Verizon FiOS HDTV - Page 439

All 5 people will enjoy their 3D.

In the meantime they need to get new DVRs out that aren't 5yrs old, that everyone can use.

Sounds exactly like what people were saying about HD 10 years ago.

Except that 3D has been pushed on TV (without special sets) about 4 or 5 times previously. It's also been tried in other Media several times - Think Ray Zone and before him the pre-70's era.

Heck, I still recall they used HONDO (John Wayne) in two different decades trying to promote 3D on TV. I still have both 3D glasses.

3D will eventually become the video version of "SRS"

It's clear Verizon has deals with some CE hardware manufacturers or they wouldn't be pushing 3D.

Like I said before, it's more important they get out usable HD DVR boxes. The fact that the boxes are 5yrs old and obsolete is a disgrace. But clearly it's not a priority because there's no money in that for them.

Do we really know this as fact. What kind of deals might be involved and how is Verizon benefiting from those deals?

Pretty simple. Verizon is a software provider, and by providing software (specifically 3D) it's an extra incentive of getting people to upgrade to new HDTV sets. Unlike their current channels which can be viewed without a HD box, you must have a HD 3D set and an HD box to view 3D. You'd be surprised just how many people there are on cable (fiber, whatever) who still don't have HD TVs.

This. Can I just get a Verizon dvr that can hold more than 15 hrs of HD and that is responsive when you press a button on the remote?

Update:

Verizon does not make it easy, but I managed to cancel my movie channel subscription this morning. They never asked why I was dropping them, instead they took the opportunity to try and sell me other services. Typical.

The extra $15/Month in my pocket will buy me plenty of bug-free OAR movies from Redbox and/or Blockbuster kiosks. Especially now that they both carry Blu-ray disks.

Enjoy!

They make it very easy to drop a movie channel subscription. My free HBO subscription was ending in late Spring. I just went online, logged into my account and canceled it. Within an hour I was no longer receiving it. It couldn't get much easier than that.

God running out of channel capacity is grueling. Was up at a lake house off of Lake Ontario this past weekend - Time Warner Cable - their HD lineup BLEW AWAY FIOS.

I'm talking 15-20 more HD's than we have now - and all the ones people are clamoring about. It may have been the best cable company lineup I've ever seen.

How VZ let this happen for the 2nd time in 3 years is beyond me.

The option to drop the movie package was not available via the website. I had to visit phone hell.

That may be true where you are but with TWC it varies by area. Here in DFW TWC's HD lineup is utter crap. Its getting better but they still aren't even close to verizon.

Again, the lack of HD channels that people want shows how Verizon FIOS is run by goons that neither know nor care about keeping their customers and the competition that is now way ahead of them in HD content. Anyone taking any bets that FIOS will fold in another year or so?

^^^

i'll take that bet... i'll be willing to bet whatever amount that you like... so put a dollar figure out there big guy....

or you just running your mouth to hear yourself talk?

Back here poking around again???

Tomorrow they're allegedly adding another dozen or so. How they keep that up without totally gutting PQ is beyond me.

They don't the PQ was awful when i had TW and at the time they had maybe 50 HD's.

I'll also take that bet. Any amount you want. And I'll give you odds, say 5 to 1. Surely you can't resist that.

I would be interested in any new channels being added. Any info?

I am seriously thinking of switching from Dish and Comcast to Fios.

He was referring to Time Warner, not Fios.

FIOS is doing really well in the New England/Boston area. No chance they are going to fold any time soon. If anything FIOS is Verizon's flagship brand. They want people to know they're the best, and FIOS can be held to that standard (just add more channels and a decent DVR dammit!).

Ahh. Thanks. Didn't think I had heard about any new channels for Fios.

Guess I should have realized that. Wishful thinking, I guess.

Yeah but they don't have HDNet and HDNet movies (the BEST HD movie channel available).

URFloor-
From what I was told, TWC uses SDV for many of their HD channels. Also, the PQ looked just as good as FIOS did, at least to me.

I really wouldn't mind if FIOS started using IPTV for new HD's - it would give them the capability to almost add everything out there at once. Screw the SD channels.

While I fully agree with ousting the SD channels I do have one concern.

My wife watches HGTV occasionally, most (it seems) of their programming is still 4:3 SD and they stretch on their HD channel so she just watches the SD channel. I've tried persuade her to watch in stretch-o-vision, however, after watching myself I find I would rather watch the SD channel in proper aspect.

The TV she watches while she's doing laundry does not allow you to change the aspect to 4:3 on a HD channel and even on the sets we can change the aspect, HGTV stretches the sides more than the middle so it still looks odd.

So, if the SD channels disappear there would bo no choice other than stretch-o-vision for many programs on HGTV, FOOD, TNT, TBS, BIO - I'm sure there are other channels that do this.

As long as I'm ranting, another thing that bugs mne about some of these stations, they actually apply the proper 4:3 aspect to commercials, however, stretch the programming!! In what world does this make sense??

Yeah, I hate the fisheye stretch. If you are going to stretch (and really, I would prefer you didn't in the first place), please just stretch so I can undo it on my TV. When they do the fisheye stretch, that's not possible.

I just wish everyone did things like, for example, the science channel does. If it's 4:3, show it in 4:3 upscaled. If it's in 16:9 letterboxed SD, crop out the letterboxing and scale it to fit the whole 16:9 screen (they even manage to do this on commercials.) The latter is the worse offender on stretching stations. They leave the letterboxing in and stretch the damn thing so it looks like a scope movie with horrible distortion.

Just about every modern TV has the ability to stretch 4:3 content to fill the whole screen so please just leave it up to the end user to decide what they want. I, too, will switch to the SD version of a station just to avoid stretching.

yudaman33,
Is there another provider that offers as many unaltered HD channels as Verizon does (along with comparable internet speeds)? If so, please let me know as I would be very interested in checking out that provider! In regards to the "lack of HD channels that people want", I think by even mentioning this you are overstating the demand. I personally have all of the HD channels right now that I really need, and those that are missing are very niche. Would it be nice to have them? Sure, but certainly not at the cost of reduced bitrates, compression, etc. If you are unhappy, I suggest you speak with your wallet and take your $$$ to the better provider, which is who again?
-Jakes

According to the local Dallas thread, there are only 6 HD channels on TWC Dallas that aren't SDV. SDV gives them almost unlimited capacity for channels, at the cost of needing tuning adapters for CableCard devices and occasionally having to deal with pissed off customers when the system reaches capacity. They also 3-pack HD channels, including some of the locals, and PQ is noticeably degraded compared to FiOS.

Official pic of the new HD guide: http://yfrog.com/5a44nij

It's an improvement. Not as nice as the Comcast guide, but an improvement. Will come with IMG 1.9. Also from the FiOS Twitter:


Combined storage pool sounds cool, but I only have one DVR.