Seattle, Wa - Verizon FiOS - Page 14

Verizon.com lists CSNNW on channel 77, in all packages including Prime and Extreme.

We now have CSN NW in HD on Ch. 577 here in Seattle.

(of course, the last 2 night's hockey games weren't in HD...)

So, I am still having problems up here in Seattle area trying to actually SEE CSN-NW CH 577 in 16:9 HD for NBA Blazers and the 3 NHL games since we got tHE hd CHANNEL LAST WEEK. Granted, not all the NHL games are in HD on CSN-NW but the Blazers game was...

Can anyone up here check out the next Blazers game on Friday March 17th from 7-9pm to see if you are seeing 16:9 HD or a 4:3 SD pic? Thanks.

P.S. I can't believe that this issue could be related to my own setup since I have had absolutely no problems watching 16:9 HD channels and games on other channels the past week.

This week I got messages about VOD updates on the 18th and 19th - no change in IMG version, does anyone know what was going on?

I guess no one else in the Seattle area is having problems getting 16:9 HD programming on CSN-NW on Ch 577? Someone? Anyone please reply?!?



(Please look out for any Blazers game, NHL game or Softy which I know have been in HD per some Portland folks who have no problems seeing the HD feed properly).



I'm still getting only 4:3 programming on both HDTVs on Ch 577 and Verizon is saying the HD feed is fine up here. Just weird. My settings are all fine and the same as before we got CSN-NW HD 2 weeks ago AND I'm having absolutely no problems getting proper 16:9 HD on any of my other HD channels. This is crazy. The one channel I really want, and I am stuck in 4:3 purgatory...

Thanks to their flyer, I just learned that FiOS is going away and they want me back

It says (with the same bolding):

Soon Verizon FiOS will no longer be offering service in your area. They're going to pass you off to another company - a company you have never heard of before.

To me, the flaw in this logic is that I have heard of xfinity...

I thought Verizon was passing Fios off to Frontier Communications.

That is true, hence the 'pass you off to another company' clause in the Comcast ad.

Not quite the same as 'no longer offering' - but they can argue that it is no longer Verizon... Don't you just love 'truth in advertising'?

The Frontier deal was approved on Friday.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...rontier17.html

And now Illinois has approved it. Just WV and the FCC remain.

Well, about half my channels are out, the clueless techs on the other end could not get them to come back with a cable-card rehit.

Both tuners are behaving in the exact same manner. So it's not as if one tuner failed or one cable card failed. On DHD I saw a few frames and some sound before it went black. I never get the usual "no signal" or "subscription required" you get if one of those were the issue.

Not a good omen for things to come. Support was abysmal, a sharp contrast to waht I've experience from the FIOS folks in the past.

The intertubes are working though so I'll get my shows one way or the other.

Hi,

Does anyone have a list of the Verizion FIOS TV unencrypted QAM channels in the Seattle area (I'm in Kirkland)?

I'm thinking of switching to Verizon FIOS from comcast and am wondering whether I need STBs. All my 3 TVs are clear-QAM HD capable. Plus I use Windows 7 media center with clear-QAM tuners.

My setup worked fined with Comcast until Comcast started encrypting their QAM channels late last year. Now I can only get the HD local channels via clear QAM.

Is this the same with Verizon FIOS? I'll probably get the FIOS Prime HD package.

Thanks!

(Also in Kirkland)

The set of channels you get in the clear on FIOS is similar to Comcast.

Check out http://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/lineup_web/US:98033#lineup_2469161 for a list.

You are undoubtedly a victim of the recent debacle resulting from the (botched) addition of copy protection to many/most of our channels.

Bad omen indeed -- they are already restricting, locking down, and botching things. Small-town behavior and thinking exactly as we feared.

At this point, Frontier is not legally in charge nor does it even have staff in this area. It is all existing Vz folks, I suspect that these are just hiccups as they reconfigure the network to get ready for the July 1 transfer.

I will miss being able to control my DVR from the web.... if anyone is listening, please bring that back!

I seriously doubt that and think that copy protection on just about all the good stuff is here to stay.

For those affected by the application of copy protection (TiVo MRV, transferring recording to a PC or Mac via TiVo Desktop, kmttg, etc.) in your area, please help put the pressure on Verizon/Frontier to get rid of this crap. Call and email VZ. Call TiVo (assuming you have one). Complain to your local cable regulatory body (see http://www.wutc.wa.gov/webdocs.nsf/0...3?OpenDocument). Make this show up on Verizon's radar and force them to issue an explanation as to why they went from no CP to putting it on random channels (but not all channels >100).

So far, we know it affects WA, OR and possibly IN. It doesn't appear to affect MA and other areas not being transitioned to Frontier Communications.

Here are the channels that (for me) suddenly have copy protection (started 6/8) when I never saw it on any of my channels on Extreme HD prior to that date.
100 CNN, 102 CNBC, 105 CNNI, 120 DSCP, 191 G4, 569 HDNET 104 BLOOM, 128 HISTP, 140 LIFEP, 141 LMN, 53 FXP,71 ESPNCL, 101 HLN, 127 HI, 165 HGTVP, 190 COMEDYP, 250 DISNP, 602 CNBCHD, 780 DISNHD, 221 CMTVP, 189 BBCA

This really sucks. Tonight "The Pixar Story" aired on CNBC and I'll likely want to archive it by transferring to my PC, but now CNBC has !#@#$ copy protection on it!

I'm angry. So far, the calls to VZ have been wasted effort. I have to re-explain CCI bytes, the net effect, point them www.tivo.com/copyprotection, etc. and get back "yeah, we know about it... we're working on it" to "it's not us. Blame TiVo" even though I tell them that there was no CP before 6/7.

An email to them last night via their support page was worthless. It resulted in a generic reply telling me to call their repair number. Duh... I've been calling support.

Did you get this resolved?

I had this same issue yesterday after popping my cablecards while debugging through other random behavior resulting from the new copy protection. In about 1 second I went from "random problems in a mostly functional system" to "totally screwed." It took the better part of a day to get it resolved but all 3 of my tuners are finally back online.

The trick is to get them to completely deactivate and reactivate your cable cards, and *then* send the re-init signals. Also, be 100% sure that they have *correct* cablecard pairing info. In my case, the data ids actually changed at some point and so the pairing info they had was stale and resulted in lots of pain at first trying to get this done last night and today.

Call 1-877-600-1511 -- it gets you right into a tech support center in WV. Just tell them straight away that you are having cablecard issues and you would like them to deactivate, reactivate, and re-init you. I literally would say "I've been dealing with a cablecard issue for the past day and I would like you to send re-init signals to my cards" as the first thing in response to "how may I help you today?"

If this doesn't work, PM me and I will send you a direct line to the tech guy in Everett that *finally* fixed me up and who I guarantee you knows *exactly* what to do to fix this.

Feel free to poach from this email I just sent:

From: tai4de2
Sent: Tuesday, June 22, 2010 10:22 PM
To: 'cableadmin@ci.kirkland.wa.us'
Subject: FIOS TV handover issue

Dear Kirkland Cable Admin,

I am writing to inform you of an issue relating to the Verizon-Frontier handover.

As I am sure you are aware, cable TV operators such as Verizon and Frontier are required to support CableCARDs in order to allow customers to consume programming without operator-supplied set-top boxes. CableCARDs are routinely used in TiVo units, Media Center PCs, and other similar equipment.

The CableCARD standard allows an operator to mark programming with copy protection ranging from totally free to highly restrictive. In the past, Verizon has always marked all of its programming as “copy freely.” TiVo, for example, relies on this for multi-room viewing functionality. “Copy freely” programming can also be archived and viewed on other PCs, laptops, and portable devices. It is a great convenience and boon to the very segment of the public whom CableCARD is intended to address and benefit.

As of approximately 6/7/2010, however, Verizon began applying more restrictive copy protection on a majority of channels, but only in Frontier handover areas. Valid speculation exists that this is being done *specifically* to break TiVo multi-room viewing, and force customers to rent Frontier’s own set-top boxes.

To be clear, I do not dispute the legitimacy of an operator deciding – even suddenly – to apply copy protection to its programming. I would like to know, however, whether Frontier made any claims during the Verizon-Frontier deal approval process that it would not make fundamental changes to the way it operates the FIOS TV system. If so, the public would have a legitimate expectation that scenarios such as TiVo Multi-room Viewing, archiving, etc. would continue to work and not be blocked in an explicit attempt to force users to rent Frontier’s own set-top equipment. (I say “Frontier” here even though FIOS TV in WA is still technically Verizon until 7/1/2010, because the changes I am describing have been implemented solely in Frontier handover areas such as WA and OR. Verizon customers elsewhere continue to enjoy “copy freely” on all programming.)

Finally, as this is a relatively technical issue that affects only a small segment of the subscriber base, obfuscation is the order of the day. In particular, claims that the copy protection flags are “just passed through from the programming originators,” or that “it’s a TiVo problem” are untrue and misleading, respectively.

I hope the city will investigate whether Verizon or Frontier are violating either the spirit or the letter of its commitments by making this fundamental change to the way FIOS TV is operated.

Sincerely,
tai4de2 (Kirkland resident and FIOS customer)

Thanks for writing such a great email! Too bad I already sent mine to my city (next to yours) and it wasn't nearly as well crafted.

I got an email from Verizon today.


What a load of crap. My question was not about their authority to impose the protection; in fact I readily admitted that they generally do have the authority. I was specifically asking whether VZ/Frontier represented that they would not be making changes to the way the system is used or operated (as maccor's web site says they did, at least in Oregon).

I sent a follow-up:


It's kinda funny in that this issue really doesn't affect me. I don't have a TiVo, I use Media Center, whose multi-room viewing story is completely unaffected by this.

I thought that Media Center was being dropped in Frontier areas?

Media Center == Windows. It's not a VZ/Frontier thing.

Sorry, I read that as "Media Manager" - the Vz application. I have heard it is going away, along with remote DVR scheduling.

Another place to let your concerns known is FiOSTV on Twitter. So far, the rep seems completely clueless w/his useless replies.

Example useless replies below:


At least it'll get more attention and show more people that they really don't know what they're doing.

Well, folks... we're supposedly on the eve of the official change-over to Frontier.

Beyond the questions what happens to our service, anyone care to guess what will actually happen in terms of the "soft" stuff tomorrow?

• Will the branding on ncnetwork.net change to Frontier instead of Verizon?
• Will we be able to go to Frontier's web site and see FIOS offered for sale, or indeed any services at our addresses in the handover areas?
• Are all their vehicles being repainted so when we see vans and trucks out on service calls they'll say Frontier instead of Verizon?
• When calling the various phone numbers will they be staffed by people who will identify as Frontier employees?

Etc.

Well, before the switch officially happened either VZ/Frontier or both screwed us w/the copy protection debacle on ~6/7/10 that they still haven't properly explained. AFAIK, nothing's changed since then, so they have "continued things as they are"...

I am not a Tivo user nor do I understand all of the issues being reported, but a thread over in DSL reports said this (email between customer, local franchise authority and Verizon):

Got a response from Greg Lang at the MACC this morning.

We received information back from Verizon regarding their copyright protection and the difficulties with TiVO MRV customers. We are told that this change is a national initiative on the part of Verizon and was planned prior to any sale or transfer of ownership to Frontier Communications. In looking at the Federal statute (47 CFR § 76.1904), it appears that Verizon is within their rights to take this action. MACC, as a local franchise authority, does not have the authority to pursue this further.

Perhaps the TiVO community can work with Verizon-Frontier and other cable companies on a copyright/viewing agreement.

I am sorry we were not able to cure this, but please keep us informed and let us know if other topics of concern come up during the Frontier transition.

Greg Lang
MACC Communications Analyst
503-645-7365 x207

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------

Response From Verizon:

Below is an explanation of the copyright/TiVO issue.

We can readdress this matter after July 1st once the transfer to Frontier is complete.

1. The change in coding that dictates how many times a program can be recorded is being implemented across the Verizon footprint.
2. Implementation started with the North Central Region (OR and WA as of June 1st).
3. The change permits one copy of certain programming (broadcast stations not affected).
4. This restriction is based on copyright protection and is permitted by federal statute (47 CFR § 76.1904).
5. The multi-room viewing function of TiVO DVRs is affected because TiVO technology requires two copies for this functionality.
6. TiVO is aware of the limitations of its technology (»support.tivo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/243)

Raymond Deede
Franchise Service Manager

Yep, it's the same useless crap w/no real explanation. Basically, they're saying "we're doing it, because we can". There's no logic to which channels are protected and which aren't (e.g. why all of ESPN is protected except for ESPNU AND ESPNUHD?)

I've been trying to raise a attention w/content providers like HDNet and Current TV who very likely would NOT want their channels being "protected" but now have this CCI byte = 0x02 being set.

The net effect is mentioned at www.tivo.com/copyprotection. With CCI byte = 0x02, multi-room viewing (viewing and copying shows between networked TiVos in the same household) is prevented on channels/shows w/that flag set. Also, transferring such content to a PC/Mac is prevented. None of this was the case on any channels on FiOS prior to the WA, OR, IN outage fiasco on 6/7/10.