Verizon Fios TV questions

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wubb

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Made a thread about this months ago, but I have some new questions - and probably a few old ones... If anyone can find the old thread, I'd appreciate it.

Multi-Room DVR.
1. Does this work as advertised. Meaning you can access your recorded shows from the other boxes in your house and they play back without streaming problems or anything like that?
2. Can you record 2 things on the DVR. Playback something previously recorded on the DVR locally. And watch a recorded program on a remote set-top box all at the same time?

HD programming
3. If you get a DVR (or multi-room DVR) does that get you the HD channels or is there yet another fee on top to activate the HD channels. Can't find any extra fee mentioned on their site.

Misc
4. If you hook a TV straight up to a coax outlet will it get any channels, or do you have to put a set-top box in between the TV and the wall outlet?

Any other little details that might be pleasant (or not so pleasant) surprises?
 
[quote name='wubb']
Multi-Room DVR.
1. Does this work as advertised. Meaning you can access your recorded shows from the other boxes in your house and they play back without streaming problems or anything like that? [/quote]

Heh, it's supposed to but I couldn't figure it out in the 10 minutes I spent trying... maybe this weekend I'll look into it more. You can't stream any HD stuff between boxes though and that's mostly what I record so I don't know if I will even use this feature (it sounds cool though).

[quote name='wubb']2. Can you record 2 things on the DVR. Playback something previously recorded on the DVR locally. And watch a recorded program on a remote set-top box all at the same time? [/quote]

Not sure what you are asking... I can:
1. Record two shows at once and watch one of them live
2. Record two shows at once and watch a previously recorded show
3. I'm not sure if you can record two shows at once, watch a previously recorded show AND watch another show on another box you are streaming to. My guess is no but I'm not basing this on anything really.

[quote name='wubb']HD programming
3. If you get a DVR (or multi-room DVR) does that get you the HD channels or is there yet another fee on top to activate the HD channels. Can't find any extra fee mentioned on their site.[/quote]

It is extra. You need an HD box to watch HDTV and it is more expensive than the regular one ($5 a month more, I think). We pay an extra $5 a month for the non-HD, non-DVR cable box in the bedroom. We get all the channels except the HD ones in there. I was told it would be an additional $5 if we ever needed to upgrade if we got an HDTV for the bedroom.

[quote name='wubb']Misc
4. If you hook a TV straight up to a coax outlet will it get any channels, or do you have to put a set-top box in between the TV and the wall outlet?[/quote]

This depends on your cable company. If they totally shut off your house after you cancel then you need a box to get anything other than local channels (not even basic cable). This is why we opted for the box in the bedroom. We asked the same question. Do I know for sure? No... maybe I'll experiment when I get home tonight and find out.

A lot of times cable companies don't totally shut off your house after you give them the equipment back. For example, we got HBO in our old place for free for the entire time we lived there because the people before us had it and they never turned it off even though we called and complained about it being on the bill the first month we were there.

[quote name='wubb']Any other little details that might be pleasant (or not so pleasant) surprises?[/quote]

The software interface BLOWS and there is about a 2 second delay from when you press a button on the remote and when the cable box reacts. It is very unintuitive to set up your favorite shows to record. The defaults are to record EVERY time it comes on not just new episodes so imagine trying to record the Simpsons or something else in syndication. It's highly annoying but I am getting used to it. The FF and RW speeds are lightning fast though and there are more HD channels offered and a TON more free On Demand stuff. The internet speeds are great too - not for surfing (same as cable) but for downloading a file from like rapidshare I've seen up to 2MB per second.

There's another thread around here I'll try and dig up that talks about this stuff from when I got FIOS.
 
Thanks for the response javery!

[quote name='javeryh']
Not sure what you are asking... I can:
1. Record two shows at once and watch one of them live
2. Record two shows at once and watch a previously recorded show
3. I'm not sure if you can record two shows at once, watch a previously recorded show AND watch another show on another box you are streaming to. My guess is no but I'm not basing this on anything really.
[/QUOTE]

I was asking #3, but also was curious about #2. (But assumed that would work.) Good to know for sure. Not being able to do #3 isn't a deal breaker, but would be nice.

[quote name='javeryh']
It is extra. You need an HD box to watch HDTV and it is more expensive than the regular one ($5 a month more, I think). We pay an extra $5 a month for the non-HD, non-DVR cable box in the bedroom. We get all the channels except the HD ones in there. I was told it would be an additional $5 if we ever needed to upgrade if we got an HDTV for the bedroom.
[/QUOTE]

But the multi-room DVR ($20 per month) gets you HD programming right? No extra fee on the bill for the service, but if you want HD on another TV too you'd have to get a more expensive set-top box for that TV. I think that's what you're saying?

[quote name='javeryh']
This depends on your cable company. If they totally shut off your house after you cancel then you need a box to get anything other than local channels (not even basic cable). This is why we opted for the box in the bedroom. We asked the same question. Do I know for sure? No... maybe I'll experiment when I get home tonight and find out.

A lot of times cable companies don't totally shut off your house after you give them the equipment back. For example, we got HBO in our old place for free for the entire time we lived there because the people before us had it and they never turned it off even though we called and complained about it being on the bill the first month we were there.
[/QUOTE]

Interesting point. Hadn't thought of that. We'd want a set-top box on two other TVs in our place and there is yet another TV we'd possibly want service. Not sure if I should just get a 3rd set-top box or chance it/use rabbit ears.

[quote name='javeryh']
The software interface BLOWS and there is about a 2 second delay from when you press a button on the remote and when the cable box reacts.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for that. I almost added a question about that, but thought I'd hold off to not overload people. ;) Can you watch something and browse through other channels in a little strip at the bottom? (I've seen some setups that let you do that, and at least one that doesn't - the only option with that one for browsing was the full screen programming guide.) And you are saying that when you are browsing through the channels there is a very noticeable delay between hitting the button and the guide updating? Ugh, that sucks. I've noticed that delay at a relative's that has DirectTV, but our digital cable is lightning fast.
 
[quote name='wubb']Thanks for the response javery!

I was asking #3, but also was curious about #2. (But assumed that would work.) Good to know for sure. Not being able to do #3 isn't a deal breaker, but would be nice.[/quote]

I'll see if I can find this out tonight or this weekend for sure. I really want to get that feature to work because I record a lot of woodworking shows on random channels that my wife hates - it would be nice to stream them upstairs when she falls asleep.

[quote name='wubb']But the multi-room DVR ($20 per month) gets you HD programming right? No extra fee on the bill for the service, but if you want HD on another TV too you'd have to get a more expensive set-top box for that TV. I think that's what you're saying?[/quote]

I believe that is correct. From what I can tell they offer many different set top boxes. We have an HD w/DVR box in the TV room and a non-HD, non-DVR box upstairs. I was told we had the option to upgrade the upstairs one to include DVR functionality (for added non-HD storage) and I was under the impression they also seemed to offer one that would be an HD, non DVR one too if we decided to upgrade the TV but not want a DVR upstairs. I should note that the non-HD, non-DVR box in our bedroom still receives all of the HD channels but sound only - no picture. I thought that was odd because typically if you don't get a channel nothing comes in at all.

[quote name='wubb']Thanks for that. I almost added a question about that, but thought I'd hold off to not overload people. ;) Can you watch something and browse through other channels in a little strip at the bottom? (I've seen some setups that let you do that, and at least one that doesn't - the only option with that one for browsing was the full screen programming guide.) And you are saying that when you are browsing through the channels there is a very noticeable delay between hitting the button and the guide updating? Ugh, that sucks. I've noticed that delay at a relative's that has DirectTV, but our digital cable is lightning fast.[/quote]

Yes - you can watch and browse with the little strip on the bottom. You can also go into the full screen guide mode and the picture will minimize in the upper left corner if you want to see more of the guide. The non-responsiveness does NOT apply to channel surfing or playing around with the guide - that seems pretty smooth. However, whenever you are doing anything DVR-related like FF, RW, programming something to record, trying to play something you have previously recorded or erase something, etc. all of those functions are on a delay (unintentionally I'm sure). It's definitely annoying - especially when trying to FF through commercials. It's impossible to time the button presses. One nice feature though is that there is a 5-10 second "jump back" after you hit play so when you seem to zoom past the commercial break it actually skips back a little and often times it comes out close to where you were aiming for. It's a nice little feature. Oh yeah, when you set shows to record for say 30 minutes it always grabs a few extra minutes on both ends so you don't miss anything. It's another nice little feature although if space on your DVR is a concern that could be annoying.

Also, for some reason when I am watching the HD 16:9 channels the guide and everything only take up 4:3 real estate on the screen and everything looks proportional (like it should). When I switch to a non-HD channel everything gets stretched to fill the screen - the picture on the TV and the guide. I'm not sure what's causing this but with my Comcast box if I watched a 4:3 non-HD channel I would get the black bars on the side and everything would appear in the proper aspect ratio. I really want to fix this. Actually, I really wish the guide and OSD were always set to 16:9 (so you could see more of what is coming on later) but the TV picture knew whwther to stretch or not depending on what channel I was watching.
 
Thanks a ton for all of this info javery. Just the stuff I was looking for.

non-HD channels stretching to fit your TV is one of those little things I wouldn't have even thought to ask about. If you figure out a setting to fix that (or if it's just how things work with Verizon Fios) let me know.
 
is fios tv the same as cable. Meaning do you only have 1 cable coming into your house cause the last time i looked they had to put this massive box onto the wall (cause you had like 5 cables come out of it) then they run those cables to the DVR then to the tv. If it was one simple black cable like the Cable is then i would get it BUT Im staying away cause i dont want all those cables running between my walls
 
[quote name='slidecage']is fios tv the same as cable. Meaning do you only have 1 cable coming into your house cause the last time i looked they had to put this massive box onto the wall (cause you had like 5 cables come out of it) then they run those cables to the DVR then to the tv. If it was one simple black cable like the Cable is then i would get it BUT Im staying away cause i dont want all those cables running between my walls[/quote]

They put one box on the outside of your house and run everything off of it. There were 3 guys working at my house for the better part of a day to install everything and run all of the wires. They did a great job - you can't even tell what they did.
 
[quote name='javeryh']They put one box on the outside of your house and run everything off of it. There were 3 guys working at my house for the better part of a day to install everything and run all of the wires. They did a great job - you can't even tell what they did.[/QUOTE]


so how many cables do you have running from the inside of your house to the DVR is it just one plan wire that looks the same as the cable wire or more. we should get it locally within the next few months
 
[quote name='slidecage']so how many cables do you have running from the inside of your house to the DVR is it just one plan wire that looks the same as the cable wire or more. we should get it locally within the next few months[/quote]
Its the exact same thing as the cable wire itself. The fiber optic wiring is setup from the pole to the box they setup outside your house. Then they lay the same exact coax wire to your television from the box. The quality is a notch better than cable if I do say so myself.
 
I priced it out and Verizon Fios with HD and 2 extra set-top boxes would actually be a little less than we are paying Cox cable for non-HD service now. If I upgraded Cox to HD it would be an extra monthly fee for the HD and I'd have to get an HD-DVR which is also more per month. If we do a 1 year commitment to Verizon Fios TV they knock another $10 off per month.

I suppose I could call Cox and tell them I'm about to contact Verizon and switch since I can get HD service with a DVR for X per month, but I'll stay if they give me the same service and match the price. I wonder if that has a snowball's chance of working out. Anybody know if cable companies ever deal like that? If it doesn't I'll just switch. No big whoop.
 
[quote name='wubb']I priced it out and Verizon Fios with HD and 2 extra set-top boxes would actually be a little less than we are paying Cox cable for non-HD service now. If I upgraded Cox to HD it would be an extra monthly fee for the HD and I'd have to get an HD-DVR which is also more per month. If we do a 1 year commitment to Verizon Fios TV they knock another $10 off per month.

I suppose I could call Cox and tell them I'm about to contact Verizon and switch since I can get HD service with a DVR for X per month, but I'll stay if they give me the same service and match the price. I wonder if that has a snowball's chance of working out. Anybody know if cable companies ever deal like that? If it doesn't I'll just switch. No big whoop.[/quote]

Typically between Cablevision or Verizon, we just sign a really good contract for a year and then when it runs out we see what the other is offering. If you do contact them, see if you can speak to the manager or someone who is actually in charge to give you the deal you're looking for.

On a the whole though, Fios is a much better service than Cable. My bandwith streams are blazing fast, my television looks better, and the phones sound clearer. I got the deal with them for 99$ a month for all three services, although we don't do HD.
 
I need to look into that. We already have our phone and internet (DSL currently) through Verizon. Probably pay close to $99 per month just for those 2 things.
 
[quote name='wubb']I need to look into that. We already have our phone and internet (DSL currently) through Verizon. Probably pay close to $99 per month just for those 2 things.[/quote]
Then I would say the Fios internet is definitely worth it. Sorry for the size. I'm not sure how to crop it. But the speeds I get are pretty much what they offer.

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I had Comcast (the HD package with DVR) and switching to Verizon for internet, phone and cable saved us a ton of money monthly - like $60 or something. Verizon only guaranteed the pricing structure for a year and afterwards they would be "competitive" with other providers in the area though. Overall I'm very happy we switched - I think I will eventually get used to the new interface and the fast internet speeds are really nice. I just need to learn how everything works but that's on me.
 
[quote name='javeryh']I had Comcast (the HD package with DVR) and switching to Verizon for internet, phone and cable saved us a ton of money monthly - like $60 or something. Verizon only guaranteed the pricing structure for a year and afterwards they would be "competitive" with other providers in the area though. Overall I'm very happy we switched - I think I will eventually get used to the new interface and the fast internet speeds are really nice. I just need to learn how everything works but that's on me.[/QUOTE]

if you hound comcast you can sometimes get full basic for 19.99 per month
high speed internet for 24.99 per month and phone for 20 per month

i doubt verizon can match that
 
Okay here's a (probably dumb) question. If I have Verizon come out and upgrade me to Fios TV does that mean I'd have to go with Fios Internet as well? (i.e. I couldn't have Fios TV and DSL internet.)

I would call Verizon, but they closed for the weekend an hour or two ago. But I think I'm right that I'd have to go with Fios Internet, too. They are having a promo where I could get the slowest Fios Internet for $5 less / month than I'm paying for DSL, but it would jump to $10 more / month than I'm paying now for the 6 months after that. $40 / month full price. $40 is a hell of a lot for internet IMO.

I'll probably just bite the bullet and go for internet + tv. Ugh. I think I've decided I'd rather switch to Fios even if Cox would match Verizon's price. Time for something new.
 
[quote name='javeryh']I had Comcast (the HD package with DVR) and switching to Verizon for internet, phone and cable saved us a ton of money monthly - like $60 or something. Verizon only guaranteed the pricing structure for a year and afterwards they would be "competitive" with other providers in the area though. Overall I'm very happy we switched - I think I will eventually get used to the new interface and the fast internet speeds are really nice. I just need to learn how everything works but that's on me.[/QUOTE]

where in jersey are you javeryh?
 
Verizon doesn't provide HDMI cables from the box to your TV do they? Just want to make sure I should go ahead and order a cable for when the tech will be here.
 
[quote name='Milkyman']where in jersey are you javeryh?[/quote]

I'm in Westfield.

wubb: I'm not sure what cables are provided by Verizon - I wasn't there when they did the installation... I have an HDMI port on my TV but I can't get to it because of the way the TV is mounted so everything is connected via component.
 
i have been waiting for awhile for the fios to be available in my town. The next town over got it in mid nov. I want to either switch to verizon fios tv/internet or be able to use it to get cheaper pricing structure with comcast. When I called and bitched about the internet speed with comcast, the rep told me it is there goal to beat verizon to every area in mass by a week with 16mbps compared to fios 15mbps
 
Hell, I can order an HDMI cable from monoprice.com for under $10 and avsforums seems to be high on the site. May as well just do that.

It's insane how much Monster charges for those suckers.
 
Where in NJ is there Fios. Not available in my area of Middlesex County yet. I have God awful Cablevision and want rid of it so badly.
 
Hmm, actually found a few people who claim the installation crew provided an HDMI cable from the box to the TV. I guess I better call Verizon and ask tomorrow. I have a feeling this is one of those "maybe they will maybe they won't" deals and I won't get a definite answer.
 
Okay my install was yesterday, so figured I'd post a wrap-up of how it went.

Guy arrived at about 9 which was great given the 8AM-6PM window Verizon gave me. (I was told the day before that I was the first job of the day.) Just one guy and he was there until nearly 2PM.

1. Verizon did provide an HDMI cable to use from the DVR to my TV.
2. The home media DVR worked as advertised and shows can be played from other STB over the house easily. Did a test and my #2 from the OP works fine.
3. Verizon didn't put HD service on my order for some reason so I only get the local HD channels until they flip it on today. Very annoying as I called and confirmed I'd have HD a few days after placing my online order.
4. Asked the install guy and he said it is a very easy process for the local cable company (or DirectTV, etc.) to switch a house over from fios tv. I was mildly concerned on that front, so it's nice to know it won't be an ordeal if I ever want to go back.
5. As javery mentioned the process to setup a season pass recording is really awkward. I wish they let you set the defaults for a series recording. I pretty much always want to do 'New only' and 'at anytime' but it defaults to 'New and repeat' and 'Only at X:XX time'. So I have to take a 7 or 8 step process to correct every single series I want.
6. There are a few other little differences between the interface I had before with Cox and Verizon (of course) some are a little better, some a little worse. Nothing to get too excited about that I've seen yet.
7. I've already had the DVR get confused and tell me I couldn't change the channel without stopping the recording of X even though I was only recording one thing. That is fairly troubling. But I was able to cancel the recording, immediately start the recording up again and then everything was worked out.
8. The on demand stuff is pretty neat. Watched Colbert interview Larry King and some Lewis Black stand-up yesterday and it was really nice. Lots of free content.
 
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