I couldn't find a thread for Philly FiOs so I thought I would start one. I am getting installed on Wednesday and I will let you know how it goes.

Jerry

What part of Philly are you from? I'm right outside of Jenkintown and have been trying to get FIOS for over a year now. However every time I check I get the generic

"Verizon FiOS Internet service is not available for your home. However we wanted to let you know that you qualify for Verizon High Speed Internet."

Damn you Verizon.

I am in Jersey , Haddonfield. I had the FIOS TV installed a week ago today, have had the internet service for about 2 months prior. The two techs that came out to to the TV install did a great job as well as the woman who did the internet install. Biggest problem was getting the TV date setup changed, I placed the order over the internet which apparently is a no-no...

On Demand has been down today anyone else?

What part of Philly are you from? I'm right outside of Jenkintown and have been trying to get FIOS for over a year now. However every time I check I get the generic

"Verizon FiOS Internet service is not available for your home. However we wanted to let you know that you qualify for Verizon High Speed Internet."


Hi Wreckk, I live near you in Abington PA, and I too can not get the Verizon FIOS service yet.

The delay is not Verizon! The delay is that Jenkintown borough and Abington township politicians have not approved the Verizon FIOS franchise agreement in their respective government boards. Both communities were part of the group or consortium of townships in Montgomery County PA that negotiated en-masse with Verizon... many townships in the consortium, have approved the franchise agreement and are enjoying service... For example, Upper Dublin township has all FIOS services available for delivery.

I have spoken to my Abington township Commissioner and they are planning on voting on the Verizon FIOS agreement once they finish re-negotiating the Comcast franchise agreement... So you need to talk to your Jenkintown borough representative and ask when they are going to vote on the Verizon franchise.

Good luck... the frustrating thing is that once it is finally approved in the township... it will take Verizon months to install the Fiber... so its months before service can be provided to those of us who can’t wait to switch from Comcast!

Hey IPman,

Thanks for the heads up, I actually live in Rockledge a super small township/borough right outside of Abington. I will contact the borough office tomorrow and see whats going on.

I've been waiting forever for FIOS, hopefully it will get resolved soon.

Thanks again for all the info.

How much does the FIOS cost? I'm in Downingtown, PA and they are just starting to roll it out. Cost for the TV, internet and phone service. Do they offer a package discount?

Guys...

I am in northern NJ (Randolph). They have run the fiber and offer the internet service here. That said, TV is still not available. I have contacted our township to find out more but not a lot of info here.

Since we have the fiber and can get fios internet to the house... any ideas on the TV hold Up?

Brian






Hi Wreckk, I live near you in Abington PA, and I too can not get the Verizon FIOS service yet.

The delay is not Verizon! The delay is that Jenkintown borough and Abington township politicians have not approved the Verizon FIOS franchise agreement in their respective government boards. Both communities were part of the group or consortium of townships in Montgomery County PA that negotiated en-masse with Verizon... many townships in the consortium, have approved the franchise agreement and are enjoying service... For example, Upper Dublin township has all FIOS services available for delivery.

I have spoken to my Abington township Commissioner and they are planning on voting on the Verizon FIOS agreement once they finish re-negotiating the Comcast franchise agreement... So you need to talk to your Jenkintown borough representative and ask when they are going to vote on the Verizon franchise.

Good luck... the frustrating thing is that once it is finally approved in the township... it will take Verizon months to install the Fiber... so its months before service can be provided to those of us who can’t wait to switch from Comcast!

Scott,

I was on the phone with Verizon this morning and they said there were no packages available for the three services (phone/web/tv).

Can anyone dispute? - I hope so

BG

How much does the FIOS cost? I'm in Downingtown, PA and they are just starting to roll it out. Cost for the TV, internet and phone service. Do they offer a package discount?

awaiting the arrival of this. Anything to ower my price of current comcast bill. Not to mention heard good things about there HD and SD content.

Jerry, when you get hooked up, can you summarize their HD offerings in the first post and periodically update that post as things change?

I currently have the FIOS TV service in North Wilmington. Any questions - just ask!

jeepmatt, I would post your impressions of the PQ oif the SD and HD channels vs. your prior providers as well as the functioning of the DVR including the operation of the firewire ports.

I'll repost my former review before the Philly threads were split...

Well, after being a DISH customer since March of 06' - FIOS TV just rolled out in my area, and I was installed on 1/4/07 with an HD-DVR and an HD box - just as I had with DISH (622 & 211). I'm in North Wilmington, DE.

After a few days of missing channels (was a local issue in my area - I was one of the 1st out of my CO - Talleyville) - and working through some OnDemand kinks - I was finally up and running (without issue) by Tuesday the 9th.

Comparisons

Receivers - Naturally, DISH's receivers and interfaces were awesome. FIOS uses the Microsoft TV platform - it's not terrible, but certainly DISH would win in this category. Verizon is working on a complete redesign of the guide and interface - and rumors have put the rollout anytime between March and June.

SD Channels - my local SD channels blow away DISH's offering - standard SD channels are "Cleaner", but not overwhelmingly better than DISH.

HD Channels - the quality looks fantastic - every HD channel comes in great. Especially the HD Nets and SportsNet Philly HD. You can tell FIOS is giving the required bandwidth to these stations. It's also nice to see MHD. I am totally missing Food HD and HGTV HD until FIOS adds them (Apparently will happen in Q1). These were 2 of the most watched channels in my home. I hardly ever watched the VOOM channels, so in all reality I won't miss them.

Other points - FIOS offers "Widgets" - which is local weather and traffic along the bottom of the screen - I have Weatherscan Local again - and of course, the Weather Channel with "real" Local on the 8's. It will also be nice to have OnDemand again - the real kind.

I haven't had service from Comcast in over a year, but i'd say (from being at friend's houses recently) the HD is similar to Comcast's - maybe a bit sharper - and SD is about the same as the DISH comparison - slightly cleaner.

I have my boxes connected via HDMI and 1 by Component - so can't really comment on the Firewire capability (Honestly, I'm not even sure what it does..lol)

Any other ?'s I'll gladly help and try to answer.

Firewire enables you to send the signal to a DVHS machine or another harddrive for copying. It send out the data stream for copying.

I would suggest that anyone who has had FiOS installed post there impressions here as well. Thanks Jeepmatt.

I also forgot to comment-

On Demand is pretty good - still no HD content (also due by Summer '07) - but the picture quality is excellent.

All your standard free shows, subscription (HBO, etc.) and PPV movies are there.

The cool thing (at least to me) is that with FIOS TV, the OnDemand is transmitted over the IP / data side of things. The Actiontec router is what assigns each of your STB's an address - and is how it also downloads updates, the widgets info, and the programming guide.

They have some work to do on adding more HD stations (some folks are upset b/c they promised more by the end of 2006 - and are now saying Q1 2007) - and even some SD ones - but it's a good deal right now.

For the package I have - I get the Premier Tier, Sports, Movies, HBO/Cinemax and my two STB's (1 HD-DVR, 1 HD) all for $107.95 / month.

That's about $10 less than DISH, and about $33 less than Comcast.

Matt,

Can you tell us about your home theater rig (projection, plasma, surround level 6.1/7.1). Was it calibrated? Just curious.

Brian



I also forgot to comment-

On Demand is pretty good - still no HD content (also due by Summer '07) - but the picture quality is excellent.

All your standard free shows, subscription (HBO, etc.) and PPV movies are there.

The cool thing (at least to me) is that with FIOS TV, the OnDemand is transmitted over the IP / data side of things. The Actiontec router is what assigns each of your STB's an address - and is how it also downloads updates, the widgets info, and the programming guide.

They have some work to do on adding more HD stations (some folks are upset b/c they promised more by the end of 2006 - and are now saying Q1 2007) - and even some SD ones - but it's a good deal right now.

For the package I have - I get the Premier Tier, Sports, Movies, HBO/Cinemax and my two STB's (1 HD-DVR, 1 HD) all for $107.95 / month.

That's about $10 less than DISH, and about $33 less than Comcast.

Brig-

I have the HD-DVR connected via HDMI to my Philips 50" Plasma. I also have a Sony Surround Sound tuner / amplifier system and a CD/DVR player.

I have not had the set calibrated (at least by a professional).

Also, what was your install experience? I'm jealous. You live close to me but not close enough. No FIOS here yet.

I'd really be interested to know of local experience with FIOS from those switching from Comcast to FIOS. Frankly my concerns are 1) a box for each TV (I have 4), 2) the actual # of HD channels available today vs. Comcast, 3) on demand content, & 4) their (Verizon's) learning curve.

The plusses I see (today); 1) faster internet and 2) a networked DVR ( a very big plus for me).

I'm sure in time a FIOS offering will exceed cable but are we even equal yet?

Just offering these comments for a little dialog.

Install was okay. My technician was brand new to TV (as most of them are). I was actually his first "alone" install.

He was on the phone with his buddy (who stopped by a few times) going over certain things.

While he was stringing the new coax, I actually went and installed the Actiontec router - as I was previously using the DLink that was given to me during my FIOS data install. Personally, I really like the router.

My first DVR box was dead - and it took him about 2 hours to figure that out. He activated a 2nd one - and BAMM - worked. I did have those missing channel issues (literally half my stations were out)-- that really stumped all the techs. At one point i Had three VZ vans outside my house. Lol. It took them 3 days to find out there was "dirty fiber" at the CO.

Carl-
Your issues -

1) The boxes - yes, really you do need one for each TV (if you want more than local broadcast channels) - but for standard def boxes only being $5/mo, it isn't that bad when comparing the overall total cost to Comcast. I know alot of folks are griping about this, but in the grand scheme of things, look at what you're getting for that $5.

2) # of HD channels - right now, at least in the Wilmington area, the HD channel offering is VERY similar to Comcast - hence my wanting VZ to get on the ball. Right now, it's almost a dead heat. FIOS gives HD Net and HD Net Movies, The Movie Channel HD and Wealth TV. Comcast had inHD and the Vs/Golf Channel HD.

FIOS also gives two local PBS HD stations. Rumors have it they're adding more National HD's soon (Food, HGTV, A&E, etc) but when that happens is a mystery.

3) On Demand - i'll say it's not as expansive as Comcast's - but I didn't expect it to be based on Comcast's head start. There aren't any HD On Demand selections yet - but are said to be on the way. The HBO's, etc. are identical. FIOS does not have Howard Stern (if you care).

4) The learning curve is steep right now. My tech even said how different the "TV" world is to them - and every job they do is like a step further in the right direction.

Personally, I can't wait for the new guide interface that is due out by Summer at the latest. The screen shots available on VZ's website are really great looking.

The movie channel HD? Didn't know about that one. What channel is it on? THe only channel I want on FiOS is INHD but if INHD loses the rights the HD games this year in light of the reported MLB-Directv deal then that won't even bother me.

Is the firewire output 5C protected? Hope not.

FCC regs prohibit this for OTA channels. Mark Cuban also agrees that HDNet and HDNet Movies should be in the clear also. I often times have trouble with Discovery and INHD on Comcast. It takes awhile but I can usually copy these onto DVHS.

TMC Hd is on Channel 854

I had my installation done on Wednesday and everything went very smoothly. My house has 5
outlets upstairs and 2 downstairs. The entire job took 4 hours. The 2 installers were very professional.
The picture is superb. In the last year I have had Directv, Comcast, and now Verizon and the picture (standard and HD) is the best I have every seen. My signal to my Tivo S3 is 100%! It is like I have new TV's.

Guys...

I am in northern NJ (Randolph). They have run the fiber and offer the internet service here. That said, TV is still not available. I have contacted our township to find out more but not a lot of info here.

Since we have the fiber and can get fios internet to the house... any ideas on the TV hold Up?

Brian

Brian,

I am not sure why you are not getting video service offered, if the Internet is provided via fiber... Are you sure that the Internet is not Verizon DSL which is delivered on old copper pairs and not via fiber/cable?

Hey IPman,

Thanks for the heads up, I actually live in Rockledge a super small township/borough right outside of Abington. I will contact the borough office tomorrow and see whats going on.

I've been waiting forever for FIOS, hopefully it will get resolved soon.

Thanks again for all the info.

You are welcome... Please let us know on this thread when your borough gets the FIOS service!

IP,

They installed the fiber here a few months ago and a few neighbors switched broadband cable from Cablevision to FIOS. Yes I know it is fios because the installs are about 1.5 days of time while they rewire the homes.

The reason we do not have TV yet is because the Sucasunna NJ facility has not been provisioned for TV yet (whatever that means).

On another note... Did I hear that INHD is part of the FIOS package? The one thing I will be missing from Cablevision is this channel. Three Sheets, Beer Guys, and After Hours with Daniel are some of my favorite shows on TV... Beer:Beer:Food, add a little football, martial arts, and Jackass, and life is good.



Brian,

I am not sure why you are not getting video service offered, if the Internet is provided via fiber... Are you sure that the Internet is not Verizon DSL which is delivered on old copper pairs and not via fiber/cable?

IP,
I've had Verizon FiOS internet service for over a year, and even though my Township has signed a franchise agreement for TV with Verizon, we are not offered the service yet. Anyone interested in the internet service should definitely sign up for it. It's bulletproof, incredibly fast, and it hasn't been "down" for any period since it's been installed.

Brigo-

No, INHD is not in the lineup at this time.

I live in West Chester and had a FIOS internet & TV install recently.

Here's a writeup of my install experience:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9364953#post9364953

Here are my PQ impressions (I had Comcast previously):

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9375756#post9375756

Here's the SE PA channel lineup:

http://www22.verizon.com/NROneRetail/NR/rdonlyres/00282276-87C8-429D-982F-6DFB67FB60CD/0/PA_SoutheasternPA.pdf

Here's a site that maintains 3 lists: townships where FIOS internet is
available, those where FIOS TV is available, and those where FIOS TV has been
approved:

http://www.fiberexperts.com/pennsylvania-fios.html

To summarize some differences between Verizon and Comcast:

Comcast has channels below 100 in analog (which includes much of the basic cable offerings), while Verizon only has the OTA channels in analog. This means you need a set top box ($5 and up) in order to receive any of the non-OTA channels.

Verizon's HD offerings are very similar to Comcast's.

Verizon's PQ is much better (for me. Depends on quality of existing coax, among other things).

Verizon's customer support and installers are much better than Comcast's (for me. I've read about people with different experiences).

Firewire: Verizon's digital set top box has firewire output enabled. All non-OTA channels have DRM. A couple of OTA channels (I think it was CBS, ABC, and either PHL or PSG) also erroneously have DRM. Verizon's customer support told me the OTA channels shouldn't have DRM turned on and said they'd fix it. It's been a week or so now and I have to give them a call to see why it's still not fixed.

jeepmatt - do you have a URL for those screenshots you mentioned of the new guide?

-Jerry

I've been a Fios internet subscriber for about 6 months now. I also subscribe to Sunrocket VOIP.

Here's my dilemna: I am thinking of switching to Fios TV. I seem to remember that occasionally when I am heavily downloading or uploading on the computer, my voice quality for VOIP is affected drastically. Fair enough, understandable. So I configured the Quality of Service (QoS) of my VOIP box to give preference to the phone traffic, and that fixed the issue.

Now, with Fios TV, it seems that streaming all those channels is quite a bit more of a load on bandwith than uploading and downloading on Limewire. Will my picture quality be affected since I have given priority to phone traffic? And if I turn QoS off, will my phone quality be affected once again? I seem to think so. Hence my hesitation. Quite a few more more bytes flowing down the line with TV service.

Anyone out there with Fios TV and a VOIP service have any input? How is your voice quality? Picture quality? I should mention my VOIP box is in front of the ActionTec router. Only way it would work. Can't wait to get Fios TV, this is the only hang up. Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Ohendo-
The TV picture is sent on a different wavelength of the fiber. Has no impact on your internet or voice. :D

Jerry-
The screen shots of the guide can be found on Verizon's site. Just go to their Press Release section, then choose the link for Pictures / Videos

I called to sign up today and switch from Comcat. In my area, they could have done the install on 1/30. That is fast but I am not free next week. It will be done on 2/6. I will report my findings also.

Ohendo-
The TV picture is sent on a different wavelength of the fiber. Has no impact on your internet or voice. :D

Thanks, jeepmatt. That's a relief! I'm signing up ASAP.

My turn :). Also signed up today. I arranged the installation for 2/9 to match my work schedule. I also posted a link to here from the ComCast thread (channel 52 was MIA tonight).

I got $5/month off my HD STB (no DVR) for one year. Did the order by phone- this offer was not on the web site. They have telephone numbers by state to order FiOS TV. Select Contact Us on the FiOS TV web site. (800)660-2215 for PA.

brigont - I was on the phone with Verizon this morning and they said there were no packages available for the three services (phone/web/tv). Same here. All services must go to fiber. However, it may help you to know that you can keep your existing phone service (you don't need to buy any new plans), but DSL must move to FiOS. I'm still saving $$$ over ComCast +DSL.

I'm addicted to the weather channel. Can't wait for the widgets.

Those switching from Comcast; Did they offer you any deals to stay?

Yes but the PQ is better on FiOS. THey didn't try initially when I first checked around but they must have been losing more people than thewy thought and changed and began offering deals but for 6 months only. They also offered free HBO for a couple of months. When I did the cost analysis, that was about even with FiOS in terms of overall cost but with FiOS I was getting an HD box for my old 34" CRT in the famliy room which did not have an HD box with Comcast. Also, since FiOS has HDNet, I can drop my HD tier from Directv which saves another $10.00 a month. Also I will not have to adress this issue again in 6 months. I will take the overall $40.00 a month saving and go for it. I lose CN8 and for now, INHD. ASs I am not sure INHD will have the HD MLB package this year, I can live wityh that. However, I am confident from speaking with VZ people that INHD will be added to their pacgake this year.

I'm waiting for FiOS to be up and running before I tell ComCast to disconnect. If anything delays the install, I still need Sportsnet. For me, it's not a matter of negotiation, so no point to call.

After I placed the FiOS order, I realized that only OTA will be available in clear QAM. Now I have to upgrade the HD STB to DVR so I can record what was previously analog SD on ComCast (SciFi, Discovery, etc.). I'll still save $$.

That frees up my DVR. It's only 1 year old and now it's obsolete. That matches my 67" 1080i Sammy DLP which is now 1/2 the price and behind the tech curve (1080p/no colorwheel).

My Verizon QIP 6416 box seems to now have the Tivo type software in it. It is very different than the Comcast 3416 boxes that I just changed. I can now search for a show by punching in the first than the second letter. I do not think that my other box could do that. I was thinking that the Comcast and the Verizon boxes had the same looks to them, but they are completely different. The Verizon is much more user friendly.

That matches my 67" 1080i Sammy DLP which is now 1/2 the price and behind the tech curve (1080p/no colorwheel).
There are no 1080i Sammy DLPs, it must be a 720p DLP.
I am not with the tech curve either, I have a 768p LCD RPTV. :)

There are no 1080i Sammy DLPs, it must be a 720p DLP. It is a 1080p display, but does not support 1080i natively on any input except VGA. HL-R6768W. Nonexistent last year, there are now a number of displays who support 1080p over HDMI.
Mea culpa on the 1080i typo / incomplete statement -you can't get away with any errors in the forum, and that includes me :o.

I'm waiting for FiOS to be up and running before I tell ComCast to disconnect. If anything delays the install, I still need Sportsnet. For me, it's not a matter of negotiation, so no point to call.

After I placed the FiOS order, I realized that only OTA will be available in clear QAM. Now I have to upgrade the HD STB to DVR so I can record what was previously analog SD on ComCast (SciFi, Discovery, etc.). I'll still save $$.

That frees up my DVR. It's only 1 year old and now it's obsolete. That matches my 67" 1080i Sammy DLP which is now 1/2 the price and behind the tech curve (1080p/no colorwheel).

You probably know this and have some reason for not doing it, but...if you're doing all your recording in SD, you can just have your DVR use its IR blaster to tune the regular (non-DVR) STB and have your existing DVR record from the s-video output of the STB.

-Jerry

I'm about to sign up here in Delaware. They just informed us the tv is ready to go in my neighborhood. The fiber was run last summer. I currently have Comcast digital silver, two dvr's and internet. I'd switch to Verizon premier, HBO, two dvr's and internet. This would save me approx. $22/month.
Now my question.
1) Does Verizon need to run new coax in the house?

I'm about to sign up here in Delaware. They just informed us the tv is ready to go in my neighborhood. The fiber was run last summer. I currently have Comcast digital silver, two dvr's and internet. I'd switch to Verizon premier, HBO, two dvr's and internet. This would save me approx. $22/month.
Now my question.
1) Does Verizon need to run new coax in the house?

They test the existing coax and if it's not up to their spec, they'll run new coax. They don't charge extra for running the coax (for up to three tvs).

Ok, thanks. Another question...Is their signal QAM or some other format? I'm thinking about my tv tuner card on my PC. Will it work fully or will I just get channels 1-12 or thereabouts?

The signal is QAM-256. And you'll be able to get channels 1-49 (SD OTA), and the HD OTA channels in the 800+ range. They are all in the clear. Interestingly, the STB enforces some DRM over its firewire port. The HD versions of ABC, CBS, and either PSG or PHL were not in the clear over firewire the last time I checked. Same channels are in the clear over QAM.

Most other channels are encrypted over QAM. I think the music-only channels and the odd shopping or religious channel may be available over QAM.

-Jerry

Ok, then. I suppose I'll go ahead and sign up. If I do it today, I'll get a $100 Amex gift card. I think to get this I have to take the 1 yr. agreement. Did you all take the agreement or go month to month? Oh, I think you get a free std. def box with the 1yr. also.

Joe_R: Why bother with SD? Get the HD box. Over the phone, the sales rep gave me $5/month off the HD box for 1 year. The $100 award applies to new FiOS TV as well as internet. Do this on-line tonight, as the deal ends 1/28. The sales office hours are M-F only from the URL I posted earlier. I would then call tomorrow for any changes.

JerryR: Good point, but the reason is dual-tuner. I originally setup my ComCast non-DVR STB for line out to the DVR, but it became rather intrusive when I wanted to watch something else and couldn't do it.

I have a single STB in my main system. The other TVs are direct cable input which means only clear QAM for them. It's not an issue based on use. All TVs are fed with OTA and cable (to be FiOS content) from my distribution panel in the basement.

The signal is QAM-256. And you'll be able to get channels 1-49 (SD OTA), and the HD OTA channels in the 800+ range. They are all in the clear. Interestingly, the STB enforces some DRM over its firewire port. The HD versions of ABC, CBS, and either PSG or PHL were not in the clear over firewire the last time I checked. Same channels are in the clear over QAM.-Jerry Interesting. From your earlier post, it sounds like you're getting a response to have this fixed. On a side note, this also happens on cable, as I seem to remember someone having a problem with encrypted HD. It turned out that there was an "error" on the operator side. It was fixed.

Suggestion: Consider modifying your user profile to show your location (West Chester as you posted earlier). It makes it easier for other people to see where you are from and can put things in context for local area discussions.

Darn, I didn't get any rebates or deals.

Geek Girl: ah, dual tuner is a good reason. I have four tuners in my DVR, so not an issue for me. If you're as comfortable with Linux or software as you seem to be with hardware, you may want to check out MythTV.

About the DRM, yeah, I've lately dropped the ball following up with them about resolving this issue. Shortly after I reported the problem, I got the QAM tuner in my Myth system working and so having the firewire tuner working became less of a high priority. I do want to get all the channels working though so I don't have to worry about recording two things in hi-def at once.

And thanks for the tip, profile updated.

-Jerry

I'm about to sign up here in Delaware. They just informed us the tv is ready to go in my neighborhood. The fiber was run last summer. I currently have Comcast digital silver, two dvr's and internet. I'd switch to Verizon premier, HBO, two dvr's and internet. This would save me approx. $22/month.
Now my question.
1) Does Verizon need to run new coax in the house?

Where in Delaware are you?

Newark
I signed up last night (tv and internet). Scheduled for 2/12. Looks like a total monthly savings of $22 over Comcast for essentially the same thing. If Verizon didn't have Comcast Sportsnet, I probably wouldn't have joined. But since it's listed in their channel lineup, no reason not to.

If Verizon didn't have Comcast Sportsnet, I probably wouldn't have joined. But since it's listed in their channel lineup, no reason not to.

Joe-
That was the clincher for me. I had DISH and missed CSN alot (despite the crappy sports season we're having). The pic quality of CSN and especially CSN-HD is great.

Jwhip... What programming are you into on INHD.

For me its all about 3 sheets, beer nutz and after hours with daniel? Booze:Beer:Food all you need it a little adult PPV and the night is over.

The movie channel HD? Didn't know about that one. What channel is it on? THe only channel I want on FiOS is INHD but if INHD loses the rights the HD games this year in light of the reported MLB-Directv deal then that won't even bother me.

The only reason I have any interest in INHD is the NBA and MLB games. That is it. I never watch it otherwise.

Just just "upgraded" my original order from HD non-DVR to HD with DVR (not multimedia). It turns out that the $5/month/ 1 year discount on my STB was due to a package deal. If you get TV + internet, you get a "free" standard STB for 1 year, a $5 value. Since I upgraded the STB, they just gave me the $5 discount instead.

What if there's a problem with my STB (I'm on my 3rd one from ComCast)? I was told that all I need to call and they'll replace it no charge. Nice, but it's not quite as convenient as stopping by the local office and swapping it out. Especially if you have to be home for the service. Anyone have to replace their STB yet?

FYI - I put in a request to add the NASA channel.

Geekgirl, you have ordered FiOS TV for our area? I was told last week that it wasn't available, and that they would call me to let me know when they will be able to hook it up. I'll have to try the website, and see what that shows!

Okay, so I've ordered service on the website, and it will be installed on 22 February! I'm happy! Comcast called this week, and I told them I was anxiously awaiting the FiOS service to be available due to the service issues with the cable.

Quick question: do all TVs need to have a set-top box? I have one display that I haven't ordered a box for, a small LCD EDTV in my bathroom. I presently have it hooked up with a direct cable feed, but will I need a box for this also...can I let this remain as it is?

jim, unless it supports a cable card and unless you just want the 14 or analog channels offered (all OTA), you will need a box for that set.

I was hoping you wouldn't say that! It has a digital tuner, but it's wall mounted with just a cable feed to the display, and a box sure would cause a problem there! I'll have to wait until the tech installs the service and see what I can do from there. Perhaps remote mount the box and use a repeater on the display to control the box via the remote.

Anyone have to replace their STB yet?


I'm in Maryland but there's a good chance my experience would mirror the situation in Philly. I ordered an additional STB to connect to a computer for DVR, tv-streaming, etc. The tech had to come and install the STB. I was told that Verizon is "not allowed' to ship a box to a residence, and that is must be sent to a Verizon office and then installed by a tech, even if the installation requires nothing special. My guess is that Verizon has some statutory amount of time before they're required to maintain local offices for customer relations. But in the meantime, they will probably continue in their current fashion for some time.

JinHef - There was a new user on the now Philly ComCast thread from Lower Makefield twp who gave the green light. I scrambled to order, then posted and cross-linked references over to this thread. BTW: Thanks for posting your efforts regarding your phone calls to the twp. I was closely monitoring Verizon's web site as a result and I still missed the 1st day.

I value AVS forum highly. But as an engineer, I need to dig into the tech side of the fiber optic network. Also, the routers use a standard called "MoCA", Multimedia Over Coax. Something new for me. There's LOTS of tech info in the Verizon FiOS TV forum: http://www.broadbandreports.com/forum/vzfiostv The focus is on the tech side, not home theater / high def quality, so it's a different arena than AVS forum. (However, a little competition is always good.)

Broadbandreports.com already has a Lower Bucks County thread. I joined over there (GeekGirl1 - GeekGirl was not available :(). http://www.broadbandreports.com/forum/remark,17666796~days=30

Because I ordered the service after the Jan 28 cutoff, I was not given the $100 AmEx gift card, but got another deal for the same amount. The rep called it a "switcher" deal, and you send in your last cable bill, and they'll send you a check for $100. If anyone wants the info, I can post the address they gave me for the refund.

jim, unless it supports a cable card and unless you just want the 14 or analog channels offered (all OTA), you will need a box for that set.
Actually, it would be, if one has a CableCard TV/STB and/or one just wants Locals.

I had FiOS installed today. It took about 4 hours. I had the internet and three HD STB's installed one being the DVR. I must say that the installation was very professional. Clean and to the point. The equipment seems to work very well. I am still playing around with the internet which seems faster than Comcast even though it is a slightly slower speed (5 v. 6 mbs) ON the video side, I have put all the boxes through their paces. The initial finding is a very noticable improvement in the PQ on the SD channels. The noice I had on the Comcast digital channels is gone. The SD PQ gives a nice clear noise free picture. It almost makes SD watchable. As for the HD, the HD channels seem to be the same as Comcast. It may be my eyes but some of the HD channels may look a tad and I mean a tad sharper on FiOS than on Comcast. I am not sure though. I am sure though that HDNet on FiOS blows away HDNet on Directv. It is that much better. I also like the interface on the DVR. I am able to set the recordings using the guide which seems more user friendly than Comcast. I hit the program on the guide with the record button and the red dot appears on the guide just like on Comcast. The 30 second skip on my Comcast remote works great also. I have not tried the new remotes except on the family room TV which now has HD for the first time in a few years. It is great to have that again and still be saving 30 bucks! The swap button is not that big a deal to me. Any questions let me know.

On the issue of the firewire port, it works flawlessly. I am able to record everything to DVHS. However, I do not have any of the movie channels so can't comment on those. All else including all the HD channels like Discovery, etc. can be recorded to DVHS.

Well, the firewire is a plus too. I've always had "glitches" with the Comcast connection. How about the "networked" DVR function? How has the experience played out? Work OK? I'd love to be able to retire for the evening & watch via the DVR in the bedroom.

JWhip-
Glad to hear you're up and running!

I noticed that there are 2 HD On Demand programs available right now under the Free, Home and Leisure, Ambient.tv HD category.

I have a ticket opened with Verizon right now because they apparently do not have the caps set right at the Central Offices yet to account for the streaming of HD On Demand and it's "large" requirement.

Another poster at DSL Reports has measured they are sending the content at around 18-19 meg. When you watch VOD, they apparently bump your downstream speed on the data side to 30 meg - since the VOD travels over the internet side of things. Since the HD is now taking up 18-19 of that, when I have the HD on demand playing, my speeds are slowing down to around 12000 down (I'm on the 15/2 plan).

So I requested they have the Network Ops folks take a look to see how they can correct this - as if you have someone watching an HD VOD in your house and another person is on the internet, I'm currently taking a hit on my download speeds.

Since the DVR does not currently steam HD, I did not get it. My neighbor has it and it works great. His wife is from Europe and she loves the foreign channels and she DVR's them all the time hence they love the media server. I must say that I am beginning to think that the HD looks better on FiOS. I watched letterman this morning and it looked clearer than I have ever seen it. Not by a lot but noticable. The Unit looked fabulous last night also but I have never seen the show before to compare it. I also thought that the ESPN feeds last night looked better than I have ever seen them also. Now they just need more HD offerings.

I did not know that it does not stream HD. I assume there are plans to do so? Have there been discussions when this might be done?

around the third quater of 2007 is what I have been told

I did not know that it does not stream HD. I assume there are plans to do so? Have there been discussions when this might be done?

Carl,
I too would have gotten the Media Manager version of the DVR if it could stream to other HD STB's.

Word is that the new software / guide when it rolls out will have this ability.

Well, I still envy you folks. Hopefully the rest of Wilmington is not far behind.

I gve up INHD and VSGLF and CN8 but the better PQ and lower cost is worth it.

Maybe it was my Comcast boxes but the PQ on FiOS HD is sharper and more vibrant. The Sixers game last night looked way better than I have ever seen it. Razor sharp. This is working out well, at least so far.

Maybe it was my Comcast boxes but the PQ on FiOS HD is sharper and more vibrant. The Sixers game last night looked way better than I have ever seen it. Razor sharp. This is working out well, at least so far.

JWhip-
I hear ya. CSN-HD looks really nice on FIOS. And hell, the Sixers even won! :D

Great reviews of the TV pq and installation. Thanks for such detail!

Quick question: My ONT has a coax port. Is this where the video source will be coming from? If so, what is the coax port on the back of my ActionTec router for? I'm curious, since I use Sunrocket VOIP, and my VOIP equiment is useless behind the ActionTec router for some reason, so I use my own router. My ActionTec is currently functioning as a paper weight.
I'm wondering if I will need the ActionTec for Fios TV, or if the coax from the ONT will be enough. Thanks.

Great reviews of the TV pq and installation. Thanks for such detail!

Quick question: My ONT has a coax port. Is this where the video source will be coming from? If so, what is the coax port on the back of my ActionTec router for? I'm curious, since I use Sunrocket VOIP, and my VOIP equiment is useless behind the ActionTec router for some reason, so I use my own router. My ActionTec is currently functioning as a paper weight.
I'm wondering if I will need the ActionTec for Fios TV, or if the coax from the ONT will be enough. Thanks.

Ohendo,
Yes, they connect a coax to your ONT - then they bring that into your basement (or where ever) and hook it up to an x-way splitter (x = # of TV's +1)

1 end of the splitter then connects to the coax on the back of the Actiontec. This is how your STB's get their guide data and how VOD works (it comes over the data side of FIOS). The other runs from the splitter go to your TV's.

Ohendo,
Yes, they connect a coax to your ONT - then they bring that into your basement (or where ever) and hook it up to an x-way splitter (x = # of TV's +1)

1 end of the splitter then connects to the coax on the back of the Actiontec. This is how your STB's get their guide data and how VOD works (it comes over the data side of FIOS). The other runs from the splitter go to your TV's.

Jeepmatt to the rescue again. Thanks for answering. So I don't need the ActionTec in place, unless I want VOD and a guide. In other words, I need the ActionTec! I guess I'll have to bug Sunrocket for a different VOIP box that will work behind the Actiontec. I've heard there are a few available.

update: After more thought, I am a bit confused. The source is from the ONT, and this line goes to an X-way splitter, with the outputs of the splitter going to the TV's and one to the ActionTec. The flow of data in this layout is going INTO the ActionTec and STB's. I have a hard time grasping how the STB's are communicating with the ActionTec if they are both on the 'out' side of an X-way splitter.

update: After more thought, I am a bit confused. The source is from the ONT, and this line goes to an X-way splitter, with the outputs of the splitter going to the TV's and one to the ActionTec. The flow of data in this layout is going INTO the ActionTec and STB's. I have a hard time grasping how the STB's are communicating with the ActionTec if they are both on the 'out' side of an X-way splitter.

Splitters/coax are bidirectional. Otherwise the cable companies would never know when you ordered video on demand.

-Jerry

Splitters/coax are bidirectional. Otherwise the cable companies would never know when you ordered video on demand.

-Jerry

How about that. Duh. Thanks for clearing that up! I should have realized....

(Guys- this may help answer your configuration questions.) FiOS installed today. Wow. SD has never looked better. The analog channels on my 27" CRT are the best I've ever seen. No noise anywhere. HD is somewhat improved as well. The details:

Time to install: 5 1/2 hours, including time for the techs to get the ONT software loaded (troubleshooting).

Service experience: The techs were extremely courteous and helpful. They showed me everything and told me anything I wanted to know. This included helping them with the signal strength measurements on the Sunrise Telecom CM750 analyzer.

What they did:
The ONT got installed onto my distribution panel in the basement. Reasoning was that they claimed to have after-hours support and there's much less chance of problems due to weather indoors. I figured that the hardware never fails, it's always the software and they fix that stuff remotely. Also, the only spot that the ONT could be installed is too visible from the street.

Next, they basically tore down and rebuilt my distribution panel. Final configuration:

=== fiber ===> 612 ONT ===> 2-way splitter ==> 8-way splitter =====> STB + other TVs.
.........................|........................|=======> ActionTec router ===> PCs
.........................|=====================> Telco block =======> phone patch panel ---> phones

With one look at my Sammy 67" main setup, they brought me the Moto HD STB and asked me if I could install it myself. Nothing wrong, they were just intimidated and that's what I preferred anyway :).

RF Signal strength target ranges:
ONT out:....................... +18 to +19 dBmV
Analog channel level at STB: 0 to +10 dBmV
Digital channel level at STB: -5 to +6 dBmV

Startup problems:
The phone had no dial tone and the STB was not authorized for anything. Internet was OK. After about a 20 minute wait for a tech-to-tech Verizon support call, the ONT software was loaded (it's always a software problem...) and everything came online up and running.

I should also mention that the telco audio (speech) quality is much improved. Less noise and better fidelity.

Could people who have already had a FIOS TV install do me a favor? Go into the diagnostic screen on your STB and go to option 6 and tell me what CC and RC Flag are set to for CBS HD and ABC HD. To get into the diag screen, turn off the STB and quickly press the Select button on the box (at least that's how you get there on the 6200 QIP).

Why? Because on my box, all of the other OTA channels have these set to 0, but ABC and CBS (and PSG-HD or PHL-HD) have them set to 2. All of the other OTA channels I can record on my computer via firewire, but not those two. They're not encrypted (via QAM I have no problem with those channels), it's just through the STB. It's some kind of DRM enforced by the STB.

I'm going to be calling Verizon tomorrow but I just wanted some more data from other people first to see if it's just my box or a general issue.

Thanks,
Jerry

I think you're on to something here. Check the RC flag also. BTW: There's an AVS forum dedicated thread for recording firewire from Motorola STBs, but I lost the link.

My Samsung HL-R6768W is also connected to my STB (QIP6416-2) via Firewire. I assume you are referring to the "5C" bit (D11 - Interface Status) for the encryption.

When I switched to 1394, it reported "Copy-free" for all the OTA channels. TNT-HD, NFL Network, and ComCast Sportsnet reported "Copy-one generation". When I brought up the diag menu on the HDMI output, 5C was 0 for those channels. This leads me to believe that 5C is '1' on 1394, but '0' on HDMI. I couldn't confirm it since I can't see the diag screen on the 1394 output (!).

HD Channels:
ABC: CCI: 0x02 CIT: 0x00 RC: 0x01 (5C = 0 HDMI, copy-free via 1394)
CBS: CCI: 0x02 CIT: 0x00 RC: 0x01 (5C = 0 HDMI, copy-free via 1394)
NBC: CCI: 0x00 CIT: 0x00 RC: 0x00 (5C = 0 HDMI, copy-free via 1394)
PBS: CCI: 0x00 CIT: 0x00 RC: 0x00 (5C = 0 HDMI, copy-free via 1394)
TNT: CCI: 0x02 CIT: 0x00 RC: 0x00 (5C = 0 HDMI, copy-one generation via 1394)
NFL: CCI: 0x02 CIT: 0x00 RC: 0x00 (5C = 0 HDMI, copy-one generation via 1394)
All RS flags are "forever".

BTW: The best thing about Verizon is that the STB powers up to the last channel watched, not CN8. :)

I can record all the channels to DVHS via firewire. One of the benefits of not having CN8 on the system! THe HD PQ is outstanding!

I found the firewire thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=403695&highlight=recording+firewire. Check there first to see if you really need to call Verizon. If it works for JWhip, I would research the thread.

I had a similar problem, but with DVHS not recognizing anything with 5C encryption, where my Sammy would see it as "copy-one generation". This was for ComCast and a Moto 6500DCT STB (HD, no DVR). The last thoughts were that it was a driver problem (recognize STB as 1394 source on PC). A commercial driver will work much better, but I did not want to expend time / money on it. You can find a public domain driver at this thread.

BTW: I canceled Comcast in person when I returned the box. I told them I was moving to Verizon fiber. The person at the counter said, "So, you're going with Dish?". No, Verizon FIBER OPTIC. "You mean Dish?". No, it's FIBER not DISH. OK, whatever. This morning, I got a call to confirm the cancellation and uninstall the cable. "So, you're moving to Dish?". No, Verizon. The person on the phone at least understood who Verizon was. She confirmed that I returned the STB + remote. :D

GeekGirl - in your chart, where did your data for whether the channels were 1394 copy free vs. copy one generation come from?

Here's some more info about screen 6.

For non-OTA digital channels, it says Type: Digital ENC 0x12, CCI is 2, RS is 0
For OTA channels I can receive over firewire, it says Type UNK 0x43, CCI is 0, RS is 0
For OTA channels I cannot receive over firewire, it says Type UNK 0x43, CCI is 2, RS is 1 (not 2 as I originally said)

No idea what the numbers mean, but ENC says encrypted to me, even though screen 11 says 5C 0 for all of the above channels.

JWhip - DVHS is probably going to be able to get things over firewire that the non-DRMed firewire card on my computer is not going to be able to do. I think the DVHS is able to do handshaking/decryption that the STB requires in order to be able to know it'll only be creating a copy-once copy.

GG - thank for the link to that thread. Even though I'm running Linux and not Windows on my dedicated DVR computer, there's still a bunch of good info there.

CCI(Copy Control Information) codes:

Copy Never (11 or 0x03)
Copy One Generation (10 or 0x02)
No More Copies (01 or 0x01)
Copy Freely (00 or 0x00)

Also, it sounds like this CCI stuff is something that was implemented to support the Broadcast Flag (before it was put on hold). It's not clear to me whether this is something Verizon should be fixing or the individual station should be fixing.

-Jerry

JerryR - When in doubt, use an independent observer. My Sammy HL-R6768W (67" DLP) has 1394 network support called "D-Link". The copy status came from him, I'm just the messenger.

From skimming postings on other topics, I believe that the originator configures the flags. This makes sense to me. IOW: Verizon is just a pass-through. I'm sure I'll be corrected if I'm wrong...

Keep in mind that data stream processing is a mix of both hardware timing and software. They are not independent. You may find out that the problem is a combination of these two. More probable is that there is a combination of flags that you haven't found yet which is a minor "bug" in the code.

From skimming postings on other topics, I believe that the originator configures the flags. This makes sense to me. IOW: Verizon is just a pass-through. I'm sure I'll be corrected if I'm wrong...

Ok, assume the originator configures the flags, sounds reasonable. The FCC requires content providers (cable companies, and I assume FIOS TV companies) to provide OTA in the clear over firewire. So is it Verizon's responsibility to program the STBs to not respect the CCI flag for OTA channels? Or the TV station's responsibility not to put them in there in the first place?

Keep in mind that data stream processing is a mix of both hardware timing and software. They are not independent. You may find out that the problem is a combination of these two. More probable is that there is a combination of flags that you haven't found yet which is a minor "bug" in the code.

I don't follow you here - are you saying a bug in the set top box code or the firewire drive code on my computer?

With Comcast, I had no problem with any of the OTA channels over firewire. It was the same STB (6200), minus the QIP, so you'd think that it would treat the flags the same. Hmm, wait a second - I can check whether those stations have the flags through Comcast...

I don't follow you here - are you saying a bug in the set top box code or the firewire drive code on my computer? In the firewire drive code on your PC. Just conjecture, of course. I could state this a little better by saying it's not an easy thing to find.

In the firewire drive code on your PC. Just conjecture, of course. I could state this a little better by saying it's not an easy thing to find.

On the computer side, it's just pumping the raw firewire stream straight into a file, so my inclination is to think the stream is not being transmitted on the STB side. On the computer side, it's not processing any of the flags. If the stream isn't completely in the clear, it's not going to be able to play it.

-Jerry

With Comcast, I had no problem with any of the OTA channels over firewire. It was the same STB (6200), minus the QIP, so you'd think that it would treat the flags the same. Hmm, wait a second - I can check whether those stations have the flags through Comcast...

Nope, the Comcast STB doesn't even list those flags at all. Oh well.

JerryR - I think those flags are hiding from you in a different diag menu (ComCast box). I searched the Firewire thread for "CCI" and found: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9681512&&#post9681512

"when you check for 5C, look near the bottom and see if CCI=0x02 or 0x00".

I just watched my first ComCast Sportsnet HD hockey game on FiOS. The overall quality seemed a tad better than ComCast, but there were some problems.

The first thing I picked up was that the blacks were truly black. Very nice. However, it was the puck that caught my eye. I could not help but notice how clear the puck was. The motion of the puck spinning on the ice never stood out before and now I couldn't stop watching it. You could see the edges of it as rolled / skimmed along the ice surface. Impressive.

However, all of this was tempered with very perceptible motion blur. Every few seconds, the motion of the players was blurred. Also, the picture would jerk from time to time. These problems were not present when watching on ComCast.

Moving onto HDNet hockey, I'd say the picture was a level above ComCast Sportsnet, but in a different sort of way. Level of detail was excellent and no motion blurring was noticed. However, the overall contrast / brightness seemed to be compressed. The 5.1 surround sound had the announcers in the center channel with ambient fill all around (did not evaluate 5.1 for Sportsnet).

I would be interested if anyone knows the differences in processing between the two channels, i.e. balance dropping frames vs. picture quality.

Geekgirl, I must say that on my displays, a 34" CRT and 42 and 50" plasmas there was no motion blur at all on CSN-HD last night. The picture jerk you mentioned occurred for me maybe twice the whole game. That seems to be an issue that Verizon needs to address as that it not on the signal coming out of CSN. While I wish it never happened, I will take the overall noticably better picture in exchange for a brief jerk. There are clearly some bugs that need to be worked out in the system but I am sure they are the kind that only people like us would even notice or complain about. On CSN, it looks like a very thin film has been wiped off the screen compared to the same feed on Comcast. I have let the chief of the engineering crew in on that. The experience at home looks more like what I have see at the control room at the Wachovia Center. Can't wait to see what the Phillies games look like with their overall brighter and more colorful palatte. As compared to HDNet, I liked the CSN PQ better as I found it to be clearer. As for audio, they seem to be mixed alittle differently but when cranked up, they both sound great.

JWhip - I like the analogy, a removal of thin film. I need to think about the motion blur. I wonder if there's anything from my display? It's a Sammy HL-R6768W 1080p DLP (1080i on HDMI), about a year old. Could it be motion artifacts on the DLP processor?

If you are comparing things to the Wachovia center control room, then let me give you a better description for analog (I used to design CATV distribution equipment). I viewed the analog channels on my Sony 27" XBR CRT. The picture was head-end quality, which I have never seen except way back when I worked at that company.

FYI - Head-end design criteria was 45 dB C/N, viewing was on Tektronix and SONY professional studio monitors. I used to be of the opinion that a good quality analog signal will beat out a processed digital signal any day. We may have reached the break-even point at the consumer level. So much for history...

The Flyers game is listed on Versus for tomorrow night vs. Red Wings. Is this available in HD? On ComCast, this would be on INHD, but no such animal here. Am I stuck with SD?

The direct fiber feed from Citizen's Bank park to the Wachovia Center Control room is a sight to behold. It is a truly beautiful picture. While we are not getting that through Verizon, is is alot closer than what we were getting. This is a signficant upgrade. I can't wait to see the Phillies home games as they are much more colorful with the green grass, red unis, etc. The Flyers' games have more of a black and white fell with the ice, the black uniforms and the road whites. The Flyers games look better when the Flyers use the orange unis. I am wondering is Comcast isn't reducing the bit rate of their signal to compensate for the fact that the SA boxes in NJ couldn't handle the max bit rate that the Motorola boxes are using. This is nota problem with FiOS as they use nothing but Verizon boxes. I love the Verizon 6416 QIP which works better than my Comcast 6412.

You are stuck with SD.

What's the difference in distribution paths between OTA and Verizon? I'm comparing NHL on NBC and I'm seeing a definite improvement of FiOS over OTA. More dynamic range, sharper detail. To be fair, my Sammy is not ISF calibrated, but I think that there are still differences here.

I'll withhold judgement on the Comcast Sportsnet motion blur until I can watch another home game in HD (not tomorrow).

My QIP6416 takes a lot longer to authenticate the HDMI connection than the Comcast box did. That's about the only criticism I have. Menus are much more user oriented.

I do not know. It is possible to taqke a fiber feed of a full bandwidth HD signal from WCAU before it goes out with the subchannels. If so, that would make a noticable improvement in HD PQ. It would cost FiOS more money to do it this way and I am not sure WCAU would agree to it. It is possible that the differences you see are due to the quality of the STB vs. the OTA stb also.

I do not know. It is possible to taqke a fiber feed of a full bandwidth HD signal from WCAU before it goes out with the subchannels. If so, that would make a noticable improvement in HD PQ. It would cost FiOS more money to do it this way and I am not sure WCAU would agree to it. It is possible that the differences you see are due to the quality of the STB vs. the OTA stb also. I got an answer at broadbandreports.com Verizon FiOS TV forum: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,17814657. They do indeed have dedicated fiber feeds, which would explain the improvement in quality. BTW: There's a Lower Bucks County thread: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,17666796

JerryR - I think those flags are hiding from you in a different diag menu (ComCast box). I searched the Firewire thread for "CCI" and found: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9681512&&#post9681512

"when you check for 5C, look near the bottom and see if CCI=0x02 or 0x00".

I couldn't find CCI info listed on any of the screens on the Comcast box. The more I think about it, however, the more I'm leaning towards just getting an HDHomeRun box for $160. QAM goes in, ethernet comes out. And it has two tuners and is supported in MythTV. That way I'll have a three QAM tuner + two NTSC tuner system (not that I'll need the NTSC tuner anymore - I don't watch _that_ much tv). I'll still need the STB for getting the non-OTA channels into the computer via the s-video output of the STB (and for getting the non-OTA HD channels onto the TV).

Plus, this way I don't have to argue with Verizon about FCC regs.

-Jerry

Has anyone in the Philly area experienced a lot of pixellation on their digital channels last night?

There was an area issue on Thursday where people all over SE PA and DE were seeing this. I called into the FSC that night, and 5+ people on DSLReports all confirmed they were seeing the same thing. Bravo, Food Network, etc. all major blocking and pixellation. One person said they finally admitted to a video issue affecting Philly.

Fast forward to last night - the same problems came back. One other poster in West Chester confirmed the same problem again, but when I called the FSC they would not listen to me, and wanted to send out a tech. I told them no. They hit my boxes, tried to reset the ONT, while I was like, are you listening to me that this is an area problem??? It only happens on the channels from 50 and up. Almost like there is an issue at the headend when they are uplinking the channels that come via satellite.

I was also glad to read you guys are seeing the "jerky" picture sometimes - i also see this from time to time. Definite items VZ needs to work out.

I really am disappointed in the fact that they don't monitor things at their Video hubs very well. The person in West Chester is actually letting them send a tech out today - for what, I have no idea, but I guess i'll see what they say to him. He's as frustrated as I am.

There was some tiling last night on some channels but very few. HDNet MOvies, HDNet and Nick. I had no problems with CSN-HD, ESPN or KYW-DT, which were the channels I was watching.

Comcast has dedicated fiber feeds as well. The questions is where the fiber feeds come from. Do they take the feed from the source after download and before the subchannel is added or after? THat is not addressed in the dslreports posting.

There was some tiling last night on some channels but very few. HDNet MOvies, HDNet and Nick. I had no problems with CSN-HD, ESPN or KYW-DT, which were the channels I was watching.

JWhip,
Then yes, you were seeing it too. It's almost impossible to convince them there's an issue at the headend.

Yep, CSN and KYW wouldn't show the tiling...so that's probably why you didn't see it.

If you do see this issue happen, please call into the FSC so they can document.
Thanks.

PM me with the number

One person said they finally admitted to a video issue affecting Philly.Great! Now Verizon offers Fios in the city!!! Awesome. I will be calling to inquire about it now!

Great! Now Verizon offers Fios in the city!!! Awesome. I will be calling to inquire about it now!

News-
Ummm..sorry.

What I meant is that there is an issue at the video headend which is in Philadelphia - and that headend services Delaware and the suburbs.

Thanks for letting the air out of the balloon. :(

I took the day off yesterday in anticipation of Verizon coming in to hook everything up. Well, 8:30 rolled around and no one has shown up. So I call and after 45 minutes of talking and being on hold, they tell me someone had re-scheduled for next week. And for whatever reason, they didn't feel compelled to tell me prior to my initial install date. I told them I wanted someone out there that day but no dice. All crews were too backed up. In the end, they offered me a month free of cable and television for my troubles. So now I have to take off next week for the same thing. Hopefully they show. Glad I didn't jump the gun and cancell Comcast yet.

I told them I wanted someone out there that day but no dice. All crews were too backed up. In the end, they offered me a month free of cable and television for my troubles. So now I have to take off next week for the same thing. Hopefully they show. Glad I didn't jump the gun and cancel Comcast yet. Ouch. Well, after spending 5 1/2 hours to do my house, I can understand the backup. The techs were only doing 1 setup / day, at least the ones in my area. I didn't cancel ComCast until I had the Verizon box fully up and running in real-time. Hint: When they finally install everything, copy down your customer order number, work order number, and any other numbers they have on you. If there are problems with the first bill, you will need them to get it straightened out. I didn't get this info, and I hope my first bill is OK.

5-1/2 hours? Was this the total installation with a new FiOS service or did you have the internet service before that time? I've had the internet service for the past two years or so, waiting patiently for the TV service to arrive. I didn't anticipate a long installation time, but the original one did take awhile, and the crew was here for what seemed to be about 4 hours doing that, with the trenching being done several days before the techs got here to install the equipment. I'm hoping they keep my installation date, and don't postpone it due to backups in the schedule.

A totally new install. I was very anxious about them showing up at all, since nobody came to do any digging prior. Turns out that they ran everything overhead, since my property was a good challenge for underground. A key point is that you should let them know up front that you know are technically into this stuff and would like to help as much as possible.

Time to run the fiber and get all the hardware "boxes" in place was about 2 hours. Understand that this involved rebuilding my homebrew RF / phone / ethernet distribution panel. After that, they took 2 1/2+ hours to wire the ONT, battery backup, ActionTec router (nice), coax, phone, etc. Your install should go a lot quicker, since all you need is the RF.

Ask them to let you install the STB. When they saw my main system, they handed me the STB and asked if I could do it (I think it scared them :)). They will give you whatever cables you need except TOS-link.

Add another 1/2 hour for the techs on hold with their own tech support line. Result was to download software to the configure the ONT (it was not done).

Hint: Take a look at your existing RF system and plan accordingly to save time. The ONT output is +18 dBmV (see my previous post about signal levels). My Channelvision distribution amp was replaced with an 8-way passive splitter.

My distribution area is probably similar to yours, with everything entering the home at the same location. But, with the FiOS equipment already in place, I guess I'll figure about 3 hours for their installation assuming a glitch or two before it fires up. They had given me a D-Link router for the internet installation, so I may ask for an update of that if you think the ActionTec is a better choice.

My main area STB is just below the display, and very accessible, so I'm hoping that will just be a simple swap. Question: what cabling is required from the DVR at the main box...is component an okay set-up? I use the HDMI connection for my upconverting Oppo DVD player.

Component is fine as that is what I used anyway. The STB has coax and toslink outputs to a processor or receiver for audio as well. Anyone watch any of the Sixers-Wizards game last night. It was the best looking picture I have even seen on CSN. Razor sharp, great detail and perfect color. Outstanding.

Speaking of the ActionTec router, I understand that the coax output of the router is used to inject guide data for the STB and handle VOD. Out of curiosity, does anyone know how this happens if you have FIOS TV but no internet?

-Jerry

Jerry-
That's actually an interesting question! I never thought about it.

Anyone watch any of the Sixers-Wizards game last night. It was the best looking picture I have even seen on CSN. Razor sharp, great detail and perfect color. Outstanding. Same impressions here. Now, time to update my opinion of ComCast Sportsnet for Flyers hockey. No motion blur whatsoever. I think the difficulty of hockey is that the majority of the picture is literally black on white. A very small black object against a nearly total white background. No color information except on the player's jerseys. It may be due to the visual acuity of the human eye (sensitivity of chroma vs. luminance). When they switched to the Forsberg press conference, it was superb. Facial color and details were excellent, details of the stitching in the black backdrop was impressive.

I also liked the way they inserted the picture-in-picture of the press conference as the 3rd period started. The 3-D cube with logo was a creative touch, correctly placed at the top left edge of the screen for widescreen format. I didn't check SD.

My distribution area is probably similar to yours, with everything entering the home at the same location. But, with the FiOS equipment already in place, I guess I'll figure about 3 hours for their installation assuming a glitch or two before it fires up. They had given me a D-Link router for the internet installation, so I may ask for an update of that if you think the ActionTec is a better choice.
My main area STB is just below the display, and very accessible, so I'm hoping that will just be a simple swap. Question: what cabling is required from the DVR at the main box...is component an okay set-up? I use the HDMI connection for my upconverting Oppo DVD player. Yes, request the upgrade. It may also be the easiest for the installers. The ActionTec now contains internally what used to be a separate box known as a NIM module, the bridge from the ethernet guide + VOD service to RF. The coax output of the ActionTec will be combined with a 2-way splitter from the ONT RF output.

STB component is OK if that's what you want. I'm using HDMI with TOS-link audio output. FYI - The default audio is set to heavy compression for the TV output. You may want to back it down a bit in the setup menu.

Hot off the press: The techs never grounded my ONT when they installed it in the basement. Verizon standard procedure is to ground the ONT box. I have this info officially from Verizon. It will be corrected.

I presently have the Comcast box set up with component cable and the toslink cable running to the receiver, so I'll probably continue with that for both high-def hook-ups. Thanks for the info!

Can you post the model number of the ActionTec router so that I can look it up on-line prior to next week's installation?

Can you post the model number of the ActionTec router so that I can look it up on-line prior to next week's installation?

MI424WR

Looks like CSN-MA showed up on Channel 66 today in Northern Delaware. (This is the former HTS (Home Team Sports) that shows the Caps, etc.)

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

Thanks Verizon!

Thanks for the post about the model number...now to do some reading!

Thanks for the post about the model number...now to do some reading! Start your reading here: http://www.fiosfaq.com/index.php?action=cat&catnum=5, then visit broadbandreports.com Verizon FiOS forums:
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/vzfiostv and http://www.dslreports.com/forum/vzfiber

GeekGirl - lots of good info on this dslreports forums. Thanks for the links.

-Jerry

JerryR - I'm registered as GeekGirl1 over there. AVS forum doesn't cover the "tech" details for internet / TV. Different focus. However, I've already redirected a few posters back over this way when they want to know about picture quality. There seems to be a bunch of users in the Philly area.

Well, I'm all set. I had an all new install done today. Two guys came and were here for about 5 hrs. Mounted the ONT, converted the phone over and replaced all my coax conections with their compression fittings. I'm running the router over coax. All was going well unti they hit a snag with the router. Not really sure what happened but something didn't configure correctly. They got it sorted out but set them back 30 minutes. They set up the STB's; two DVR's and an HD box. I had to call and get my ID set up for my internet account. For some reason, they couldn't get that done while here. All in all it went ok. One guy knew his stuff and was training the other guy. He was telling me they are getting a lot of Comcast guys coming over to their side. He's heard all types of stories. Says Comcast just keeps amplifying the hell out of their signal to get the strength they need. Verizon has the opposite problems. Too strong a signal. They need to ramp it down most of the time.

Phone: I took two calls today on the fiber line. There was an echo in the phone. The tech mentioned this before it was hooked up. He said the remedy seems to be to turn down the volume. I guess the signal is just too hot coming in. Never used Comcast phone so I don't know how it compares. I've always been leary of using VOiP phone service.

Television: The picture looks great. I'm not sure I've watched enough to say it's better or worse than Comcast. The DVR is a but different than the Comcast box. Such as, the guide. I like the fact you can take out channels in the guide on the Verizon box, you can't do that on the Comcast box. Surfingon the Verizon box is quicker, but the Comcast guide seems a bit easier to read. On the Comcast box, I could lock out the entire on-demand section (keep it from the kids). I can't do this with the Verizon box. Parental controls are similar. The swap button on my Logitech remote doesn't seem to work. The 30-sec skip does. Lots of little quirks to get used to. I set the 480i to 480p override in the service menu. I also don't get why there is a volume compression option? I didn't see a screen position test image on the Verizon box either. Overall, I believe the edge will go to Verizon on this one.

Internet: I'm getting just over 5 mb/sec download speed according to SpeakEasy. The WiFi internet connection is a bit different from my previous linksys router. The ActionTech uses WEP. No big deal, just something different. I did reset my router by holding in the reset button for 10 seconds. The internet never came up so I had to call tech support. There is a setting that needs to be reset in the network connections tab under coax. Not as easy as just resetting. One note: I got through to tech support way faster than I ever did calling Comcast. And Verizon people seemed to know just what the problem was. Cudos. Web storgae is way light on the Verizon side. 10mb is penuts. Comcast gives 25 per user ID (up to 7). Verizon really needs to re-evaluate this. I don't like Verizons web mail interface either. Ugly. So I would say the edge goes to Comcast on this.

So, it's done. I'll drop off my old Comcast DVR's tomorrow. I'll keep my order numbers in case. Verizon had better send me my $100 gift card.

Joe_R;

Good review. Please let us know where in Delaware?

Thanks for the review. I have my installation set for tomorrow, and that's confirmed by their call. I'll post my reactions on Friday after giving it some time. I've had the internet service for about two years now, so I'm hoping the installation will go more quickly, although the change of the router may give them some problems here also...I'm on a Mac, and that seems foreign to most of the installers and service reps.

Jim Hef-
The actiontec router works just fine with the Mac - I have an iMac and have had no trouble whatsoever.

jeepmatt,

I'm in South Jersey and I am about ready to make the switch to Verizon from Comcast. Internet is available now, but I am waiting for FiOS TV to get the green light in my neighborhood as well so I can get the install all at once.

I'm glad to hear the ActionTec router is working well with your iMac. I have an all Mac house so I was wondering if there were any compatibility issues with either FiOS TV or Internet that you were aware of that I should consider before making the switch. For example, it sounds like the Home Media DVR is not compatible with Macs.

Thanks

Hawk-
Yeah, I think you're correct on that one - that the Home Media DVR is only windows compatable. I'm not sure though if that will change when the new guide/interface is eventually roleld oiut.

I do have a Windows laptop, but wasn't interested in that feature of the DVR.

Ok, I must say upfront that I'm not as tech minded as most here. I am though also located in the Yardley, Pa area. Here's my situation. I currently have Verizon for my phone, DSL on the computer. For my Sony 50" RPTV I have DIRECTTV 3LNB dish with the HR10-250 STB. I receive everything DTV offers in HD except the local channels. I have a installation scheduled next Thursday for the 5LNB Dish and the STB which allows local channels tobe broadcasted in HD. Right now, I'm paying around $85 a month for DTV programming. Around $25 for Verizon Phone Service and for DSL around $ 40 a month.

Today, I received a package detailing the new Verizon Fios TV service now available in the Yardley area. From what I've read in this thread, other posters in the Yardley area have had Comcast and switched to FIOS. Is their anyone who has had DirectTV and has switched to FIOS ? Is their a significant difference in signal strength and PQ ? Are the HD and SD packages comparable. Does the HD PQ transmit MPEG 4 on FIOS ? How many channels does Directtv now transmit in MPEG 4 all told ? FIOS ? Can I save $$ on having all 3 service phone, computer, and TV supplied by one service, Verizon ? I'm paying about $150 a month now.

Any suggestions welcomed. I need to decide whether to switch to FIOS or just keep the Directtv upgrade scheduled for March 1.

Thanks......Larry

I have everything Verizon now as of today. I've had the phone forever, and the internet for about two years. Before that, I had their DSL line. I have the 15Mbs service for internet, and have never had it drop out. You get a $5 "bundle" discount for the internet if you have their phone service, and a $100 rebate for the change-over to the television service. Of course, there is their "Freedom" plan for unlimited calling, local and long distance that you probably know about. The only negative I can think of for the FiOS TV service is that you need a set-top-box for each television, and the lowest cost for that is $5 per digital box. That requirement cost me an extra $15 per month, but my overall savings from the Comcast service was $12 per month. And hopefully, will not have the drop-out problems I was having with that. As most people on this Forum would call the Dish "HD Lite" because of the added compression to the signal, I would suspect you would get better quality with the FiOS service. I've noticed improved quality immediately, not only on HD channels, but also on the standard def stuff. There are several interesting features to service...lots of goodies to explore via the remote such as "widgets" that can trail the local weather at the bottom of the screen, and give you weather for someplace that you may be travelling to.

My installation only took 2-1/2 hours since I already had all the infrastructure installed for the internet connection. The techs were super-sharp, knowledgeable, helpful and courteous through the entire process. Since I'm also all Macs, they used their laptop to configure the router in a quicker manner, and I had no problem having the other computers in the house recognize the new configuration via Airport. The ActionTec wireless router gave a good strong signal throughout the house, and it's located within my basement office. It's very large compared to the two units I used previously, and I need to relocate it a bit to get back some desk space. Signal strength was too high, needing attenuators placed on those coax lines that came directly from the first splitter. A second 4 way splitter to the bedroom area lessened the signal enough to not require an attenuator at these locations. Previously, the Comcast signal needed to be amplified to those bedroom areas. Picture quality is first rate on all channels, but I noticed some "sparklies" on the HBO feed this afternoon, but none on the other high-def channels. I think it was a matter of that channel's feed only. I'm quite satisfied! Now to take the Comcast boxes back and end their service, and my constant problems with it!!!

Thanks for the info Jim. How long from your initial inquiry till today's installation ? I'm still in the process of weighing the decision. You mentioned $100 changeover rebate, how was it applied ? How much did the installation cost ? In the literature I got today by mail no mention of installation fees just that a switch to Fios Tv Premier would be $42.99 per month.
I figure that my installation may be more extensive as I'm not really sure that I have much already in place. Do you know of anyone who's switched from DirectTv ? From what I've gathered, the storage on the Fios PVR is less than the Directtv tivo ? And that you use up a lot of space recording in HD. Overall, it seems that the HD PQ with Fios is less compressed than DTV so naturally I would expect a better picture. When is it best to use the ActionTec router you mentioned ?

Thanks again and good luck with your FIOS TV service.

Not sure I can answer some of your questions at this point, and GeekGirl would best answer the ActionTec question. They updated my original D-Link router due to the need for an internet connection for the TV's functions to take place. The ActionTec adds a coax connection, so you need a cable jack near your computer, or your network distribution point. The $100 was originally a "change over" rebate offered as a gift card, but I missed that date. I complained about not being informed in time, and they offered a rebate by sending my last Comcast bill to an address in Kansas, and they'll send me a check in 6-8 weeks. The $43 charge is misleading. On top of that you need to add any additional subscriptions and a rental fee for each set-top-box. In my case, that totaled about $40 per month, and then I added the Movie and Sports packages. My savings were offset by the addition of a DVR for the main high def TV, and the Sports package, both of which I didn't have with Comcast. The installation was free, as was my original FiOS internet installation. I believe there may be a charge for additional boxes over the first three installed. You would have nothing in place at this point, and would need to have the fiber optic cable run to your home from the street, the network box and battery backup unit installed on and in your home, and the computer and TV service configured. Since Verizon was offering a setup to DirectTV while they were waiting for fiber to become available, I'm not sure what rebate you would be offered, but request one for switching over.

Jim, I may just wait till the new Directtv upgrade is installed this week. It's costing me nothing and then I'll have a better idea of quality of the local channels in HD and the MPEG -4 Sattelite signals. I've been happy with my current PQ and except for some pixalation in bad weather all's well. I figure down the road I may prefer the extra bandwidth FIOS provides. But, right now with the inferior Fios STB and DVR capabilities and the inability it seems to have 5.1 surround sound thru the HDMI jack it might be best to wait for some firmware updates to the current software.

When you add up the extra's needed for premium channels and VOD the savings aren't as much I thought they'd be. Anyway, appreciate the feedback and enjoy your Verizon setup.

Yeah! Fios is finally coming to Lower Merion.
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/business/16758743.htm

If you already have FiOS internet in LM, I would expect the TV service to be available within 2 months.

Oh yeah.. I meant Fios TV. Oops.

I know. In my township, FiOS internet was available for over 6 months before the TV deal was struck. If broadband is presently available, it means that all the infrastructure is in place to for TV and its activation should be quick.

.... But, right now with the inferior Fios STB and DVR capabilities and the inability it seems to have 5.1 surround sound thru the HDMI jack it might be best to wait for some firmware updates to the current software.

When you add up the extra's needed for premium channels and VOD the savings aren't as much I thought they'd be. Anyway, appreciate the feedback and enjoy your Verizon setup.

The 5.1 surround sound works fine on FIOS, althought the VOD does needs work.

I like the Comcast implementation of "Guide" much better than the Verizon, but haven't really played with On Demand yet. Trying to learn all new channel assignments is daunting, especially with it compartmentalized into groups the way Verizon does it.

Although I don't have an HDMI switching home theater receiver, what would curtail you from just running an additional Toslink cable along with the others to get a true digital sound if the converter was giving you a problem? I'm not sure there is one, and don't remember seeing anyone post that this service doesn't transmit surround sound via the HDMI cable. Give us your impressions of your updated satellite feed!

Jim,

I cancelled the Directtv upgrade installation. Signed on today to have Fios Tv installed. It will be installed on the 13th of March. Since I had a commitment for 2 years at DTV and retention there wasn't very cooperative I'll have to shell out some cash to opt out of Direrct Tv. Hopefully, the increased bandwidth and no more pixalation problems will make for a much improved viewing experience. Verizon has included a $100 gift card and free standard STB for one year. Added HBO to the premium package and HD DVR receiver for about $10 less per month with month -month commitment. The upgrade to Fiber optic Internet was the same price as DSL I have now with much faster downloading. Fios offers 15 HBO channels compared to 7 at DTV for 3 bucks more a month. I'll also have the benefit of watching Comcast Sportsnet that DTV didn't include.

Now all that remains to be seen is better HD PQ I trust. From what I've been reading MPEG-4 is somewhat suspect. I'll keep everyone posted when FIOS arrives.

Larry

I like the Comcast implementation of "Guide" much better than the Verizon, but haven't really played with On Demand yet. Trying to learn all new channel assignments is daunting, especially with it compartmentalized into groups the way Verizon does it.

Although I don't have an HDMI switching home theater receiver, what would curtail you from just running an additional Toslink cable along with the others to get a true digital sound if the converter was giving you a problem? I'm not sure there is one, and don't remember seeing anyone post that this service doesn't transmit surround sound via the HDMI cable. Give us your impressions of your updated satellite feed!

Verizon will be changing the Guide sometime in March. Not sure exactly what it wili look like though.

DaBreeze - I missed your earlier questions about the ActionTec router. It works much better than the D-Link I was using. The router connects to the ONT via coax- it's split off from the RF output.

Don't worry about signal levels. The ONT has about +18 dBmV of RF power out, that's a lot more than cable TV. I've got an 8-way split, which is after the 2-way split to the ActionTec and there's still plenty of room to go.

For more "tech" info on FiOS, checkout the Verizon FiOS forums on broadbandreports.com. There's a Lower Bucks County thread: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,17666796~start=60#end

Has anyone noticed that Wealth TV - HD (channel 837) is overscanning compared to their SD version (channel 149)? It's like what you get when you hit "zoom" on your display to fill in the screen from 4:3 to 16:9. The top and bottom of the picture is cut out.

GeekGirl-
Yes, I see this too. You'll notice the "Wealth TV" logo in the bottom right corner is cut off as well.

Does anyone else have a problem with the sound levels from channel to channel? There's quite a bit of discrepancy between volume levels as you scroll through the channels, and it's particularly annoying if someone is doing so at night while others are trying to sleep...not a bedroom friendly device!

Jim-
Yeah, the volume difference has actually gotten worse over the past week.

Try going from say, WeatherScan local on 49 - to an HD channel.

You either can't hear a word, or go deaf from the blast depending on which one you are on first.

Not sure who to address this with.

Possibly everyone should put a call into Verizon FiOS to complain about it! Of course, that means the few people reading this particular Forum, and wouldn't constitute much of a meaningful sample!

I am not sure it is a Verizon issue.

I have no problem with the Wealth HD logo being cut off. My set is set to zero overscan. It appears to be alittle low in the safe area though but not enough for it to be cut off on my sets.m If it is, I would suggest you adjust your overscan if you can.

JimHef - For the audio levels, broadbandreports.com is carrying a thread in the FiOS TV forum: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,17866885~start=20#end

Wealth TV Overscan - JeepMatt, JWhip thanks for the confirmations. I was wondering whether to mention it or not, as there's an HDMI overscan issue with my Sammy HL-R6768W.

I have signficant overscan on the DVI output of my NVidia 7900 GTX graphics card (DVI to HDMI cable). No effect changing the scaling within the drivers. Several AVS forum threads are in consensus to wait for NVidia to fix the drivers. I don't see any way to scale the output of the STB.

Thank you for that reference link! Not only am I finding a difference in level between channels, but last night, viewing 24, I had to really crank the volume to hear the program, and then the commercials were about twice as loud as the program! Even the Victoria Secrets ads couldn't distract me from this nonsense! It really is a major problem, and one that wasn't there with Comcast. During the evening, I was given a call by a pollster for Verizon to see how the installation went. I told her of the problem and she stated she would "pass it along", although I'm not certain she was able to understand what I was trying to tell her. I'll be calling the central office. Of note, the installers told me of the problem when they were here, and that there was nothing they could do from their side to alleviate it.

I have not noticed any difference in sound between Comcast and Verizion. Commercials are always louder than the show so they are more noticable. The volume on 24 was fine to me.

JWhip - Check the simple stuff. The default audio compression on the STB is set to Heavy, which is different than the ComCast STB. Back it down to medium- light might be too much.

Right now, I'm watching the Flyers (what else?) on ComCast Sportsnet, 829. I have to turn up the audio way past mid-range on my Sammy. That's a lot higher than normal.

JimHef - Consider joining the fray at broadbandreports.com and adding to the audio thread. Sounds like someone may have inroads to get something done. I had to modify my user name to GeekGirl1 (GeekGirl already taken). You may also recognize a few posters from here as well. No conflict, as there's not much discussion on home theater- it's mainly tech talk (TV and internet).

HD 5.1 audio levels are always lower than SD. I only listen through a 5.1 audio system and have no audio complaints at all. CSN-HD has always had lower audio. It is like that from the source which I confirmed with thier head audio operator.

What to do !! I currently have Direct Tv and am set for a FIOS TV install on March 13, 07. After many conversations with Reps from both Verizon and retention at Direct tv I'm trying to decide BETWEEN sticking with DirectTv or switching to Fios. Here's the deal. DirectTv has me locked into their 2yr contract of which I'm only 8 months into. To cancel it would cost me $200 or so bucks. They are offering me a Free upgrade to 5 lnb dish and H-20 receiver to be installed Thurs. No Hr-20 dvr as they are on back order. For the HR20-DVR it would cost me $199 a $ 100 savings over 3 payments.

Fios has said they would upgrade my Internet to Fiber optic, I now have DSL for the same monthly price. And the Fios Tv has the same channels plus a couple more HD for $ 12 less per month. They also included the $ 100 gift card. No obligation to buy free for 30 days then $99 cancellation fee after 30 days.

I'm thinking that with all the problems I'm reading about the STB from Verizon it just might be best to forego the Fios install and stick to DirectTv until I'm over the 2yr commitment period. Giving Fios TV the time to get the kinks out of the STB problems.

Questions are.......If Verizon does the TV install if I cancel will they leave in place the works to switch to Fios Tv and a later date ? Is the Fios PQ Quality that much better on SD & HD than MPEG-4 Direct Tv ? Will they surpass or keep pace with the proposed influx of HD channels Direct TV has planned for this Yr ?

Is it possible for me to audition both services for a limited time before I decide ? I have a Sony KDF E50A10 RPTV with only 1 HDMI input but am now using a HDMI Switcher for STB and Oppo 970HD DVD player.

Any idea how I could configure my setup using both HD STB'S to compare Fios Tv to DirectTv HD ? I've read somewhere in these threads that someone actually did this.

Meanwhile, I'll fill you in to any improvements or letdowns I see in the upgrade to MPEG-4 HD reception later this week.

Thanks to all for the info posted in these Forum's. It's been a godsend in the 6 months or so that I've had HD Home Theatre.

JWhip - They just increased the audio level at the end of the 1st period. At the start of the 2nd period, it's back down again. The difference seems to be studio vs. remote(?). I would think that they have a few dB of dynamic range to level the differences before sending it out. I assume there's a human in the loop paying attention to this (master control?).

Is there a person at Verizon monitoring this as well? Maybe there are 2 people adjusting the audio simultaneously, which means the audio is all over the place.

What to do !! ... Give FiOS TV the time to get the kinks out: Not an issue. Works fine. There are plenty of satisfied people. What you read about are all the problems, that's when people complain. Can happen with anything. You should read the ComCast forums.

Will Verizon leave in place the works: They will use your existing cabling if possible. Some people have gotten them to run dual cabling. For a simple 10 minute comparison, it's not worth the effort.

FiOS PQ Quality on SD & HD vs. MPEG-4 Direct Tv: I don't have any experience on this. However, remember that DirecTV is an additional processing step as they need to demod/remod/compress to put it on Ku-Band and then back down to your dish. All things being equal, PQ degrades. PQ can only be as good as the source material. MPEG-4 won't help if the source material is SD. FiOS local channels get fiber feeds direct (as does ComCast), but they don't have anywhere near the compression that DirecTV or ComCast does. That's the key discriminator here. Signal levels are much higher than cable, should be on par with DirecTV as far as C/N into your tuner (less chance for pixellation).

Audition both services for a limited time, configure setup for both HD STBs: Your dish needs the DC / control feed from the satellite STB. The FiOS splitters are rated from 5 - 1000 MHz, so you will have to do a temporary reconnection between FiOS / Moto STB and DirecTV / H-20 STB. It may / may not be worth it for a simple test. Local channel PQ on FiOS is even better than OTA (my experience).

Payback period: With the $100 reward card and $12/month saving, you will pay back the $200 cancellation fee within 1 year. Think about it.

Programming: You don't mention what your preferences are in terms of programming packages. It's probably the most important comparison you need to make here, assuming cost is close. You get a slew of HD channels, La Connexion (Spanish language package), and lots more. Compare to DirecTV (Weather Channel HD is coming...). Remember that the purpose of all this is for your enjoyment with the best possible PQ.

GeekGirl,

Thanks for the response. Yea, I'm certain if I had Comcast it would be a no brainer. My folks have it and they're very unhappy wiyh the price increases and such. Really, what I'm looking for is what you say Fios has. Very good PQ and more HD signals. I watch HD and HBO mostly. So, I'll have the Premium package and HBO. Really don't need the sports pack/movie combo as I rent Netflix a lot.

What I've come to understand is that Fios has a expanded Bandwidth and that DTV decompresses and crams data onto their Satallites. What should be a 15-18 Mbps bitrate you receive at anywhere between 8-12 Mbps bitrate. Huge discrepancy considering that Fios Bitrate is almost exclusively in the preferred 15-18 mbps area. Also, DTV'S MPEG-4 I'm told is currently only viewable on the local channels. Are all the FIOS MPEG-4 ?

I'll most likely take the FIOS plunge after I check out the DTV upgrade. Considering the savings involved and better overall Fios PQ and Programming . Since the DTV H-20 STB is not TIVO and is mostly handling MPEG -2 signals anyway, I'll keep the HR-10-250 Tivo I now have and put it on my Standard TV in my bedroom and put the Moto STB on the 50" Sony HD RPTV in the living room.

Thanks again, sounds like a plan. Off to make the donuts.

My HD-DVR and HD box both received new firmware overnight - Version 17.24 dated Nov. 2006

Not sure what the specs are - but thinking maybe for the change in Daylight Savings Time.

DaBreeze, consider calling back to FiOS and negotiating a better rebate for quitting the DirecTV service. Verizon was "partnered" with them to provide the service until their fiber was available, and kept trying to sell me on that while I waited for this. You'll like the speed of the internet connection, even vs. the DSL line. Overall, except for the sound issues, I'm completely satisfied.

Geekgirl, I'll join that Forum and post about my problems there also.

Jim,

Happy to hear your enjoying your Fios service. You say " partnered ". I am aware that FIOS currently are selling Direct tv. Since I didn't use Verizon to purchase my DTV previously, what approach do you think would render me a better rebate ? Isn't it true that you switched over from Bombastic Cable wereas I already had DTV so Verizon never soliceted me for DTV.

...what approach do you think would render me a better rebate ?....
Geekgirl posted about the rebate being gone at the end of the month. When I contacted Verizon, and told them that I had missed the cutoff date, they then offered me another deal for the same amount. Negotiate with them. If they offer anything for switching from satellite to fiber to their "interim" clients, they should also give it to you. Keep pushing them while they are on the phone, or if you've already signed up, call them back and insist on a deal...they'll oblige you for sure!

After the firmware update to 17.24, all of my 1080i HD channels are frame dropping. ComCast Sportsnet looks like stutter step in slow motion. HDnet and Wealth TV are not quite as bad, but not watchable.

I did a hard reset (disconnect power for a minute), but no fix. Is my STB bad? SD and analog (<50) channels OK. All SNR and AGC good, no errors. QIP6416-2 HD DVR.

Edit: Got assistance on the broadband reports thread: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,17915289. I changed the output resolution of the STB to 720p then back to 1080i. Doing this somehow reset something (re-sync / refresh frame buffering?) inside the STB to get everything back. Interesting that this happened as soon as the firmware upgraded. Will keep an eye on it.

Geek-
I saw your post - nothing like that on my DVR with the HD channels - but, at least i'll know what to do if it does happen.

Where is the firmware version information located...how do I access this to see what has been installed?

Jim-
You can get to two different things

1) With the STB on, hit menu, then choose Settings. Then set-top box diagnostics - then there is another menu within that which will show you the guide version, etc.

2) With the STB and TV on, power off the STB, then click OK immediately. This will bring up the diagnostic menu. Then choose whichever number "Code Modules" is, I think it is #7 or #8 - and at the top it will show you the firmware version and date.

Thank you! Found it in the Menu settings, and see that the high-def box is 17.24, and the digital box is 18.24.

I've also tried the audio setting at "heavy" compression, and this has evened out the volume over most channels. I haven't tried watching long enough to see if the commercials seem to be at the same volume as the show yet though. Will this effect the quality of the surround sound via my receiver also? That is connected via the optical output on the box.

I read that Verizon announced several dozen more towns to go live this month, however I do not think any were in SJ. I called VZ and asked about Marlton and the rep siad they are working on sppeding up the roll outs but he has no specifics on my town. I told him to hurry up because I will be signing up as soon as it is available!

Let's hope its soon, I am jealous of all of the SEPA posters.

<rant>
OK, I'm fed up with ComCast Sportsnet HD audio :mad:. I tried to watch the Phantoms vs. Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL hockey), but the audio was down in the mud. SD broadcast tonight from the Spectrum. On the off chance, I tuned to the SD version, and the audio was reasonable- not perfect, but OK. I'm sticking with SD Sportsnet for SD broadcasts.

Also, the video seemed a squeaky bit better on SD than HD. Maybe it's the lack of gray letter-boxing that made it look better. The time clock on the status bar was a live camera feed blocked in to fit - the numbers were very low contrast and almost impossible to read.

I ended up just bagging the whole thing and tuned to the Islanders vs. Capitals game on HDnet. Incredible, especially listening to the audio quality in 5.1. They even have a "sights & sounds" section where the announcers stop talking for a minute so you can listen to the action on the ice.
</rant>

I sent an email today regarding the lower volume level on CSN-HD, lets see what happens.

Received an email today from CSN, they asked what system I was on and said that they would "look into it." I let tehm know that others are hearing the same thing on other systems.

I thought your original post was that you emailed to Verizon FiOS. I doubt that CSN will give a damn about the audio levels on the Verizon system! Keep us informed if you ever receive a reply.

The low volume comes from CSN. It was low when I had Comcast also. ONly on CSN-HD. Colume on CSN-SD is fine.

I'm new to the board and new to FIOS. Just posted this in the HDTV installation area, but since I live in Philadelphia (Phoenixville), I thought it would be relevant here too. Thanks.

Just got FIOS TV and Phone installed on Friday and wanted to share my experience. Switching from DirecTV to FIOS TV and from MCI to the FIOS phone. Installation did not go as planned. I'd appreciate any advice about anything I could have done differently.

First, the good: the PQ is outstanding through HD-DVRs. And altho I am a long-time Tivo user, I think the Verizon DVR is on its way to being comparable. Also, the installation tech who did the work on site was extremely courteous and helpful. Even helped me lift my new Sony Bravia LCD into the cabinet.

Now, as for the problems:

the tech knew nothing about a phone order when he arrived. He was only here to do the TV (even though I ordered both at the same time). When I called Verizon to work this out, no one could find my original order. Then, in the midst of this, my phone dropped dead. Turns out MCI shut us off, as the switch was made to Verizon. I called Verizon from my cell and promptly got moved around and put on hold by a succession of 8 agents who tried to figure out what was going on. After promises of a dial tone and call backs, nothing happened through the weekend. I have had no dial tone in the house since 10am Friday. I did unscrew the NID and plugged into the outside jack and got a dial tone via the copper. Now I have a line snaked into the house from the NID so I can use the phone in the house. I finally got a work order to have a copper tech come out on Wednesday (!) to get the jacks inside the house working again.

I was told this morning that the switchover from MCI copper to Verizon copper must happen first before Verizon can switch the copper to FIOS. Of course, no one explained that to me up front and I spent several HOURS on my cell phone this weekend trying to figure out what was wrong.

Also, Verizon thinks the install tech did something to the phone wire that caused the loss of the interior jacks. He claims however that he didn't touch the phone and only did the TV install.

The CS reps were either extremely lost or extremely rude, depending which I talked to. No one knew what the problem was or how to fix it. After spending several hours on the phone with these people, I'm really looking for some kind of credit or adjustment to make up for the aggravation. I NEVER went through this with DirecTV (or any other service company, for that matter).

On the TV side, I ordered the HD-DVR with Home Media Manager and a separate STB in the bedroom to stream programs from the HD-DVR downstairs. Altho the upstairs TV is SD, I was told I needed an HD receiver to work with the Home Media Manager. This turns out not to work. I receive live programs fine upstairs, but the box does not see any recordings from the downstairs DVR. So, I suspect I need a different STB upstairs that works with Home Media Mgr. Also, it looks like you cannot stream HD recordings, altho the phone reps say otherwise.

After more back and forth with Verizon today, I convinced them to swap the upstairs HD recvr with a HD-DVR and drop the Home Media Manager altogether (we're a Mac house, so we can't transfer photos etc via Verizon anyway). A separate tech should be coming out Wednesday to swap the boxes. I won't be surprised if some separate install charge shows up on my first bill for this, which I will then have to spend more time on hold trying to argue with CS reps.

I realize these forums tend to attract "problems" and I'd prefer that my first post didn't read this way. But this entire experience with Verizon's CS reps has been a painful use of time over these past 72 hours.

Thank goodness the PQ balances out the aggravation. Almost.

When I had the internet service installed the tech was superb. The repeat of that happened this time, and wound up with three guys running around my house asking what they could do to help me further. It's a shame that your installation went as it did, but, the customer service reps can't be sure what the tech did at your place, and wouldn't be able to answer your questions regarding the problem. I amazed though that they didn't have someone there the next day to diagnose the problem and come to a solution. That's not my experience with Verizon, either voice phone over the years, or with this FiOS stuff. I have everything via Verizon, and am so glad to be done with Comcast...now that was a repeated problem that I finally just said the hell with! Good luck with getting this resolved next week. By the way, I'm on a Mac, since '84, and wouldn't have it otherwise! And, the FiOS internet service has never been down in the time I've had it, about two years now. I will say that the techs don't know Mac though, but someone in the office is always available to walk you through any problem should you need it, although they read from a manual starting with Step 1...restart your computer! :p

Just got the IMac myself and it really works great.

Off topic, but the Mac is a great tool, and so much more trouble free, especially when it's devoid of viruses! In 20+ years on the operating systems, I've only had one virus, and that wasn't a threatening one.

Did I see a three for one $99 offer for fios on TV today in the Philadelphia area? I what NBC 10 in the morning.

Hey Jwhip, I HAVE ON SEVERAL OCCATIONS TRIED TO GET YOUR ATTENTION. Sorry for the caps. I have been told that Rosemont, DELCO Side which is part of Radnor Township, should have had FiOS internet already by now, but i am getting no-where with any info. I was wondering if there was a way you might have anymore access to this information. I had Verizon FiOS installed here at my work in Ardmore, Delco side Haverford Township, Its really great and speed is good, Took 3 and half hours to install on the day of wind and temps in the low Double Digits, So the install Tech's took a tad longer to do the job, But it was well worth it. But I really would like some details on when my house will have it avilable.

lm, go to the Verizon FiOS webpage and enter your phone number. That is the best way to find out. Otherwise, you can call the number on that page under Contact us.

Jwhip i called them got no-where and also the site says its not avilable and that email thing just doesnt cut it at all.

LM, what dio you expect me to do? If the site says it is not available for your home phone number, it isn't. It will be but I would not know when. If FiOS internet is available at your home, the TV service should be soon as well. Verizon is fairly tight lipped about this type of information. Just keep trying.

I'm new to FIOS and new to HD here in the Philadelphia and I have what might be a stupid question. Hope you folks can help.

Several of the shows listed in the FIOS program guide are marked as HD, but when we watch or record them, they just seem to be in Standard Def. No widescreen, no HD picture, etc.

Specifically, we record a number of shows on 873 (WHYY-2) and 874 (WHYY-Arts) -- shows like Soundstage and Charlie Rose -- and we've yet to see them in HD. Also, Ellen DeGeneres on NBC WCAU 810.

We get other HD shows and channels just fine. Any idea what the problem is with the ones I listed? I don't know if the shows I mentioned are not really taped in HD or if the channels we selected don't broadcast them in HD. It looks like EVERY show listed in the guide on an 800 channel is noted as HD, but I don't know if they truly are. Am I missing some way to tell if a show really will be in HD? Thanks for any help!

As I'm sure you know, the show has to be filmed in HD in order for it to appear in HD on any of the HD channels. There is a lot of Standard Def programming still out there, most everything out of prime time is SD. So yes, they show these SD shows on the HD channels. Since you say you get other HD shows just fine, there's no problem with your setup or install.

I wouldn't trust the guide that says whether a show is in HD or not. Obviously needs a little tweaking.

Robb-
Yes, this is an issue right now. It seems the FIOS On-screen guide has every channel listed in the 800's as HD.

As we all know, this is incorrect.

I have a dumb question which I'm sure is captured in multiple FIOS forums but I've missed it somehow;

Are you able to capture any of the HD channels via a QAM tuner? If so, is TVGOS transmitted?

I have a dumb question which I'm sure is captured in multiple FIOS forums but I've missed it somehow;

Are you able to capture any of the HD channels via a QAM tuner? If so, is TVGOS transmitted?
No problem capturing HD channels via QAM with my Vizio vx20l. I get all the locals. You need the HD box to get premium channels (HBO, ESPN, etc.)
What is TVGOS? Not familiar with this abbreviation.

Thanks for the info, I thought it would/should. TVGOS is TV Guide. With TVs so equipped you are able to get program info on the channels. I have a 37" Sharp in my bedroom & REALLY would like to avoid adding a stb there.

Thanks for the info, I thought it would/should. TVGOS is TV Guide. With TVs so equipped you are able to get program info on the channels. I have a 37" Sharp in my bedroom & REALLY would like to avoid adding a stb there.
I was not at all satisfied with the program info I was able to get with my Vizio regarding the digital/hd channels I was able to get. As far as I could tell there was no program info without the stb.

Can anyone confirm that the Motorola QIP-2500-3 set-top box does not have a settings selection for resolution output as the high def boxes have? I just bought a Vizio 20" for my office, and wanted to play with the various outputs, and none showed using the normal "menu" button access. I'll be switching this box for a high-def one, but in the meantime, thought I'd try things out without success.

FWIW

I have heard from a VZ tech that Marlton, NJ (Evesham Twp) will not be live for FIOS TV until August 2007. So I guess I can stop checking the website every 15 minutes for database updates!

Howwen, does that include internet too?

I have had 10/2 Fios Internet since Mid-february. I thought all of Evesham was live for internet.

I had one of the regular digital boxes swapped for a high def box and the installation took almost as long as the original. The service center wasn't able to communicate with the box for some reason, and the tech at the house had to speak with three different people at the office to get one to do the correct thing. I judged that he was on the phone for about 1 hour 15 minutes. After the box finally output a picture, there was no sound via the HDMI connection. That cable was bad out of the wrapper, and a new one solved the problem. Again, the tech at the home was excellent, and a bit frustrated by the staff at the office. Should you be doing the same thing, ask for an HDMI cable if that's the way you want it hooked up, and they'll provide one rather than running component. No need to purchase one from an outside source.

Anyone know if any parts of Bensalem township in Bucks county have FiOS yet? Wiki listed it, but that doesnt mean much.... and I dont' wanna keep entering random addresses on verizon's webpage.. thanks!

The tech told me yesterday that there are over 100 techs assigned to this area, to service Bensalem, Newtown, Yardley, and Lower Makefield. So, they must be there somewhere!

Rats, I called them a few weeks ago and they told me it wasn't available. :confused: I wonder if it because I live in an apartment?

It could be that fiber isn't strung to your apartment complex yet. Bensalem is a large area, and they may just be stringing fiber through parts of the area now, trying to get it fully implemented. Did you try calling for internet service instead of the TV? There may be a different department for that within their offices.

They are pulling fiber in my town now, so just tagging this thread so it is easier to find and keep up on...

Thanks Jim. I will give that a try.

An interesting article in today's Inquirer on how ComCast is forcing customers to upgrade their service: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/business/20070321_HBO_move_riles_some_Comcast_customers.html
Additional comments posted in the ComCast thread, http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10084930&&#post10084930, since it's all about ComCast (with a brief mention of losing some customers to FiOS TV).

Anybody have any idea why WYBE-DT (SD, Channel 35 analog) has really bad motion blur and pixelation? It looks like a processing chain problem somewhere in Verizon. Verified OK with OTA. Time of day: 1 PM to about 3 PM, didn't check any other times. STB diagnostics show good SNR, AGC. No errors. Only seen on channel 35, others OK.

Update: Posted on broadbandreports.com FiOS TV Bucks County thread: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,17666796~start=80#18041500. I also opened a "Verizon Direct" (private) thread which is a direct line to report problems. If all goes as planned, they should be checking the Bucks County thread for additional user complaints.

Yes, same thing occurs for me on that channel, so it's in the system. Not a channel I would normally dial in though.

(ref: WYBE-DT Channel 35) Same here. I don't normally watch this channel, but I had a guest over who wanted to watch it. Verizon responded to me this morning stating that they "fixed" it, but with some distortion remaining. Looks even worse, with a lot of "stutter". I asked them to take another crack at it... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,17666796~start=80#end

On a side-topic, it's seems like "dialing-in" to a channel and "rewinding" the DVR should somehow be rephrased. I had a friend's kid take a slide rule to class for show and tell- he explained how it was used by the "ancient people"...:)

Update on WYBE-DT, Channel 35:
I just got a response from Verizon. They will be contacting the provider. Since the OTA picture is OK, it may not be at the provider's end and they may send out a tech to isolate the problem. They will keep me posted and thanked me for my patience.

Not quite from the abacus era, but I went through college with a slide rule carried every day! So, I'll consider another misnomer for changing the channels...I no longer call the remote control a "clicker"!!!

The sound on the early basketball game on CBS high def was awful, constantly changing levels throughout the game.

I live outside Pottstown (in Bucktown), PA and DirecTv. Like the service for the most part, but it is killing me not to have Comcast Sportsnet to see the Phillies. Bu I DESPISE Comcast and will not pay for their service.

We were one of the later areas to get Verizon DSL when the rolled it out, I was hoping it would be different for FIOS. Anyone know any details of Verizon's roll-out schedule for FIOS?

Congrats on your first post. Enjoy. Did you check your phone number with Verizon's on-line database, http://www22.verizon.com/Content/FiOSTV/? That's the first step.

However, if you don't get any answers here, try the Verizon FiOS TV forum over on broadband reports.com, http://www.dslreports.com/forum/vzfiostv. There are a number of contributors who monitor both forums (including me as GeekGirl1 over there).

The AVS forum is focused on absolute perfection when it comes to all things home theater. For questions about your displays, audio, configurations, etc. this is the place. Broadband reports is more of a general interest, so there's not much overlap. However, they have a much larger user community. There's also a Verizon FiOS Internet forum (check the tab at the top of the threads).

An article in Saturday's Inquirer about Verizon FiOS http://www.philly.com/inquirer/business/20070324_Reception_can_be_poor_for_FiOS_infrastructure.html (The previous one was about ComCast, maybe they are balancing the reporting.)

Article summarizes the hoops that Verizon must jump through in order to bring the FiOS infrastructure into multifamily buildings. Verizon claims that it's not a case of discrimination, just a level of difficulty to get approval. Another point is that they have several solutions available to appease the building owners in terms of acceptable equipment installations.

Interesting that they are now developing a smaller network terminal instead of the bulky one that we are strapped with outside our homes. Bit late for us, but why wasn't this considered earlier? The installation tech told me that they are soon going to deliver a much smaller set-top-box meant to be used with flat panel displays. I've wondered when we will get a smaller form factor set of home theater equipment meant to coordinate better with the flat panels. We can wall mount those units, but you still need a large cabinet or stand for all the sound and video equipment!

what is the phone number to call fios? 800 comcast was so easy.

when are we getting HD on demand? I want to get rid of my last comcast box a dvr no less but don't want to until fios has hd on demand.

yes I have both and that is also how I solved the problem of getting standard cable on the side less used room tvs without a box with just coax, as that's something fios can't do and never will though supposedly eventually comcast won't either.

why did the remote go from the bad small button to a new larger button one that improved some things but then got rid of key features like a day up down button.

I end up having a comcast dvr remote and both fios remotes when 3 remotes for just one cable box in fam room is adding to the number of other remotes because I don't like the all in one remotes to put all devices on for a few reasons but the last thing I need is 3 just for stb.

I hate to say it but for stuff like the remote why didn't they just copy comcast? worry about beating them after you've matched them. instead they try to beat them off the bat and instead fall short because they have dumb ppl designing the remote and buttons.

where the heck is the swap button and feature on fios that comcast has and is a completley neccesary feature. when recording two programs at once switching between the two is a whole series of menu access and button presses while its one push of swap button on comcast.

I guess I'm lucky my area has it but for the ppl that don't and therefore anxious to and wanting what they can't have, just know that its only better then comcast in a few ways most other then better std def pq and overall comcast in still better in more ways and more important features (like hd on demand and a damn working swap button)

hopefully fios gets perfected but for now I'd tell them to start with just matching comcast before they can even attempt to beat them.

I have really enjoyed the FiOS sytem. I want the best PQ possible and could really care less about the swap function being missing. I kept a Comcast remote that I had the 30 second skip proghrammed into and it works great. The DVR works better than Comcast too as it has yet to lock up on my while changing channels and I have tried to get it to also. Comcast will be dropping all but the locals in analog in the next couple of years as they will need the bandwidth. It seems to me that it is Comcast who will be trying to copy FiOSD in terms of channels and functionality. Look at the streaming of DVR content which Comcast will try to implement this year also. HD VOD? I almost never watched it on Comcast and don't miss it. Neither do I miss CN8. I can't imagine going back to Comcast after seeing how much better CSN-HD looks on FiOS as well as how good HDNet and HDNet MOvies look.]

...I can't imagine going back to Comcast....]
Neither can I. The picture quality of SD programming is much better via FiOS, and the HD stuff is better also. I'm not a fan of the Guide feature though...Comcast's was much easier to navigate. I also use On Demand very infrequently, but it seems that FiOS's goes directly to Pay per View rather than giving a choice.

Just got a notice in the mail that WUVP (Univision) is moving from FiOS channel 26 to 14, effective around 4/30/07. The letter mentioned to keep an eye out for future updates.

Not sure why they are sending this out now if more channels will be affected.

Wow,
A whole letter just for a realign of 1 analog station?? Hilarious!

I'll stir the pot here as well since I read over on the FIOS Programming thread here that a customer in VA was told we'd be seeing 4 new National HD channels this Friday, 3/30.

Whether that comes true, who knows - but it would definitely be nice. Many of us here, including JWhip, have been told for months now we'd be seeing something new.

4 new channels would make sense, as it would most likely be Food, HGTV, A&E, and either Vs/Golf or Outdoor Channel 2 HD.

Guess we wait and see.

Yep. An entire page for one channel, personally signed by the VP of Content Acquisitions and Strategy. Letter is dated March 30, 2007 (this Friday).

Food Channel has been advertising often that it is available as high def...see your cable provider. Wonder what food looks like in sparkling clarity...like it does in your own kitchen? Will Emerill require more make-up?

My neighbor had the Comcast folks at his place again, something that we've been trying for about two years to have fixed...pixelation and drop-outs. I went the Verizon route, and told him that he should now give up and do the same. We'll see if he does that. Has anyone done the "referral" thing with Verizon? What benefit does it give you? If he states to them that I referred him to the package, what would I receive?

Food Channel has been advertising often that it is available as high def...see your cable provider. Wonder what food looks like in sparkling clarity...like it does in your own kitchen? Will Emerill require more make-up?
We have FoodHD, and it is real purdy. Not all of the SD shows are made in HD. No Emeril or RR.

Here's the guide http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/hdtv/0,2857,FOOD_26756,00.html

As of Wednesday, 3/28, it looks like WYBE Channel 35's pixelation and stuttering problem went away. Anyone seeing / not seeing problems?

Someone over on broadbandreports.com http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,17666796~start=100#end is reporting that the picture is OK, but the sound is out of sync. I can't confirm because WYBE is showing kids programming right now - cartoons and muppets aren't exactly reference material to compare audio / video sync issues. Will wait until the older age group programming kicks in later this evening (no comment on comparison of educational value).

Food Channel has been advertising often that it is available as high def...see your cable provider. Wonder what food looks like in sparkling clarity...like it does in your own kitchen? Will Emerill require more make-up?
?

Jim-
I had Food HD on DISH Network and loved it. And really miss it now. That's why i'm now really hoping we get it soon.

WYBE looks good to go this evening. Will declare it done and close out the problem ticket with Verizon.

Also got a follow-up call from them this evening asking about WYBE. This is points in my book about their customer service.

Good to know that Verizon is following up any customer complaints...Comcast couldn't hire enough service folks to do that!

I noticed that Verizon has marked 801-809 as high def channels, but nothing is there at this point for our system. And, of course, there's nothing posted to suggest when additional channels would be added. Looking forward to those locations being filled with interesting high def programming!

FWIW,

http://newscenter.verizon.com/press-releases/verizon/2007/new-jersey-consumers-have.html

VZ has applied with the BPU for 4 more towns in Burlington County, hopefully sinc Marlton (Evesham Twp) is already live for internet we will be among the first with TV.

Many more towns in Mercer added as well.

Not all fiber, but it's part of the install kit. Destined to be a classic »www.google.com/tisp/press.html. Be sure to follow the URL for a detailed "How To": »www.google.com/tisp/install.html and the FAQ: »www.google.com/tisp/faq.html

A bit OT, but appropriate for today. Enjoy.

In preparation for opening day, I downloaded and printed out the Phillies calendar. A number of games are on CN8, which Verizon doesn't carrry. :(

Too bad it was only "offered" for one day!!! :D

anyone not getting 811 KYW this morning?

JWhip-
Didn't notice this morning (don't usually watch KYW in the AM) , but I can check when I get home tonight.

Let us know if it comes back on for you.

As of 10:22 AM, no carrier on channel 811. Analog 3 OK. Since it's optical, is this more correctly termed "dark"?

Problem ticket submitted. I told them that other users on internet are reporting problem. The Phillies home opener is on 811 (1:05 PM)! Will call back if not solved soon. There's always OTA...

Wow Geek-
I totally forgot the home opener is on 3 today!

I'm stuck at work so I can't watch it on TV anyway - but damn, i'd be ticked off!

Jeep - credit to JWhip, otherwise I would have never checked. OTA "backup" is online and ready to go. I even verified coverage using the Google Earth terrain map for KYW-DT (see the OTA thread for details).

Update: As of 11:15 AM, 811 is back! I guess it just took someone to call it in (and that KYW will be #1 viewer ranking at 1 PM).

Anybody getting ESPN-2 HD tonight, 827, Baltimore O's vs. Twins game? No carrier. ESPN-2 SD, 64, showing ESPN news. I think it's a blackout. My quota for calling Verizon is done for today.

I called and reported the KYW deal before I left for the game. It was their first call. Glad to see it was back so soon.

GeekGirl, you are a true eclectic sports fan! Who else would watch a baseball game between those two teams when they were about to play the national championship game!!! :p

JWhip - I tend to be on the proactive side. Too many situations where everyone assumed that "someone else" took care of it with the result that nothing was done. The home opener is high priority for me.
Jim Hef - I like pro sports, somehow never followed college. A review of the Phillies broadcast below.

Picture Quality:
A comparison of OTA vs. Verizon shows that they have maintained the high quality I have seen with the Wachovia Center broadcasts (Sixers, Flyers). OTA looked like it had a soft focus compared to fiber. Outstanding level of detail. The sunlight really enhanced the color impact.

It looked like there were some start-up problems with HD. Some video dropouts, but they were also present on OTA. HD didn't get switched on until a few minutes into the broadcast and some of the commercials were chopped up. After a few innings, it looked like everything was under control, with manual SD/HD switching at the commercial breaks.

Camera Views:
I liked the shots from 1st base upper level. Impressive to show the height of the ball (Braves!) as it flied over the center field and right field fences. It also showed the player's field positions, switching to the center field camera as the pitch was thrown- nice touch.

The 3rd base dugout shots showed the player's perspective. However, the wide angle view detracted from the impact a bit, it made the player seem farther away. You really need a slow pan across the field for the full dramatics.

There were at least 2 shots that showed artistic creativity. The first one was from the 3rd base dugout with the photographer's cameras on deck. The 2nd one was with a player on deck, bat on shoulder, deep in thought- mental preparation for the upcoming pitcher vs. batter duel.

I recently had FiosTV installed and generally love it. I was coming from DirecTivo, so that usability of the interface is a little lacking, but usable.

A couple of issues that continue to nag me.
1- While it can record two shows at the same time, both tuners can't play real TV. This means that is you are recording a show on the back up tuner and the main tuner, switching to watch what is on the backup tuner appears to stop the main tuner. They said they are trying to upgrade that though.

2- When watching HBO on demand, and sometimes other on demand stuff, we occaisonally get a brief wash of opaque pixels filling the screen. It only lasts for a brief second. If I rewind over the same segment, the pixelization isn't there, leading me to believe it is some congestion thing.

Does anyone else get this?

Thanks

2- When watching HBO on demand, and sometimes other on demand stuff, we occaisonally get a brief wash of opaque pixels filling the screen. It only lasts for a brief second. If I rewind over the same segment, the pixelization isn't there, leading me to believe it is some congestion thing.



Apparently there may be an issue with HBO On Demand programs. Other folks on DSL Reports have been reporting the same issue when watching HBO programs. I haven't witnessed it, but you're definitely not alone.

If you are seeing it also on other programs though, and if it is quite frequent, you may want to have a tech check things out, or at least call in to the FSC regarding it.

The Phillies game over the weekend on whatever channel it was had a very poor sound delay. Since the announcers aren't shown, the game commentary wasn't affected, but a crack of the bat or the ball thudding into the catcher's mitt made the program unwatchable...too wierd to keep following.

Today my service was interrupted...phone, internet, and TV totally out. When I called the central number, they told me that "they were aware of an outage in the area". A tech showed up within 15 minutes of calling them, and found that another tech, doing an install within the neighborhood, had for some reason disconnected my service at the hub. Human error, but funny that Verizon would automatically give the notice that they were aware of a situation, which they weren't!

Apparently there may be an issue with HBO On Demand programs. Other folks on DSL Reports have been reporting the same issue when watching HBO programs. I haven't witnessed it, but you're definitely not alone.

Thanks. I'll research it over there.

Well Still, I am still in the wait it out stage untill they finally get FiOS out in my area. Frustrating As Jwhip has it in Wayne,Pa and I have it here in Ardmore,Pa. Its like I am forced to have this feeling of maybe pigs might fly first or that the cows will jump over the moon thing first also before finally getting any type of word or info on FiOS avilablity for my House in Rosemont,Pa Delco Side Radnor Township.

LM, you are welcome to check it out here if you want. I watched some of the Phillies game today and the PQ was outstanding, way better than any PHillies broadcast on CSN-HD on Comcast. Crystal clear, beautifully saturated color and great detail. Amazing. Now about the game itself, that is another story!

Comcast has such a monopoly, I can't stand it. The second game of the season for the Phillies was televised on CN8. Of course, if you don't have Comcast, then no CN8. I call BS!!! And we, of course, have Verizon. I just hate these sports deals. It's really bad for the consumer. I wrote to the Phillies to bitch. So should you.