Verizon FiOS QIP6416 DVR - Master Topic! - Page 4

My boxes were definitely new. Still in the plastic, clear plastic over the STB display...

Both my 6416s were returns. I had some previously recorded programs in my queues as well. I haven't had any problems with either of my units now four-plus weeks into my service. That is, that I know of. I am still on a learning curve for the 6416, not having come out of a HD-TiVo background with D*. Glad to hear you got your setup problems straightened out.

Mine was brand new - surprisingly it initialized faster than the 2500 STB.

Did you get any kind of cables with your DVR or STB? I wouldn't have minded some cables instead of using my own - I guess I could have pleaded poverty during the install and not offered mine.

Thanks Bill, it came in the mail today.

Came across a feature in the 6416 that's turned off that I could use. When I got the service installed last week I assumed that I could run my DVD player through the 6416 to the TV (the TV has only 2 AV inputs and the other one is already used). So I connected the output of the DVD to both sets of inputs on the 6416 and nothing. Then I read the manual (who ever reads that first) and in the small print it says next to both of those inputs : Feature currently disabled! The install tech didn't say anything when I hooked the DVD to there.

Why would they disable the inputs? They don't want people to copy stuff to the HD? Anyone have a contact to feed requests like this to Verizon?

biker19, The Verizon tech gave me a HDMI, component, and offered an optical audio also. Very helpful.

More about my original connection issues, if you use the HDMI input,you cannot set the 4;3 ovrd to allow full screen 4:3, only with component. Talked to Verizon and their Moto experts. When you switch inputs, it will automatically turn the 4:3 ovrd to "Off". They are sending me a Moto user guide also. If you need one , just call them.

They told me they are also working w/Moto to get a STB w/two tuners so you can use 2 outputs for PIP. Currently you need 2 STB!! Also, need to be able to record 2 programs and watch a third, live, like you can w/D*.

If anyone is interested I have looked all over this forum for the ablity to get the 30 second skip function to work. There is a thread here about the 6412 and that most have this abiltity but some cable companies turn the function off and give a remote that doesnt have it. Wehh, someone said that they went and got a "Oneforall" universal remote which has the ablity to program individual buttons with codes for functions and someone posted all those functions. Anyway I went and spent my 15 bucks for one of these to try it and it does not work with FIOS. I was able to program all sorts of buttons to do stuff that is normal on our remotes but the 30 second skip does not work. I also saw someone in some other forum say that we had microsoft guide and it doesnt work with microsoft. Wish I had seen that first but oh well. No one needs to try this anymore. It is official that the stupid skip doesnt work with FIOS. That was a big disapointment to me.

What D* STB does that?

To update on the "doesn't record" issue, I have come across two more types of problems that cannot be explained by logic:

1. DVR showed a conflict for the following
a. Program A from 19:00 to 19:30
b. Program B from 19:00 to 20:00
c. Program C from 20:00 to 21:00
d. Program D from 21:00 to 22:00

Program D showed that it was in conflict with Program C?! This happened across two weeks and could be recreated both with subscriptions and manual recording requests. I have not encountered a case since then that matches.

2. On two ocassions programs have recorded but...not really. We recorded Grizzly Man which apparently only got the first 5 minutes of the show and then jumps out to the "end of program" screen. A couple of days ago a similar thing occurred for Two and a Half Men where the recording jumped from the 4:45 mark to around 20:19 where it continued the recording. In both cases I am wondering if the broadcasts were in some way interrupted over FIOS? Did anyone else see this on "Two and a Half Men" this week?

3. Back to back Scrubs episodes now record without a problem.

Well, I haven't tried to hide my enthusiasm on this board for FiOS and its improved picture quality but I have to say that my DVR experience to date has been spotty at best. I posted earlier today over at broadbandreports about my FireWire experience, particularly with recorded versus live content. Let's just say it needs some work. I am skeptical that running it by Verizon techs will do much good, but may give it a shot as a last resort. Maybe I'll get lucky. On a subject not related to HD, I haven't had good results with the VOD programming either. Still, the improved picture quality and more HD content trumps D* by a long shot. I'm willing to "ride it out" on the DVR front while they work out the bugs.

I've had it for less than a week but VOD seems to be the most problematic issue.

I think your conflict comes from you having the unit turned on during the recording time. It is using one tuner to record and one to show the content while the unit is on. Try turning the box off so that the 2 tuners can record the back to back shows , one tuner per show.

I agree. HD PQ is definately my #1 priority. Besides, the only alternatives for me are D* and Cox Cable. Six odd years ago I left Cox for D*, primarily for their horrific PQ!

Not that I have really used it a lot, but I have yet to view a movie from start to finish on VOD. It usually plays a minute or two, screen either freezes or goes blank, a message is displayed indicating the STB is "tuning" to the VOD channel, followed by "VOD is temporarily unavailable".

I'm confident that V* will work out the kinks sooner than later. What I'm getting more concerned about is the abscence of HDNet in Fairfax County. My understanding is the issue is "blackout" related. Granted I only have had FiOS for just over two weeks, it has been available in Fairfax County for maybe two months? I would have thought this should have been resolved by now.

Thats interesting you guys are having problems with vod. I have only done the free stuff but one night I just watched music videos from the VOD and it was pretty cool. I watch different videos for like 3 hours. Sometimes there was a large block of videos like a couple of hours worth and I would fastforward through most of it just to see the videos I liked. It worked fine for me. I never saw 1 issue. I have also not seen any of the issues with conflicts either. Somewere in these threads someone was talking about recording scrubs back to back because they have 2 episodes runniing back to back and it not getting the second one. I didnt have that problom. Someone was also talking about an issue with invasion after lost. I am doing that one to for a month or so with no problem (of course minuse the olympics). My 6416 is a phase 1 box without sata on the back just fyi

Greetings all! I was wondering if the Fios HD DVR has a pass - through mode allowing you to send the navive signal (whether it is 480, 1080, 720 etc) straight to the TV. My TV can't stretch any source higher than 480p and I want to use the tv's stretch modes when watching 4:3 content. Obviously I can only do this if the DVR can pass 480i to the set.

Can anyone shed some light on this for me? Currently a Comcast customer with the SA 8300 HD, which allows me to do this. No pass-through on this box might be a deal breaker for me when FIOS becomes available in my area, which should be very soon.

The default for non-HD programming is 480i. You can change that to 480p or a stretch mode in the options but the default should work just fine for you.

Thanks for the quick reply! Can anyone comment on the Fios DVR Vs. Comcast's SA 8300HD DVR?

One thing to keep in mind about Verizon's roll out of equipment - some of the features will change over time - a simple firmware update tomorrow could change something someone tells you today.

There's virtually no downside to FiOS - the install is free, the cost is usually lower and the PQ better. The only issue might be some bundling options and single features that some people must have.

I had FIOS TV installed two days ago, and the technician stated that one could watch DVR recordings from standard STBs in other parts of the house. I assume that this is what this quote refers to. However, he implied that it could be done now. Does anyone have any more info on this capability? Thanks!

That is a feature that has been promised but I don't think it has been turned on in any market yet. When I called in with a problem I got the same "spring" promise.

Just a quick note to on my experiences with the 6414.

I have had the 6416 for about two weeks now. My box continuously shuts down, mostly on the HD channels. It completely turns itself off. After a while, I can turn it back on. It also records about 2 hours of HD content and shows to be about 50% full. I have called the V* tech and they are coming tomorrow to replace the box. This message isn't meant as a rant, just as a FYI in case others see this problem in the future and to compare notes.

Overall I have been blown away by the picture quality and quite happy with the V* service. Even though my appointment to address the issue above is tomorrow, they stopped by over the weekend (while we were out) and tried to fix it early. (That kind of service is hard to come by these days....) I am trying to stay patient while they work out the kinks on the 6416.

By the way, I have heard that there are problems with using HDMI AND the toslink connection for surround sound. Anyone know where to find more details on this issue. I have my projector connected by HDMI and sound via toslink and I am able to get surround working. Just wondering if there is something I am missing.....

You won't be able to get Dolby Digital 5.1 using the HDMI and sound via toslink. Of course your AV receiver can still process audio into Pro Logic and you will have surround. There should be a firmware upgrade released soon to correct this shortcoming.

I believe I have read many post and understand the HDMI 5.1 bug. I wanted to post this to the group and see if I understand the situation. I should say before I go buy the equipment this week. I wanted to pick up the new Yamaha HTR-5990 with HDMI switching and the new Sony 400 disk DVD changer with 1080i HDMI upconversion. As long as the Yamaha does HDMI switching, the Port on the V* STB should work for audio and video?

The display on my 6416 went blank this morning. It would not turn on either with the remote or via front panel. I had to pull the plug to reset it. It was still downloading when I left for work...

Welcome to the Forum! You are the first person here to try this out. With that setup, you should get the full benefit of HDMI. I understand that the STB is up to spec and that there really is no "bug." Please keep us informed of your results.

The only crashes I have seen on our 6416s is when watch VOD and fast-forwarding. Usually this works fine, but every once in a while this crashes the box, leading to a full reset, restart, and reload. The entire procedure takes around 3-4 minutes. The biggest irk is that the VOD program, while still in "saved programs" is reset to the start of the program, forcing me to fast forward back to where I was.

Having been a first-adopter of the TiVo, DirecTV with TiVo, and HD-TiVo, these kinds of problems are, oddly enough, par for the course. Patience and a few firmware upgrades can work wonders....

Has anyone been able to pull down some of the HD content on the DVR or HD boxes to their PC?

I tried the tips and tricks in the other thread, but it seemed they were for the older Moto boxes.

Anyway, the HD is insanely gorgeous through Verizon. The Oscars last night were incredbile, and the shows on Starz and HD Net have been jaw-dropping. Those Bikini Destinations and Art Mann shows are unbelievable!!

Did anyone catch National Treasure on Starz! this past weekend? OAR and incredibly detailed. Sin City looked fantastic too.

On the SD channels, I find them to be a bit noisy, especially the VOD material. I think I am one of the few who has used the VOD feature and have not had lockups! I wish they would offer HD and 5.1 via VOD. They are trying with the "WS" tags, but those aren't even that great. The convenience of VOD is very cool, and have used it several times to pass some time.

Very happy customer here! Now, if I could get my other DVR box to stop rebooting ever so randomly, that would be great!

My sentiments exactly!

People have reported that a firmware upgrade is now rolling out which includes the fix for HDMI and toslink audio.

I just had FiOS installed today and I noticed that after the techs left. I called it in and the call-taker acted as though he knew nothing about it. Went as far as to suggest using component and toslink audio.

Hope they get the upgrade out soon.

Flower Mound, TX