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Verizon FiOS HDTV - Page 24

post #691 of 17501
2/19/06 at 4:40pm
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Originally Posted by digital_dilemma View Post

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post #692 of 17501
2/20/06 at 11:19am
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Originally Posted by Rick Adams View Post

The install tech said that over each 6mhz channel, the industry norm apparently is that you can fit 12 standard def, digital channels on each one. However, instead of doing that, they are only allocating 5 standard def, digital channels.

Now while he didn't say as such, the only reason I could imagine that they'd do something that drastic, using only 5/12 of the available space on each 6mhz channel is because they are "saving" room for the day when HD channels are the norm. Instead of using every last inch of their available bandwidth and getting as much SD as they can on each 6mhz channel, then doing what some other providers have done and say "Hey, what do we do with all this extra bandwidth?" and being SOL when more and more HD channels arose... They are looking ahead and setting all the extra bandwidth aside so that when every channel is in HD, they won't have to downconvert and over-compress the HD to be able to carry everything.

Hopefully that clarified my previous statement.

So, it's a huge difference from direcTV's HD content in PQ? How does verizon's HD picture quality compare to OTA or direcTV's mpeg 4 stuff?
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post #693 of 17501
2/20/06 at 4:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mikey Palmice View Post

So, it's a huge difference from direcTV's HD content in PQ? How does verizon's HD picture quality compare to OTA or direcTV's mpeg 4 stuff?

First I have Verizon FIOS internet but I have yet to have my city get a franchise deal yet as about 98% of my city doesn't have fiber layed yet. But I have seen FIOS TV service from a few friends in Temple Terrace and this is what I have to say about it.

I've had Voom, Dish Network, DirecTV and Bright House Networks and the only company that could even touch the picture quality of Verizon FIOS TV was Voom. I think the Verizon SD picture is even better than Vooms SD and Verizon's HDTV is so far the best I've seen from anyone so far and that includes even DirecTV's HD locals via MPEG4. Verizon FIOS TV somehow manages to make our multicasting NBC HD feed look better than OTA and that is saying something. Beyond that CBS, ABC, Fox and WB all look pretty much exactly the same as OTA. To be honest after seeing this I'm not that impressed with DirecTV's MPEG4 HD local quality for the Tampa locals. Don't get me wrong they look better than any of the national HD channels DirecTV offers but still not as good as OTA and/or FIOS TV.

I think the problem is that if your wanting the best picture quality available (without using a BUD) your only choice right now is Verizon FIOS TV as no company can touch it today. Cables HDTV feeds don't quite look as good and most cable companies have an analog lineup. The closest company to compete with Verizon would be a cable company who goes all digital but again they just aren't quite there with picture quality but they aren't far. So beyond that it must boil down to offerings and again most cable companies catch touch Verizon for what you get at the price you pay. Verizon has started to remind me about the days of Voom when a new HD channel came around and more times than not it would be on Voom in less than two months than not. With all other companies we are still saying come on TWC it took almost two years to get ESPN HD and we are sitting at almost 1 year and two months for ESPN2 HD. For me even if we wating six months for a new channel on FIOS TV that is better than waiting for a year or more to get a new HD channel assuming you ever get it at all.
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post #694 of 17501
2/20/06 at 8:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LonghornXP View Post

First I have Verizon FIOS internet but I have yet to have my city get a franchise deal yet as about 98% of my city doesn't have fiber layed yet. But I have seen FIOS TV service from a few friends in Temple Terrace and this is what I have to say about it.

I've had Voom, Dish Network, DirecTV and Bright House Networks and the only company that could even touch the picture quality of Verizon FIOS TV was Voom. I think the Verizon SD picture is even better than Vooms SD and Verizon's HDTV is so far the best I've seen from anyone so far and that includes even DirecTV's HD locals via MPEG4. Verizon FIOS TV somehow manages to make our multicasting NBC HD feed look better than OTA and that is saying something. Beyond that CBS, ABC, Fox and WB all look pretty much exactly the same as OTA. To be honest after seeing this I'm not that impressed with DirecTV's MPEG4 HD local quality for the Tampa locals. Don't get me wrong they look better than any of the national HD channels DirecTV offers but still not as good as OTA and/or FIOS TV.

I think the problem is that if your wanting the best picture quality available (without using a BUD) your only choice right now is Verizon FIOS TV as no company can touch it today. Cables HDTV feeds don't quite look as good and most cable companies have an analog lineup. The closest company to compete with Verizon would be a cable company who goes all digital but again they just aren't quite there with picture quality but they aren't far. So beyond that it must boil down to offerings and again most cable companies catch touch Verizon for what you get at the price you pay. Verizon has started to remind me about the days of Voom when a new HD channel came around and more times than not it would be on Voom in less than two months than not. With all other companies we are still saying come on TWC it took almost two years to get ESPN HD and we are sitting at almost 1 year and two months for ESPN2 HD. For me even if we wating six months for a new channel on FIOS TV that is better than waiting for a year or more to get a new HD channel assuming you ever get it at all.

Thanks for confiming my impression that our Verizon FiOS picture is indeed the best (versus DirecTV and Comcast Cable) that our TV has displayed.
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post #695 of 17501
2/21/06 at 9:16am
With all this talk about the HD picture quality that this service can provide, I went ahead and checked out the HD channels...

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

They probably even have HBO & Showtime HD, though I did not check that. The sad thing is I called them and the service is not available in my area. I was acually thinking about switching over from DirecTV to this because I'm getting very very tired of HD Lite from DirecTV. I don't think FiOS Video will happen in my area even years from now.

I wonder if there's something that's like Verizon FiOS Video in my area that's not COX?
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post #696 of 17501
2/21/06 at 9:35am
I cannot tell you where it's going to be available (I have no idea), but one way to check if its even on the horizon is to check your availability for FIOS voice and data. If thats available, then the only thing standing in the way of FIOS TV is most likely franchise agreements with your local municipality. I would begin calling your local cable commision and demanding that they allow competition in your area.

Competition should not be impeded. Look at the wonders competition did for the telecommunications world when they brok up AT&T (cell phones, Internet, high speed data) Imagine what true competition will do for the Video world. HDTV will only go mainstream when incumbent providers are forced to compete for your hard earned dollars. Competition drives innovation.
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post #697 of 17501
2/21/06 at 9:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thebarnman View Post

With all this talk about the HD picture quality that this service can provide, I went ahead and checked out the HD channels...

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

They probably even have HBO & Showtime HD, though I did not check that. The sad thing is I called them and the service is not available in my area. I was acually thinking about switching over from DirecTV to this because I'm getting very very tired of HD Lite from DirecTV. I don't think FiOS Video will happen in my area even years from now.

I wonder if there's something that's like Verizon FiOS Video in my area that's not COX?

Yeah, add to that HBO, SHO, TMC, MAX and Starz HD's, plus all your locals including PBS, WB and UPD and it's a great package. I think they've already added the new MTV HD channel too.
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post #698 of 17501
2/21/06 at 10:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dmbatch View Post

Yeah, add to that HBO, SHO, TMC, MAX and Starz HD's, plus all your locals including PBS, WB and UPD and it's a great package. I think they've already added the new MTV HD channel too.

Yes, they have that MTV HD channel.

But connect with component cables if you want digital sound. I had both analog and HDMI-to-DVI hooked up, and when I was alerted to this problem with the Verizon Motorola HD box, I removed the HDMI cable, and my receiver then began playing in Dolby Digital when a movie or show broadcast it. I'm still 3.1 sound, as I can't hook up my rear speakers in our current arrangement, but with the HDMI plugged in, I was getting the various analog sound modes in my receiver, and not Dolby Digital.
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post #699 of 17501
2/21/06 at 7:35pm
Well, tomorrow Verizon comes to install my TV service. I'm keeping my D* for a month to do some comparisons. I'll have my HD TiVo and 8316 DVR so I can record the same shows and get a good look at the difference.
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post #700 of 17501
2/21/06 at 8:00pm
Good luck. My install (last week) was scheduled for "between 8:00AM and 5:00PM", and they showed up at about 8:30AM.

I am very pleased so far with V*. HD quality is outstanding. SD (IMHO) is also better than D*s SD.
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post #701 of 17501
2/21/06 at 9:08pm
Thanks for the heads-up. Usually when they say 8 - 5 they never show up in the morning.
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post #702 of 17501
2/22/06 at 9:06am
Did you get a reminder call from Verizon? My install is tomorrow 1-5. I hope their morning install goes well so it doesn't affect mine.
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post #703 of 17501
2/22/06 at 9:27am
No reminder. Be ready.
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post #704 of 17501
2/22/06 at 9:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dmbatch View Post

Thanks for the heads-up. Usually when they say 8 - 5 they never show up in the morning.

Always call to verify. They're usually good, but it never hurts to reconfirm.

And ... after some initial issues, the installers FORGOT to close out the install when they left, so my service never activated - and we waited 3 hours for the TV to begin displaying programming. So I called Verizon, and they quickly realized what happened, so they closed the install, and within 15 minutes we had all the channels/info downloaded - and they gave us a credit of 1 month of the $39.95 extended basic charge for the inconvenience.

If you have FiOS Internet, make sure your anti-virus software isn't blocking the IP addresses of your settop boxes when the NIM is plugged into your router. That may not have been the issue, but they and the installer's laptop did show up as untrusted addresses with Trend Micro's PC-Cillin, so I "trusted" them and everything went well.
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post #705 of 17501
2/22/06 at 11:55am
They installed my service but can't get the movie package working. I have been on the phone with their support people for 2 hours.
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post #706 of 17501
2/22/06 at 12:19pm
Is it just the movie package that isn't working? Has the guide downloaded? Are you getting both the analog (1-49) and digital channels, other than STARZ, SHO, etc...?

How about the HD channels?

Verizon really needs to start getting this right. My install took a couple extra hours just to "get everything activated/turned on".
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post #707 of 17501
2/22/06 at 1:13pm
Yeah, everything else works fine. It's very strange. So now they're sending the tech back out. Since neither STB gets the movie package and yet get everything else I don't see how the problem could be here.
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post #708 of 17501
2/22/06 at 1:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dmbatch View Post

Yeah, everything else works fine. It's very strange. So now they're sending the tech back out. Since neither STB gets the movie package and yet get everything else I don't see how the problem could be here.

What's your impression of the PQ so far?
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post #709 of 17501
2/22/06 at 4:59pm
I've still got my HD TiVo hooked up for comparison. On SD even my wife immediately noticed the difference. I had to show her that HGTV was indeed on the new service and when I first went to it she was amazed at the PQ.

Gardens of Stone was playing on HDNetMovies and I did a few back and forth shots to see if there was a difference. I could definitely see more detail in the V* than the D*
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post #710 of 17501
2/22/06 at 5:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dmbatch View Post

I've still got my HD TiVo hooked up for comparison. On SD even my wife immediately noticed the difference. I had to show her that HGTV was indeed on the new service and when I first went to it she was amazed at the PQ.

Gardens of Stone was playing on HDNetMovies and I did a few back and forth shots to see if there was a difference. I could definitely see more detail in the V* than the D*

My wife is an HGTV fan, and she, too, noticed the extra detail on VFiOS. I hope you get all your movie channels working soon.
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post #711 of 17501
2/22/06 at 7:24pm
They sent 2 techs out to see if they could fix it and they ended up calling the same center I was on the phone with for 2 hours. After doing the same things over again they connected me to another person who told me it was a system problem and wouldn't be fixed until tomorrow. About 5 minutes after I hung up from that conversation it started working. The techs and I had a good laugh over that one.
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post #712 of 17501
2/22/06 at 7:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dmbatch View Post

They sent 2 techs out to see if they could fix it and they ended up calling the same center I was on the phone with for 2 hours. After doing the same things over again they connected me to another person who told me it was a system problem and wouldn't be fixed until tomorrow. About 5 minutes after I hung up from that conversation it started working. The techs and I had a good laugh over that one.

Enjoy! Some of the Starz! SD channels/movies look nearly as good as DVDs.
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post #713 of 17501
2/23/06 at 6:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dmbatch View Post

They sent 2 techs out to see if they could fix it and they ended up calling the same center I was on the phone with for 2 hours. After doing the same things over again they connected me to another person who told me it was a system problem and wouldn't be fixed until tomorrow. About 5 minutes after I hung up from that conversation it started working. The techs and I had a good laugh over that one.

Glad everything is now working for you. I hope V* gets the blackout issue with HDNet worked out soon. HDNet is one of my favorite channels.

I also sent an email to WMPT-DT engineering requesting they contact their counterparts at V* to tell them their HD broadcast is on the ".2" sub-channel instead of the ".1" sub-channel. Let's hope somebody who cares reads the email.
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post #714 of 17501
2/23/06 at 4:27pm
I've been reading posts for a while but this is my first reply.....finally something I actually know something about.

FiOS tv sounds incredible. Unfortunately the only place its available in New England is Woburn, MA.

I happen to work for Verizon and have been waiting for FiOS tv for a while. We started building wire centers in September of 2004 and offered FiOs internet 3rd qrtr of '05. The mini-video head for Eastern MA & Southern NH is located in Burlington, MA and the network is ready...just need the franchises. There is talk of building another mini-head closer to Providence.

For those of you in Southern NH. We're in the process of building Nashua, Pelham, and Merrimack. Salem, Bedford, Derry, and a bunch of towns on the seacoast are already up. Now we just need the franchises to offer the video service.

I know Verizon is lobbying hard at the federal, state, and local levels....hopefully things will come together soon.
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post #715 of 17501
2/23/06 at 5:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by EddieM View Post

FiOS tv sounds incredible.

It looks even better .

I was just surfing around and saw the movie Selena on HBO-HD. For some reason it is just upconverted 4:3. I switched over to the SD version to do an A-B comparison. The movie actually looks better, more crisp on the HBO-SD feed than it does on the HBO-HD feed. That would NEVER happen on D*. I know this is an HD thread but SD on FiOS from a halfway decent source looks fantastic on my HDMI-connected DLP. With quality like this, one can forgive some of their current programming/DVR shortcomings.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EddieM View Post

I know Verizon is lobbying hard at the federal, state, and local levels....hopefully things will come together soon.

These efforts are beginning to pay off. Look for the Feds to come around later this year.
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post #716 of 17501
2/23/06 at 6:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rickypicky View Post

Glad everything is now working for you. I hope V* gets the blackout issue with HDNet worked out soon. HDNet is one of my favorite channels.

I also sent an email to WMPT-DT engineering requesting they contact their counterparts at V* to tell them their HD broadcast is on the ".2" sub-channel instead of the ".1" sub-channel. Let's hope somebody who cares reads the email.

I actually received a response for WMPT-DT Engineering today:

"We are aware of the problem and have contacted Verizon.
Thanks for the information.

Kirby Storms
Director of Engineering
Maryland Public Television"

Hopefully, Verizon will correct this sooner than later.
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post #717 of 17501
2/24/06 at 6:18am
When I checked this morning, channel 806 in the V* guide on my HD STB shows "WMPT-DT". Previously, it had shown "PBS-WMP", or something like that. It also shows the channel is "off-air" after 8AM this morning.

I think they fixed it! We'll see tonight.
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post #718 of 17501
2/24/06 at 6:39am
I was watching something late last night/early this morning on 806 that was HD. It was the same thing that was on WETA at that time. They must have fixed it sometime after midnight.
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post #719 of 17501
2/24/06 at 6:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by EddieM View Post

I happen to work for Verizon and have been waiting for FiOS tv for a while. We started building wire centers in September of 2004 and offered FiOs internet 3rd qrtr of '05. The mini-video head for Eastern MA & Southern NH is located in Burlington, MA and the network is ready...just need the franchises. There is talk of building another mini-head closer to Providence.

It is strange that the video headend is located in Burlington and yet Burlington does have FIOS tv. Any idea when Burlington will start offering FIOS TV.
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post #720 of 17501
2/24/06 at 6:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by rickypicky View Post

When I checked this morning, channel 806 in the V* guide on my HD STB shows "WMPT-DT". Previously, it had shown "PBS-WMP", or something like that. It also shows the channel is "off-air" after 8AM this morning.

I think they fixed it! We'll see tonight.

Just wanted to let you know that I posted about this development over in our Local thread as well. Thanks for your efforts. I think Dave has provided us the confirmation we need. We should see Piano Guy at 4 pm today according to the guide. The channel info is now showing "WMPT-HD."
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