teh phillies playoffs were only in hd on tbs. ironic that i swtiched to a service that then doesn't even have csn hd, doh.
i just didn't want to switch back to comcast after just having them before fios.
I think I posted an article about it and saw on the comcast thread about comcast adding all these new hd chans and other features/services soon in sept. directv is launcing a new satelite which goes live the beginning of the new year. i know you can't always switch around to whoever has the most hd chans at the moment but with both comcast and directv adding new chans etc. id hate to switch to fios if they are laying back on their laurels and are going to be behind for awhile right when i switch to them.

3. what hd and hd dvr boxes is fiostv using? I know before they were using the ugly silver moto boxes like comcast but now comcast has the nicer looking silver and black models which though are hard to get and you have to go to the offices to get them cus the techs all have the old ones refurbished but still at least they have somethign different

what boxes is fios tv using?

Also, the directv guy (although not the best source obviously but this guy was really nice and honest as they put their best nicest smartest guys on retention/cancelation dept.) said that he read that fios suffered from lack of bandwidth in your home because everything comes from the same source so if you have mutlple hd boxes and internet with them like we do, if you have more then one running at once it can be a problem. I didn't really beleive that but i guess its possible though the did admit that was only with lower speed and we have a high enough speed data connection that it can handle mutlple boxes and all that though id hate to think that if we had 2 more more hd boxes running and the internet that my speeds would be slowed or anything.

fios did just do some upgrading of the lines under ground recently and not sure why they do stuff like that out the blue when it wasn't for a service call for us or any of the neighbors but either way all of a sudden our internet speed is increased fairly significantly so it must have been an upgrade to the lines. they do tear up the grass a little bit but they put it all back neatly and even put sod if they need to.

But they messed up my comcast line which is my only source of csn so i had them come out and they saw the signal was super weak so it seemed obviouis that fios accidentally hopefully and not purposely cut or damaged the comcast line when they did whatever they did.

the comcast rep starting trying to pull up my grass to swee where the lines where which was annoying cus he made more of a mess and didn't put it back as well as verizon did. he ended up running a wire from the outside main comcast box on the street which luckily was only one house away direct to our house which then the comcast tv feed worked perfect but neighbors are prob pissed with a visible line running in front of driveways and stuff and t hey probably think we are stealing cable.

what a mess. i already have so many wires running cus most of the comcast, fios, and directv lines are all separate.

I just hope the fios install will be easy for that reason since i have most of the equipment and lines run, so its just a matter of them finding the verizon lines and getting them to the tvs.

also i didnt' know that fios goes out in bad weather ever. never did for us and neither did comcast but im curious about that since that is one of the main reasons we are switching from directv.

http://www.xchangemag.com/hotnews/verizon-fios-challenges-directv-hdtv-leader.html

so that answers some of my question though its looks like its from january. directv was way in the lead and when i left fiostv, comcast actually had a few more but since then fios basically caught up to directv which is pretty amazing and that article also verifies what i thought that fios technology should have the bandwidth to keep up with directv and their satelites while cable like comcast will have bandwidth limitations.

seems to me like fios is the way to go for the bandwidth but not the problems of sat.

still i wonder what the latest update is.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/home-theater/?p=325

another article saying basically the same thing i guess that fios and directv lead in hd chans but its also old being feb. 2009

this brings up my other important question.

how does fiostv compare to comcast as far as on demand, especially hd on demand. that was another reason we left fios cus they didn't have on demand or no hd on demand at the time like comcast. even though we went to directv that had no ond emand at first either and then got vod which you have to dl but again i didn't want to go back to comcast which had before fios so figured id try directv and got sucked into the # of hd chans though now i kind of wish i haddn't because of all the install issues, boxes with no time on the front, no csn philly, going out in weather etc.

i heard fios on demand wasn't sto great but that was a while ago, if it hasn't already i'm sure it will eventually be as good as comcast on demand and have as much hd on demand. i dont see why they couldn't keep up with them on that. and anyway comcast has have a lot of hd on demand becaue in the end they wont be able to keep up with the others in hd chans and i'd probably rather have more live hd chans like with fios then just more hd on demand and less chans like comcast.

http://www.tvpredictions.com/2008/07/comcast-sees-hd-light-but-verizon-going.html

interesting article and seems to state that Comcasts latest word was that they wouldn;t be just depending on hd on demand and were now going to try to upgrade their bandwidth so they can offer more hd chans. thats a good sign but i wouldnt count on that anytime soon. the article states that Verizons latest word was shying away from offering more hd chans which is dumb and the author agrees but to me theya re still the better bet cus the minute they figure that out they can basically start offering more since they supposedly have the bandwidth without paying for more infrastructure.

so i'm not really afraid of comcast having more hd chans anytime soon.

http://www.tvpredictions.com/2008/07/comcast-sees-hd-light-but-verizon-going.html

interesting article and seems to state that Comcasts latest word was that they wouldn;t be just depending on hd on demand and were now going to try to upgrade their bandwidth so they can offer more hd chans. thats a good sign but i wouldnt count on that anytime soon. the article states that Verizons latest word was shying away from offering more hd chans which is dumb and the author agrees but to me theya re still the better bet cus the minute they figure that out they can basically start offering more since they supposedly have the bandwidth without paying for more infrastructure.

so i'm not really afraid of comcast having more hd chans anytime soon.

I think FiOS On Demand is worthless. It has much less content then Comcast. But when I had Comcast I didn't use On Demand often, anyway. My kids like FiOS On Demand.

Comcast has a fixed bandwidth that is currently filled to capacity. When they say they are upgrading their bandwidth, it means they are eliminating analog channels to free up some bandwidth.

I think FiOS On Demand is worthless....
Generally, I agree. Comcast's On Demand is much easier to navigate and the selections are much greater. However, how often do we really use that feature except to find a show that you've missed. FiOS has much better picture quality and number of HD channels, and isn't that what it's all about anyway?

Generally, I agree. Comcast's On Demand is much easier to navigate and the selections are much greater. However, how often do we really use that feature except to find a show that you've missed. FiOS has much better picture quality and number of HD channels, and isn't that what it's all about anyway?

I agree. Comcast has a much larger VOD library because they've been at it for much longer than FiOS has been around. Another thing I've noticed with Comcast VOD is that most of the free VOD content is just filler. Having 10,000 VOD titles in the library does not mean having 10,000 pieces of content that are desired and even viewed at all.

I have FiOS HD DVR box and if I miss something there is a 95% chance that it'll be repeated a few days later anyway. So I'll just have it recorded to watch later.

Quatre-

To answer your question - FIOS has more HD than Comcast right now in the Philly area.

FIOS will continue to have more HD than Comcast after they do their analog reclaim over the next 2-3 months and finally add more HD.

Someone just did a comparison over on DSL Reports, and FIOS also beats DirecTV on # of HD channels.

I forget where it is located, but there's a spreadsheet on this Forum that is constantly updated showing the various cable providers and the full lineup of channels available throughout the country. FiOS was the leader in HD by quite a bit when I last viewed the sheet.

Quatre - FiOS and Comcast don't lose signal in bad weather. Maybe in a really, really intense thunderstorm that sits on top of the headend ground station, but that's about it.

I'm comparing Eagles (Fox HD) vs. Phillies coverage (CSN-HD). Interesting:

Picture Quality - CSN-HD looks right. Fox-HD seems to have compressed blacks and saturated reds. Is this due to the extra processing by the broadcast network chain (compression, etc.)? Tough to tell, as my new display isn't broken in, but I can see differences. I can also see this to a lesser extent on the SD channels via my digital adapter's (DCT-700) composite output.

Audio Quality - Not to forget this. I fired up my audio system and immediately realized that I need to compensate for the audio delay of my new display. My AV receiver delay is still calibrated for my old display.

Comcast's coupling of sound effects with the graphics are annoying. Good quality in 5.1, but annoying. I don't need to hear any fancy "swoosh" effects with graphics. They do a good job and it sounds like someone is monitoring the audio feed to reflect the game in progress. IOW, they are changing the surround sound based on the game. I also hear sounds from a mike or two down on the field somewhere. Nice.

Fox seems to stick with standard audience background and the announcers in the center channel. They also have field mike coverage. No annoying graphics "swoosh" sounds.

I'll be calibrating my system with my Oppo BDP-83, just arrived today :).

Is there any difference in audio delay between the Verizon STB and the Oppo DVD player? Just wanted to know if anyone has already gone through this process specifically with this STB (QIP-6416). I assume I'll have to align the STB first, then compensate with any differences with the Oppo.

I think it's all about your connections and the AVR. With HDMI from the Oppo to my Denon, there's no sync problems. With my DVR, I run HDMI to the panel and digital coax to the AVR. There are times when certain channels will cause a sync problem, but most are all on the money. I think you may just need to keep everything as default, and then if necessary for a particular show, address the sync.

By the way, the S&M calibration disc included with the Oppo is the best disc I've ever used for panel setup. Keep the Oppo at its factory default settings and adjust the panel's picture settings to achieve the calibration.

We should finally see the Big 10 overflows and Hallmark Movie SD go live Thursday morning (8/27).

Am I the only one seeing problems with WPVI-HD?

Today, every time the frame changed, it had to re-focus. The audio is still horrible and getting worse.

This new picture thing really pissed me off, so much that I had to change channels and watch the afternoon news on CBS.

We should finally see the Big 10 overflows and Hallmark Movie SD go live Thursday morning (8/27).
Great news on the Big Ten Network being available prior to the start of the football season...thanks for the info!

Am I the only one seeing problems with WPVI-HD?....
Can't say I was watching it, but a similar problem was happening to Spike all afternoon today...major pixelation and audio dropouts.

This wasn't pixelation... it was EVERY TIME a scene changes, the first 1/4 of a second of the new scene is out of focus. Then it comes right back into focus and remains that way, until the next scene change, then it happens again.

I've never seen anything like this before.

Big 10 overflows (330-333) and Hallmark Movies SD (239) finally live this morning!

What is the MSNBC on channel 1545? Why the repetition of the SD signal?

What is the MSNBC on channel 1545? Why the repetition of the SD signal?

LA CONEXIÓN. Spanish language, I guess.

Ah, that would make sense, however, it was just the same broadcast yesterday as on 103. I saw it when I was trying to record the Matthew's show on the Kennedys.

Whispers are rampant today about VZ running full blast to get us the new NFL Red Zone channel live by the time the season starts in 2 weekends. (Comcast and DISH Network previously announced carriage).

This would be an EXCELLENT addition IMO. Stay tuned for more info...

Anything additional for the NFL season is good news!

Anything about hockey in the works? Preseason starts Sept. 16.

Official PR came out today regarding Red Zone...

From what I know..

SD - 335
HD - 835

You should see it show up mid-next week, however it won't be "live" until right before the games on Sunday, 9/13.

Big coup for Verizon FIOS! :D And for football fans (which I am!)

Well, Red Zone is official. We should see it show up next Wednesday 9/9 - on the channel positions I mentioned - although the channel will not "GO LIVE" until right before the 1pm kickoffs on Sunday, 9/13.

However - it will be an ala carte selection - and you will need to pay $49.99 to have the channel for the NFL season. Ordering will be available starting 9/10.

In other news - sometime between 9/28 and 10/1 the following channels will be added:

Epix (SD and HD)
AMC HD
IFC HD
Fuse HD
We HD

Enjoy the holiday weekend!

Great news about the AMC HD channel being available for us Mad Men watchers!

I'll have to explore what the Red Zone channel brings to see if it's worth the $50 to add onto my burgeoning FiOS account costs!

The Big Ten Network announced last night that the PSU/Syracuse game will be televised on the high def channel next Saturday.

Red Zone is now live on 335 / 835, but I am told that ordering will not be possible until at least tomorrow.

Enjoy!

Wow, $50 for the Red Zone channel? What a rip off. Comcast and DirecTv aren't charging anything extra. I wonder what the story is behind this.

Great news about the AMC HD channel being available for us Mad Men watchers!

And for people looking forward to the Prisoner.

Too bad most of these require special packages to appreciate.

BCarlsen-

Comcast and DISH are requiring you to have their Sports Packages, which cost extra per month. Since FIOS TV no longer offers one (unless you're stuck in NY), they had to recoup the costs somehow, hence the $50.

BCarlsen-

Comcast and DISH are requiring you to have their Sports Packages, which cost extra per month. Since FIOS TV no longer offers one (unless you're stuck in NY), they had to recoup the costs somehow, hence the $50.

I thought the NFL is asking about $.25 per customer from Verizon, where did $50 per year come from? The Comcast sports package is like $7/month - we're supposed to believe that this channel alone is worth more than $12/month?

Just got FIOS TV installed today. So far so good. I wish the IPG was 16:9 though. I do have one question/issue. When I change channels sometimes the channel banner changes for a split second and than goes back to the previous channel description. After about 3 seconds, the channel banner changes to the correct information. It doesn't do this on my Multi-Room DVR, but it does on my 3 HD receivers. Has anyone else had this issue? Any solution?

Just got FIOS TV installed today. So far so good. I wish the IPG was 16:9 though. I do have one question/issue. When I change channels sometimes the channel banner changes for a split second and than goes back to the previous channel description. After about 3 seconds, the channel banner changes to the correct information. It doesn't do this on my Multi-Room DVR, but it does on my 3 HD receivers. Has anyone else had this issue? Any solution?

According to jeepmatt, Verizon knows about it and will eventually fix it (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=16618302#post16618302)

...Has anyone else had this issue? Any solution?
I get this intermittently on the HD boxes. About once per week it will show this, but on mine, when you channel up or down, the banner keeps the previous channel and then switches to what you are now on.

JeepMatt,
Any info on what channel numbers will be used for the added HD stuff?

SD Padres-
Yep, this is a known issue with the 7100 HD boxes. Happens on mine too. IMG 1.7 update will correct this. We're tentative to get it in our region end of this month (but that may change). Another enhancement will be that the guide will also go 16:9, but it will be a "stretched" version. Apparently the Moto boxes can't handle a "true" 16:9 version of the guide. So, you'll "somewhat" see that issue clear up.

Jim Hef-
Not sure where Epix will go, but all the others should fall into the SD + 500 rule..

Thanks JeepMatt......I've switched from DirecTV. I do see some improvement in PQ on FIOS. So far my wife hasn't complained too much.

Thanks...I've been figuring that MSNBC will go to 603, but wasn't sure about the others.

. . . . . So far my wife hasn't complained too much.

No small feat I take it? :)

No small feat I take it? :)

She doesn't complain much. Once she figured out how to use the DirecTV DVR so didn't want to change. She's actually a great wife. Very low maintenance!

Anyone else getting a ton of annoying audio dropouts on fox HD for the eagles game? Might be fox because the audio dropped for like a whole minute at one point but continues to drop out for a second intermittently. really terrible.

I noticed a little audio dropout on a diff tv/stb the other day but to a lesser degree and don't remeber what channel it was.

I did appreciate having the Penn state game yesterday on big ten HD as that would have sucked to have switched from directv to fiostv only to not get that game on big ten HD on fios when i know directv had it.

I also was disapoonted about the 4:3 pic for sd as directv was full screen but if you go into menu, settings, video, sd override, and set it to stretch then it's full screen which I guess is all directv did also. if directv was doing full screen sd without stretching that fios box has too then that sucks but I think the pros of fios over directv outweights the cons.

Overall happy to be back on fios after almost 2 yrs. of directv with picture loss a few times in severe weather, no comcast sportsnet, bad vod that took too long to dl even with super high speed wired connection and little to no HD on demand, and no clock or channel display on the box.

Best thing about coming back to fios after comcast then fios then directv is that we finally got rid of comcast altogether. We had kept it when we got fios just for the couple siderooms with no boxes becuse fios got hardly any chans on those and had to keep it when we dropped fios a couple years ago because they didn't have TBS-HD for phillies playoffs and we didn't want to go back to comcast so we got directv because at the time it had like 5x as many hd channels as comcast or fios. But we kept comcast with one HD DVR box which comcast gouged us on big time just so I could have sports net in one room and as a backup for when directv went out in bad weather which came in major handy for a Penn state game during a big rainstorm in which it was going out.

We Have fios on one tv with no box now and do get what seems like a good amount of channels including some over the air HD like we did with comcast. It may not be as many chans as comcast cus fios supposedly scrambles more but I think the problem then was it was an analog tv so this one with the digitaltuners picks up enough for now until I can connect it to the fios HD box in the adjacent room. Can prob run component to it (since the hdmi is being used on the other tv in that room) And then get an ir blaster/repeater or something so i can use an extra remote in there to opearte the stb in the room on the other side of the wall (it's just a 2yr oldsters room so just for some kids shows) but the fios suggested little digiatl converter box for 3.99/mo would be dumb to pay for and actually lose the ota HD chans though I guess it would pick up more channels overall because of the scrambled ones.

Fios should just leave most of it open and not lose customers to comcast because pl can pick up more channels without a stb on comcast then on fios.

As it is we are paying for 1 hddvr box with the multiroom dvr feature and then 4 other HD boxes. And the networked dvr feature only saves you $2 off a second dvr plus you dont get the extra hdd space or the ability to record more then 2 things at once with one dvr. though I'm wondering if can you connect an esata, FireWire or USB external hdd to the fios HD dvr stb?

Also it's minor but kind of sucks that fios still has these same moto boxes with the orange led display. Comcast has the newer moto boxes that are black and silver with a nicer white led display and overall it just looks nicer like a DVD player or something.

There is pluses and minuses to all 3 tv services ive tried and besides dish are the only choices in our area it seems, but fios does seem to be the best overall choice over comcast or directv.

But these rampant audio drops on fox HD during the eagles game is unacceptable.

And sucks my installer didn't have any more regular HD boxesso I had to take 2 HD dvr boxes and get shipped 2 regular HD boxes and now have to ship them back the other 2.

Well see how this networked dvr feature works out and if we miss having a second (or third) dvr or not.

First thing I did was check the audio against WTXF-DT with my antenna. Chill, it's OTA (over-the-air) broadcast. Drop-outs are present. Not Verizon's fault.

I'm not happy about the audio delay with WYSP 94.1 FM. The only thing it's good for is to listen to Merrill and Mike give their opinions after the play is over. FOX missed at least one play while they were yakking around.

This is rough. The Eagles are stomping on the Panthers, but McNabb is hurt. The Phillies are going into the 9th with a save opportunity. :eek: Audio on Eagles, video on the Phillies. Game 2 of the double header on ESPN. Welcome to opening day of the NFL :).

yeah I called Fios tech support and they said they were aware Fox was having a problem and made sure to say it wasn't their fault. How could fox have audio dropouts on opening day of the NFL? terrible.

Main question right now is:

Can you connect an external hard drive to the hd dvr stb?

fios seemed to say yes but that they dont support it and dont know anymore about it so I need to look into this.

Is the USb, firewire and esata port all active?

sata is the fastest and firewire is the slowest but usb would be the cheapest ext. hdd and i dont think y ou need fast trasnfer speeds for this use.

how it worked with directv because lots of ppl connected external hard drives while I see little to no ppl talkinga bout it for fios, was that once you connect an external drive, that is your dvr hard drive and you can't use it in combination with the internal. to go back to using internal hdd you have to unplug the external and reboot the box so that it will then use the internal built in hdd again.

I just can't believe these fios stb's are only 160gb, even the the fios csr admitted it will only hold like 10 shows in hd. Directv boxes were like 320gb and we had 2 of them plus the shiny new comcast moto silver and black with white led dvr box.

figured i'd tried to save after overpaying all these years and try the multi room dvr feature which actually is only $2 cheaper then a second dvr. my wife thought maybe 2 dvr and multi room feature but it defeats the purpose of having multiroom dvr if you have even a second dvr box because you can't watch anything off the one dvr on another dvr box. has to be regular hd box.

if i can add t he external hard drive that would take care of the less storage of 1 stb compared to 2 or 3 but it wont help with the times when my wife has 2 shows recording and wants to watch or record a 3rd or 4th but I figure between ones i can dl or watch elsewhere and on demand we should be ok. just a matter of knowing what will be on demand and what wont so you know what should get the priority on the dvr.

Now that WD passport 2.5" ext. usb hard drives are larger in capacity 500gb and 750gb and came down i price i think that would be the way to go cus i dont really have room for a regular 3.5" ext. hdd and that requires a power cord and outlet (though you could maybe use the one on the back of the stb) while the wd passport drives are usb powered and smaller.

Anyone know if the WD passport usb hard drives work with the fios hd dvr boxes? 7200 series i guess is the model 7216 i think (16 designates 160gb right. do they still not have larger then that? did i have to request it?) while the hdboxes are 7100.

I just want to find out what external drives work asap and get that connected because we are going to run out of space instantly plus as soon as i do connect one, we wont be able to access the shows on the internal hdd any longer so its better just to start with a new hd dvr box with an external hdd plugged in from the start.

I guess i could just try a passport i have, reboot the box (by unplugging it and then plug back in?) and see if it works.

anyone use external hard drive? and if so what makes models size and what do you have to do to install it and get the dvr working with it?

The short answer is no external hard drive support. You can find info by searching in the DSL Reports.com FiOS TV forum: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/vzfiostv, also the QIP6461 thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=617635&page=138

OK, I survived Phillies game 1. Barely. :p. Game 2 on ESPN. Interesting chance to compare PQ between WPHL and ESPN HD. Both very good, but ESPN is a bit softer - it's going through a lot more transmission chains and maybe a satellite hop or 2.

I attended a benefit yesterday, so recorded the game, and didn't listen for a score before I returned home. Wonderful watching an entire game in about 1/2 the time by hitting the skip button, but the audio problems were very annoying. I thought it may be the transfer to the recorder, so reading this morning that it was Fox cleared the question.

Hey Kids-
Enjoyed the 1st Sunday of the Red Zone channel in HD yesterday. I have to admit, I was in heaven.

It was like being on football crack! Constant moving between games, all in HD - great commentary, etc. During the Eagles halftime I was able to watch 6 other game's LIVE highlights.

This channel is amazing. It would be worth $100 let alone its current $50 price tag. Combine that with the Red Zone widget (which also got pushed to us yesterday), Week 1 was amazing.

Geek - was tough watching that semi-late hit on Donovan's TD, as well as Lidge's daily meltdown. :D

I've posted on the Comcast forum that the Redzone wasn't in HD. FIOS is giving me another reason to switch.

...Geek - was tough watching that semi-late hit on Donovan's TD, as well as Lidge's daily meltdown. :D
Luckily I was out for the afternoon and didn't record the Phils game...tough to sit through. As for McNabb, I'm waiting to hear that the NFL fines the guy even though there wasn't a penalty called as I remember. They really protect QBs, and it was definitely a late hit!

Luckily I was out for the afternoon and didn't record the Phils game...tough to sit through. As for McNabb, I'm waiting to hear that the NFL fines the guy even though there wasn't a penalty called as I remember. They really protect QBs, and it was definitely a late hit!

They already reviewed it and decided not to fine him.

TCN - The Comcast Network (CN8 Phila.)

The Philadelphia Flyers announced their TV schedule today and have several games listed on TCN - The Comcast Network (CN8 when I was on Comcast). This is not CSN - Comcast Sports Net Philadelphia.

Will this channel be available when Flyers games are on this channel?

Thank you in advance.

TCN - The Comcast Network (CN8 Phila.)

The Philadelphia Flyers announced their TV schedule today and have several games listed on TCN - The Comcast Network (CN8 when I was on Comcast). This is not CSN - Comcast Sports Net Philadelphia.

Will this channel be available when Flyers games are on this channel?

Thank you in advance.

Nope.

Nope.

1st 2 games of season are on TCN and 2 of last 3 games of the season also and 6 others. Just wonderful.
Can't NHL network show them? Or is that part of the blackout rule?

Nope. I gripe about this every year. The TV schedule: http://flyers.nhl.com/v2/ext/SCHEDULE/2009-10FLYERSTVschedule.pdf

Sept. 17 vs. Toronto (London) 7:00 PM NHL Network <--- :)
Sept. 19 @ Toronto 7:00 PM --
Sept. 22 vs. Detroit 7:00 PM TCN <--- :mad:
Sept. 24 vs. New Jersey 7:00 PM CSN <--- :)
Sept. 26 @ New Jersey 7:00 PM --
Sept. 29 vs. Minnesota 7:00 PM webcast on philadelphiaflyers.com :confused:

http://flyers.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=498649The Philadelphia Flyers announced that all 82 of their 2009-10 regular season games will be locally televised. Comcast SportsNet will televise 63 games, The Comcast Network (TCN), will televise 10 games and VERSUS will televise eight games exclusively in the local market. In addition, NBC’s exclusive coverage of the National Hockey League on Sunday afternoons potentially includes five Flyers contests.

Hey Kids-
Enjoyed the 1st Sunday of the Red Zone channel in HD yesterday. I have to admit, I was in heaven.

It was like being on football crack! Constant moving between games, all in HD - great commentary, etc. During the Eagles halftime I was able to watch 6 other game's LIVE highlights.

This channel is amazing. It would be worth $100 let alone its current $50 price tag. Combine that with the Red Zone widget (which also got pushed to us yesterday), Week 1 was amazing.

Geek - was tough watching that semi-late hit on Donovan's TD, as well as Lidge's daily meltdown. :D

I heard it is good but please don't say its worth $50 let alone more when comcast includes it as part of their sports package which is $6/mo and directv also has it included with other stuff and for much less then $50.

though I did notice a few comments down that comcast doens't have the nfl red zone channel in HD somehow but sounds like fios does. still please dont justify them charging that much for one channel. its highway robbery and they do enough of that already.

I watched most of the first Eagles' game in HD. I thought the closer camera shots were pretty sharp, but that the "full field view" camera looked much worse. Anyone else observe this?

I kept flipping back to Jets game on CBS to compare, and I thought the full view camera image looked better/sharper. Trying to decide if this has anything to do with my new display or maybe my eyes are just getting old. ;)

Do you have any Blu-ray DVD calibration discs? If not, do you have the Verizon DVR? HD Net has weekly test patterns that you can record for playback on your STB in full 1080i. I have the "series" recorded, including repeats and keep the last 2. It's only 10 minutes long.

Sat, Sep 19 - 6:30 AM ET
3:30 AM PT HDNet Test Patterns
Wonder how your home theatre is doing? Wish you had test patterns to help set it up? Well, HDNet is here to help. This short program will help you get the most out of your home theatre setup by providing you with the same professional test patterns HDNet uses to set their gear.

Sat, Oct 3 - 6:30 AM ET
3:30 AM PT HDNet Test Patterns
Wonder how your home theatre is doing? Wish you had test patterns to help set it up? Well, HDNet is here to help. This short program will help you get the most out of your home theatre setup by providing you with the same professional test patterns HDNet uses to set their gear.

FWIW, Comcast Sportsnet HD has incredibly good PQ when they show local sports (the Phillies just finished up a homestand...:) ). HD Net's live events are also darn good. ESPN-HD comes in a close 3rd.

For all of you NBA TV'ers out there...finally have some confirmation!

NBA TV (SD) will be added with the 4 Rainbow HD's between 9/28 and 10/1.

NBA TV (HD) along with League Pass (SD/HD) will be added prior to the start of the season on 10/27.

Verizon has just finished laying the line underground in my subdivision so I'm hoping we have the service available soon which leads me to questions I'm hoping some can answer for me.
1) How long after the line line has been laid should I expect service to be availabe?
2) Is it typically for all services or just one or two when the service first becomes available?
3) In reading past comments here, it's my understanding that the install at my house could take the better part of a full day, does that still hold true?
4) Are there any pitfalls during install that I should look out for?
5) It's also my understanding, I'll need a box for all my TVs, is that true? I have four HDTV flat panels. If I use a CC instead of a box on any of these TVs, what is the cost of the CC vs. a box?
6) It's also my understanding that the media center DVR will NOT stream HD to the other TVs, is that still an issue?
7) Also, I have read that customer service/billing has been a real thorn for many, is that still an issue? Any advice on handling this from the begining?
8) Finally Internet. Does Verizon install their own modem or will mine do? I'm currently using Comcast & I'm supposed to be getting 16mps but the best I've clocked is 11mps.

I hope I haven't overwhelmed with all my questions and thank you all in advance for any insights you can give. I've complacently dragged along this past year or two with Comcast and I'm very excited to finally have a choice soon!

Can't answer the installation availability questions, but yes, you need a box or a card for every TV, and there are no package deals for the number of boxes. Normally, they would send a crew out to install the underground line to your house prior to sending another crew to do the actual installation. You'll need a power line near the distribution area within your house. Otherwise, once it enters the house, all your copper coax is used for distribution to each location within the house. If you need any new locations, that will take more time, but a half day should be plenty for most installs. Yes, you'll get a new wireless router that is part of your computer network.

When you order, tell them you don't want the free month of the wrestling channel, unless you are a fan! That free part requires that you call back to cancel it, and that part doesn't go very efficiently. Also, if you have your own virus protection and network security, you don't need their added cost service.

Call the customer service line and ask about installation to your home. You should be able to at least get a date from them.

Wasn't aware of these before now...but 2 new stations were added today..

THIS-Tv on Channel 467 (Sub-channel of WPHL)
- I've seen this mentioned in other areas previously...some funky cartoon was showing this morning when I checked it

Telefutura on Channel 26

Next Monday should be our next additions (AMC, Fuse, IFC, WE HD's and NBA TV SD)

Verizon has just finished laying the line underground in my subdivision so I'm hoping we have the service available soon which leads me to questions I'm hoping some can answer for me.
1) How long after the line line has been laid should I expect service to be availabe?
2) Is it typically for all services or just one or two when the service first becomes available?
3) In reading past comments here, it's my understanding that the install at my house could take the better part of a full day, does that still hold true?
4) Are there any pitfalls during install that I should look out for?
5) It's also my understanding, I'll need a box for all my TVs, is that true? I have four HDTV flat panels. If I use a CC instead of a box on any of these TVs, what is the cost of the CC vs. a box?
6) It's also my understanding that the media center DVR will NOT stream HD to the other TVs, is that still an issue?
7) Also, I have read that customer service/billing has been a real thorn for many, is that still an issue? Any advice on handling this from the begining?
8) Finally Internet. Does Verizon install their own modem or will mine do? I'm currently using Comcast & I'm supposed to be getting 16mps but the best I've clocked is 11mps.

I hope I haven't overwhelmed with all my questions and thank you all in advance for any insights you can give. I've complacently dragged along this past year or two with Comcast and I'm very excited to finally have a choice soon!
3) In reading past comments here, it's my understanding that the install at my house could take the better part of a full day, does that still hold true?

Yes, expect a few hours.

4) Are there any pitfalls during install that I should look out for?

Be sure they properly ground the ONT. Part of the procedure, but they didn't do a good job on mine. I fixed it. This was a few years ago, so they should be OK.

See (8) below.

7) Also, I have read that customer service/billing has been a real thorn for many, is that still an issue? Any advice on handling this from the beginning?

Get a copy of the service order that has your full service order number. There are several "numbers" in your paperwork. Ask the techs which one you should copy down. They'll also use those numbers when they call in to authorize the installed equipment.

In case of problems, you'll need some of those numbers until your account is fully entered into the system. As for "problems", it's pot luck. Can happen with Comcast also.

8) Finally Internet. Does Verizon install their own modem or will mine do? I'm currently using Comcast & I'm supposed to be getting 16mps but the best I've clocked is 11mps.

They will supply the modem. It's got an RF input to handle the program guide info (MoCA). You can use your their router as a bridge to yours, but it's not really needed.

Pitfall: Never, ever let them near your PC! There's absolutely nothing extra needed to get FiOS working. Plan and simple DHCP boot to a router. That's it. Anything else is crapware sold by Verizon.

Be sure to immediately change the router login password once you get it configured. The passwords are known. Standard browser interface, connect to http://192.168.1.1/ and login. Be sure to review the firewall rules - the default configuration is OK, but needs some tweaking to get it right. Also, you'll need to get the wireless configuration correct. If you're not using wireless, disable it.

Lot of info on the DSL Reports.com Verizon FiOS TV forum: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/vzfiostv

And the FiOS internet forum: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/vzfiber

Be sure to checkout the FAQs: http://www.dslreports.com/faq/verizonfios

Thanks Jim & Geekgirl for your responses & thanks for the links as well, I'll continue my reading.

What of costs of CC vs. a box? Perhaps I'll find the answer in the provided links.

JeepMatt: four hour alert! Do you have your white shirt on???

Next Monday should be our next additions (AMC, Fuse, IFC, WE HD's and NBA TV SD)

Channels? (thanks!)

JeepMatt: four hour alert! Do you have your white shirt on???

Jim, why yes I did - but PSU was SO overrated at #5, and it doesn't shock me at all to see them blow a nationally televised night game at home - and this coming from a devout alumni. It's just another reason I don't get into PSU football anymore - and gave up my season tickets this year. I'm more excited about my high school being 4-0 this year for the 1st time in 30 years.

Max-
NBA SD will be on Channel 89 (HD will be on 589 by the end of Oct)

The other four WILL follow the +500 rule. I really don't watch any of these channels, so i'm not sure where their SD versions are in the lineup.

Worst half of football that I've seen them play in years! Ugly!

AMC HD
Fuse HD
IFC HD
We HD

All live this morning out of VHO8 - looks like they are sharing 561 MHz and 69 MHz (I've never seen a frequency this low used before!!!)

NBA TV SD is showing on Channel 89 - but a "You Are Not Subscribed Box" pops up - obviously an early provisioning error....since this should be coming in. Hopefully this will be fixed at some point today.

Enjoy - every VHO should have these by Thursday.

Now if only VHO8 could just fix the damn pixelation problems, I'd be a happy camper.

More != Better.

Better = Better!!!!

Is this still happening on your ABC? I haven't seen pixelation in awhile, and that was just an occasional thing that I attributed to the feed.

ABC-HD is total crap. It's WPVI's problem. I don't even watch it any longer. I had written a letter to the station manager, that obviously went into the trash can there. The audio is horrible and PQ is just as bad.

The pixelation is on many channels now. SHO, HBO, HGTV were what I noticed this weekend. Pretty bad last night on Californication (SHO).

Steve-
I've been reporting the tiling for a month now on Food HD and HGTV - even have tickets open, the VHO manager looking into it, etc -

Every time they look, they say "we don't see anything"...

Never have seen it on the Premiums though...

I just noticed it last night on SHO... HGTV is pretty bad. I'll open a ticket on DSL direct forums for it, also. Strength in numbers :)

Ordered for a November installation. Fingers crossed.

Thanks for the reminder to record Californication...had forgotten about it!

Meanwhile, the surround sound mix for the Eagles game is really terrible on NBC. Strictly center channel for the announcers, and a lesser volume than what is necessary, with the left/right and surrounds being crowd noises and occasional audio from the field picking up the refs calls to the guys to stop play and some signal calling. I had to turn it off and use the TVs speakers to listen to it properly.

I think that is an NBC issue. Some of the other games were crap, too.

Hope you caught Californication... it was a good season opener :)

Thanks for the reminder to record Californication...had forgotten about it!

Meanwhile, the surround sound mix for the Eagles game is really terrible on NBC. Strictly center channel for the announcers, and a lesser volume than what is necessary, with the left/right and surrounds being crowd noises and occasional audio from the field picking up the refs calls to the guys to stop play and some signal calling. I had to turn it off and use the TVs speakers to listen to it properly.

You mean CBS? I had no problems with video or sound. However, I hated how the CBS camera man started every single play with it zoomed way out and the zooming in as soon as the ball was snapped. So annoying.

Was the game on CBS and not NBC? Whoever it was broadcast by, it was terrible production!

Steve, 10:00 tonight for the rerun.

Yea, my bad on the NBC/CBS, too. I missed that.

The ol' DVR is getting a workout tonight :)

ABC-HD is total crap...The audio is horrible...

TOTALLY agreed. It's been about a month now.

Ordered for a November installation. Fingers crossed.

Please let the rest of us Philly folk know how it goes. :cool:

6) It's also my understanding that the media center DVR will NOT stream HD to the other TVs, is that still an issue?


You can as long as you have all HD boxes on those TVs. We have a $10 HD box on a 27 inch standard TV for this very purpose. (Hello nickel and dime.)

You can as long as you have all HD boxes on those TVs. We have a $10 HD box on a 27 inch standard TV for this very purpose. (Hello nickel and dime.)

Ah! Thanks for the reply. Yes, "nickel & dime". I've checked Verizon's pricing via their website & it doesn't look like I'll be saving any $s vs. Comcast.

I'm still trying to find out how much a CC rental will be vs. a HD box. Does anyone know if there are any cost savings for CC use vs. a box?

The wiring install was completed in our sub division a couple of weeks ago, but the website still shows "unavailable" for my home, so I wait.

Call them. The website may not be updated quickly, and it could be available to you. The rep will answer any of your cost questions.

Thanks Jim, I will call them today.

For anyone who's interested, I DID call them today (wasn't easy figuring out the number to call via the website..anyway), they told me me a couple more months...sigh. They also said CCs are $2.99/month vs. $10/month for boxes so with 4 HDTVs, I guess the most cost effective scenario for me is to get CCs for the 2 TVs of mine which take CCs and boxes for the other two.

Not that all this matters yet, I'll just have to learn patience, something for which is not in my DNA.

For anyone who's interested, I DID call them today (wasn't easy figuring out the number to call via the website..anyway), they told me me a couple more months...sigh. They also said CCs are $2.99/month vs. $10/month for boxes so with 4 HDTVs, I guess the most cost effective scenario for me is to get CCs for the 2 TVs of mine which take CCs and boxes for the other two.

Not that all this matters yet, I'll just have to learn patience, something for which is not in my DNA.


Well, I know that Verizon gets slammed pretty good here, but my April installation went very well, and the tech answered all of my questions. So far, billing has not been an issue. However, I did have to add a second phone line, so my next bill will tell the story.

Remember that your 1st bill will be for 2 months. I forget why, but I think it's about billing for the month ahead. Comcast did the same thing.

Thanks for your comments, so will the 1st. bill (if using triple play) be $300 vs. $150/month normally charged as an example?

It looks like the big addition of HBO HD on Demand has reached our VHO!

Checked this morning - 38 movies in HD, plus all of the series (True Blood, etc.)!

WOOHOO! Just in time for the cold months. :D

it looks like the big addition of hbo hd on demand has reached our vho!

vho8?