Dish Vs. Fios - Pros And Cons

Oakisle · 12-14-06, 01:01 PM

If you've switched from Dish to Fios or another provider to Fios, do you regret it?
What are the best of what you miss or what you've gained.
I'm considering making the move from Dish to Fios but from what I've read about Fios so far, their DVR's don't compare well to the ones supplied by Dish.
I understand the picture should be better with Fios, but at what costs?

wgibbs · 12-14-06, 03:13 PM

Does anyone know how to download to your dvd recorder from fios tv. Fios tv receiver only has one rf input and no output

Oakisle · 01-12-07, 03:36 PM

This might have gotten lost in the shuffle. I'll give it another try.

Should I make the switch from Dish to Fios? Is it worth the trouble?

david(dallas) · 01-13-07, 10:58 PM

I'm on Directv and have been for years. They now offer FIOS at my house and I checked into it. There was a local Verizon where I went and checked out the HD DVR. This is my impressions as of today:

FIOS PROS:

1. Offer Movie on demand, I don't think DIrectv or Dish will ever have this.
2. They were offering more HD channels than DIrectv, but Directv is advertising adding more.
3. Comparable package is alittle cheaper, but not by much.
4. No dish and thus no rain fade.

DIRECTV PROS:
1. The Directv DVR's are better than what Verizon FIOS offered, which was a Motorola model. The features and use aren't as good.
2. I have been with Directv for awhile and have a bit invested in HW, so I don't see a reason to change at this time.

IF I was starting from scratch, FIOS might be the way to go.

HDTVFanAtic · 01-14-07, 05:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oakisle

This might have gotten lost in the shuffle. I'll give it another try.

Should I make the switch from Dish to Fios? Is it worth the trouble?

yes....without question....no comparison.....its the difference in quality between a small pizza dish product and C-Band Distribution.

Every HD DVR released in the past year has issues now. So what. Do you want PQ or DVR features.

I'll take the PQ any day of the week. If you buy for DVR features, go get a Series 2 SD TIVO.

bfdtv · 01-14-07, 11:47 AM

As noted above, FiOS offers superior quality on its SD and HD channels. If you have a 34" screen, you may not notice a diffference, but if you have a 55-60" display, the differences are very obvious. FiOS HD provides significantly more detail and significantly fewer compression artifacts. Much of that pixelization you see on DirecTV's HD channels during movement simply doesn't exist on FiOS.

On the other hand, DirecTV's DVR is superior. DirecTV"s HDTV DVR has a 250Gb hard drive and better software. See pictures of the current FiOS software here. The FiOS DVR has a 160Gb drive. Because FiOS SD and HD channels are higher quality, they also consume more bandwidth, and hence more space on disk; as a result, you are lucky to get half the storage on the FiOS DVR that you get on the DirecTV DVR.

FiOS has just begun to roll out improved STB and DVR software which makes their boxes more competitive in terms of features and usability; the new software is currently available only in parts of New Jersey, but it will be rolled out to all markets by April. Some screenshots of the new UI:

You can see a few more shots of the Verizon FiOS software upgrade at about one minute into the first video linked here.

FiOS expects to support external SATA drive storage on their boxes in Q3 2007. If you want more storage on FiOS now, you can always buy a Tivo Series3 with a 250Gb, 500Gb, or 1Tb hard drive.

david(dallas) · 01-14-07, 03:42 PM

I myself didn't notice a difference in PQ between my HD Directv on 50" and Verizon's FIOS on 50". But, of course, it wasn't comparing side-by-side. But I would have hoped it if was THAT big of difference as some are claiming, I would have noticed...
So I personnally can't do that to my PROS/CONS as other have.

Person99 · 01-15-07, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by david(dallas)

I myself didn't notice a difference in PQ between my HD Directv on 50" and Verizon's FIOS on 50". But, of course, it wasn't comparing side-by-side. But I would have hoped it if was THAT big of difference as some are claiming, I would have noticed...

On the SD cable channels like History, SciFi, etc, the difference between DirecTV and FiOS was so big that my wife even noticed on our similar sized TV. On the 106" screen, it was night and day even on HD.

Back to OP.

Basically FiOS has two major bonuses over small sat dish services:
1) Picture Quality
2) Firewire

The quality is definately better. Comparing a 160 gig to a 250 gig drive does not matter. 160 gig is enough to hold your weakly shows. If you want more, or want to keep stuff, then you have the firewire port to archive it forever! With D-VHS, your storage is unlimited so that 250 gig drive looks small.

Anyway, the motorola box and the DVR software is definately the crappiest in the business. This is by far the crappiest consumer electronics device I have ever had the misfortune of using. If user friendliness and DVR functionality is your requirement--look elsewhere. If you can stand what is essentially a horrible product that works OK (most of the time) in the simple "record my show and let me watch it" mode, then you will be rewarded with a very high quality picture.

At my last home theater meet, one of the guys said he had "FiOS envy" because the pic was so good.

Dave

Person99 · 01-15-07, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bfdtv

If you want more storage on FiOS now, you can always buy a Tivo Series3 with a 250Gb, 500Gb, or 1Tb hard drive.

Or for even less money a D-VHS machine or two.

Dave

Oakisle · 01-16-07, 06:47 PM

Thanks for the help. I will most likely make the switch to FIOS and get the Tivo series 3 model.

I've had DISH for about 9 years, so I had just gotten used to it.
Since I recently lost my East coast feed (my distant channels) which I had gotten with the waivers, I don't really feel like staying with DISH if I can get a better picture elsewhere.

I have a new JVC 57", but when watching anything but HD, it looks very bad. Very chopped up quality. I'm hoping the reduced compression will give me a better picture.

Thanks again.

brigont · 01-18-07, 01:56 PM

Can anyone guide me to a Fios thread on when it will be available in my region... I am dying to kick Cablevision in the ass... I live in northern NJ

Brian

12-14-06, 01:01 PM	#1 \| Link	<a href='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adclick.php?n=a4ac4393' target='_blank'><img src='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adview.php?what=zone:30&n=a4ac4393' border='0' alt=''></a>
Oakisle New Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 4	Dish Vs. Fios - Pros And Cons If you've switched from Dish to Fios or another provider to Fios, do you regret it? What are the best of what you miss or what you've gained. I'm considering making the move from Dish to Fios but from what I've read about Fios so far, their DVR's don't compare well to the ones supplied by Dish. I understand the picture should be better with Fios, but at what costs?

01-14-07, 11:47 AM	#6 \| Link
bfdtv AVS Addicted Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 12,911	As noted above, FiOS offers superior quality on its SD and HD channels. If you have a 34" screen, you may not notice a diffference, but if you have a 55-60" display, the differences are very obvious. FiOS HD provides significantly more detail and significantly fewer compression artifacts. Much of that pixelization you see on DirecTV's HD channels during movement simply doesn't exist on FiOS. On the other hand, DirecTV's DVR is superior. DirecTV"s HDTV DVR has a 250Gb hard drive and better software. See pictures of the current FiOS software here. The FiOS DVR has a 160Gb drive. Because FiOS SD and HD channels are higher quality, they also consume more bandwidth, and hence more space on disk; as a result, you are lucky to get half the storage on the FiOS DVR that you get on the DirecTV DVR. FiOS has just begun to roll out improved STB and DVR software which makes their boxes more competitive in terms of features and usability; the new software is currently available only in parts of New Jersey, but it will be rolled out to all markets by April. Some screenshots of the new UI: You can see a few more shots of the Verizon FiOS software upgrade at about one minute into the first video linked here. FiOS expects to support external SATA drive storage on their boxes in Q3 2007. If you want more storage on FiOS now, you can always buy a Tivo Series3 with a 250Gb, 500Gb, or 1Tb hard drive. Last edited by bfdtv; 01-14-07 at 12:14 PM..

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Oakisle New Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 4	Thanks for the help. I will most likely make the switch to FIOS and get the Tivo series 3 model. I've had DISH for about 9 years, so I had just gotten used to it. Since I recently lost my East coast feed (my distant channels) which I had gotten with the waivers, I don't really feel like staying with DISH if I can get a better picture elsewhere. I have a new JVC 57", but when watching anything but HD, it looks very bad. Very chopped up quality. I'm hoping the reduced compression will give me a better picture. Thanks again.

12-14-06, 03:13 PM	#2 \| Link
wgibbs New Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 1	Does anyone know how to download to your dvd recorder from fios tv. Fios tv receiver only has one rf input and no output

01-12-07, 03:36 PM	#3 \| Link
Oakisle New Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 4	This might have gotten lost in the shuffle. I'll give it another try. Should I make the switch from Dish to Fios? Is it worth the trouble?

01-13-07, 10:58 PM	#4 \| Link
david(dallas) Senior Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: plano, Tx Posts: 333	I'm on Directv and have been for years. They now offer FIOS at my house and I checked into it. There was a local Verizon where I went and checked out the HD DVR. This is my impressions as of today: FIOS PROS: 1. Offer Movie on demand, I don't think DIrectv or Dish will ever have this. 2. They were offering more HD channels than DIrectv, but Directv is advertising adding more. 3. Comparable package is alittle cheaper, but not by much. 4. No dish and thus no rain fade. DIRECTV PROS: 1. The Directv DVR's are better than what Verizon FIOS offered, which was a Motorola model. The features and use aren't as good. 2. I have been with Directv for awhile and have a bit invested in HW, so I don't see a reason to change at this time. IF I was starting from scratch, FIOS might be the way to go.

01-14-07, 03:42 PM	#7 \| Link
david(dallas) Senior Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: plano, Tx Posts: 333	I myself didn't notice a difference in PQ between my HD Directv on 50" and Verizon's FIOS on 50". But, of course, it wasn't comparing side-by-side. But I would have hoped it if was THAT big of difference as some are claiming, I would have noticed... So I personnally can't do that to my PROS/CONS as other have.

01-18-07, 01:56 PM	#11 \| Link
brigont Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 338	Can anyone guide me to a Fios thread on when it will be available in my region... I am dying to kick Cablevision in the ass... I live in northern NJ Brian