Verizon FiOS HDTV - Page 9

Is it correct that they don't have any sports packages (ie MLB EI, NHL CI) and no INHD?

Correct.

I dont' subscribe to any sports packages. IN-HD would be nice.. but I don't know of any provider that provides all the HD channels.

Jan 3, 2006 10:34 pm US/Eastern

Howard County [Maryland] Grants Verizon Cable Authority

(WJZ) ELLICOTT CITY The long wait will soon be over for Howard County residents eager for cable TV competition, thanks to a unanimous Howard County Council vote Tuesday night authorizing Verizon to offer its fiber-optic powered FiOS TV in the county.

With its more than 265,000 potential viewers, Howard County is the first Maryland jurisdiction to grant Verizon a cable franchise. Verizon launched FiOS TV Sept. 22, 2005, in Keller, Texas, unveiling a broad collection of all-digital programming with more than 330 total channels and more on the way. The company also offers FiOS TV in Herndon and Fairfax County in Virginia, as well as other locations in Texas and Florida.

Availability plans for FiOS TV in Howard County will be announced soon.

"We applaud the County Council, along with the County Executive and the Office of Cable Administration, for moving Howard County to the forefront of communities nationwide where consumers will be able to choose their cable provider as easily as they choose their phone company," said William R. Roberts, Verizon Maryland president. "Competition drives innovation, value and service quality, and it puts the consumer in control.

"Verizon will compete aggressively for Howard Countians' business with our FiOS services, which are fueled by our lightning-fast fiber-optic network."

Under the 15-year agreement, which becomes effective in early March, Verizon will begin to provide FiOS TV to portions of the county where Verizon's fiber network is currently being built, reaching a large majority of customers within three years. The company plans to extend FiOS TV across the county over the next seven years as it constructs its fiber network in the areas served by the company's central switching offices.

In addition, the agreement contains provisions for the network's future growth; financial support and capacity for educational and government access channels; cable service to government buildings; and other important benefits to the county, including insurance, indemnification and enforcement protections.

FiOS TV is designed to be a formidable competitor to cable and satellite. It is delivered over Verizon's fiber-to-the-premises network, which has industry-leading quality and reliability. Fiber delivers amazingly sharp pictures and sound, and has the capacity to transmit a wide array of high-definition programming that is so clear and intense it seems to leap from the TV screen. Verizon's network design includes backup facilities not common to traditional cable systems, such as duplicate "head ends" where the TV service receives national programming.

In addition to FiOS TV, Verizon's fiber network also allows the company to offer consumers and businesses high-speed FiOS Internet Service at download speeds of up to 30 mbps (megabits per second) and upload speeds up to 5 mbps.* FiOS Internet Service currently is available to many consumers and small businesses in the Columbia and Ellicott City areas of Howard County, as well as parts of Anne Arundel, Montgomery and Prince George's counties.

* NOTE: actual (throughput) speeds will vary.

http://wjz.com/local/local_story_003223555.html

I just had a general question to those that currently have fios tv..

Have you had any general problems w/ the fios tv service in general? I did a search online to see about any experiences or problems and dslreports.com has reviews of people that have had it, and they report having problems w/ verizon's fios tv service. Like the box resetting, and misc. things. I also read that the provided wired d-link router is required to be used for the installation?

I'm concerned since I use a netgear wireless router for the fios internet service, and I could daisy chain the d-link I suppose, but it might cause problems I would think. Is everyone w/ fios tv using the supplied d-link router?

I expect verizon tv service to be available in my area in the next 2-3 weeks, so I'd like to have an idea of what is required before I even think about signing up for service. Thanks.

For those interested, it seems like verizon fios tv is now available in certain parts of ffx county, VA.

Yes, I am using the supplied D-Link router and also a supplied switch since I was out of ports.

I have had no significant issues with the service except I do have the HD-DVR and it for some reason shows 50% full even with nothing showing in the list. I need to call and get them to come out and install a new box but I haven't gotten around to it yet and it fortunately hasn't been an issue. The downside is that I will lose whatever I have saved on the HDD as they will totally replace the box.

Hope this helps.

John

How does the setup work with regards to STBs and TVs? Is a STB required at every TV in the home?

Yes, unless you want to run a modulator or long cables to other rooms. I do know that the HD STB's will output both HD (component) and SD S-Video/composite simultaneously.

That kills it for me ...I'm running a multi-tuner HTPC and I'm not stacking a bunch of cable boxes behind my tv. I'll have to look and see if I need more than one SD pvr card....may just have to wait until Vista and cable card support show up....is there cable card support for FIOS? I suppose if there isn't now, there may be eventually...

Naylia,

Every tv set can get the Analog 'Basic' channels through your existing cables. You need a QAM capable STB for local "in the clear" Digital/HD channels, also provided with the 'Basic Package'. All other channels in the larger 'Expanded Basic' Digital package need to go through Verizon's STB's.

YEAH!!!! that's great news. I wasn't sure if Verizon would actually have analog channels

/dance
/dance

Goodbye to Comcast in February hopefully ...February is the lastest word I've seen on when TV service will possibly be available in Belmont, MA.

I've been on edge since they started offering FiOS here since September. There's been no word about a vote taken by the local town council on the franchise question.

I want my FiOS Tv now ! The Verizon installers all just laugh and say it's coming soon. One more time an I'll strangle somebody.

I have seen nothing in the news about FIOS TV in our area....so I start digging through the minutes for the Cable Advisory Council and the Info Tech Council in our town and gleaned a few nuggets of info there...tempted to go to the meetings next time they are held and find out what's going on. I know my town government has been discussing FIOS TV for at least 6 to 8 months from the minutes, if not longer.

How does the Picture Quality compare between OTA, DirecTV and FIOS HD?

thanks

I have heard/read (not seen) the PQ is great for both HD and SD because the signal is uncompressed.

Does anyone have any clue what's going on with FIOS TV in Westchester county, NY (lower NY / NYC suburbs) ?

I've had FIOS internet service since August and am really pleased with it. The guy installing it said I could probably get TV service early 2006. It does not appear like this is going to be happening.

I bought a HDTV set recently and I've still been using basic crap cable service (not even the digital service) so I have not been able to experience any HDTV.

I can't really wait anymore...

FIOS Expands in Texas
By John Eggerton Broadcasting & Cable

Saying the company's FiOS multichannel fiber-delivered video service already has 20% of the Keller, Tex., market after just three months, Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg said Thursday that the service is preparing to roll out in seven additional Texas markets.

FiOS launched its first system in Keller in September, and has since started up systems in Virginia and Florida, with plans to start up in New York, California and Massachusetts by the end of January, he told a Consumer Electronics Association audience at a convention keynote speech Thursday.

Texas paved the way for widespread IPTV deliver late last year when it approved a statewide franchising process that makes it easier for cable competitors to enter the multichannel video marketplace.

FiOS delivers 400 digital channels and 1,800 on-demand offerings.

Verizon nips at heels of Comcast
Cable customers could see more competition soon

By Rona Marech and Larry Carson Baltimore Sun reporters January 5, 2006

Cherise Tasker is less than enamored with her cable television provider.

When she calls with a problem, she said, she often is placed on hold for more than half an hour. For months, certain channels have flickered at random from color to black-and-white, and the sound and moving mouths haven't matched. For these indignities along with Internet services, she pays her cable company nearly $125 a month.

"They say they don't know what's causing the problem and they don't know when they can fix it," said Tasker, 41, a Columbia resident. "I think we sorely need the competition."

For consumers such as Tasker, who are frustrated with their cable providers and believe a solution lies in free enterprise, help could be on the way.

The Verizon cable television franchise approved in Howard County on Tuesday night is likely just the first of many incursions into cable company Comcast's reign in Maryland, where it is now in 16 of 24 jurisdictions. Verizon also is preparing to venture into Anne Arundel, Montgomery and Prince George's counties.

The move comes as telephone, cable and Internet services are rapidly evolving and converging.

Internet companies now offer telephone services. Television-like clips can be downloaded onto cell phones. Last month, Comcast officially launched its telephone service in suburban Maryland. Now Verizon has countered in Howard and other counties. Talks between the company and Baltimore County are pending.

"I've heard from many constituents about, 'When are we going to have a choice, and when is there going to be competition here in the county over the choice of cable?' I think that day is at the doorstep," said Baltimore County Councilman Joseph Bartenfelder, a Democrat representing Fullerton.

Companies providing cable service are required to get a franchise agreement from local or state governments, which critics say is tedious and expensive and discourages competition. Some states, including Texas and Indiana, have passed or introduced legislation to streamline the process. Verizon will not seek such statewide legislation in Maryland this year, but the company is backing similar federal legislation in Congress, said spokesman Harry J. Mitchell.

Parts of some counties, including Anne Arundel and Harford, already have limited cable choice but less than 4 percent of jurisdictions nationwide have effective competition, said Dean Smits, Howard's cable administrator. Despite Comcast's claim to the contrary, federal studies have shown that satellite video competition has a negligible impact on rates, he said.

Advocates say the argument for diversification is simple and obvious.

"We think competition is the way to improve rates, services and program offerings," said Cheryl Reed, of Consumers for Cable Choice, an organization supported partly by telecommunications companies including SBC and Verizon. The group's members include representatives for small business owners, rural customers lacking access to cable and minorities seeking more diverse programming.

Reed said cable rates went down 25 percent in Keller, Texas, when competition came to town. However, Anne Arundel cable customers who have a choice between Comcast and Millennium Digital Media have seen prices dip only by $3 or $4 a month, said John Lyons, the county's cable administrator. Nonetheless, the competing companies offer temporary price cuts and extra services to entice customers, he said.

Because Verizon is offering a fairly expensive, high-end cable service, its foray into television helps only the "very upscale part of the market," said Mark Cooper, director of research at the Consumer Federation of America, in Washington. Consumers who are using a big package of telephone and Internet services could receive a moderate discount off their current prices, but others might not see a difference, he said.

Verizon is spending a lot of money to install fiber for this new service and must gain a large market share to be successful, Cooper said.

"In order to make this work, they have to invent new things to sell and new revenue streams," Cooper said. "Frankly, the telephone companies have never been very good at that."

Comcast, meanwhile, is trying to fend off the competition by developing new communications services and stressing the firm's long-established system.

"We have built the infrastructure and developed the features and products our customers have asked for," including video-on-demand, said Comcast spokesman Jim Gordon.

"The trends in viewership and media consumption are completely changing. It's very exciting."

Technological convergence could be felt soon in living rooms across America. Experts say consumers will be able to download movies faster. They might be able to set a digital video recorder from the office, or when the phone rings they might be able to see the caller's name on their television screen. All in the same home, one person could watch a movie over the Internet while another simultaneously downloads a different movie and another has a teleconference or talks on the phone over the Internet.

If competition is the key to ushering in such advances, as some critics suggest, it could take a while to get there. Though Verizon is moving forward in Howard County and elsewhere, the company has encountered some problems getting started.

In Baltimore City, difficulty in getting cable to high-rise buildings has delayed progress, Mitchell said. The city, which has a nonexclusive contract with Comcast, would welcome competition but has not been approached, said Marilyn Harris Davis, executive director of the Mayor's Office of Cable and Communications.

In Baltimore County, where the County Council regulates cable services, another roadblock looms. Baltimore County Councilman Kevin Kamenetz said he has invited Verizon to begin talks there, but he is insisting the firm have a completed franchise agreement before starting installation of new fiber-optic cable.

In the other counties, Verizon has begun installing cable, which also serves the telephone and computer services Verizon is federally licensed to provide.

"If their purpose is to provide cable service, they have to have an agreement first. All we're trying to do is treat everyone equally," Kamenetz said.

Under Comcast's agreement with Baltimore County, the company pays for the County Council's Web site and provides free Internet service to all senior centers, libraries and public schools. In addition to receiving a franchise fee, Baltimore County saves $1 million each year by using Comcast-installed Internet fiber-optic cable for computer transmissions, Kamenetz said.

Despite all that, "it's not our role to inhibit competition," he said. "As long as services are being provided on an equal basis - come and see us."

In Howard County, Verizon is expected to begin offering services in April. But Tasker, the aggrieved Comcast customer, might not have to wait that long for improved services. Asked to respond to her complaints, Comcast spokesman Gordon said the company's chief engineer was already looking into the problem.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertai...al-artslife-tv

Here's the HD line-up for Fairfax County, Va.

HDTV Broadcast

801 FOX WTTG-TV 36
802 CBS WUSA-TV 34
803 ABC WJLA
804 PBS WETA-TV 27
805 UPN WDCA-TV 35
806 PBS WMPT-TV 42
807 NBC WRC-TV 48
808 WB WBDC-TV 51

HDTV National

810 TNT HDTV
811 ESPN HDTV
812 ESPN 2 HDTV
814 NFL Network HDTV
818 HD Net Movies
819 Universal HDTV
820 Discovery HDTV
821 Wealth TV HD

HDTV Premium

830 HBO HDTV
831 Cinemax HDTV
832 Showtime HDTV
833 TMC HDTV
834 Starz! HDTV

I just put my phone number in on their website and it says I can get FIOS TV. Wahoo!!!!!

I assume HD Net is one of the HD channels also?

Yeah, it's listed on the main page but seems to be missing from the channel guide page. Probably just a typo.

Not only that, but UPN HD. Finally Veronica Mars in HD.

No I think they only get HDNet Movies not HDNet. I asked a friend of mines who has it and he says he only seen old movies on HDNet so I'm assuming its the HDNet Movies channel.

OK, I just talked to Verizon.

I can get everything they offer, including 22 HD channels (8 local, 9 national, 5 premium), an HD DVR, a standard STB, plus movie and sports packages, for $10 less a month than I'm paying D*tv for only HBO and Showtime plus HD package and TiVo services.

Count me in! Many thanks for posting. I had my number in their database to be contacted but hadn't heard anything. As soon as I saw your post I went to the Can I Get FiOS TV? link and confirmed it. My install date is January 24. I will provide a summary of my order later today.

Is the firewire output enabled in the Verizon Moto DVRs?

This reply came from JJDavis, one of the first FiOS installs in Keller, TX.

The firewire port is enabled on my Verizon DVR. I can watch it via the 1394 to my Mitsubishi TV but I have never been able to get it to connect to my Mitsubishi D-VHS and record. Incidentally, the firewire connection goes from the STB to the D-VHS and then the TV so it is a good connection to the D-VHS but it just won't recognize it for some reason (Maybe I'm not doing something right).

John

Believe some posts in the HD recorders/players forum indicate the order in which the different units are turned on sometimes makes a difference. Just in case you haven't tried all the options yet. -- John

any kind of time frame for whn this will be available in most major markets? i'm in atlanta.

Does Verizon offer a CableCard? I have a Sony Bravia.

I can't get FIOS yet, but I signed up to be notified.