Verizon FiOS HDTV - Page 31

I could be wrong, but I have a hard time believing that the bolded statement correct/accurate/true...at least throughout the entire Verizon footprint. I'd be hesitant to send calls into the sales centers that may not be fruitful. Before folks start calling, I'll try my best to remember to check tomorrow and see if this is true. Just out of curiosity, where does your contact work? If you aren't comfortable saying which group/dept....a state would be fine.

(yes, I work at a FiOS sales office)

Hey Jacob, how's it going.

Hey Dave!

I checked and at least at our center, no process exists to receive and pass on suggested or requested channels. I'm not in sales anymore and haven't received the video training yet...or I'd have given you folks an answer yesterday.

It's a great idea, but not in place everywhere.

Sorry I mean to say email customer service to request a specific channel. I meant to say if your not a current FIOS customer that you shouldn't call in to request a channel. But if your not a FIOS ready customer you can email customer service to request a channel but they will give a higher priority to current FIOS ready customers as far as reading them goes. Sorry again as Sales doesn't take requests just customer service and its mainly the fiber solutions customer service number at that. Also my contact is that Verizon HQ and you of all people should know where this is located. I was very tired when I wrote this and somehow I was typing what I was thinking and sadly to say I was thinking faster than my body could process and type everything. I'm sure you have had those days before.

Just to make sure nobody should call the sales line. You should only call the fiber solutions customer service number if you in a fiber ready area to request a channel. If your not in a fiber ready area please email customer service only and request that they forward the email to the fiber solutions customer service department. I've been told that email CSRs are able to forward your email to this department. I've also been told that they have filters that might be able to pickup speciifc channels in the body of the email and forward it in an automated manner but he/she couldn't say that was so as he doesn't know. Once it reaches the fiber solutions customer service department it may or may not be read if your not living in a fiber ready house.

Out of curiosity, has anyone heard anything further on Verizon supplying HDNet nationally? The reason I ask is that the explanation that had been running around for it only being available in Texas was that V* needed to install hardware in order to be able to blackout sports content that was contractually limited to one station in certain areas.

Well, I recorded the Washington National's opening game on April 3rd on ESPN expecting to enjoy one of the only HD Nat's games this year. Lo and behold, I went to start the recording and it started at the last five seconds of the game; i.e. it was blacked out. This would certainly indicate they are more than capable of blacking a channel out when needed, and thus their reasoning for not providing HDNet is either outdated or a lie to keep people off their backs. I can't believe they'd be able to blackout just the DC area for an ESPN game and not have the same capabilities for when HDNet is showing Hockey or MLS. I really doubt ESPN is the one doing the blackout, since as far as I'm aware they just send out one feed to the entire nation.

Fiber (RG-11) to the house? Would it be in a conduit to protect it? Or is is easy to repair? My current RG-6 coax gets cut by garden work about every other year. It is full of splices.

Depends, the part from the curb to the house is usually done by a contractor for Verizon - they should install it deep enough that gardening shouldn't touch it. You will not be splicing fiber - very tricky thing that needs special tools.

Good article in S & V mag about Verizon FIOS compared to Cablevision. Verizon comes in with about 750 Mhz dedicated to video. Cablevision splits its signal for tv, phone and internet leaving about 350 for the video.. Picture is better and channels switch faster with FIOS

Special tools, yes! Very tricky thing, not so much! Doesn't take a lot of skill to splice one single fiber. After all, the fusion splicer does most of the work for you. The toughest part is the prep work. I don't know about you, but i'd rather see a splice than have to wait 2 weeks for a new line to be buried.

Consumers for Cable Choice ( http://www.consumers4choice.org ), the telco-backed organization, has a running counter that displays how much money is being lost to a lack of competition in the pay-TV business since FiOS Tv started in 2006.

Currently

That figure is $ 2,392,799,052.19

After 7 hours last Tuesday and another 5 hours last Friday my FIOS installation for both Internet and TV was successful in McLean. The installation was for 2 TVs and one computer. I was the first person in my townhouse development to request the service and the Verizon central office had many issues to deal with in order to get my service working properly. I previously had Cox for internet service and FiOS at the same 5/2 speed is noticeably faster. I had D* for my TV service and FiOS offers a much improved picture. The HD picture is sharper and the non-HD is significantly better. I cancelled both Cox and D* and will now also save $$$ each month.

please provide link to article.

Thanks

I assume it is now up everywhere.

Excellent. By the time it gets here I should have the channel - whenever that will be. There hasn't been much progress in Maryland.

Excellent! I love this channel!

FIOS TV now available in Plano, TX.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/...=Breaking+News

Sure enough there it is.

Wow. The HDMI DD 5.1 bug fixed.

Now HD Net.

If I could just convince Verizon to add NASA TV, I'd have nothing else to gripe about

If anyone that can talk to the Verizon programming department is listening, please add NASA TV. You don't even have to negotiate to carry the channel. Just install the necessary equipment.

Are the set-top boxes (with DVR) offering FireWire connectivity; as without it D-VHS recording is dead for me?
NOT AN OPTION! I live on L.I. and currently have CablevisionHD. FIOSTV is currently unavailable in my area...but fingers are crossed.

Any word to when NJ (Bergen County specifically) will have FIOS TV available to them? I know they are trying to do the state wide franchise thing but are they going town to town in case that doesnt work out? Anyone have any inside info?

FIOS TV franchise awarded in Bowie, MD.

http://www.multichannel.com/article...y=Breaking+News

There's a discrepancy, then, between devoting only ~350 MHZ of a 750-MHz Cablevision system to video (that article), and Figure 1 of Craig Kuhl's recent CED article, showing nearly all cable system spectrum (listed as 6-MHz downstream channels) devoted to video, mostly analog, as with most systems. -- John

Does anyone know if their HD boxes employ FireWire?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=617635

Finally, the State of PA is waking up to the whole Franchise issue:

http://www.pennlive.com/business/pat...070.xml&coll=1

This and many others things in PA make me think that the State Animal should be the Sloth.

Based on the link that dmbatch provided, the FireWire port will stream to my D-VHS without a problem. Now if FIOS was available in my area it would be a perfect world...

"Update on the recording to D-VHS.

I tried the recommended protocol of getting them to talk to each other last night and lo and behold, I'm able to record directly from the STB to the D-VHS. I was able to record both DiscoveryHD and CinemaxHD. I didn't try anything else and didn't try to record from the DVR to D-VHS but I'm guessing that would work as well.

So, it looks pretty good for recording to D-VHS from the Verizon Motorola STB.

John "

Looks like Montclair, NJ may be getting it soon:

http://www.baristanet.com/barista/20..._me_.html#more

I don't believe the HD set top box has DVR functionality (if it does, please advise) so does anyone know if it works with a stand alone Tivo box?

Also, curious to know if anyone has determined if the TV function of HTPC software from Msft Media Center Edition, Sage or Snapstream etc. works with any of the FiOS set top boxes.

Thanks

I just got off the phone with Verizon after inquiring about FiosTV in Los Angeles. The rep asked me who provided my phone service. Since it is SBC/AT&T she said they can not offer Verizon service because AT&T has "rights" to my area, though not all of Los Angeles.
She also said there are not any plans to change this in the future. Why is this? It seems to be against anti-trust regulation to only have one provider of service in a specific area. And what does phone service have to do with how I get my television service?

I don't know if this means I might be able to get this service in not too long, but just got a note on my door in Bothell, WA (little north of Seattle) that a company will be laying fiber in my neighborhood for Verizon.

--Darin

If Verizon doesn't serve your area for local phone service they at this time aren't going to wire you up as this requires them building new CO locations of their own along with laying miles and miles more of fiber. Also Verizon nor any company will ever be required to wire up new areas they don't currently serve. Now if Verizon doesn't wire up an area with fiber that they currently serve with local phone service that is a whole other issue.