Series 3 Verizon FIOS HD compat?

[richsadams]

... there is an awesome document on how to do it on another website called dslreports.com under the FIOS section. I took a quick look and didn't find the article. Do you happen to have a link? TIA!

[DCIFRTHS]

I have heard nothing about redesigning the ONT... I think that Verizon has finally gotten a stable ONT, that redesigning it now, would be a bad move... and I believe I have a 612 on the side of my house...

P.S - The tech is going to love that you have the Ethernet in place... :)

Most of the Verizon techs I have spoken to are very cool. Even the contractors that wired part of my building are more than willing to share information. I'm pretty excited about the install...

I ran a conduit through my ceiling for the DC power cable too (there's no AC outlet in my closet). ;)

Love that fiber (http://pages.prodigy.net/dcifrths/fios/fiber.jpg):)

[mae]

Does this ONT also have an Ethernet jack if you didn't want to use MoCA for the internet?

Thanks!

Yes, but it has to be provisioned by Verizon to work.

[mae]

and when you are given 4 or 5 jobs a day... any 'shortcuts' are taken... So if you want Ethernet... make sure you ask for it...

The tech who did my install had only my house. He was heading to a trouble call when he finished up.

[mae]

I have heard nothing about redesigning the ONT... I think that Verizon has finally gotten a stable ONT, that redesigning it now, would be a bad move... and I believe I have a 612 on the side of my house...

P.S - The tech is going to love that you have the Ethernet in place... :)

It is an Alcatel 211-G. It is a little smaller and in a grey (not white) case, I guess to match the rest of the telco's equipment. Tech said it used GPON instead of BPON as the protocol.

[mae]

D'oh! The pressure! :eek: :D

Rich,

No pressure, you KNOW you want it!:rolleyes:

Mark

[mae]

I took a quick look and didn't find the article. Do you happen to have a link? TIA!

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19559467?hilite=bridging+fios

I think you guys in the Northwest are getting Westell's, but the same instructions should work.

[richsadams]

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19559467?hilite=bridging+fios

I think you guys in the Northwest are getting Westell's, but the same instructions should work.:up: :up: :up:

[MookieDoug]

After 2 years of DirecTV, I recently moved to a house that can get FIOS, so I signed up. Since the Tivo I had was a DTV Tivo, and wouldn't work on FIOS, and the multi-room DVR set up sounded nice, I decided to give the FIOS DVR a shot. It only took about 30 minutes before I realized this was a mistake, and about 2 days before I had a new Tivo HD being sent to me. So first, for anyone who has Tivo and is even thinking of going to the FIOS dvr, GO BACK! There are numerous reasons why it's so much worse, and this isn't the forum for that.

My tech roll is tomorrow morning for the CC install. I've got the Tivo box already sent thru its guided setup, but now I guess I need to make sure I have version 11.x or else the M-card won't work. At least that's what I've gotten from this thread.

I'm a little worried about pixellation as well. After the FIOS tv install, we noticed that about half of our premium movie channels were pixellated. After a call, they came out, tested the line a million times, then gave me a new FIOS box, and that fixed the problem. Hopefully the Tivo won't bring it back.

[wkearney99]

So first, for anyone who has Tivo and is even thinking of going to the FIOS dvr, GO BACK!

I also had DirecTV and left it because they abandoned Tivo-based DVRs. Now that I've had the combined FIOS TV/Internet/Phone package I have no desire to go back to paying DirecTV more... while getting less. I also succeeded in getting over a dozen friends and neighbors to drop DirecTV as well.

I agree, the Verizon supplied DVR is HORRIBLE.

I've had no pixelization troubles with FIOS and Tivo HD units, both with S cards and a single M card. This across all channels, SD, HD and premiums.

[MookieDoug]

My tech roll is tomorrow morning for the CC install. I've got the Tivo box already sent thru its guided setup, but now I guess I need to make sure I have version 11.x or else the M-card won't work. At least that's what I've gotten from this thread.

FIOS tech arrived at 8:50 am, and the first thing he told me was, "Oh, this is a Tivo cable card install? I've never done one of those before." I told him I have the directions right here for him, and we'd walk through it together. "Good", he said. "I've only done one other one of these anyway." I thought this was going to be trouble, but he (Andy) was actually quite happy for any help I could provide. He had the 1 M-card (he said he was told in the work order from Verizon that he needed 2, but a guy in the shop told him, "no, just use 1 M-card"), so we wrote down the CC #, put it in, it brought up the tech help screen. He wrote down all those figures, powered up his laptop, plugged them in, 15 minutes later the TV was working. I don't have HD (yet), but all channels were working on both tuners.

I do have gray screens for 1/2 second when i change channels or go to Tivo Central, but I only updated to version 11.x last night, so I'm hoping what I read on here, that it'll go away in 48-72 hours is correct.

Sorry for the long post, just wanted to pass along a success story!

[pieler8]

The grey screens definitely go away after 48-72 hours. I had the fios install done thursday of last week, they were gone by the weekend.

[exdishguy]

The grey screens definitely go away after 48-72 hours. I had the fios install done thursday of last week, they were gone by the weekend.

Can the guys that just got FiOS TV installed tell us what kind of ONT they used? Also, keep us updated on the pixelization issues - good or bad. I'm particularily interested in good installs and trying to find some common denominator as to Tivo works fine in your market vs. others that have had persistent issues.

[reubanks]

Can the guys that just got FiOS TV installed tell us what kind of ONT they used? Also, keep us updated on the pixelization issues - good or bad. I'm particularily interested in good installs and trying to find some common denominator as to Tivo works fine in your market vs. others that have had persistent issues.

I have a Motorola ONT1000 and am having no pixelization problems on either the Tivo HD or HDXL.

[aldiesel]

Can the guys that just got FiOS TV installed tell us what kind of ONT they used? Also, keep us updated on the pixelization issues - good or bad. I'm particularily interested in good installs and trying to find some common denominator as to Tivo works fine in your market vs. others that have had persistent issues.


Where do you find the model number for your ONT? I had a recent install and the ONT is inside my garage and my neighbor's is on the outside of his house. They are different (obviously). I am getting pixellation on all the HD locals in the 500 range. I am waiting for a low pass filter to arrive that I ordered to see if that helps. Attenuating did not help. I did get the SNR down to 31/32 but to no avail the locals are horrible.

[exdishguy]

Where do you find the model number for your ONT? I had a recent install and the ONT is inside my garage and my neighbor's is on the outside of his house. They are different (obviously). I am getting pixellation on all the HD locals in the 500 range. I am waiting for a low pass filter to arrive that I ordered to see if that helps. Attenuating did not help. I did get the SNR down to 31/32 but to no avail the locals are horrible.

Where are you located? I hate to tell you but your situation sounds much like mine....and I've been fighting this for over 6 months.

As far the ONT type, you can probably call the FSC and they should be able to tell you the model. I've never looked carefully enough at mine to tell which Motorola model is installed. I assume you do have a Motorola ONT though?

[aldiesel]

I am in Southern New Jersey outside of Philadelphia.

Where are you located? I hate to tell you but your situation sounds much like mine....and I've been fighting this for over 6 months.

As far the ONT type, you can probably call the FSC and they should be able to tell you the model. I've never looked carefully enough at mine to tell which Motorola model is installed. I assume you do have a Motorola ONT though?

[SWG255]

I had FIOS hi-def TV installed back on March 20th, and I have had no pixelization issues on SD or HD channels with my Tivo HD XL. I am in the Northern Virginia area . If it matters, this was not a new FIOS install, i already had internet and phone, this install added the high-definition TV. I had been using DirecTV with an old Sony Tivo. I didn't even think twice about going to the Verizon DVR, I waited so long to switch because my old Tivo was what was keeping me happy with DirecTV.

I'd provide information on my ONT if someone can tell me what to look for.

[pieler8]

Can the guys that just got FiOS TV installed tell us what kind of ONT they used? Also, keep us updated on the pixelization issues - good or bad. I'm particularily interested in good installs and trying to find some common denominator as to Tivo works fine in your market vs. others that have had persistent issues.

I believe my ONT model is 612A. I'm in SE Pa. I just opened up the customer part, and it was on the status sticker. I have 2 HD Tivo's and have not seen any pixelation issues so far

[mae]

It has been two weeks since I switched from Comcast, and I'm happier than ever I made the change.

Even though I asked to terminate my service with Comcast on 3/30, I'm still being billed until they disconnect me at the tap, now scheduled for 4/13. I've posted the details of this problem, which seems to vary by region on the Comcast thread, http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7195269#post7195269. They claim I'll be credited back to 3/30 after they do the disconnect.

I don't want to double post, so if you're making the switch, you should take a look.

[pieler8]

I have the exact same situation as you mae. Cancelled comcast on 3/24 with an effective date of 4/2. They tell me they cannot cancelled me until 4/13 but they will backdate/refund any charges as of 4/2.

[richsadams]

When we moved locally we had overlapping service from Comcast. They did the same thing: charged us through the end of the billing period for our orignal house initially and then subsequently credited us the difference on the new account...eventually. But it was a bit of a mess when they crossed up both accounts; discontinued some services on the new one and thought they had changed the old one, etc. Took several months to clean up.

With regard to how they handle things it appears that it's really a local issue. Often Comcast acquired a local cable provider at some point and just kept their policies intact (as long as they benefited Comcast). The inconsistencies in service, quality, support, etc. are legend. I can't really complain about our service though. They've been fairly decent throughout. Too bad they've boosted our "Triple Play" rates over $200/mo. in one year. :eek: We're going to end up with about the same services with more HD, better PQ and faster broadband for almost half the price from VZ. Such is life.

[mae]

When we moved locally we had overlapping service from Comcast. They did the same thing: charged us through the end of the billing period for our orignal house initially and then subsequently credited us the difference on the new account...eventually. But it was a bit of a mess when they crossed up both accounts; discontinued some services on the new one and thought they had changed the old one, etc. Took several months to clean up.

With regard to how they handle things it appears that it's really a local issue. Often Comcast acquired a local cable provider at some point and just kept their policies intact (as long as they benefited Comcast). The inconsistencies in service, quality, support, etc. are legend. I can't really complain about our service though. They've been fairly decent throughout. Too bad they've boosted our "Triple Play" rates over $200/mo. in one year. :eek: We're going to end up with about the same services with more HD, better PQ and faster broadband for almost half the price from VZ. Such is life.

Dealing with Comcast is just like what Tip O'Neill said about politics, everything is local.

Come to think of it, there are a bunch of other similarities!;)

[richsadams]

Okay, the peer pressure was just getting to be too much (not to mention that my Comcast bill was as well), so I pulled the trigger. :eek: FIOS install will be on the 27th. I had a lengthy discussion with the VZ tech that I ran into a while back on an install down the street. He remembered me as a "TiVo Guy" and we discussed the signal issues, etc. He said that he was aware of one band that is problematic for some but not everyone. He said that that they were addressing any issues with attenuation at the moment but he expected things to be "normal" in the near future.

He listened to my wish list and took the time to walk me through all of the options, ensured that he had me down for three cable cards (it turns out that they only have "M" cards here) and then put me in touch with an official order desk person (named Princess...and she was! :) ). After my experiences with mistakes with my VZ wireless billing and hearing all of the horror stories about how tough it is to get them to fix their system if it isn't right from the get-go I had her read back every detail to be sure it was what I wanted. She was very patient and calm and did a very nice job of taking care of me.

With everything I'm getting including Extreme HD, HBO & Showtime, Setanta Sports Channel, an extra STB for my computer, 20/5 broadband, phone, etc. my bill will be about $155/mo. ...about $50 less than Comcast (for more of everything except the phone). The price is guaranteed for two years plus I get the current offer of $150 cash back after the first 30 days. It's not cheap by any means, but it's everything we wanted and I can live with that.

Now I have to break the news to Comcast. Such is life. I'm guessing they'll try to retain me, but my mind is made up! :p

Wish me luck! :D

[Gregor]

Good luck, Rich!

Comcast made no effort to retain my business. I took the cable boxes and cable modem down to the office and told them I wanted to cancel and that was that.

I got a few offers that were about what I was paying that were addressed to me personally, now I'm just "Occupant".

[mae]

Okay, the peer pressure was just getting to be too much (not to mention that my Comcast bill was as well), so I pulled the trigger. :eek: FIOS install will be on the 27th. I had a lengthy discussion with the VZ tech that I ran into a while back on an install down the street. He remembered me as a "TiVo Guy" and we discussed the signal issues, etc. He said that he was aware of one band that is problematic for some but not everyone. He said that that they were addressing any issues with attenuation at the moment but he expected things to be "normal" in the near future.

He listened to my wish list and took the time to walk me through all of the options, ensured that he had me down for three cable cards (it turns out that they only have "M" cards here) and then put me in touch with an official order desk person (named Princess...and she was! :) ). After my experiences with mistakes with my VZ wireless billing and hearing all of the horror stories about how tough it is to get them to fix their system if it isn't right from the get-go I had her read back every detail to be sure it was what I wanted. She was very patient and calm and did a very nice job of taking care of me.

With everything I'm getting including Extreme HD, HBO & Showtime, Setanta Sports Channel, an extra STB for my computer, 20/5 broadband, phone, etc. my bill will be about $155/mo. ...about $50 less than Comcast (for more of everything except the phone). The price is guaranteed for two years plus I get the current offer of $150 cash back after the first 30 days. It's not cheap by any means, but it's everything we wanted and I can live with that.

Now I have to break the news to Comcast. Such is life. I'm guessing they'll try to retain me, but my mind is made up! :p

Wish me luck! :D

Rich,

I hope you have the same luck I did. Almost 3 weeks and (knock on wood) no problems. I just looked at my first bill online and it seems to be right, so that's the last hurdle. Of course, I turned my Comcast stuff in on 3/30 but they haven't been out to the tap to turn it off yet, so they still consider me a customer. According to the guy who called me after I emailed the CEO and COO:D that should happen today and they will credit me back to the 30th.

I picked up a NIM 100 on ebay a few weeks before my install and am really happy with using it instead of a wireless adapter. It is much faster and has the added benefit of stripping the MoCA from the line going to the TiVo. I paid $10 (new, but no power brick-a Linksys 12v worked fine) plus shipping. My installer said he didn't have any, but others have reported luck asking for them since they don't use them anymore. The ones currently available on ebay are a lot more, but you might want to keep an eye out for bargains.

Mark

[David Platt]

Okay, the peer pressure was just getting to be too much (not to mention that my Comcast bill was as well), so I pulled the trigger. :eek: FIOS install will be on the 27th.

Yay! We finally got Rich! I guess we can close the thread now... ;)

j/k, Rich. I think you made the right choice. You'll love it.

[richsadams]

Good luck, Rich! ...now I'm just "Occupant".Oh, I bet they hold you (as they do me) in the highest esteem...I bet you're considered "Current Occupant"! ;)

Rich, I hope you have the same luck I did. Thanks Mark, me too!

I've been casually following all of the MoCA posts but I need to do a little more research. The TiVo's (and everything else) are hard wired/Ethernet, but I do have a couple laptops that need WiFi now and then. I have a D-Link Extreme N wireless router that the tech said I could use instead of using theirs. Guess I'll have to look at how MoCA would work or if it makes sense for me...soon! :)

Yay! We finally got Rich! I guess we can close the thread now... ;)

j/k, Rich. I think you made the right choice. You'll love it.From your lips to VZ's ears! :D

[richsadams]

I think you made the right choice. You'll love it.David, since you're in the same neighborhood, how is your broadband speed? The reason I ask is that Comcast recently boosted theirs. Below is a recent test that I ran using Speakeasy (http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/). That was on a very good night using the Seattle connection and it can go down to half of that during the day, but it's generally above 20/5 Mbps.

http://i41.tinypic.com/2mo5zpc.jpg 34448/8592 kbps

Since VZ's is 20/5 I'm a little worried about an actual cut in speed now. Comcast used to have a download "blast" where the speed was higher for the first 10MB and then throttled back. I can't find any info about that now and wonder if that's still the case or if they opened up the pipe to compete w/VZ?

Just downloading a large file from any old site isn't a good measure. So I guess I need to find a test server that will allow a sustained download larger than the typical test sites to see if it eventually falls off.

Anyway, just wondering what you (or anyone else) were seeing. It won't deter me from switching but I was hoping for as fast or faster broadband than what I have currently. TIA!

[webin]

how is your broadband speed?

Just downloading a large file from any old site isn't a good measure. So I guess I need to find a test server that will allow a sustained download larger than the typical test sites to see if it eventually falls off.

Anyway, just wondering what you (or anyone else) were seeing. It won't deter me from switching but I was hoping for as fast or faster broadband than what I have currently. TIA!


I've done a bunch of speed tests (though not recently), and I pretty consistently get within 5% (plus or minus) of the quoted 20 mbps. The best way I can think of to test "real world" speeds that high is to install a bittorrent client (such as utorrent), then cue up about 4 different linux distributions. Let the client open as many connections as it wants, and then set them all the files downloading simultaneously, and you'll be getting a METRIC TON of peers. I think I remember seeing at least 15 mbps down at one time using that technique.

BTW... I'm not sure when I last saw pixellation. I'm considering dropping my attenuation down form 6 to 3dB to see how that works.

[mae]

Oh, I bet they hold you (as they do me) in the highest esteem...I bet you're considered "Current Occupant"! ;)

Thanks Mark, me too!

I've been casually following all of the MoCA posts but I need to do a little more research. The TiVo's (and everything else) are hard wired/Ethernet, but I do have a couple laptops that need WiFi now and then. I have a D-Link Extreme N wireless router that the tech said I could use instead of using theirs. Guess I'll have to look at how MoCA would work or if it makes sense for me...soon! :)

From your lips to VZ's ears! :D

Rich,

I know Comcast loves me...I just got back from a few errands to a message from the County Cable Administration about the complaint I filed against Comcast. If they can continue to bug me, I can continue to bug them! (BTW, the actually DID finally disconnect me this AM, it only took 2 weeks).

If you aren't using any of their set top boxes and you have them wire the ONT to your router via ethernet, there really is no need for MoCA (or their router). From what I've seen, they are using a Westell in the great Northwest, and some have claimed it is better the Actiontec deployed here in former Bell Atlantic territory. It does seem to have some issues with VPN's, so if you don't need it for their STB's you can avoid it altogether. If you do need it, and can easily connect your router to the ONT with ethernet, use the Westell in bridge mode to your router for MoCA for the STBs. Reports of interference by the MoCA channels have really decreased and that setup would only use the LAN channel, no WAN channel needed. Another method would be to use a NIM 100 (if the installer has one) from an ethernet port on your router to put the MoCA on the cable for the STBs. That would avoid having to do any setup on the Westell if you don't need router/switch/access point funtionality from it. With my layout and available cabling, going with MoCA to the router was the path of least resistance and seems to be working fine.

Mark

[woodway]

My FIOS service was installed two weeks ago.

Motorola ONT1000JI. The JI apparently stands for "Just Inside", it's a fully integrated unit used for indoor installations - mine is in my basement utility room. It is a pretty good looking unit.

I have two TIVO HD's and one Verizon/Motorola STB installed.

I have no attenuators installed and zero problems with pixelation.

I did have the installer provision ethernet to the router, although the Verizon STB still connects to the network through the router, over coax.

Verizon gave me a Westell router, which I have since replaced with my own Linksys router. The Linksys is faster. I've got the Westell hanging off the Linksys for the sole purpose of giving the Verizon STB internet access. No need to bridge the Westell, just release your IP address and put your own router in it's place.

Someday I will get another TIVO and get rid of the Verizon STB and Westell router all together.

I am pretty happy with FIOS overall :up:

[richsadams]

I've done a bunch of speed tests (though not recently), and I pretty consistently get within 5% (plus or minus) of the quoted 20 mbps. Good info. Thanks my friend! :up: Let us know how the change in attenuation goes. TIA.

[richsadams]

Rich,

I know Comcast loves me... If you aren't using any of their set top boxes and you have them wire the ONT to your router via ethernet, there really is no need for MoCA (or their router). <snip> Thanks for that Mark, all good info that I'll need to review and digest. Much appreciated! :)

[David Platt]

I've done a bunch of speed tests (though not recently), and I pretty consistently get within 5% (plus or minus) of the quoted 20 mbps. The best way I can think of to test "real world" speeds that high is to install a bittorrent client (such as utorrent), then cue up about 4 different linux distributions. Let the client open as many connections as it wants, and then set them all the files downloading simultaneously, and you'll be getting a METRIC TON of peers. I think I remember seeing at least 15 mbps down at one time using that technique.

BTW... I'm not sure when I last saw pixellation. I'm considering dropping my attenuation down form 6 to 3dB to see how that works.

I pretty consistently get within 5% of the advertised speeds as well. I've done a few speed tests for various neighbors that have FiOS, and we're all getting right at the same speed.

Knock on wood, but I haven't had any pixellation problems in quite a while. I think they really have been working on the problem.

[rf75]

Bought a THD at Sears, special price; only one was the display, so no box, no cards, no Cablecard instructions, but I did get a manual. FiOS installer coming Friday with M-series cablecard - is there somewhere on the web I can get the install instructions to give him?
BTW the Tivo was sick and a new (refurb?) is being cross-shipped, arriving tomorrow. Presuming I need to install it asap to get the 11.x software!

Didn't see anywhere on the Tivo site to print the cable card instructions ..........

[richsadams]

Didn't see anywhere on the Tivo site to print the cable card instructions ..........Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new TiVo! You can find everything you need at www.tivo.com under Support.

Here's a tutorial you can watch...or grab some popcorn and watch it with your new cable tech friend:

http://www.tivo.com/assets/flash/support/hooking_up_tivo_dvr.swf

Here are guidelines about what to do before the installer arrives and instructions that you can print out and hand to the installer:

http://support.tivo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/135

Be sure he follows every step carefully and doesn't try to skip over or combine anything. If followed correctly you should be up and running in no time.

TiVo is shipped with the software that was available at the time it was manufactured and will generally be older than the current software release. You should see an automatic upgrade to the current software and all of its features within 48 to 72 hours (usually less). TiVo's priority is to first get all of your guide data, then to upgrade the software.

You can try to force an upgrade by going to Messages & Settings->Settings->Phone & Network->Connect now. Try that a few times. Once the download has completed you may see "Pending restart" listed in the “Last Status” line on the Phone & Network Screen (http://i16.tinypic.com/85w4qk8.jpg) or on the System Information screen (http://i10.tinypic.com/6kzrwwi.jpg). TiVo will automatically install the upgrade at 2 a.m. your time or you can reboot it (unplug it and plug it back in) and it will update immediately.

Enjoy!

[rf75]

Thanks! Don't know why I couldn't find that link. Appreciated.

[calicant]

Just called Verizon Fios about cablecards for two Tivo HD boxes. Was told that in my area (Ventura County) I would need 4 cards so they must still be dumping the S-Cards here. I Couldn't place the order since I originally ordered a Home Media upgrade and new HD reveiver for second tv and that order is still pending. I couldn't believe they sent me the same old quirky QIP 6416 DVR and so I am switching to TIVO on both TV sets. It is outrageous that I have to pay for a total of 4 S-cards at double the lease price. However, I'll do anything to avoid paying a bloated lease fee for the inadequate QIP 6416 DVR.

Has anyone in Southern California managed to get M-Cards yet?

[pj1016]

<snip>

Has anyone in Southern California managed to get M-Cards yet?


Yes, I got an M-Card recently...

pj

[calicant]

Yes, I got an M-Card recently...

pj

Great news! Perhaps there is a chance I'll get M-Cards too.

[mae]

Okay, the peer pressure was just getting to be too much (not to mention that my Comcast bill was as well), so I pulled the trigger. :eek: FIOS install will be on the 27th.
Wish me luck! :D

Rich,

How did the install go?

Inquiring minds want to know!

Mark

[DCIFRTHS]

Rich,

How did the install go?

Inquiring minds want to know!

Mark

To state the obvious: Either had a great install, and is busy playing with all his new toys, or he had problems, and can't get here to post.

Let's hope he's just busy playing !! :)

[mae]

To state the obvious: Either had a great install, and is busy playing with all his new toys, or he had problems, and can't get here to post.

Let's hope he's just busy playing !! :)

I've noticed his posts on other threads, that's what raised my curiosity.

[richsadams]

Boy...you guys are strict...um...I mean good! I wasn't trying to slide. I just wanted to give the new setup some time settle in and to to see if it was going to do something unexpected or perhaps expected before reporting back.

FIOS is four by four as they say and all systems are go! :up: I'll post a more in-depth "review" of the install (all was not perfect, but eventually things were made right) in a couple of days or so.

At the moment phone, broadband and most importantly TV are just about perfect. (Hope that didn't jinx anything ;) ) No attenuation and no A/V issues at all. Woo hoo! :D I haven't had the chance to view all of the channels at length of course (might take a lifetime) but the one's that have been recorded are showing no signs of any problems and skimming through some others looked good as well. I know it's been less than 48 hours, but one can only hope for the best.

Be back soon!

[teasip]

If you end up like me I've limited my exposure to pixelation issues by dropping most channels from my favorites listing. I basically use my OTA for locals and FiOS only for sports channels and Discovery channels. Even with the original, hot signal ONT I'm not having to use attenuation other than the provided attic splitter (even before modifying my favorites listing).

[Squirrel]

Hi,

The backstory (shortened): Was going to switch to Fios, have Series 2 Tivos. They came, installed everything but couldn't complete install. Needed to come back. In the meantime I realized I would lose the dual tuner option with my TiVo. Cancelled the install.

Decided that I want Fios. I got an Series 3 HD Tivo which I believe I read would work. But with what? What do I need to ask Verizon for to get want I need. M-Cards? S-Cards? -- I have no idea what either of these are. Not technical.

Also reading something about ONT??? Not sure what that is either. Can someone help me?

Thanks!

[Ziggy86]

Tivo Series 3 need two S-cards from what I remember. If you have the TIVO HD unit which is different from the Series 3 it can take either one M card or Two S-cards.

[Rolento76]

Tivo Series 3 need two S-cards from what I remember. If you have the TIVO HD unit which is different from the Series 3 it can take either one M card or Two S-cards.

When Verizon did my install, they only brought M-cards and I have two Series3s. The Series3 will work fine with TWO M-cards.

[Squirrel]

Also if anyone could tell me if there's anything else I will need to make my TiVo's work or need to tell the Verizon people that I may be unaware of.

Thank you!

[mae]

Also if anyone could tell me if there's anything else I will need to make my TiVo's work or need to tell the Verizon people that I may be unaware of.

Thank you!


As previously stated, the original Series 3 requires two cards (single or multi stream). A TiVo HD or HD-XL can use one multi-stream (M) card for both tuners. Your original post said you have an "HD", so if that is the case, you need to tell Verizon that you need an M card. Recent posts (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=386864 have been that is all they are deploying now, since Motorola discontinued single stream cards over a year ago.

The ONT is an "optical network terminal", the white or grey box Verizon uses to convert the fiber to internet, phone and video. They furnish that as part of the install and will hook it to your cabling.

If you have been using your Series 2 with a phone line, you can use that with the HD, but you should consider using ethernet or a wireless adapter.

[MookieDoug]

Also if anyone could tell me if there's anything else I will need to make my TiVo's work or need to tell the Verizon people that I may be unaware of.

Thank you!

The one main thing I would suggest, before your install, is to make sure you go through your guided setup on new Tivo HD several days before the M-card installation. If after a day you don't have software version 11.x, force it to connect again to download the latest software. (And as someone previously said, it will be much faster/easier if you hook it up with a wireless adapter.)

Finally, when they come to do the M-card install, make sure they follow the detailed instructions that Tivo supplies with the Tivo HD. If they do that, it should go very smoothly. (At least mine did.)

And lastly, don't get confused between the early Series 3 Tivos and the Tivo HD. The new Tivo HD uses Series 3 technology (and even says "series 3" on the box in the description), but the new Tivo HD only needs 1 M-card. The old Series 3 Tivo needs 2 cards -- either 2 S- or 2 M-cards.

[toddeades]

Hi Everyone!

While I've seen Verizon trucks in my area for months I finally saw a yard sign in my neighbor's yard today and FIOS is ordered. While I'm mostly excited about the internet speeds I had to add the TV package just for the cost.

I've had a Tivo since 2002 and I'm currently with Time Warner. I have 2 Tivo HDs and 1 Series 2 (Single Tuner) box. I'll be moving all 3 over to FIOS.

What should I expect at the install?

What do I need to do with my TIVOs to prep them?
Should I remove the existing CableCards and run setup?

Can I use a serial cable between the STB and TIVO on my series 2 box?

They will be out next Friday...I can hardly wait.

I'm in Frisco, TX (Far North Dallas)

Thanks!

[webin]

What do I need to do with my TIVOs to prep them?
Should I remove the existing CableCards and run setup?

Can I use a serial cable between the STB and TIVO on my series 2 box?


Woot!
I would take the cable cards out and do a total reset on the TivoHDs. I have no idea if that's really needed, but seems like a good way to clear out the information for the current cards. Then, on all of them, I'd run guided setup and enter your soon-to-arrive FIOS source. You won't be able to test channels, but it will get the tivos thinking in the right direction.

Yes, you can use a serial connection between the Series2 and the Verizon STB, but I found the RF emmiter to be "faster" when doing channel changes and such.

[Rolento76]

Woot!
I would take the cable cards out and do a total reset on the TivoHDs. I have no idea if that's really needed, but seems like a good way to clear out the information for the current cards. Then, on all of them, I'd run guided setup and enter your soon-to-arrive FIOS source. You won't be able to test channels, but it will get the tivos thinking in the right direction.

Yes, you can use a serial connection between the Series2 and the Verizon STB, but I found the RF emmiter to be "faster" when doing channel changes and such.

When I had my FiOS install done, I didn't remove the cable company cablecards until I was ready to install the FiOS cablecards. I didn't want to miss out on any recordings by pulling out the cards days before my install.

After the ONT install and after my FiOS internet was working, I made sure that my TiVos had an internet connection. Then I pulled out the cable company cablecards and reran guided setup after the FiOS tech confirmed a good signal to the TiVos. During guided setup, we followed TiVo's recommended cablecard install instructions and everything worked fine.

[wmcbrine]

(And as someone previously said, it will be much faster/easier if you hook it up with a wireless adapter.)Only if you're comparing it to dial-up. Wired Ethernet FTW.

[Distortedloop]

Only if you're comparing it to dial-up. Wired Ethernet FTW.

While I don't disagree that wired Ethernet is generally preferable to wireless, it is definitely easier to put in place in many situations, and could be faster. Wireless G at 54mb/s is faster than the original Ethernet standard of 10mb/s, and Wireless N at 300mb/s is faster than the much more common Fast Ethernet standard at 100 mb/s. Obviously Gigabit Ethernet is the fastest of them all.

Just depends on what router you're using.

Besides, unless you're moving recordings back and forth off your TiVo to another device, the only thing you're moving over the network is some pretty small amount of guide data. Even for that, the actual broadband connection is most likely to be your bottleneck, since most will opt for 20mb/s speed, but even the substantially more expensive 50 is, in perfect wireless conditions, slower than the wireless G you're likely to end up with with the Verizon supplied router.

[toddeades]

When I had my FiOS install done, I didn't remove the cable company cablecards until I was ready to install the FiOS cablecards. I didn't want to miss out on any recordings by pulling out the cards days before my install.

After the ONT install and after my FiOS internet was working, I made sure that my TiVos had an internet connection. Then I pulled out the cable company cablecards and reran guided setup after the FiOS tech confirmed a good signal to the TiVos. During guided setup, we followed TiVo's recommended cablecard install instructions and everything worked fine.

Since all the channels are changing we will need to setup our Season Passes again....can his be done without having to delete each one individually? Can I do a reset of this without deleting all my recordings.

[sinanju]

Since all the channels are changing we will need to setup our Season Passes again....can his be done without having to delete each one individually? Can I do a reset of this without deleting all my recordings.

Your season passes should find the new channel locations. When I switched from Comcast to FiOS, I only redid season passes for shows that were only available on SD channels on Comcast but were available in HD on FiOS.

[richsadams]

Since all the channels are changing we will need to setup our Season Passes again....can his be done without having to delete each one individually? Can I do a reset of this without deleting all my recordings.As sinanju said, you shouldn't need to make any changes to your SP's. TiVo will automatically remap them to the correct channels after FIOS is installed and you've run Guided Setup again (at which time you'll select VZ FIOS as your provider instead of your current provider). All of ours were updated perfectly. :up:

[wmcbrine]

The automatic remapping works pretty well, except when it moves your HD SP to an SD channel, or the like.

[DCIFRTHS]

The automatic remapping works pretty well, except when it moves your HD SP to an SD channel, or the like.

I'm glad you mentioned that. I just switched to FiOS. I checked, and all my season passes were updated, but I didn't verify if they were all mapped to HD channels.

[bkdtv]

When you switch providers, the To Do List may list your wishlist recordings on the wrong channels [for the next 12-14 days]...but it should still record from the correct channels.

[tdel73]

so my hard-drive crapped out and TiVo is sending me a replacement. Does anyone know if Verizon will let me use the old cable cards or are they going to make a tech come out and install new cards?

[richsadams]

so my hard-drive crapped out and TiVo is sending me a replacement. Does anyone know if Verizon will let me use the old cable cards or are they going to make a tech come out and install new cards?IIRC you don't have to re-pair, etc. FIOS cable cards so you should be good to go.

[tdel73]

IIRC you don't have to re-pair, etc. FIOS cable cards so you should be good to go.

that would be sweet, guess I'll find out in a week or so.

[Shades]

Hey folks,

I'm thinking of making the switch from Cox cable to FIOS and am trying to make sure that it makes sense before I pull the trigger. I have multiple Tivo units, but the one I'll be using primarily is an original series 3 unit, which I'm currently using with my cable setup (via two S-type cablecards) and its been working great, and is already up to date with the latest updates, etc.

I've skimmed through several pages of posts here, and it seems like this shouldn't be a problem but I thought I'd post up and confirm... all I need to support FIOS is two M-type cablecards (since they don't use S-type any longer and the series 3 doesn't support a single M-type card for dual tuners) and connect the Tivo to the FIOS terminal, and I should be good to go?

Are there any other caveats I should be aware of before I consider taking the plunge here? Will I need anything else special to make this work? Will I need to worry about running new lines to my Tivo, or will it run through the Coaxial lines I already have in my home?

One of the big reasons I want to move to FIOS is because they have a lot more HD programming (and for some reason I can only get a few HD channels with cox with my current setup), so I want to make sure I can take the most advantage of that.

Btw, I'm in the Northern Virginia area... there seem to be a number of locals on here, so I'm hopeful that others may have some experience with this transition from Cox to FIOS that may help assuage my fear of potential issues.

If it matters, I'm planning to move my internet service to FIOS as well, but I would hope that would not impact the TV service.

Thank you!

[dresden69]

Hey folks,

I'm thinking of making the switch from Cox cable to FIOS and am trying to make sure that it makes sense before I pull the trigger. I have multiple Tivo units, but the one I'll be using primarily is an original series 3 unit, which I'm currently using with my cable setup (via two S-type cablecards) and its been working great, and is already up to date with the latest updates, etc.

I've skimmed through several pages of posts here, and it seems like this shouldn't be a problem but I thought I'd post up and confirm... all I need to support FIOS is two M-type cablecards (since they don't use S-type any longer and the series 3 doesn't support a single M-type card for dual tuners) and connect the Tivo to the FIOS terminal, and I should be good to go?

Are there any other caveats I should be aware of before I consider taking the plunge here? Will I need anything else special to make this work? Will I need to worry about running new lines to my Tivo, or will it run through the Coaxial lines I already have in my home?

One of the big reasons I want to move to FIOS is because they have a lot more HD programming (and for some reason I can only get a few HD channels with cox with my current setup), so I want to make sure I can take the most advantage of that.

Btw, I'm in the Northern Virginia area... there seem to be a number of locals on here, so I'm hopeful that others may have some experience with this transition from Cox to FIOS that may help assuage my fear of potential issues.

If it matters, I'm planning to move my internet service to FIOS as well, but I would hope that would not impact the TV service.

Thank you!


You would not need to run any new coax... The tech should be able to use your existing wiring inside the house to get service to that TIVO Box. Something that I have done in my house was made sure that all my TIVOs have a hard Ethernet connection to my router... This has made things like Netflix and Amazon work like a charm. (Along with my own home network). The 20/5 really allows Netflix to shine...

Make sure you get the Extreme HD Package when signing up... this will give you all the HD channels that Verizon has to offer, and mention that you would to try the All Access package, it should be free for 2 months, and that would give you all the Movie channels.

If you have any questions, feel free to message me.. would be more than happy to help out.

[John C]

Hi tdel73,

Let us know how this works out for you. My TIVO just died as well and they are sending a new one to us.

I am also anxious about getting all to work again.

John

[tdel73]

Hi tdel73,

Let us know how this works out for you. My TIVO just died as well and they are sending a new one to us.

I am also anxious about getting all to work again.

John

will do...I should have the TIVO later this week so I will let you know...

[gtalvola]

I got FIOS installed recently in Melrose MA and it's been working quite well. Once or twice there have been some glitches in the image but I used to get that occasionally with Comcast too. I've checked the DVR diagnostics several times and both the RS Corrected and RS Uncorrected are always 0 so I figure they are just transient glitches in the Verizon feed, not any problem with my setup.

However, one thing I've noticed is that there are several non-HD PBS channels that are listed as having HD programs on them. For example, channel 470 WGBHDT is not actually an HD channel, but many of the programs in the guide listing show up as HD recordings. Which sucks if you are trying to use a wishlist to auto-record HD programs and you end up getting non-HD stuff recorded instead.

Who would I talk to to try to get the guide data corrected?

[richsadams]

Who would I talk to to try to get the guide data corrected?From the Forum FAQ (http://www.tivofaq.com/index.html?http://www.tivofaq.com/Considering.html):

Problems with lineups (the list of channels available) or more specific regular problems with guide data can be reported through email to lineup@tivo.com or with the web form at http://customersupport.tivo.com/tivoknowbase/root/public/tv1050.htm (http://www.tivo.com/setupandsupport/contactsupport/lineup_tool.html). For email, make sure to include your TiVo serial number, zip code, and cable company along with a detailed description of the problem. TiVo will try to talk to Tribune to fix the problem, but sometimes the information is not available. For example, techtv and comedy central are frequently mentioned for not having episode information. The channel is not providing the information to Tribune in this case, and TiVo cannot do anything about it. Try contacting the channel directly - maybe if enough people complain, they will change. (Note that TiVo, ReplayTV, and UTV, in addition to many paper/online listings all use Tribune for guide information.)

If you notice a problem with a specific show that might affect other people, you can also post to the Season Pass Alerts forum. A good example of a problem for this forum is a last minute change in the schedule by the network that TiVo won't get in time or if a first-run season pass thinks a particular episode is a repeat, when it is not.

That said, are you sure that WGBHDT is not an HD channel? The call sign indicates that it is. All of the programs may not be in HD, but anything they broadcast in HD should be on that channel. Their guide data shows both SD and HDTV programming.

[gtalvola]

That said, are you sure that WGBHDT is not an HD channel? The call sign indicates that it is. All of the programs may not be in HD, but anything they broadcast in HD should be on that channel. Their guide data shows both SD and HDTV programming.

My tivo is set to native mode and that channel comes through at 480i resolution, so it's not HD. Channel 502 is the HD version of WGBH.

Maybe Verizon is scaling an HD signal down to 480i on that channel but leaving the HD indicator in the guide data?

[wmcbrine]

That said, are you sure that WGBHDT is not an HD channel? The call sign indicates that it is.No, it only indicates that it's digital. Note that this in Fios' SD subchannels range (450-499); HD locals are in 500-549. Some PBS affiliates don't have their HD subchannel as their main subchannel (and some don't even have an HD subchannel). Then again, this could easily be a case where Tribune has flagged the channel as "WGBHDT" when it should be "WGBHDT2" or something. I've had that problem with some of the PBS affiliates here.

[richsadams]

No, it only indicates that it's digital. Ah, got it. I noted on the Zap2it listings that they are broadcasting or at least listing HD programming on that channel though. Odd. :confused:

[mae]

We have the same situation here in Maryland with our PBS stations (Maryland Public Broadcasting and WETA). I think that the cause is the local affiliate. The program is probably an HD one and shows up that way in the Times Mirror data, but the local station broadcasts it in SD. It is particularly frustrating with some travel shows that you know are HD, are transmitted on the main, HD capable channel, but are shown in boxed 16x9 SD. One possible explanation is the local station has it recorded in SD, and really only can transmit it in HD during the actual HD feed from PBS.

Having it occur nationwide with PBS affiliates kind of confirms my theory.

[wmcbrine]

I noted on the Zap2it listings that they are broadcasting or at least listing HD programming on that channel though. Odd. :confused:Zap2It = Tribune = TiVo's guide. An error in one is an error in the other.

[gtalvola]

I reported the incorrect HD flag on channel 470 WGBHDT to Tivo. We'll see if it gets fixed.

[mae]

Interesting info in this press release:

http://newscenter.verizon.com/press-releases/verizon/2009/verizon-to-divest-wireline.html

Some relevent quotes:

The operations Frontier will acquire include all of Verizon's local wireline operating territories in Arizona, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin. In addition, the transaction will include a small number of Verizon's exchanges in California, including those bordering Arizona, Nevada and Oregon.

As of year-end 2008, these operations served approximately 4.8 million local access lines; 2.2 million long-distance customers; 1.0 million high-speed data customers, including approximately 110,000 FiOS Internet customers; and 69,000 FiOS TV customers.

Also included are fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) assets deployed by Verizon in 41 local franchises and the state of Indiana, which pass approximately 600,000 homes and small businesses. Frontier will continue to provide video services in these areas after the completion of the merger.

[richsadams]

Interesting info in this press release:

http://newscenter.verizon.com/press-releases/verizon/2009/verizon-to-divest-wireline.htmlInteresting find. :up: Seems a little worrisome but maybe not. I wonder what they consider "...predominantly rural areas in 14 states..."? We're in a suburb of the largest city in our state (included on the list), but the population is only a little over a million and they still haven't run fiber optics to everyone here let alone to the folks out in the farmlands. Hopefully they'll continue their expansion plans or perhaps they're just letting this new company do the heavy lifting.

I was surprised that the tech that showed up a few weeks ago to do our install was a contractor, not actually a VZ employee as others have experienced. Seems they are either unable to meet demand themselves or, based on this info, are moving their capital to other areas. Hmmm. :confused:

[mae]

Interesting find. :up: Seems a little worrisome but maybe not. I wonder what they consider "...predominantly rural areas in 14 states..."? We're in a suburb of the largest city in our state (included on the list), but the population is only a little over a million and they still haven't run fiber optics to everyone here let alone to the folks out in the farmlands. Hopefully they'll continue their expansion plans or perhaps they're just letting this new company do the heavy lifting.

I was surprised that the tech that showed up a few weeks ago to do our install was a contractor, not actually a VZ employee as others have experienced. Seems they are either unable to meet demand themselves or, based on this info, are moving their capital to other areas. Hmmm. :confused:

The press release certainly wasn't very clear. At points it says all service, but at others it talks (as you say) about "rural". I posted it so that those affected can monitor their local media and forums for details as they emerge.

I think VZ sold some of their business (including FIOS) in northern New England to Fairpoint. Those affected may want to see if there is anything at BBR on how that worked.

[webin]

I see this as a move away from a business that is stagnant and/or in decline and a way to let them focus more resources towards building out their fiber network. A post in the VZ Policy Blog (Link (http://policyblog.verizon.com/PolicyBlog/Blogs/policyblog/EricRabe9/618/LookingattheCDCsCellPhoneFindings.aspx)) last week indicates that they are more interested in supporting consumers transition to wireless only telephone service.

Only a small percentage of FiOS customers seem to be affected directly. It seems to not be the actual FiOS service they are selling, but just the copper wire telephone service (which less than 200k FioS customers have??).

Edit: Or not. I can't decipher this press release any better than anyone else.

[wmcbrine]

I reported the incorrect HD flag on channel 470 WGBHDT to Tivo. We'll see if it gets fixed.I went to the Verizon web site to check their lineup. As I suspected, they list 470 in your area as WGBHDT2, not WGBHDT. Then I checked Zap2It.com... not only do they have 470 as WGBHDT, they have 502 as WGBHDT2! Doubly wrong.

Unfortunately this also means that, even if you get the channels swapped as they should be, you're still going to see "HD" tags on 470, because they have them on both channels now. However, the guide also indicates (rightly or wrongly) the same lineup on both channels. So I'd just take 470 out of the "Channels You Receive" list.

[richsadams]

I see this as a move away from a business that is stagnant and/or in decline and a way to let them focus more resources towards building out their fiber network. A post in the VZ Policy Blog (Link (http://policyblog.verizon.com/PolicyBlog/Blogs/policyblog/EricRabe9/618/LookingattheCDCsCellPhoneFindings.aspx)) last week indicates that they are more interested in supporting consumers transition to wireless only telephone service.

Only a small percentage of FiOS customers seem to be affected directly. It seems to not be the actual FiOS service they are selling, but just the copper wire telephone service (which less than 200k FioS customers have??).

Edit: Or not. I can't decipher this press release any better than anyone else.If it's just the copper lines that's fine with me. If it's actually their brand new (to us) FIOS service(s), I'd be somewhat disappointed, although I've no idea what the track record is with the other company. These sorts of mergers and acquisitions always make me queasy. The shareholders may benefit but often the end-user (we consumers) get the short end of the stick. :(

[mae]

If it's just the copper lines that's fine with me. If it's actually their brand new (to us) FIOS service(s), I'd be somewhat disappointed, although I've no idea what the track record is with the other company. These sorts of mergers and acquisitions always make me queasy. The shareholders may benefit but often the end-user (we consumers) get the short end of the stick. :(

For those (potentially) affected, or just interested, there is a lot more discussion on BBR at http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r22381599-Frontier-to-provide-video-for-Oregon-Indiana.

I agree with Rich, it would make me queasy, particularly about future improvements and upgrades. Of course, Frontier could just contract back to VZ to maintain the FTTP services or just the backend stuff like the IMG. I'm curious about how the transfer to Fairpoint went since that may foreshadow how this will play, but haven't had a chance to look.

The idea that they want out of the wireline business to concentrate on things like FIOS seems contradictory, unless their ultimate strategy is to sell off the wireline business and maintain FIOS (perhaps with their rumored VOIP product) either direct or as a service provider to the companies it sells to.

[richsadams]

The press release certainly wasn't very clear. A couple of more articles about it (although none of them really clears things up)...

Verizon Sells Huge Chunk Of Network To Frontier (http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Verizon-Sells-Huge-Chunk-Of-Network-To-Frontier-102414) The article highlights "DSL and landlines" as Webin suspected, but then later refers to FIOS service in 41 local franchises. ??? Most worriesome is the statement:

Just don't expect any additional FTTH expansion, given Frontier just isn't going to have the necessary resources.FTTH is fiber to home service. Sad if they can't afford to continue to expand the fiber optics network or if they don't feel that it's worthwhile.

Verizon Dishes Off Rural Assets (http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=17909)

"New" Frontier Coverage Area Map (http://i.zdnet.com/blogs/frontier.jpg)

Frontier Communications to Acquire Verizon Assets (http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Frontier-Communications-to-bw-15226543.html?.v=1) (From Frontier's press release)

They say the transaction will take about a year so I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

[mae]

I did a little research on the Fairpoint transfer (an advantage of being retired/self employed).:)

It doesn't look too good, this thread is on the Fairpoint forum at BBR, http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r22381839-We-are-not-alone-Verizon-sells-assets-to-Frontier:

We are not alone (Verizon sells assets to Frontier)

I just read a news story that Verizon is selling wireline assets in Arizona, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin as well as some assets in California to Frontier Communications Corporation.

I wonder if the "transition experience" of those Verizon customers will be better than the experience we've had with FairPoint ...

and then there is this article:

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Fairpoint-Issues-Top-Secret-SelfImposed-Improvement-Plan-102033
Fairpoint's Top Secret Improvement Plan
To be reviewed by the same regulators who failed the first time...
02:24PM Tuesday Apr 21 2009 by Karl Bode
tags: competition · business · Op/Ed · trouble · consumers · Fairpoint Communications

As Fairpoint continues to struggle with taking ownership of Verizon's Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont DSL and landline networks, regulators have been pushing the carrier for a detailed timeline of planned improvements. Facing massive work backlogs of 40% and customers who sometimes spend hours on hold without ever reaching a human being, Fairpoint has announced a ten week plan to get things back on track.

The only problem? The company isn't letting the public see any part of the plan or how well they adhere to it. Regulators will of course see Fairpoint's self-administered plan, though one could easily wonder if their judgment has improved. Keep in mind these are the same regulators who rushed to approve the $2.3 billion deal last year against the warnings of consumer advocates, employees, unions and analysts. From the New Hampshire Union Leader:
In a filing with the New Hamsphire Public Utilities Commission, FairPoint said the information is either a trade secret or information related to competitive services, which is protected under state law. The PUC gets the data; the public doesn't. "We consider it to be competitive information, market information, that we don't want our competitors to know about," said FairPoint spokesman Jill Wurm.
Fairpoint might have better luck putting those efforts toward protecting employee data, after the carrier announced this week they misplaced the personal info of some 4,400 employees. Competitors don't really need the data to target Fairpoint. Time Warner Cable is already running local ads (see user submitted pic) aimed at annoyed customers. Obviously some data shouldn't be made public, but it doesn't make sense to not share concrete evidence of your progress with your own customers, given it could compel them to stick around.

Regardless, remember that Verizon was the big winner here. The baby bell used a sophisticated financial maneuver known as a Reverse Morris Trust to dump a significant amount of debt on Fairpoint, grab about $600 million in tax writeoffs, and sell networks in three largely rural states they had absolutely no interest in upgrading.

[richsadams]

I did a little research on the Fairpoint transfer (an advantage of being retired/self employed).:) D'oh! Are Frontier and Fairpoint one in the same or is this "look what happened here" comparison? :confused:

[mae]

:DD'oh! Are Frontier and Fairpoint one in the same or is this "look what happened here" comparison? :confused:

Despite what has been said on BBR, they appear to be unrelated companies with different footprints.

Hopefully, people from Frontier are already studying how to do it better. :D

[richsadams]

:D

Despite what has been said on BBR, they appear to be unrelated companies with different footprints.

Hopefully, people from Frontier are already studying how to do it better. :DPhew!

[mae]

I didn't mean to take this thread off topic, but thought the FIOS customers affected should see it.

Maybe anyone interested in following this as it plays out should start a new thread so folks considering a TiVo with FIOS and not being sold off can more easily find what they need.

Mark

[Phantom Gremlin]

"New" Frontier Coverage Area Map (http://i.zdnet.com/blogs/frontier.jpg)

Sorry, Rich, I think we're out of luck. It looks to me like the Portland suburbs are in the "SpinCo" coverage area, i.e. we're being sold!

Of course, Verizon was a Johnny-Come-Lately around here anyway. They bought the old GTE, which previously served the PDX suburbs.

[richsadams]

Sorry, Rich, I think we're out of luck. It looks to me like the Portland suburbs are in the "SpinCo" coverage area, i.e. we're being sold!

Of course, Verizon was a Johnny-Come-Lately around here anyway. They bought the old GTE, which previously served the PDX suburbs.That's what it looks like to me too. :mad: It'll be a drag if they stop expanding FIOS. Comcast needs the competition IMHO.

[tdel73]

so my hard-drive crapped out and TiVo is sending me a replacement. Does anyone know if Verizon will let me use the old cable cards or are they going to make a tech come out and install new cards?

well I just received the refurbished Tivo they sent and now I'm having all kind of problems. I did the guided set up and what not and then installed the CC's...it was working for awhile, I was getting all the channels I should. BUT when I hit the tivo button I get a blank screen. I go to hit the live TV button and everything is blank there too. I called support and they had me disconnect the unit moves wires around. It worked for awhile and now I'm having the same problem. My Major issue is I'm switching over to cablevison this week, and the tech won't be able to install the cards because when you hit the TiVo button a see nothing but a black screen. I think I'm done with Tivo it's very frustrating, first having the hard drive wiped out with all my shows on it, now this...I have the Series 3. Anyone have any idea why this would be happening?

[tdel73]

well I just received the refurbished Tivo they sent and now I'm having all kind of problems. I did the guided set up and what not and then installed the CC's...it was working for awhile, I was getting all the channels I should. BUT when I hit the tivo button I get a blank screen. I go to hit the live TV button and everything is blank there too. I called support and they had me disconnect the unit moves wires around. It worked for awhile and now I'm having the same problem. My Major issue is I'm switching over to cablevison this week, and the tech won't be able to install the cards because when you hit the TiVo button a see nothing but a black screen. I think I'm done with Tivo it's very frustrating, first having the hard drive wiped out with all my shows on it, now this...I have the Series 3. Anyone have any idea why this would be happening?

disregard this post sorry! I had the Tivo on wrong output setting....All the channels are working so the old CC work for the refurbished Tivo

[webin]

disregard this post sorry! I had the Tivo on wrong output setting....

Oops! Glad you go it working.

[DCIFRTHS]

That's what it looks like to me too. :mad: It'll be a drag if they stop expanding FIOS. Comcast needs the competition IMHO.

Rich: Did you post a review on your FiOS install? If so, where? :)

[John C]

"disregard this post sorry! I had the Tivo on wrong output setting....All the channels are working so the old CC work for the refurbished Tivo "

Thanks for the update. My replacement unit arrived a few days ago. I will work on this over the weekend. I am traveling this week and my wife is really missing her Tivo.

[Johncv]

Hi.

I just called FIOS.

They have cable cards but the old ones not the new ones. They told me you would have NO interactive GUIDE, NO video on demand, and NO Pay Per View unless you call their automated telephone number to order a pay per view movie.

Cards cost $2.95 per month.

Don

Is it possible to get pay per view on HD TiVo?? I am under the impression that TiVo still working on this. :confused:

[thinkswithfist]

I had Verizon FIOS TV installed in my house on 28 March, and I just received my first bill today (22MAY). As I review it, I'm a bit peeved about the cablecard charges, and wanted to ask others here about their experience.

Specifically:
1) I am being charged for $2.99 per month for each single stream cablecard (two in my HD Tivo). Of course, I would prefer if Verizon had a multi-stream card. I was expecting to only pay $2.99 per month per DEVICE. (Comcast only charged me $2.99 per month for their multi-stream cablecard).
2) Verizon seems to have charged a $19.99 "additional outlet" installation charge on EACH cablecard - in other words, they treated each card as a separate outlet. This seems wrong to me - yes, it's two cards, but they are in a single device showing on a single TV. Again, I would prefer if they had a multi-stream cablecard, which would avoid this issue.

Has anyone else had similar or different experiences with their Verizon FIOS cablecards install billing? Thanks in advance!

What was strange to me during this whole process is that I was never quoted a total price for install, not even during the install process (which was probably a subcontractor, anyways). It took until two months later for it all to show up... (and then it taking some analysis to figure out).

[innocentfreak]

Verizon is known for having the worst billing practices. I would definitely call them about it.

I would also check dslreports.com in their Fios Tv forums and see if anyone in your area has gotten M-cards yet. I thought every area was supposed to offer M cards now. You may even find someone who can help you on their since they do have some Verizon employees on there.

[wmcbrine]

A per-card charge is normal and expected, sorry. But the additional outlet charges are ******** and should be removed.

[pilotbob]

1) I am being charged for $2.99 per month for each single stream cablecard (two in my HD Tivo). Of course, I would prefer if Verizon had a multi-stream card. I was expecting to only pay $2.99 per month per DEVICE. (Comcast only charged me $2.99 per month for their multi-stream cablecard).


They have been charging me $2.99 per card also. Which is exactaly what their price schedule says. Although I have had them for a long time. It is my understanding that currently they ONLY have M cards. Are you sure you don't have 2 M cards? If so, pull one out, and bring it back and they will stop charging you for it.

I paid $0 for my install... but that was way back when they first brought service into this area. I think I am in my third year with FiOS...

BOb

[KXH]

I just bought a Series 3 and got FIOS hooked up today in Northern NJ. They brought out 2 cards because they told me they were SS cards, but when the installer pulled them out they were both Multi Stream cards. He took one back and I am going to call Customer Service tomorrow so they know i only needed one. The only issue i am having is that the HBO's are not showing up in the TIVO channel guide and when you go to channel 899 for HBO HD and then hit channel up it jumps to channel 1500? I am not sure why this is happening but if you manually enter 900, 901 etc it tunes the HD HBO channels just fine, but I can't scroll.

[bkdtv]

The only issue i am having is that the HBO's are not showing up in the TIVO channel guide and when you go to channel 899 for HBO HD and then hit channel up it jumps to channel 1500? I am not sure why this is happening but if you manually enter 900, 901 etc it tunes the HD HBO channels just fine, but I can't scroll.You need to enable (check) the channels you receive under Settings -> Channels -> Channel List.

The checked channels are the ones that you see when you channel +/-. They are also the channels you see in the guide when the "Channels I Receive" filter is selected in Guide Options.

Since it sounds like you are new to the TivoHD, be sure to see the Using TiVo (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7097286#post7097286) link in my signature.

[scoombs]

I just bought a Series 3 and got FIOS hooked up today in Northern NJ. They brought out 2 cards because they told me they were SS cards, but when the installer pulled them out they were both Multi Stream cards. He took one back and I am going to call Customer Service tomorrow so they know i only needed one. The only issue i am having is that the HBO's are not showing up in the TIVO channel guide and when you go to channel 899 for HBO HD and then hit channel up it jumps to channel 1500? I am not sure why this is happening but if you manually enter 900, 901 etc it tunes the HD HBO channels just fine, but I can't scroll.

You say you have a Series3, not a TivoHD correct? Then in addition to bkdtv's suggestions for checking your channels, you WILL need both cable cards. S3 needs two CC's no matter SS or MS.

[Brergo]

Verizon is known for having the worst billing practices. I would definitely call them about it.

I would also check dslreports.com in their Fios Tv forums and see if anyone in your area has gotten M-cards yet. I thought every area was supposed to offer M cards now. You may even find someone who can help you on their since they do have some Verizon employees on there.

The single stream cards are no longer made. Verizon has been using M cards for a while. Apparently their in-house training is poor because not many Verizon people are even aware that there were S cards and are now M cards.

Regarding use of a single M card, will it record 2 seperate channels at the same time? I know it is supposed to, but does it?

[Gregor]

The single stream cards are no longer made. Verizon has been using M cards for a while. Apparently their in-house training is poor because not many Verizon people are even aware that there were S cards and are now M cards.

Regarding use of a single M card, will it record 2 seperate channels at the same time? I know it is supposed to, but does it?

Yes on the Tivo HD or HDXL. The Series 3 will need 2 cards, it does not support the multistream function of the Mcard. 2 Mcards work fine.

[John C]

How does one tell if you card is single stream or multistream? I had FIOS installed about 3 months ago.

John

[bkdtv]

How does one tell if you card is single stream or multistream? I had FIOS installed about 3 months ago. Multistream cards have "MCARD" written in large letters across the card. Single-stream cards simply say "CableCard."

Verizon hasn't offered single-stream cards (S-CARDs) since late March or early April, and that was only in CA and parts of PA. As of early April, all FiOS service areas use M-CARDs exclusively.

[Brergo]

Yes on the Tivo HD or HDXL. The Series 3 will need 2 cards, it does not support the multistream function of the Mcard. 2 Mcards work fine.

Ok thanks. I was talking to a guy I know at Verizon and he was saying that the only way to get a TiVo with cablecards to work with Video On Demand and Pay Per View, etc. is for the TiVo to be able to pull an IP and play with Verizon's network. Any rumors on that coming down the pike?

[richsadams]

Rich: Did you post a review on your FiOS install? If so, where? :)So busted. :o Too much traveling and not enough time to turn around. Well, although I was dragging my heals, fearful of what the unknown might bring, we finally made the switch from Comcast bundled service to Verizon's FIOS bundled service (HD Extreme TV/Phone/Broadband @ 20/5) on April 27th. Both our Series3 and TiVo HD are humming along as if nothing happened. If that's all anyone needed to know you can skip to the next post. ;)

Still here? Okay. :rolleyes: First I have to credit VZ for over communication. They must have contacted me in every way known to man except carrier pigeon at least a half-dozen times or more to ensure that I knew when my install was being done and that I would be "ready". Me? I was way past ready at that point, but still a bit apprehensive.

The week before a VZ "road crew" (for lack of a better term) came out and dug up the landscaping along the side of the driveway to install a new cable from the street to the side of our house. They put everything back neat and tidy when they were done. As mentioned, at some point they warned me that would happen.

The following Monday the installer arrived about an hour into the four-hour block. To my surprise the kid (and I say that affectionately, but he really was very young) worked for a contractor called "Ajilon Communications", not for VZ who I had seen doing most of the installs in our neighborhood previously. He read the work order and immediately found that he did not have the digital adapter I had asked for (EyeTV for my Mac). He called in and they offered to give me a VZ DVR box for $1 more/mo. I only have so much room in my office, so I declined. They said they'd take it off of my bill and send me a digital adapter whenever I wanted. (They did indeed take it off of my bill.) I haven't had time to order the adapter yet, but I will one of these days.

Then the tech said up front "TiVo huh? I don't know much about them." Gulp. "I think I can help" I said. After installing the ONT and running some new coax and splitters along side the house he came inside and began work on getting the spaghetti factory of wires I like to call our network organized. (Everything is hard-wired coax or CAT5). He installed their modem/router but only as a bridge to my own D-Link Xtreme N router so I didn't have to alter any network settings. I still can't get my Slingbox outside of my network, but that's another thread/forum.

Between us he was able to install two M cards in the Series3 and one in the TiVo HD and get them working in fairly short order. I had to show him the cable card set up screens and such, but after that he was off and running. He handled all of it on a little netbook computer, but couldn't get the program running on my iMac. So I drug out my Windows laptop so he could finish setting things up. He probably got tired of me looking over his shoulder and offering my thoughts but I think I might have actually saved him some time and gave him enough tips to be a little more confident the next time a TiVo is part of the equation.

Since then VZ has done a good job following up with various e-mail and snail mail info...most of which I appreciate but don't have time to read. The most important part was my first bill. After reading some of the horror stories here and elsewhere I was fully prepared to go into battle. But when the bill came...low and behold everything was correct. Hallelujah!! Oh, and based on the various e-mails and postcards it looks like I'll be receiving our $150 cash back bonus pretty soon as well. Nice.

It's been over a month now and to date I've only seen sporadic, albeit somewhat annoying macroblocking/pixeization...almost all on ABC HD. Even that seems to have cleared up for the most part...although I may just not be as aware of it because most of the night-time series we watch are done for the season. A few times when there were problems I was lucky (?) enough to be watching while the program was recording so I could check the RS Corrected and Uncorrected Errors. Generally the Uncorrected errors were in the hundreds but the Corrected Errors were in the millions...sometimes five-million or more! Ouch. TiVo was doing its level best to produce good PQ even if the signal was problematic. (By contrast I had never seen one corrected or uncorrected error w/Comcast.) But again, that seems to have improved without any effort on my part, no attenuation, etc. Other than that I have very little to report with respect problems.

As far as the PQ I can safely say that much of the SD programming is better than Comcast's...not by a huge amount, but clearly better. A good deal of the HD programming seems about the same. Without a side-by-side comparison I could be mistaken. However there are some shows where I can absolutely see a BIG difference in quality. The whites are whiter, the blacks are blacker and the colors are simply stunning. The word "vivid" comes to mind. Not BlueRay shockingly vivid, but darn close. More than a few times my wife and I have raised our eyebrows and said "Wow! That's an amazing picture!"

So for about $50 less per month less we're getting more channels, more HD channels in particular and for the most part a better viewing experience. I know it's only been a little over a month, but right now I give Verizon FIOS :up: :up: No idea why I waited so long to switch. :)

[mae]

Oh, and based on the various e-mails and postcards it looks like I'll be receiving our $150 cash back bonus pretty soon as well.


Rich,

Glad it worked out. I'm a little over 2 months into to it, and everything here is still working great as well.

My prepaid Visa came about 2 weeks after my month was up, so yours should come soon. My daughter got a $100 service credit check for my referral as well (they held back $50 because I already had a landline).

Mark

[bankshot]

Verizon hasn't offered single-stream cards (S-CARDs) since late March or early April, and that was only in CA and parts of PA. As of early April, all FiOS service areas use M-CARDs exclusively.

I'm having FiOS installed next Monday (the 8th) and I tried to make sure I'll be getting the right kind of card (preferably one M-card). Ultimately I ended up in a 3-way call with a customer service rep and a tech from Verizon's "solutions center." The tech insisted that they only have S-cards in this area (southern California - Chino Hills). He did seem to know the difference between the two types. So my order is currently set to install 2 cablecards.

I'll report back here after the install. I hope you're right and the tech is wrong, but I'm not holding my breath.

[richsadams]

Rich,

Glad it worked out. I'm a little over 2 months into to it, and everything here is still working great as well.Sweet! :up:

[rocko]

Hey Rich - did you ever get your Slingbox issue straightened out? I'm guessing it's s simple matter of opening a firewall port on the Actiontec.

[webin]

However there are some shows where I can absolutely see a BIG difference in quality. The whites are whiter, the blacks are blacker and the colors are simply stunning. The word "vivid" comes to mind. Not BlueRay shockingly vivid, but darn close. More than a few times my wife and I have raised our eyebrows and said "Wow! That's an amazing picture!"

Check out a show on HDNet (or uHD?) called Sunrise Earth... some of the best video quality you'll see anywhere.... I once literally found myself staring as a picture of a bug on a leaf for five minutes, completely entranced by how good it looked.

[richsadams]

Check out a show on HDNet (or uHD?) called Sunrise Earth... some of the best video quality you'll see anywhere.... I once literally found myself staring as a picture of a bug on a leaf for five minutes, completely entranced by how good it looked.Ha, been there, done that. It is an amazing show...particularly once you get past there being no voice-over, music or anything. I kept a copy of Sunrise New Zealand since we used to live there. It is one of our favorites. The whole series is just amazingly beautiful and peaceful...and what a picture! :up:

[richsadams]

Hey Rich - did you ever get your Slingbox issue straightened out? I'm guessing it's s simple matter of opening a firewall port on the Actiontec.Still haven't sorted that one out. I've opened ports on both the VZ router (a Westel Ultraline) as well as my D-Link, etc. It worked very well prior, but being behind more-or-less two firewalls now, it's going to take some more initiative on my part. I found a link that talks about it (http://us.slingmedia.com/get/KB-005033.html) on the Sling web site...have to study it a bit more. Hopefully I can get it working again...can't stand watching hotel TV! :eek:

[rocko]

Still haven't sorted that one out. I've opened ports on both the VZ router (a Westel Ultraline) as well as my D-Link, etc. It worked very well prior, but being behind more-or-less two firewalls now, it's going to take some more initiative on my part. I found a link that talks about it (http://us.slingmedia.com/get/KB-005033.html) on the Sling web site...have to study it a bit more. Hopefully I can get it working again...can't stand watching hotel TV! :eek:

I have my Linksys piggybacked off of the Actiontec and have turned off its firewall. It is unnecessary since the Actiontec firewall is in play.

I recommend you turn off the firewall on the D-Link as it is redundant and also unnecessary.

[richsadams]

I have my Linksys piggybacked off of the Actiontec and have turned off its firewall. It is unnecessary since the Actiontec firewall is in play.

I recommend you turn off the firewall on the D-Link as it is redundant and also unnecessary.Good thought and I tried that but still no go. The issue is (I think) that I can't get the port forwarding to work on the VZ router. It's extremely simple to set up on the D-Link and as mentioned, it worked until I added the VZ router ahead of it. Now I don't think I am getting past the VZ router to the D-Link at all. In other words, I think it's my inability to do something that s/b fairly simple. Sooo...back to the drawing board. :(

[rocko]

Good thought and I tried that but still no go. The issue is (I think) that I can't get the port forwarding to work on the VZ router. It's extremely simple to set up on the D-Link and as mentioned, it worked until I added the VZ router ahead of it. Now I don't think I am getting past the VZ router to the D-Link at all. In other words, I think it's my inability to do something that s/b fairly simple. Sooo...back to the drawing board. :(

Since I don't have the Westel I can't offer any firsthand advice. General tactics would include:

Try enabling uPnP on the Westel if possible
Permanently disable the firewall on the D-Link
Rerun the setup on the Slingbox once the above is done

Drop me a PM if you want to take the discussion offline. I have no problem with FIOS and my Slingbox, but like I said, I have the Actiontec, not the Westel.

The good news is the 5M upload speed affords super picture quality - something you'll appreciate on the road :up:

[MapleLeaf]

Between us he was able to install two M cards in the Series3 and one in the TiVo HD and get them working in fairly short order. I had to show him the cable card set up screens and such, but after that he was off and running. He handled all of it on a little netbook computer, but couldn't get the program running on my iMac. So I drug out my Windows laptop so he could finish setting things up. He probably got tired of me looking over his shoulder and offering my thoughts but I think I might have actually saved him some time and gave him enough tips to be a little more confident the next time a TiVo is part of the equation.

Rich,

I'm switching from Comcast to Verizon's Extreme HD Triple Freedom package as well, so I was hoping you could elaborate a little more on what exactly I will need to do to prep my Tivo's for the switch. I have two Tivo HD's (with an M-Card each) and a Tivo S3 (with two S-Cards).

Is there anything I should do with the Tivo's before the installer arrives? In particular, should I remove the cable cards before the installer arrives? Is it safe just to eject the cable cards whenever I want (and in the case of the S3, in whatever order I want)? Or is there some Tivo menu option buried somewhere regarding safe cable card ejection? Sorry if that's a dumb question, but I haven't touched the cable cards since installing them many months/years ago, so I don't recall the protocol for ejecting them.

Then once the installer arrives and has switched me over from Comcast service to Verizon service, what do I need to do? Do I remove the cable cards at that point (if I didn't do so before the installer arrived)?

After verifying that Verizon's cable cards are M-Cards and inserting them into my Tivo's (do they need to be inserted in any particular order on the S3?), what do I need to do then? Run guided setup all over again? What happens to my existing season's passes? Will they auto-magically get remapped to Verizon's channels?

Is there anything else I should look out for? Just skimming a few pages of this thread, it seems like some people have complained about macroblocking/pixelation issues. Are there currently known and/or widespread concerns in this regard?

Apologies if these questions have been answered before. I skimmed through the first few and last few pages of this thread, but didn't spot anything related to transferring existing Comcast service to new FiOS service.

Thanks!

[webin]

Is there anything else I should look out for? Just skimming a few pages of this thread, it seems like some people have complained about macroblocking/pixelation issues. Are there currently known and/or widespread concerns in this regard?


The macroblocking/pixelation issues have been a concern, to the extent some people claimed FiOS was unwatchable... but I believe the problem is starting to disappear for most people (complaints are way down), and there are likely to be some changes in the (near?) future to further eliminate this problem.

[richsadams]

I'm switching from Comcast to Verizon's Extreme HD Triple Freedom package as well, so I was hoping you could elaborate a little more on what exactly I will need to do to prep my Tivo's for the switch. Holly cow! It's been over a month and you expect me to remember these things?! ;)

I honestly didn't do anything to the TiVo's before the tech arrived. Once it was time for cable cards he/we just unplugged TiVo and pulled them out. He put in the new one(s) and fired them back up. For the Series3 I did admonish him that he needed to insert cable card 0 first, pair it and then cable card 1. He said he didn't think so and at about that time he became distracted with a phone call from another tech asking for advice...so quite honestly after showing him the cable card screens (Messages and Settings > Accnt and System Info > Cable Card Decoders > Config Cable Card > Cable Card Menu > Cable Card Pairing > Phew!) he proceeded on his own. Between entering the 3 appropriate numbers on his netbook and such he was able to get things up and running pretty quickly. I know there are some aspects of VZ cable card setups that are different than Comcast's/cableco's, but I'm not sure if it affects the "always pair cable card 0 first..." bit or not. He didn't seem to think that was necessary and I missed seeing if that's what he did or not. For some reason I think he may have completed both at the same time. Perhaps someone with more knowledge about VZ/cable cards can elaborate on that.

After he installed the cable cards and the boxes were back up and running I re-ran Guided Setup while he was there...picked the local VZ provider listed and that was about it.

My SP's were all remapped to the new channels no problem. I've seen a few posts where TiVo apparently became confused by some channels being SD or HD but that didn't happen to us.

As mentioned, I saw a little bit of Macroblocking, but not much. I haven't done anything about it since it's very rare. As Webin said, I think they are getting their signals under control or maybe some clandestine TiVo updates have addressed some of the issues. There's more about those sorts of problems on this thread (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=375011), but I agree, the complaints seem to have fallen way off.

I was a bit nervous about the whole thing, but it turned out just fine. Be prepared to have the tech there a good part of the day. You'll need to show him where the ONT/Battery backup can be installed (usually on the outside/inside of the garage, etc. - he'll need a power outlet) but as long as you stay within earshot to answer any questions or lead him to your various pieces of equipment, it should go pretty smoothly. I'm really glad we switched now.

Hope that helps...let me know if you think of anything else. Best of luck and enjoy!

[richsadams]

Since I don't have the Westel I can't offer any firsthand advice. General tactics would include:

Try enabling uPnP on the Westel if possible
Permanently disable the firewall on the D-Link
Rerun the setup on the Slingbox once the above is done

Drop me a PM if you want to take the discussion offline. I have no problem with FIOS and my Slingbox, but like I said, I have the Actiontec, not the Westel.

The good news is the 5M upload speed affords super picture quality - something you'll appreciate on the road :up:Thanks for the good advice. :up: When I have a little more time I'm going to work on it some more. I know it can work...just frustrated that I can't get it right for some reason. To keep the yawns to a minimum here I'll PM you when I get stuck...notice I said "when", not "if". ;)

[MapleLeaf]

Thanks for the prompt reply, Rich!


I honestly didn't do anything to the TiVo's before the tech arrived. Once it was time for cable cards he/we just unplugged TiVo and pulled them out. He put in the new one(s) and fired them back up.

Oh, I didn't realise that the proper protocol for replacing the cable cards was to first power down the Tivo's. Ok, thanks for that tip.


For the Series3 I did admonish him that he needed to insert cable card 0 first, pair it and then cable card 1.

I also vaguely recall having to insert cable card 0 and configuring/pairing it before inserting cable card 1 (back when I configured the S3 for Comcast service a few years ago), so I guess I will try to nudge the Verizon installer in that direction to be safe.


I was a bit nervous about the whole thing, but it turned out just fine. Be prepared to have the tech there a good part of the day. You'll need to show him where the ONT/Battery backup can be installed (usually on the outside/inside of the garage, etc. - he'll need a power outlet) but as long as you stay within earshot to answer any questions or lead him to your various pieces of equipment, it should go pretty smoothly. I'm really glad we switched now.

I actually already have FiOS internet, so the ONT has already been installed. It's right beside the coax line into the house, so I'm thinking it'll take the installer all of about 5 minutes to switch the coax from the Comcast feed to the ONT. And I echo your trepidation. I'm kinda nervous about it, too. Even though I switched to FiOS internet a while back, I resisted switching to FiOS TV for a few reasons. One was the cost of cable cards ($4/month each, and I need four of them). Another was the absence of a channel I wanted (the Canadian CBC channel, so I could get Maple Leaf games, but that's now moot because Verizon now offers NHL Centre Ice). But probably the biggest reason was basically "if it ain't broke, don't mess with it". My Comcast TV service has, to be honest, been working perfectly well, and I was loathe to switch and risk things not working (and more importantly, risk the wrath of my wife :)). But Verizon's latest Triple Freedom package deal was just too good to resist, so I'm finally making the jump (and praying that things go smoothly :)).

Thanks again, and I'll let you know how it goes!

[richsadams]

But probably the biggest reason was basically "if it ain't broke, don't mess with it". My Comcast TV service has, to be honest, been working perfectly well, and I was loathe to switch and risk things not working (and more importantly, risk the wrath of my wife :)). But Verizon's latest Triple Freedom package deal was just too good to resist, so I'm finally making the jump (and praying that things go smoothly :)).

Thanks again, and I'll let you know how it goes!I hear 'ya. I was in the same boat...and if momma ain't happy... :eek:

But all is well. I'm sort of glad we waited a little while to switch. There were a number of "VZ TV" horror stories early on but it seems like they've gotten their act together over the past year or so.

Enjoy!

[IJustLikeTivo]

Thanks for the prompt reply, Rich!

Oh, I didn't realise that the proper protocol for replacing the cable cards was to first power down the Tivo's. Ok, thanks for that tip.


Not needed. If the unit is running, it will recognize that a cablecard has been inserted



I also vaguely recall having to insert cable card 0 and configuring/pairing it before inserting cable card 1 (back when I configured the S3 for Comcast service a few years ago), so I guess I will try to nudge the Verizon installer in that direction to be safe.



The instruction say to do that but there isn't any real reason to do one vice the other. the machines just sees them as two different tuners to be paired.



Thanks again, and I'll let you know how it goes!

MY sister just had hers done two weeks ago, it was flawless. They got the ONT installed and the cable cards were paired nearly instantly as opposed to comcast which has managed to mess both my Tivos up at least once or twice by sending the wrong authorization data to the cards. And they always insist on rolling a tech when the problems has nothing to do with my end. He pulls the card, puts them back, makes a call giving them the same numbers they already have.... Stupid. I think Verizon, being a more technically oriented company to start has better training and techs. Good luck.

[Jonathan_S]

For the Series3 I did admonish him that he needed to insert cable card 0 first, pair it and then cable card 1. He said he didn't think so and at about that time he became distracted with a phone call from another tech asking for advice...so quite honestly after showing him the cable card screens (Messages and Settings > Accnt and System Info > Cable Card Decoders > Config Cable Card > Cable Card Menu > Cable Card Pairing > Phew!) he proceeded on his own. Between entering the 3 appropriate numbers on his netbook and such he was able to get things up and running pretty quickly. I know there are some aspects of VZ cable card setups that are different than Comcast's/cableco's, but I'm not sure if it affects the "always pair cable card 0 first..." bit or not. He didn't seem to think that was necessary and I missed seeing if that's what he did or not.As I understand it, the main reason TiVo recommends pairing the cards one at a time is that it significantly simplifies troubleshooting if one of them doesn't pair correctly.

So it's a good idea to install card 0 and test it before installing card 1, but not strictly required.

[richsadams]

As I understand it, the main reason TiVo recommends pairing the cards one at a time is that it significantly simplifies troubleshooting if one of them doesn't pair correctly.

So it's a good idea to install card 0 and test it before installing card 1, but not strictly required.Makes sense. However, IIRC aren't there posts that indicated that when the cableco tech tried to do CC 1 first (Vs 0) or both at the same time that problems arose?

[tdel73]

Makes sense. However, IIRC aren't there posts that indicated that when the cableco tech tried to do CC 1 first (Vs 0) or both at the same time that problems arose?

When I had FIOS installed my tech installed both CC before having them paired and I'm not having any problems, but I don't know if that is the smart way to go.

[Phantom Gremlin]

When I had FIOS installed my tech installed both CC before having them paired and I'm not having any problems, but I don't know if that is the smart way to go.

I could be wrong, but my understanding is that the pairing procedure required for Comcast is different than the procedure required for FiOS.

The nature of the difference is that FiOS doesn't really pair CCs to a specific box, only to the account. Much simpler that way. Not sure what keeps you from then taking that CC to your neighbor's house. Maybe the CC is also somehow paired to a specific ONT?

[richsadams]

I could be wrong, but my understanding is that the pairing procedure required for Comcast is different than the procedure required for FiOS.

The nature of the difference is that FiOS doesn't really pair CCs to a specific box, only to the account. Much simpler that way. I believe that is the case. Then it would make sense that it doesn't matter which CC is paired first, last or if the info for both is sent down the line at the same time.

[Distortedloop]

...Not sure what keeps you from then taking that CC to your neighbor's house. Maybe the CC is also somehow paired to a specific ONT?

And I've often wondered what would be the big deal and objection to cable companies or FIOS if you did take your cable/FIOS box or TiVo to a friend's or neighbor's for the evening. It's kind of like the software license agreement that says you can only use the software on one computer at a time, or an actual physical book (perhaps a better analogy) - you're only watching YOUR account on one TV at any given moment in time. It's not like plugging in at a neighbor who will never pay for subscription channels is making the cable company lose revenue.

Has anyone ever tried this? It would be an interesting legal question to test.

[wkearney99]

The the box would only work if the location already service. But presumably you're talking about being able to use the box to obtain channels not already subscribed to using the existing box. Not sure how many people would want to undertake the hassle of plugging/unplugging the equipment to do it.

[DCIFRTHS]

And I've often wondered what would be the big deal and objection to cable companies or FIOS if you did take your cable/FIOS box or TiVo to a friend's or neighbor's for the evening. It's kind of like the software license agreement that says you can only use the software on one computer at a time, or an actual physical book (perhaps a better analogy) - you're only watching YOUR account on one TV at any given moment in time. It's not like plugging in at a neighbor who will never pay for subscription channels is making the cable company lose revenue.

Has anyone ever tried this? It would be an interesting legal question to test.

Putting aside technical issues for a moment: I wonder if the Terms Of Service stipulates that you have agreed to use your service(s) only at the address that is on your bill / account? If so, then taking your service, TiVo, STb etc., to another location would be breaking the TOS.

I'm sure it's buried in the TOS somewhere ;)

[almahix]

They have been charging me $2.99 per card also. Which is exactaly what their price schedule says. Although I have had them for a long time. It is my understanding that currently they ONLY have M cards. Are you sure you don't have 2 M cards? If so, pull one out, and bring it back and they will stop charging you for it.

I paid $0 for my install... but that was way back when they first brought service into this area. I think I am in my third year with FiOS...

BOb
I recently bought a third Tivo HD, and when I ordered the cable card I told Verizon that I wanted an M card, and I wanted to replace the 4 S cards in the other 2 Tivos with 2 M cards, and they said they could do all of that, no problem! Even though it ultimately got done right by a knowledgeable technician, the ordering was a nightmare requiring several long phone calls and rescheduling dropped appointments. The tech said he 'could' take back my old cards and an STB, but he said it wasn't on the order and I 'might' never get credit for their return unless I did it myself at the VZ store about 20 miles away!

So now I pay less monthly for 3 M cards than I did for 4 S cards and an STB. I expected them to charge the 79.99 truck roll charge too, but it wasn't on my bill.

[bkdtv]

So now I pay less monthly for 3 M cards than I did for 4 S cards and an STB. I expected them to charge the 79.99 truck roll charge too, but it wasn't on my bill.Looks like you waited just long enough. Verizon eliminated the $79.99 truck roll for CableCards in late April.

[webin]

Looks like you waited just long enough. Verizon eliminated the $79.99 truck roll for CableCards in late April.

Wha?? I haven't heard this. Does that mean I could have them someone out to swap my 2 (fully functional) S-Cards for 1 M-Card and save myself $4/month?


Also: Does that mean I'd have to clean up my living room so I wouldn't feel completely embarased to have someone visit? :)

[bkdtv]

Wha?? I haven't heard this. Does that mean I could have them someone out to swap my 2 (fully functional) S-Cards for 1 M-Card and save myself $4/month?When you add a new CableCard to your service, there is no charge for the installation visit, even if you have other cards swapped out at the same time. I don't know if the charge applies for those that want to swap out and remove S-CARDs.

I have heard that the CableCard rates increase from $2.99/mo (legacy pricing) to $3.99/ea when you swap out cards.

[webin]

I have heard that the CableCard rates increase from $2.99/mo (legacy pricing) to $3.99/ea when you swap out cards.

I'm already paying $3.99 per card ($7.98 total). I got my cards about 2 weeks after the price change in March 2008. If I feel up to the hassle, I may look into this.

[tornZorak]

Hi Folks,
After reading tons in this thread I had Verizon over to upgrade an existing double play (with DirectTv/HDRV2) to a triple play (Tivo HD XL). Lots of good advice lead to a relatively easy installation. There were a few snags mostly due to the tech not knowing what to do. I thought I would summarize what happened so that others in the Boston area can be armed with that knowledge.

Ordering: as mentioned by multiple folks the rep who took my order insisting and even "verified" that Verizon only has single-stream cable cards. This resulted in 4 cards being added to my order. The tech said that they only carry multi-stream cards now no matter what the order says. Interestingly the techs are not permitted to carry cable cards - the supervisor controls the stock and gives out the cards on the day of installation. This lead to the tech needing to wait for his supervisor in order to get the cards for my job.

After a bit of wiring we were ready for activation. I was getting two Tivo HD and one cable box installed. In case anyone cares he installed one 2 line splitter to handle the Verizon MoCA router and another 4 line splitter to handle the remaining Tivo's, etc. The MoCA router was connected to my regular home router via its LAN port. This means I am NOT using the verizon router for internet access in my house (I have a Cisco business class router for that). This works just fine - the tech will be very clueless about if it will work or not. Note that the Verizon router will be invisible to your home network since it is connected as if it was connected to the internet (firewall, etc). Do not connect your Tivo's to this router.

The tech has a tool called TechWizard that seems to auto discover the Verizon cable boxes and automatically activates them. It appears that the cable box did contain a cable card. This seems to make activation of these cable boxes really trivial for the tech. However it does not see the Tivo boxes so this confused the tech. Also note that the TechWizard tool will complain that the Verizon router appears to be behind a firewall resulting in an unsupported configuration. I was sweating a bit here because I did not want to have to reconfigure my entire network (especially DHCP/DNS) just to get their router to be supported. However the tech was okay clicking on the Ok continue anyway button. We spent about 20 minutes trying to figure out how to get the TechWizard tool to see the Tivo's - bottom line is it doesn't. At this point the tech mentioned that their is another way to activate cable cards (why didn't you mention this earlier! :-) So he finished activating the router and cable box and we moved on.

To activate the Tivo cable cards he needed to use his laptop to VPN into Verizon and connect to a special cable card web screen that allows him to enter the information. Most of it was fairly straight forward - serial number , host id, data. However the screen was asking for "POD-ID" which he did not know what it was. However based upon the pattern of numbers it wanted (we entered zeros to see this) we realized it was the Cable Card ID. Once entered both Tivos activated quickly and we were good to go.

It did take a further 10 minutes for the Tivo's to load data. Please note that I had run guided setup the night before on both Tivo's so that they already had guide data, etc. I'm guessing they needed data that came down the cable card channel.

In the end it was actually pretty trivial to setup the cable cards. The only complication was the tech didn't know what to do. It probably should have taken 90 minutes to do everything but it ended up taking 3.5 hours.

BTW - I have not had any real trouble with pixelation. Only 2 channels have had it (GSN and one other). I noted that the Tivo showed wide signal strength fluctuation on these two channels (not on other channels). One of the 4 taps on the 4-port splitter had nothing connected to it so I added a terminator. This eliminated the fluctuating signals and almost all of the pixelation. Also note that everything appears hot (rarely does a channel have under 100 for signal strength). However this does not appear to be causing any harm.

Summary:
- Verizon router does not need to be your primary router. It works fine as a secondary router for TV only (remember to shut off it's wireless).
- The TechWizard application cannot be used to activate the Tivo's
- The tech needs to use the old style cable card setup tools (web)
- A Pod ID is the cable card Host ID

Moving from SD DirectTv to FiOS Extreme HD is amazing. While I realized I was not watching a good quality signal I have to confess I didn't realize just how terrible it was. Once the MRV speed of the Tivo HD was fixed I was ready to move off my old HDVR2 Tivo's (which had all kinds of goodies in it that I didn't want to loose).

Thanks for all the nuggets of information in this thread. It helped quite a bit in ensuring that I knew the right questions and could help the tech puzzle out the bits he didn't know/understand.

[richsadams]

After reading tons in this thread I had Verizon over to upgrade an existing double play (with DirectTv/HDRV2) to a triple play (Tivo HD XL). Lots of good advice lead to a relatively easy installation. There were a few snags mostly due to the tech not knowing what to do. I thought I would summarize what happened so that others in the Boston area can be armed with that knowledge. <snip>Nice post with lots of good info. Thanks for that. :up:

[innocentfreak]

Hi Folks,
After reading tons in this thread I had Verizon over to upgrade an existing double play (with DirectTv/HDRV2) to a triple play (Tivo HD XL).

I think I may do the same thing here shortly. I think one of my big dilemmas is the Dtivos have been rock solid for me so I hate to fix what isn't broken. Not that the Tivo HD models are completely buggy but they seem to have more issues pop up at least on the forums. Of course that also comes with new software. Good to hear the install went smoothly though.

Were you able to use your existing Directv runs or did they have to run new lines for you? I have heard some issues with older Directv lines not being up to the standard of cable Fios needs

[tornZorak]

I think I may do the same thing here shortly. I think one of my big dilemmas is the Dtivos have been rock solid for me so I hate to fix what isn't broken. Not that the Tivo HD models are completely buggy but they seem to have more issues pop up at least on the forums. Of course that also comes with new software. Good to hear the install went smoothly though.

Oddly about a year ago I had one of the Dtivos start to have severe pixelation on one of the tuners. I swapped out everything downstream of the Dtivo and it didn't improve - that means the tuner went bad. So I bought one off Ebay and life was good.

About three weeks ago my other Dtivo started having the same problem. Ugh. I decided I didn't want to go through yet another Ebay, get access card, etc experience. Perhaps it was time to really upgrade :-)

I really thought hard about buying the HD versus the HD XL. Huge price difference. However I couldn't have lived with the HD harddisk size so it would have been extra money to add more hard disks externally. The real decision was I was unwilling to crack open the case and do a proper upgrade because I didn't want to violate my warranty 1 day into ownership. Fortunately Amazon had/has really decent pricing on the XL so I ended up getting 2 of those.

They immediately updated to 11.0c and they've been rock solid. Granted they've only been running 2 weeks... but still absolutely no problems. Every bit as stable as the Dtivos were. The only minor nits are there are many more options on the screens so they are more cluttered and there are a few adds that I find offensive due to the fact that I pay for service.

However the nits are ignored due to Netflix support - brilliant! The quality is quite good and FiOS internet makes for a rock solid experience (streaming performance). Even the HD movies are perfect.

Were you able to use your existing Directv runs or did they have to run new lines for you? I have heard some issues with older Directv lines not being up to the standard of cable Fios needs

Well I installed my previous DirectTv installation (dish, wiring, etc). As such I used RG6U-QuadShield on all wiring with home runs to a wiring panel in the basement. I believe this is what Verizon normally uses so they were able to reuse all of my wiring.

As long as you have decent wiring (RG6) you should be okay. Not sure if you'll have problems with RG59 especially if the runs are long. What kind of wiring do you currently have (it's printed on the cable)? How long are the runs (10', 75' 150')?

[bankshot]

After reading tons in this thread I had Verizon over to upgrade an existing double play (with DirectTv/HDRV2) to a triple play (Tivo HD XL). Lots of good advice lead to a relatively easy installation. There were a few snags mostly due to the tech not knowing what to do. I thought I would summarize what happened so that others in the Boston area can be armed with that knowledge.

We had FiOS installed here in southern California this past week, with a VERY similar experience to yours. Right down to Verizon insisting over the phone that they only have single-stream cards, but in reality the techs bringing multi-stream cards (yay).

We received our TiVo HD XL from Amazon.com a few days before FiOS installation and initially set it up for OTA. I made sure I forced it to update to the latest software so everything would be ready for the FiOS. It's our first TiVo after having used (or endured) two different DVRs from Time Warner Cable. I'll try to post general impressions of that separately after another week or two of use, but so far we're pretty impressed and excited.

In preparation for the FiOS install, I ran a Cat5e cable from my networking closet out to where the ONT would be installed. I wanted the flexibility of being able to use my own router as primary if I didn't like the one provided by Verizon. The tech was happy to connect the ONT via the Cat5e, though he did seem a little bit confused as to why I wanted it that way.

For the most part, I tried to stay out of the tech's way as he installed everything. We had the ONT installed outside, on the side of the house where electricity and POTS come in. The battery backup went inside the house on the other side of that wall, at the back of a high shelf in the kitchen where it could be easily hidden from view.

About 2 hours into the installation, he had the phone up and running on the fiber and was ready to move on to TV and internet. The Westell router was setup in my network closet, using the Cat5e from the ONT and the existing RG6 that was previously hooked up to my cable modem. After hooking up the router to my own network, internet was up and running.

For the cablecard install, he had to get a second tech to bring the card(s) because he didn't have any on his truck. They were planning to install 2 cards in the TiVo because like the people I'd spoken to on the phone, both techs believed they only had S-cards. I handed them the TiVo instruction sheet for cablecards and let them do their thing. They had to plug into my home network for connectivity on their laptop because apparently the cellular signal wasn't good enough here. Good thing I had an extra port wired in the family room!

Both techs seemed to be somewhat unfamiliar with the cablecard installation/activation process, but they eventually got it working. Both were surprised to see that the TiVo was reporting the first card as multi-stream. After initially trying to install and configure the second card, one of the techs decided to pull it out and try recording 2 channels with only the first card. That worked, confirming that they did indeed have M-cards. We're happy to save the $3.99/month on the second card.

Overall things went pretty smoothly, though it did take the quoted 4-6 hours when all was said and done. No issues with picture quality or with receiving any channels in these first 6 days or so. We're quite happy with the service so far, and the simultaneous switch from the Time Warner DVR to the TiVo has been fantastic as well.

On the internet side of things, I did decide to make my own router the primary router with the Westell sitting inside my network as a Cat5e-to-MOCA bridge. Works great and it saved me the hassle of applying all my custom configurations to the Westell. I will say that it seemed pretty solid from what I saw in its configuration pages, and more than likely it could have worked well as the primary router if I'd taken the time to configure it.

I, too, want to thank everyone who's shared tidbits of information on this thread and in this forum. I've been soaking up all the information here for several weeks in preparation for this install and the switch to the TiVo.

[mae]

For those of you considering the big switch, there was an insert in the bill I received today on their next offer (starts Sunday 6/21):

:)Good news: Free Compaq netbook ($299 value), customer pays tax and shipping

:mad:Bad News: New rate of $119, $10 more than current offer
A $50 activation fee
No 2 year price guarantee

So, to compare to the current $150 rebate, add $120 for 12 months and the activation fee of $50, it comes to $320 or $20 more for the netbook. There are rumors of an internet speed increase (not mentioned in the insert) and they might waive the $50 activation fee, since they have sometimes mentioned a $35 activation fee they didn't charge me in March. But there's still the lack of the 2 year guarantee, which could add significantly in the second year.

I've posted the whole insert at BBR, http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r22557296-Next-VZ-Offer

Hope this helps those deciding when/if to pull the trigger. I can say that I've had no problems with Verizon service or billing in the three months since I left Comcast. (I am still trying to get a final bill from Comcast and the ~$5.00 they owe me.;))

Mark

[flynz4]

Nice post with lots of good info. Thanks for that. :up:

Rich,

Since you are on the same network as me (Portland Verizon Fios), I thought I would ask a few questions directly.

My current setup is 3 Verizon FIOS set top boxes/DVRs which I am replacing. I was too spoiled from my days using Tivo Direct TV boxes. I have been on FIOS for about 18 months, and it has been working great for internet/phone/TV. All three DVRs get their TV signal and network signal over the single coax cable.

I have ordered, and waiting for a Tivo HD XL, and two Tivo HDs. I am not too sure when they will be arrive, but they should certainly be here by early July... and I would like to schedule an equipment change at that time.

Here are my questions:

1) I do not have separate internet drops to each of the 3 locations. I can wire to two of them if necessary... but the third is virtually impossible. I know that I can use the WiFi adapters from Tivo (and I will have them available). Should I use them or should I run hard wired internet connections to two of the Tivos?

2) Related to #1, is there any way to get the internet signals off of the existing coax runs to the the FIOS DVRs? I assume that the Tivo does not have an internal tap to the internet signal.

3) How long in advance should I call Verizon for an installation? Is the lead time long enough that I should make an appointment before my equipment arrives?

4) I believe that you have M Cable cards. Should I request those? If so, will I need 3 or 6 for my three Tivos?

5) If I hook up my new Tivos by myself before I have cable cards... will I be able to see anything on the FIOS netowrk?

6) Is there any way to increase my storage of Tivo recordings onto some NAS storage array's that I have on my home network already?

That's it for now. Thanks in advance.

/Jim

[Phantom Gremlin]

1) I do not have separate internet drops to each of the 3 locations. I can wire to two of them if necessary... but the third is virtually impossible. I know that I can use the WiFi adapters from Tivo (and I will have them available). Should I use them or should I run hard wired internet connections to two of the Tivos?

The WiFi adapter works great for letting a TiVo HD download its guide info. However, in my case my wireless signal level is marginal enough that I can't transfer HD recordings in anything approximating real time between one hard wired TiVo HD and one WiFi TiVo HD.

Read the sticky (http://tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7097295#post7097295) messages above for more details about transfer speed. If fast program transfer is important to you, the WiFi might not be good enough.

2) Related to #1, is there any way to get the internet signals off of the existing coax runs to the the FIOS DVRs? I assume that the Tivo does not have an internal tap to the internet signal.

There are MoCA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multimedia_over_Coax_Alliance) adapters which can get Internet over coax, provided you have things set up properly. Here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=951949) is a thread discussing that. The NIM100 is now hard to get, but there are other brands available (you will have to do further research on your own; I don't personally use MoCA and don't have detailed knowledge).

Using something like a NIM100 you don't even need a diplexer to tap the signal. The NIM100 has a coax pass thru, so all you would need to do is wire it in series between the coax wall outlet and your TiVo HD.

[flynz4]

Using something like a NIM100 you don't even need a diplexer to tap the signal. The NIM100 has a coax pass thru, so all you would need to do is wire it in series between the coax wall outlet and your TiVo HD.

Phantom Gremlin,

I was just coming back here to post an update after reading for many hours on this forum and saw that you have already replied. Thank you.

I indeed came to the same conclusion that a MoCA is the best solution. I called and canceled the orders for my Tivo WiFi adapters, and ordered 3 MoCA adapters instead.

Now my questions #1 and #2 are answered. Would still love to hear input on the rest.

/Jim

[bkdtv]

You can save a lot of money on MoCA adapters by opting to use the [more power hungry] Actiontec or Westell routers in their place. These can often be had for $20-$30/ea on ebay. I haven't gotten around to updating the FAQ with that information, but instructions are here:

http://www.dslreports.com/faq/verizonfios/3.0_Networking#15984

[flynz4]

You can save a lot of money on MoCA adapters by opting to use the [more power hungry] Actiontec or Westell routers in their place. These can often be had for $20-$30/ea on ebay. I haven't gotten around to updating the FAQ with that information, but instructions are here:


I already have the three Motorola NIM100 units on order. I guess I spent a $100 more than necessary... but that is OK, I am still satisfied that I made a good choice over the WiFi adapters.

BTW: It was your excellent post (TivoHD Overview) that caused me to pick the MoCA.

/Jim

[richsadams]

Rich,

Since you are on the same network as me (Portland Verizon Fios), I thought I would ask a few questions directly.

My current setup is 3 Verizon FIOS set top boxes/DVRs which I am replacing. I was too spoiled from my days using Tivo Direct TV boxes. I have been on FIOS for about 18 months, and it has been working great for internet/phone/TV. All three DVRs get their TV signal and network signal over the single coax cable.

I have ordered, and waiting for a Tivo HD XL, and two Tivo HDs. I am not too sure when they will be arrive, but they should certainly be here by early July... and I would like to schedule an equipment change at that time.

Here are my questions:Sorry for the delay in my response...traveling recently with little time for my real passions. Darn work gets in the way sometimes doesn't it? ;)

1) I do not have separate internet drops to each of the 3 locations. I can wire to two of them if necessary... but the third is virtually impossible. I know that I can use the WiFi adapters from Tivo (and I will have them available). Should I use them or should I run hard wired internet connections to two of the Tivos?I think you already received good advice from several folks here.

2) Related to #1, is there any way to get the internet signals off of the existing coax runs to the the FIOS DVRs? I assume that the Tivo does not have an internal tap to the internet signal.Same as above.

3) How long in advance should I call Verizon for an installation? Is the lead time long enough that I should make an appointment before my equipment arrives?I'd call them now. They are busy and IIRC it was at least three weeks before they could come out on a date that I could live with.

4) I believe that you have M Cable cards. Should I request those? If so, will I need 3 or 6 for my three Tivos?All VZ has is "M" (multi-stream) cable cards now. You will need one for each unit.

5) If I hook up my new Tivos by myself before I have cable cards... will I be able to see anything on the FIOS netowrk?I wasn't clear about what you have now and to be honest I'm not sure but I believe that you would receive all of the basic channels and any digital that are in the clear. I think someone else posted about that?

6) Is there any way to increase my storage of Tivo recordings onto some NAS storage array's that I have on my home network already?Depending on your computer setup you can transfer recordings using TiVo Desktop or some of the other freebie apps. I use Mac's and iTiVo does a very good job...much better than TiVo Desktop at transferring recordings. PyTiVo (or for Mac PyTiVoX) can get them back to your TiVo later. How you store them is your call of course. There's a lot more about transferring recordings, converting them, streaming, etc. on the TiVo Home Media Features and TiVo To Go Forum (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=35). The good news is that VZ does not copy protect material. :up:

For me simply upgrading the hard drive space is easier than transferring recordings back and forth. Since you will have three you could easily make one a "storage" unit for MRV (multi-room viewing). Your TiVo HDXL and a Western Digital My DVR Expander would give you 2TB's of recording space and still keep everything under warranty.

I have a couple of posts about my VZ FIOS install experience here (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7304527#post7304527) and here (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7306598#post7306598) if you want some additional details.

Enjoy your new TiVos!

[flynz4]

I wasn't clear about what you have now and to be honest I'm not sure but I believe that you would receive all of the basic channels and any digital that are in the clear. I think someone else posted about that?
Rich,

We already have Verizon Fios (for about 15 months)... but we have been using their crappy DVRs. Prior to Fios, we had Tivo Direct TV (SD), but switched to Fios once we started buying HD televisions. My wife is so fed up with Verizon DVRs that she was asking to go back to the old vacuum tube SD televisions (with bang-on-the-side intermittent picture display) just to get her Tivo back.

My three new Tivo units (2 HD, 1 HD XL) will arrive in about a week or so. I am wondering what I will see if I plug them into my existing Fios network without cable cards. My expectation is zilch... but I am not positive. I have scheduled the three multi-stream cable card installation in 2.5 weeks based on my wife's schedule to sit home and wait for "the cable guy" to come and install the cards. I am just wondering if I can switch out the crappy Verizon boxes in advance, and still view anything on Tivo.

Thanks in advance.

/Jim

[warehouse]

Just bought two TIVO HDs during the Father's Day sale and I'm already having trouble with Verizon. I tried to order my cable cards on-line on Friday and some guy popped up on chat and tried to help me. Ordered what he told me to and then followed up on my local Verizon service number to ask about returning my STBs. They informed that I had ordered the wrong thing and since it was the weekend, that I would have to wait until today to call the on-line support to have them fix it. They also insisted that a service tech would have to come out to the house.

Called on-line support today and they canceled the old order and placed a new order for the cable cards. They told me that I could either have a tech come out for $80 or they would mail me the cards. I told them to mail them to me. Now I'm a little worried that this will all work out. My specific concerns are:

1. Will they actually mail me the cards and if so, will I be able to pair/activate them myself by calling tech support? I checked my account on line and it doesn't show any pending orders.
2. Will they send me m-cards or s-cards? I've told each person that I want m-cards?
3. How many more hours I will have to spend on hold with Verizon?

Any advice from you experts would be greatly appreciated!

[sender_name]

Rich,

.

My three new Tivo units (2 HD, 1 HD XL) will arrive in about a week or so. I am wondering what I will see if I plug them into my existing Fios network without cable cards. My expectation is zilch...
/Jim


Correct...zilch...It's not like cable...Fios tv requires something to decode it, like the cable cards.

[bkdtv]

1. Will they actually mail me the cards and if so, will I be able to pair/activate them myself by calling tech support? I checked my account on line and it doesn't show any pending orders.
2. Will they send me m-cards or s-cards? I've told each person that I want m-cards?
3. How many more hours I will have to spend on hold with Verizon?

Any advice from you experts would be greatly appreciated!Verizon's order system only lists CableCards. They can't specify a particular card type. But if you order a CableCard, you will get a M-CARD.

Verizon no longer has anything but M-CARDs in any service area. Verizon hasn't offered S-Cards in any service area for months. Most service areas haven't had S-CARDs since last fall. Unfortunately, the reps on the phone are not educated as to this fact. Many still think that Verizon only offers S-CARDs which is outdated information.

Verizon will not ship CableCards under any circumstances, nor do they allow self installs. Unfortunately, this is not clear at all in Verizon's order system; to the representative, it looks like they can place a shipment order just as they can for the Motorola STBs and DVRs. But any such shipment order for CableCards will never complete. CableCards always require a truck roll, no matter what the sales rep told you on the phone.

The $79.99 "truck roll" charge is is meant to encourage customers to accept equipment by mail and discourage users from demanding a truck roll. As of April, the truck roll for CableCards is supposed to be free (http://forums.verizon.com/vrzn/board/message?board.id=FiOS_TV&message.id=11172&query.id=130531#M11172) because the shipment option is not available; Verizon requires a technician to install them. Call the sales department and escalate (ask for a supervisor), then mention that fact. Reiterate that you are entirely comfortable installing the cards yourself, but that Verizon refuses to ship them to you.

[hansenc]

I'm fighting with FiOS now about Cable Cards, called last night and ordered 4 cards and told they would ship. However I didn't receive an order number so I called back today to get that, I was then told that they are required to roll a tech out to do the install and that I would get this wonderful "fee" i told them that was crap and asked for a supervisor. She then told me that yes they can ship out the cards and they can be activated over the phone and I was even given the number to call to directly activate them. I'm not sure what to think after reading your post so I might call back later.

[hansenc]

So looks as if I do have a tech coming out on the first to do the cable cards, was told the fee is waved. Now I just hope my Tivo's come before the tech lol.

[flynz4]

Verizon's order system only lists CableCards. They can't specify a particular card type. But if you order a CableCard, you will get a M-CARD.

Verizon no longer has anything but M-CARDs in any service area. Verizon hasn't offered S-Cards in any service area for months. Most service areas haven't had S-CARDs since last fall. Unfortunately, the reps on the phone are not educated as to this fact. Many still think that Verizon only offers S-CARDs which is outdated information.

Verizon will not ship CableCards under any circumstances, nor do they allow self installs. Unfortunately, this is not clear at all in Verizon's order system; to the representative, it looks like they can place a shipment order just as they can for the Motorola STBs and DVRs. But any such shipment order for CableCards will never complete. CableCards always require a truck roll, no matter what the sales rep told you on the phone.

The $79.99 "truck roll" charge is is meant to encourage customers to accept equipment by mail and discourage users from demanding a truck roll. As of April, the truck roll for CableCards is supposed to be free (http://forums.verizon.com/vrzn/board/message?board.id=FiOS_TV&message.id=11172&query.id=130531#M11172) because the shipment option is not available; Verizon requires a technician to install them. Call the sales department and escalate (ask for a supervisor), then mention that fact. Reiterate that you are entirely comfortable installing the cards yourself, but that Verizon refuses to ship them to you.

I called and ordered my cable cards yesterday. At first they were going to ship them... but then said that the order could not go through... and then discovered that indeed a truck roll was necessary.

They said that prior to yesterday, they could waive the $79 fee... but they just installed a new system and they no longer have the option. It looks like I will have to call back and escalate.

Thank you for your post. I will watch this one closely to see if others are able to get the $79 fee waived.

/Jim

[ciucca]

Just bought two TIVO HDs during the Father's Day sale and I'm already having trouble with Verizon. I tried to order my cable cards on-line on Friday and some guy popped up on chat and tried to help me. Ordered what he told me to and then followed up on my local Verizon service number to ask about returning my STBs. They informed that I had ordered the wrong thing and since it was the weekend, that I would have to wait until today to call the on-line support to have them fix it. They also insisted that a service tech would have to come out to the house.

Called on-line support today and they canceled the old order and placed a new order for the cable cards. They told me that I could either have a tech come out for $80 or they would mail me the cards. I told them to mail them to me. Now I'm a little worried that this will all work out. My specific concerns are:

1. Will they actually mail me the cards and if so, will I be able to pair/activate them myself by calling tech support? I checked my account on line and it doesn't show any pending orders.
2. Will they send me m-cards or s-cards? I've told each person that I want m-cards?
3. How many more hours I will have to spend on hold with Verizon?

Any advice from you experts would be greatly appreciated!

I can safely save Verizon will never mail you the cards. At least as of today the policy is to have a truck roll. I think they instituted this policy to discourage people from getting TIVOs.

2 possible reasons are:

They want your $15.99 a month instead of $3.99.

Tivo owners tend to complain the most about picture quality and pixelation. A little birdie told me Verizon is 1000% convinced the issue is with TIVO and they do not wish to deal with it, since sending techs out to trouble shoot 3rd party equipment costs a lot of money, and only leads to overall price increases for everyone.

[Jack D]

Verizon no longer has anything but M-CARDs in any service area. Verizon hasn't offered S-Cards in any service area for months. Most service areas haven't had S-CARDs since last fall. Unfortunately, the reps on the phone are not educated as to this fact. Many still think that Verizon only offers S-CARDs which is outdated information.

So that means you cannot use an S3 if you have Verizon.....

[CrispyCritter]

So that means you cannot use an S3 if you have Verizon.....
No, M-cards work fine in S3s, but they will run in S-card compatibility mode so you need two of them.

[lew]

So that means you cannot use an S3 if you have Verizon.....
The S3 will work with 2 M cards.

[rocko]

So that means you cannot use an S3 if you have Verizon.....

As others have stated, all TiVo models work fine with FIOS. See my sig for equipment - all of which works great. My problem is the Series 2 DT models operate as single-tuner boxes because Verizon does not provide analog programming. Hence, they only use the STBs attached - the internal analog tuner is worthless. I'd like to replace them with HD models but it would be better if I got a job first :mad:

My S3 has 2 'S' cards but will work fine with either 2 'M' cards or one 'S' and 1 'M' card.

My THD works fine with 2 'S' cards but would function just fine with a single 'M' card. Unfortunately, Verizon didn't offer multistream cards at the time of my THD install.

[hansenc]

Just to make sure I'm reading this correctly, I do not need two cable cards then for my Tivo HD as long as I get a M card?

[innocentfreak]

Correct and I would still ask for M-cards when you call. My friend had his install this past week and they brought S-cards originally so apparently they are still out there.

[blacksnakeball]

I am one of those unfortunate FIOS hot signal guys. My new Tivo HD XL just doesn't seem to like the FIOS signal. I have been on this board and the Tivo forum and got some great advice on numerous occasions from bfdtv and others. I have tried a low pass filter and many different combinations of attenuators. I have tried the Radio Shack dial attenuator. But my signal issues have gotten worse over the past month.

I want to love Tivo. I was an early adopter with Replay TV and would still own that box if it could record HD. I spent years with a SA 8300 HD Explorer with Time Warner Cable in Manhattan but I could not pass up the speed and price of FIOS and hate TWC anyway. I started with the crappy Motos from Verizon and had overheating issues and hard drive failure within 2 weeks on my first box. I did some research here and fell in love with Tivo and bought the XL on April 25th.

From day one I have tried the signal fix and I have spent quite a bit of time with VZ at my home (they ave been pretty good about trying to fix on their end) I have also let Tivo know since day one that I am experiencing signal issues.

I met a guy on the Tivo boards who told me he was in a beta program and that a patch was imminent but could not tell me anymore. He said dont waste time with VZ coming to your apartment with any more attenuator crap- there will be a patch.

Based on that info and the totally random nature of my signal issues I have decided to try and wait it out as long as I can before my wife and daughter turn on me. The signal seems to go hot whenever we switch to a channel that is important to us. For me it is SNY in NYC -the Mets channel. I cannot watch a game anymore! My wife has issues with HBO and my daughter's kiddie shows seem to have to problem too. Sometimes the pixellation will be heavy for 10 minutes and then dissipate. Other times I can get a week straight of rock solid picture but lately it has been consistently bad. When it is bad the SNR fluctuates from 37-29 and the signal strength goes from 100-45. The RS uncorrected have been appearing more and more on channels we did not see them on before.

A few weeks into my trial month I called to complain to Tivo and they waived my monthly charge. A few weeks into my second month I called to complain but had to take it up to the next level of CS to get them to give me another month credit. I actually agreed to cancel my service because i was so upset with them. It is set to expire in 3 days.

Still I delay any decisions because I want to believe this can be fixed. I decided I had 3 options. Do nothing and hope that the beta fix comes in soon (yes i have registered for the beta and have begged Tivo to bring me in but their CS people are clueless) Secondly, I though maybe a new cable card from VZ might solve my problems and third I thought perhaps a new box from Tivo might work. Obviously there are people with Tivo and FIOS who are enjoying cable TV - I want to be THAT guy. Anyone think a new card or box might do the trick?

If I can't solve this problem soon I want to return the unit and get my MONEY back. I called J&R Music World where I purchased the box in April and they said any return after 30 days must go through manufacturer. I called Tivo today to find out their return and/or replacement policy and got into a huge pissing match. Basically there L2 tech support rep told me that since it is over 30 days I cannot return the box under any circumstances!!! He says it is a FIOS problem and I waited more than 30 days! He says that since by canceling my monthly service a few weeks ago that somehow this precludes me from pursuing a return or replacement. He says I cannot even get a refurb at cost to me. WTF???

I know I am getting bad info and I am livid. I would consider swapping out the box but I do not want a refurb and do not want to pay anything for shipping. The Tivo L2 guy says I cannot swap or even make a return because there is nothing wrong with the box and it is past 30 days. I asked him how he did not know it was a hard drive issue and even though all signs point to signal problem how can they rule out hardware issues. He said it did not matter I am stuck with this 2 month old box and can only sell it on ebay!

Of course now I just want to return this box and recoup my $5oo+ that I shelled out for it in April. Perhaps I will wait tilll there is a FIOS fix or perhaps I will never buy a Tivo again!

But how would any of you proceed? Are there some corporate people at Tivo that will listen to reason? I went from being a Tivo evangelical to a Tivo hater in one 20 minute phone call.

They have a known issue and yet do not inform consumers that they might experience signal issue with a major provider of HD content? I got the sense that they also know they have problems in Manhattan but of course cannot prove it. What about my 90 day warranty? All I know is the box doesn't work with my cable provider.

Thoughts? Sorry to ramble on but I am spitting blood

[randyb359]

I am one of those unfortunate FIOS hot signal guys. My new Tivo HD XL just doesn't seem to like the FIOS signal. I have been on this board and the Tivo forum and got some great advice on numerous occasions from bfdtv and others. I have tried a low pass filter and many different combinations of attenuators. I have tried the Radio Shack dial attenuator. But my signal issues have gotten worse over the past month.

I want to love Tivo. I was an early adopter with Replay TV and would still own that box if it could record HD. I spent years with a SA 8300 HD Explorer with Time Warner Cable in Manhattan but I could not pass up the speed and price of FIOS and hate TWC anyway. I started with the crappy Motos from Verizon and had overheating issues and hard drive failure within 2 weeks on my first box. I did some research here and fell in love with Tivo and bought the XL on April 25th.

From day one I have tried the signal fix and I have spent quite a bit of time with VZ at my home (they ave been pretty good about trying to fix on their end) I have also let Tivo know since day one that I am experiencing signal issues.

I met a guy on the Tivo boards who told me he was in a beta program and that a patch was imminent but could not tell me anymore. He said dont waste time with VZ coming to your apartment with any more attenuator crap- there will be a patch.

Based on that info and the totally random nature of my signal issues I have decided to try and wait it out as long as I can before my wife and daughter turn on me. The signal seems to go hot whenever we switch to a channel that is important to us. For me it is SNY in NYC -the Mets channel. I cannot watch a game anymore! My wife has issues with HBO and my daughter's kiddie shows seem to have to problem too. Sometimes the pixellation will be heavy for 10 minutes and then dissipate. Other times I can get a week straight of rock solid picture but lately it has been consistently bad. When it is bad the SNR fluctuates from 37-29 and the signal strength goes from 100-45. The RS uncorrected have been appearing more and more on channels we did not see them on before.

A few weeks into my trial month I called to complain to Tivo and they waived my monthly charge. A few weeks into my second month I called to complain but had to take it up to the next level of CS to get them to give me another month credit. I actually agreed to cancel my service because i was so upset with them. It is set to expire in 3 days.

Still I delay any decisions because I want to believe this can be fixed. I decided I had 3 options. Do nothing and hope that the beta fix comes in soon (yes i have registered for the beta and have begged Tivo to bring me in but their CS people are clueless) Secondly, I though maybe a new cable card from VZ might solve my problems and third I thought perhaps a new box from Tivo might work. Obviously there are people with Tivo and FIOS who are enjoying cable TV - I want to be THAT guy. Anyone think a new card or box might do the trick?

If I can't solve this problem soon I want to return the unit and get my MONEY back. I called J&R Music World where I purchased the box in April and they said any return after 30 days must go through manufacturer. I called Tivo today to find out their return and/or replacement policy and got into a huge pissing match. Basically there L2 tech support rep told me that since it is over 30 days I cannot return the box under any circumstances!!! He says it is a FIOS problem and I waited more than 30 days! He says that since by canceling my monthly service a few weeks ago that somehow this precludes me from pursuing a return or replacement. He says I cannot even get a refurb at cost to me. WTF???

I know I am getting bad info and I am livid. I would consider swapping out the box but I do not want a refurb and do not want to pay anything for shipping. The Tivo L2 guy says I cannot swap or even make a return because there is nothing wrong with the box and it is past 30 days. I asked him how he did not know it was a hard drive issue and even though all signs point to signal problem how can they rule out hardware issues. He said it did not matter I am stuck with this 2 month old box and can only sell it on ebay!

Of course now I just want to return this box and recoup my $5oo+ that I shelled out for it in April. Perhaps I will wait tilll there is a FIOS fix or perhaps I will never buy a Tivo again!

But how would any of you proceed? Are there some corporate people at Tivo that will listen to reason? I went from being a Tivo evangelical to a Tivo hater in one 20 minute phone call.

They have a known issue and yet do not inform consumers that they might experience signal issue with a major provider of HD content? I got the sense that they also know they have problems in Manhattan but of course cannot prove it. What about my 90 day warranty? All I know is the box doesn't work with my cable provider.

Thoughts? Sorry to ramble on but I am spitting blood

Have you checked the connectors on the coax cables? I had problems with pixalation. I would get thousands of rs uncorrected errors in a few minutes sometimes. I tried every combination of attenuators until the picture disappeared. Then one time the connector came off. I had Verizon come out and fix it. Now I still get occasional RS uncorrected errors but they are greatly reduced. I have not seen them hit 1000 since even after several hours tuned to the same station.

[sgip2000]

Ok, so I wonder how they will handle apartments. There are 9 units per floor in my building, and they ran a 4" conduit up the stairwell with a 14"x10" box on each floor. From there, a smaller (2") conduit was run in the hallway above each door to the units...

They will run fiber to a closet in your apartment and then install the ONT there.

[blacksnakeball]

I have checked most of my connections but not all. But I also get a rock solid picture on certain channels and even the pixellation on the bad channels will eventually dissipate. My signal issues are so random and persistent that I doubt it is a connector bit I will have the VZ tech check again.

I am really looking for advice on how to return this box until Tivo releases their patch.



Have you checked the connectors on the coax cables? I had problems with pixalation. I would get thousands of rs uncorrected errors in a few minutes sometimes. I tried every combination of attenuators until the picture disappeared. Then one time the connector came off. I had Verizon come out and fix it. Now I still get occasional RS uncorrected errors but they are greatly reduced. I have not seen them hit 1000 since even after several hours tuned to the same station.

[lew]

http://tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7348877#post7348877

It looks like the FiOS fix will be released sooner rather then later.


blacksnakeball--Why don't you drop TivoJerry a PM and see if you can be added as "tester".

[lew]

You can save a lot of money on MoCA adapters by opting to use the [more power hungry] Actiontec or Westell routers in their place. These can often be had for $20-$30/ea on ebay. I haven't gotten around to updating the FAQ with that information, but instructions are here:

http://www.dslreports.com/faq/verizonfios/3.0_Networking#15984

I bought an actiontec router on ebay, without a power supply. I assumed one of the "bricks" in my box of stuff would work. Looks like the adapter is 5v but 3amps. I'm going to turn off wireless. A couple of posters in another forum claim the RS unit (1a) works. Does anyone have an opinion?

[pilotbob]

I have checked most of my connections but not all. But I also get a rock solid picture on certain channels and even the pixellation on the bad channels will eventually dissipate. My signal issues are so random and persistent that I doubt it is a connector bit I will have the VZ tech check again.

I am really looking for advice on how to return this box until Tivo releases their patch.

Two thoughts...

1. Perhaps you have a flaky cable card. Has VZ tried to replace them?

2. Has TiVo offered to replace your unit? It could of course be defective.

BOb

[warehouse]

I'm still having trouble getting my cable cards. My original order went in as "digital adapters" instead of cable cards and they couldn't do anything with their pathetic system until these adapters arrived at my house and that order was marked as complete. Today I received the adapters and promptly took them back to the local Verizon store. The store couldn't order anything so I was forced to make another call to customer service who said that my order was still frozen. They claimed that they will call me back tomorrow to complete the order and then mail me the cable cards. I told them that they couldn't be mailed and she called someone and assured me that they could.

So tomorrow I'm sure they won't call and I'll have to call again, they will try to mail them, and then after a week they will cancel my order without informing me. I'll then have to call back and start this process over and eventually be charged the $80 for the truck roll. How frustrating!

[innocentfreak]

Just a suggestion you may want to post on dslreports in their verizon forums. They have a section where Verizon reps actually handle some issues so they may be able to help you.

[warehouse]

Just a suggestion you may want to post on dslreports in their verizon forums. They have a section where Verizon reps actually handle some issues so they may be able to help you.

I might have to do that. I talked with someone in "Escalation" from Verizon about this problem the other day and they didn't want to budge on the $80 fee. If I end up being charged, I will probably file a complaint with the Maryland Communications Commission since I don't think that this is in the spirit of the law which required the cable cards.

[webin]

I talked with someone in "Escalation" from Verizon about this problem the other day and they didn't want to budge on the $80 fee. If I end up being charged, I will probably file a complaint with the Maryland Communications Commission since I don't think that this is in the spirit of the law which required the cable cards.

Not to mention they should waive the fee just for good customer support in response to all the run-around you're getting. You might want to start casually mentioning they you're "fed up with how you're being treated and considering dropping the service"... even if it's not true, it might light a fire under them.

[richsadams]

You might want to start casually mentioning they you're "fed up with how you're being treated and considering dropping the service"... even if it's not true, it might light a fire under them.Excellent advice...that will usually get their attention, or at least that of the retention department. The RD seems to have a lot of pull when it comes to keeping people in the system. :up:

[sinanju]

I'm still having trouble getting my cable cards. My original order went in as "digital adapters" instead of cable cards and they couldn't do anything with their pathetic system until these adapters arrived at my house and that order was marked as complete. Today I received the adapters and promptly took them back to the local Verizon store. The store couldn't order anything so I was forced to make another call to customer service who said that my order was still frozen. They claimed that they will call me back tomorrow to complete the order and then mail me the cable cards. I told them that they couldn't be mailed and she called someone and assured me that they could.

So tomorrow I'm sure they won't call and I'll have to call again, they will try to mail them, and then after a week they will cancel my order without informing me. I'll then have to call back and start this process over and eventually be charged the $80 for the truck roll. How frustrating!

Try calling +1 800 483 7988. Press "2" when you get to the menu. Explain your problem in polite, pleasant tones. I've had a great deal of luck with those folk lighting fires under the clueless folk I've dealt with in the past.

[blacksnakeball]

Two thoughts...

1. Perhaps you have a flaky cable card. Has VZ tried to replace them?

2. Has TiVo offered to replace your unit? It could of course be defective.

BOb

they say it is past 30 days even though i have been working all that time to work on a fix. They say it is a FIOS signal problem and that there is no hardware issues with their box.

I have not swapped out the cable card but wil try next...

I can't believe Tivo would reject out of hand, over the phone that this COULD be a hardware issue because I am covered by the 90 day warranty. A faulty tuner perhaps? Hard Drive?

[FiosUser]

they say it is past 30 days even though i have been working all that time to work on a fix. They say it is a FIOS signal problem and that there is no hardware issues with their box.

I have not swapped out the cable card but wil try next...

I can't believe Tivo would reject out of hand, over the phone that this COULD be a hardware issue because I am covered by the 90 day warranty. A faulty tuner perhaps? Hard Drive?

Since you asked what we would do...

You won't get anywhere with Tivo customer service (unless you resort to email carpet bombs, working the channels through VZ business customer service--which is that 1-800 number someone gave out--you can search the net for all the people's names to get to to the big wigs...but that just isn't a definite solution).

Options for you:
1- expire Tivo, keep box, wait for the patch
2- keep everything, add VZ box

I would do #2 and just hang on to the Tivo box you have, and get your Tivo service back, and also get the VZ box back.

Enjoy TV again (as much as possible) with the VZ box for a while while you work on the Tivo problem on the side. It will eventually work. It took me a very long time to figure it out (2 years). My final configuration is a diplexer, with attenuators, and with a splitter that goes nowhere. I am considering a second Tivo for the other room, but am reluctant because of this hassle of finding the sweet spot.

Now that I've come to know about this future "patch", I'll look and listen for it and when it comes out I can jump on the new Tivo.

I suggest this is what you do.

[pilotbob]

they say it is past 30 days even though i have been working all that time to work on a fix. They say it is a FIOS signal problem and that there is no hardware issues with their box.

Hook it up to an OTA antenna and see if you have the same issue. If so, they can't blame FiOS for that.

BOb

[pujoe1]

He read the work order and immediately found that he did not have the digital adapter I had asked for (EyeTV for my Mac).

I, too, have EyeTV on the Mac and am planning a shift from DirecTV to FIOS, actually because of the Internet, not TV. I have AT&T DSL right now. I've been pouring over the posts for info, but yours is the first I've seen on the digital adapters. Can you tell me more?

FYI, I had DirecTV TiVos for many years. Most have been replaced with DirecTV HD DVRs. I still have an HR10 HD DVR TiVO. I list these because to say I'm used to having multiple HD DVRs (currently 3). I plan to buy two TIVO HD units and subscribe to Fios.

[richsadams]

I, too, have EyeTV on the Mac and am planning a shift from DirecTV to FIOS, actually because of the Internet, not TV. I have AT&T DSL right now. I've been pouring over the posts for info, but yours is the first I've seen on the digital adapters. Can you tell me more?

FYI, I had DirecTV TiVos for many years. Most have been replaced with DirecTV HD DVRs. I still have an HR10 HD DVR TiVO. I list these because to say I'm used to having multiple HD DVRs (currently 3). I plan to buy two TIVO HD units and subscribe to Fios.Welcome to the forum! I'm not sure what you're using from DTV to feed your EyeTV but when I had Comcast I had one of their simple set top boxes (STB) and a remote. I had coax coming from that into my Hauppauge WinTV HVR 950 (same as EyeTV Hybrid (http://www.elgato.com/elgato/na/mainmenu/products/hybrid09/product1.en.html)) and then out via USB to my iMac.

When I switched over to FIOS they offered a digital adapter for $3.99/mo. which gives all the SD channels (and SD premiums like HBO I subscribe to) but no guide, on demand or pay per view. The box itself looks identical to the Comcast STB (owner's manual here (http://broadband.motorola.com/consumers/products/DCT700/downloads/DCT700_User_Guide.pdf)). I considered using one of their regular DVR sized STB's ($5.99/mo.), but I just don't have the room in my office. The small footprint of the adapter works for me.

Enjoy your new TiVo's!

[lew]

AFAIK the TivoHD uses the same chipset used by Motorola for the FiOS DVRs. I hope the upcoming patch solves the problem but it sounds like it may be an issue with tivo's software.

See if FiOS will let you try a DVR, without a comittment. Assuming it works I'd go after tivo for a refund. Tivo can't have it both ways, they say there is an issue with FiOS then they should have told you to return the box immediately and not waste time trying stuff. Alternately if it works with FiOS they have to work with you, and replace your tivo, until it works.





they say it is past 30 days even though i have been working all that time to work on a fix. They say it is a FIOS signal problem and that there is no hardware issues with their box.

I have not swapped out the cable card but wil try next...

I can't believe Tivo would reject out of hand, over the phone that this COULD be a hardware issue because I am covered by the 90 day warranty. A faulty tuner perhaps? Hard Drive?

[pujoe1]

Welcome to the forum! I'm not sure what you're using from DTV to feed your EyeTV but when I had Comcast I had one of their simple set top boxes (STB) and a remote. I had coax coming from that into my Hauppauge WinTV HVR 950 EyeTV Hybrid) and then out via USB to my iMac.

I have a MacBook Pro. My computer room has no TV at the moment, other than my EyeTV and an OTA from WalMart. I have cat 5 in the room, but no coax from my home run in the master bedroom closet downstairs. My network is primarily WiFi 802.11n, although I do have a powerline adapter to run ethernet to my AppleTV in the media room. I had been running it off Wifi, but decided to go with a higher bandwidth solution.

When I switched over to FIOS they offered a digital adapter for $3.99/mo. which gives all the SD channels (and SD premiums like HBO I subscribe to) but no guide, on demand or pay per view. The box itself looks identical to the Comcast STB owner's manual. I considered using one of their regular DVR sized STB's ($5.99/mo.), but I just don't have the room in my office. The small footprint of the adapter works for me.

Thanks. I've truly missed the Tivos the last couple of years as the originals I had with DirecTV got replaced with their own brand HD units. I'm still gathering info on all the options and issues with a switch to Verizon. Haven't made the plunge yet, but I can't resist the high bandwidth Internet as compared to my AT&T DSL.

[pujoe1]

I also had DirecTV and left it because they abandoned Tivo-based DVRs. Now that I've had the combined FIOS TV/Internet/Phone package I have no desire to go back to paying DirecTV more... while getting less. I also succeeded in getting over a dozen friends and neighbors to drop DirecTV as well.

Details on the switch from DirecTV to Verizon FIOS and the switch from DSL to FIOS internet is exactly what I'm looking for. I'm trying to prepare. I've been searching the forum posts. Is there a thread somewhere dedicated to this subject? A search hasn't found anything for me.

[richsadams]

Details on the switch from DirecTV to Verizon FIOS and the switch from DSL to FIOS internet is exactly what I'm looking for. I'm trying to prepare. I've been searching the forum posts. Is there a thread somewhere dedicated to this subject? A search hasn't found anything for me.Mine was from Comcast to VZ FIOS. I have a couple of posts about my experience if you want some additional details:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7304527#post7304527

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7306598#post7306598

We had the TV/Phone/Broadband package with Comcast and the same now with VZ. The TV PQ has improved quite a bit with FIOS. SD looks much better and some HD is remarkably improved because Comcast was compressing HD signals more and more. I hear DTV was compressing HD even more and folks that have switched are seeing a big improvement. Broadband was mixed because Comcast was improving. During "good" times I was able to get 34/9 (late at night when no one else in the neighborhood was online). Most of the time it ran about 18/6 or so. With FIOS it's a steady 20/4 (s/b 20/5 but up never gets beyond 4 and I haven't fussed about it). It's good to have the steady speed I think and I haven't noticed any slowdowns or outages at all. Phone service is no different. All of that for about $50 less a month. I'm glad we switched.

[pujoe1]

Mine was from Comcast to VZ FIOS. I have a couple of posts about my experience if you want some additional details:

Thanks. I'll read them.

Broadband was mixed because Comcast was improving. During "good" times I was able to get 34/9 (late at night when no one else in the neighborhood was online). Most of the time it ran about 18/6 or so. With FIOS it's a steady 20/4 (s/b 20/5 but up never gets beyond 4 and I haven't fussed about it). It's good to have the steady speed I think and I haven't noticed any slowdowns or outages at all.

Broadband improvement will be easy. My AT&T DSL advertises 6/.7, I think, but actual performance rarely tops about 4 down, most disappointing. To be honest, I'm happy with DirecTV, but the broadband improvement with FIOS is a huge lure. Of course, the only reason I'm not just switching broadband is Tivo. I really miss my Tivo. The DirecTV HD DVR software pales in comparison, and we've had lots of trouble with uncommanded system restarts and lost signals. For important programs, I now set both my HD DVRs to record the same program, hoping one with get it. I think you can see the obvious motivations I have to switch.

[hansenc]

Well I have my FiOS cablecard install tomorrow. Wish me luck guys!

Anything I should know before hand?

[bkdtv]

My report (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7365850#post7365850) on the new update:

I have FiOS and received the 11.0d update yesterday.

I was previously able to eliminate 99+% of all pixelization with 16+dB attenuation. Without this attenuation, most channels exhibited massive pixelization and some channels would not reliably tune.

I did not notice any problems post-install. To test potential improvement with this release, I removed my attenuation this afternoon. To my surprise, I do not see any pixelization on any channel. I checked all my favorite channels for RS Uncorrected errors, and saw none except for occasional errors in the first second or so after tuning a channel. After the first second, there were no further RS Uncorrected errors. Channels that previously required some attenuation to tune...can now be tuned without attenuation and without pixelization.

Verdict: At least for me, the 11.0d update eliminates the need for attenuation. Pixelization is nowhere to be seen. :up::up::up:

[GmanTiVo]

I have had .d now for approx 1 week, removed the -20db attenuator, signal strength back to 100, 37db.

I have left the tuners on the 2 most problematic channes for me (DiscHD and FoodHD) over the weekend. Happy to report Uncorrected errors stayed at 0 for both tuners and not a single pixellation. :eek::)

WHOOT WHOOT

YAY

:D

Thank you Tivo

Gman

ps, I know many are still in the que for the update..... perform a "Kickstart 51" on a daily basis, it may help ;)

[rainwater]

ps, I know many are still in the que for the update..... perform a "Kickstart 51" on a daily basis, it may help ;)

That isn't going to give you the software any quicker. :confused:

[rcalkins27]

Hey, I am new to the community, but I have a question I am hoping someone can answer simply.

My parents had a TiVo and Cablevision, now they have Verizon Fios and the Verizon DVRs. My mother wants her TiVo back.

If I get her a S3 TiVo and arrange for a Cablecard(s), will she be able to use the TiVo with relatively little issue? I understand from what I've read here that she won't be able to use the On Demand features or PPV features if she's using a TiVo box instead of the Verizon box.

Also, if the TiVo S3 will work, what will happen with the set-top boxes she has that are *not* DVRs, but are connected to the DVR box she is currently using.

My main concern here is that the set-up be easy and that she won't have any major issues. I don't live too close and can't go by to troubleshoot should there be lots of problems.

I appreciate any help which anyone can offer.

[TheBar1]

If I get her a S3 TiVo and arrange for a Cablecard(s), will she be able to use the TiVo with relatively little issue? I understand from what I've read here that she won't be able to use the On Demand features or PPV features if she's using a TiVo box instead of the Verizon box.

Welcome, rcalkins27. Your assumptions are correct that the setup is relatively painless. I made a similar switch from FiOS and their DVR back to TiVo about 1.5 years ago, and haven't looked back since. One thing you'll want to consider as far as the PPV feature is connecting your TiVo to broadband internet so you can take advantage of Amazon or NetFlix VOD service. Both are pretty awesome, IMO. Aside from buying a TiVoHD, you'll need to book a service call with Verizon to have the Cablecard installed. Be warned that they will charge you about $100 for the truck roll. Make sure you ask for the "M" Cablecard, since you can save some $$ on having a single M card versus two "S" cards. You may also be able to save some money if you surrender your Verizon DVR to a local field office instead of asking the tech to take it with him. Make sure you ask Verizon about that.

Also, if the TiVo S3 will work, what will happen with the set-top boxes she has that are *not* DVRs, but are connected to the DVR box she is currently using.

My FiOS DVR was never networked for MRV, so I'm not quite sure what might happen here.

Good luck!

[rcalkins27]

Thanks TheBar1 (Justin). I will review this information with my mother and I will also probably call Verizon myself to ask some more detailed questions.

She really dislikes the Verizon boxes, so if I can figure out a relatively painless way to switch her back to TiVo, that would be great.

Thanks for the help!

Ruth

[bkdtv]

If I get her a S3 TiVo and arrange for a Cablecard(s), will she be able to use the TiVo with relatively little issue? I understand from what I've read here that she won't be able to use the On Demand features or PPV features if she's using a TiVo box instead of the Verizon box.Yes, the TiVo works great with FiOS. Some people had signal issues with the previous software but now those are gone with the latest software.

Also, if the TiVo S3 will work, what will happen with the set-top boxes she has that are *not* DVRs, but are connected to the DVR box she is currently using.She can continue to use those Verizon boxes, but they won't be able to access recordings on the TiVo. Verizon's Motorola boxes can only access recordings on the Motorola DVR.

TiVos can access recordings on other TiVos.

[richsadams]

Be warned that they will charge you about $100 for the truck roll. Didn't VZ drop the CC install truck roll charge recently?

[innocentfreak]

There are mixed reports. On the Verizon forums they say there is no option for them to bill for cable card installs so if you get charged it is incorrect and to call back. You can read a thread here about it. (http://forums.verizon.com/vrzn/board/message?board.id=FiOS_TV&message.id=11979) Some have been told there will be a charge and then they never get charged.

[TheBar1]

Didn't VZ drop the CC install truck roll charge recently?

If that's the case. maybe I should request a new M card to replace my two S cards. I'll have to look into that.

Thanks, Rich!

[scoombs]

There are mixed reports. On the Verizon forums they say there is no option for them to bill for cable card installs so if you get charged it is incorrect and to call back. You can read a thread here about it. (http://forums.verizon.com/vrzn/board/message?board.id=FiOS_TV&message.id=11979) Some have been told there will be a charge and then they never get charged.

I called today and the guy said there was no way he could get around the system to NOT link a service call with a technician truck roll to a CableCard order. He said the only way he knows to avoid it is if it is a trouble ticket through the fibre solution center.

[randyb359]

I called today and the guy said there was no way he could get around the system to NOT link a service call with a technician truck roll to a CableCard order. He said the only way he knows to avoid it is if it is a trouble ticket through the fibre solution center.

I had my s cards swapped for an m card. I was told there would be a charge of $79 but I checked my bill today and it is not one there.

[innocentfreak]

Question. I just added a third Tivo HD and they are coming out to install the cablecard Friday. I completed guided setup but I am not getting any channels whatsoever including the basic channels. Is this a problem with my setup? I want to make sure everything works before they come out, but I can't seem to find a station that comes in.

For example when I did guided setup they asked me to confirm I could see channel 48 which is the TV Guide network. I couldn't so I selected it to show me another channel but all of the channels are black screens.

[bkdtv]

Question. I just added a third Tivo HD and they are coming out to install the cablecard Friday. I completed guided setup but I am not getting any channels whatsoever including the basic channels. Is this a problem with my setup? I want to make sure everything works before they come out, but I can't seem to find a station that comes in. That's normal.

Verizon FiOS does not have any analog channels, and all but locals are encrypted, so you won't get a picture on any channel unless you run a channel scan. If you run a channel scan, you'll get a picture on the QAMs from 71-74 if you enable (check) them in Settings -> Channels -> Channel List.

For example when I did guided setup they asked me to confirm I could see channel 48 which is the TV Guide network. I couldn't so I selected it to show me another channel but all of the channels are black screens.As above, there are no analog channels on FiOS, so you won't see a picture on the TVGuide network or any other channel in the guide (unless you run a channel scan and add QAMs 71-74) until you add a CableCard. TiVo has no way to match up the guide data to the appropriate QAM numbers until a CableCard is installed.

[kimifelipe]

Hey, I am new to the community, but I have a question I am hoping someone can answer simply.

My parents had a TiVo and Cablevision, now they have Verizon Fios and the Verizon DVRs. My mother wants her TiVo back.

If I get her a S3 TiVo and arrange for a Cablecard(s), will she be able to use the TiVo with relatively little issue? I understand from what I've read here that she won't be able to use the On Demand features or PPV features if she's using a TiVo box instead of the Verizon box.

Also, if the TiVo S3 will work, what will happen with the set-top boxes she has that are *not* DVRs, but are connected to the DVR box she is currently using.

My main concern here is that the set-up be easy and that she won't have any major issues. I don't live too close and can't go by to troubleshoot should there be lots of problems.

I appreciate any help which anyone can offer.

I don't know if this has been answered yet, but I can tell you about MRV with the fios dvr and our other stb. I am trying it out for a couple months and I really like it. Using the mrv feature is as easy as sitting in front of the non-dvr box and hitting the dvr button - it acts exactly as if the stb were itself the dvr.

One downside is that if you are time-shifting a program which is currently recording, it can play back with some hesitation at times.

I think it is fantastic, and I really like the fios guide and dvr interface. I don't think that $20/mo is such a good deal, though, and I probably will not keep it after the free trial period. However, if the fios box records programs as reliably as tivo I will be tempted as I do like the interface. The major downside is limited and non-upgradeable storage space, and of course no tivo2go. These two things will likely keep me a tivo user.

[kimifelipe]

snip
Be warned that they will charge you about $100 for the truck roll. Make sure you ask for the "M" Cablecard, since you can save some $$ on having a single M card versus two "S" cards.
snip

I was not charged at all. The tech showed up with M Cards. The first one would not work, and after about 45 min of messing with it, he got a different card and it was running in about 15 min.

[innocentfreak]

That's normal.

Verizon FiOS does not have any analog channels, and all but locals are encrypted, so you won't get a picture on any channel unless you run a channel scan. If you run a channel scan, you'll get a picture on the QAMs from 71-74 if you enable (check) them in Settings -> Channels -> Channel List.

As above, there are no analog channels on FiOS, so you won't see a picture on the TVGuide network or any other channel in the guide (unless you run a channel scan and add QAMs 71-74) until you add a CableCard. TiVo has no way to match up the guide data to the appropriate QAM numbers until a CableCard is installed.

Hmm ok. I swear I ran the channel scan also but still wasn't getting a picture since I know they don't get analog. I will just assume everything is working and if not Fios can test to tell me if the line I have isn't connected properly. This is what happens when you have too many lines.

[zyzzx]

I've seen a lot of wording here that says Verizon absolutely will not allow a self install of CableCards. The Verizon tech dropped off two MCards yesterday and told me I could install them myself when the TiVo HDs arrived. I went through initial setup of the TiVos last night and called the technical service number today to have the cards activated in the boxes. After 45 minutes on the phone, our TiVos are now accessing FiOS TV.

So YMMV on getting Verizon to hand you the CableCards for a self install. It wasn't easy getting them activated over the phone but it eventually worked. I'm glad I didn't need to setup another visit to my house.

[wmcbrine]

I've seen a lot of wording here that says Verizon absolutely will not allow a self install of CableCards. The Verizon tech dropped off two MCards yesterday and told me I could install them myself when the TiVo HDs arrived.Sure -- but that's not considered a self-install, because a tech left them with you. Now try getting Verizon to mail the cards to you, or try picking some up at a local office -- the things you could do with set-top boxes.

Having the tech hand them to you, and then doing the actual "install" yourself, is pretty common. Doing it after they've left is a little unusual, though.

[zyzzx]

Gotcha. The guy needed to call his supervisor to allow him to leave the cards with us without installing them, so I felt fortunate on that part. I'm just glad to have it all working. I guess I got really lucky to have 11.0d released just before I got the TiVos to use with FiOS.

[joe1515]

Yes, the TiVo works great with FiOS. Some people had signal issues with the previous software but now those are gone with the latest software.

I am conisdering switching from Cablevision to Fios. I have two series 3 tivo's.

Excuse my ignorance but wich software are you referring too? The signal strenght issue has been the main reason I have not switched yet.

Thanks,

Joe

[bkdtv]

I am conisdering switching from Cablevision to Fios. I have two series 3 tivo's.

Excuse my ignorance but wich software are you referring too? The signal strenght issue has been the main reason I have not switched yet.The signal compatibility issue was eliminated in the 11.0d software (released last month). There's no longer a reason to have any anxiety about the switch.

[joe1515]

The signal compatibility issue was eliminated in the 11.0d software (released last month). There's no longer a reason to have any anxiety about the switch.

Who realeased the software Tivo or Verizon?

[richsadams]

Who realeased the software Tivo or Verizon?All updates for TiVo come only from TiVo (automatically).

BTW, VZ FIOS works quite well with our TiVo's. :up:

[rainbow]

I was not charged at all. The tech showed up with M Cards. The first one would not work, and after about 45 min of messing with it, he got a different card and it was running in about 15 min.

just doublechecking something here. I have the orig series 3/648 series. it has 2 slots for cable cards. I was under the impression that you need a cable card in each slot for both tuners to work - whether they are S or M cards.

I almost went w/Fios, but still have Cox right now due to 2 series 2 tivos that are under contract. When i checked w/Fios, I was told they only had M cards. But if you need 2 cards for 1 tivo, it appeared that they would be charging me for each of the 2 cards. another reason i didn't pull the trigger to go over to Fios at that time.

[vurbano]

just doublechecking something here. I have the orig series 3/648 series. it has 2 slots for cable cards. I was under the impression that you need a cable card in each slot for both tuners to work - whether they are S or M cards.

I almost went w/Fios, but still have Cox right now due to 2 series 2 tivos that are under contract. When i checked w/Fios, I was told they only had M cards. But if you need 2 cards for 1 tivo, it appeared that they would be charging me for each of the 2 cards. another reason i didn't pull the trigger to go over to Fios at that time.

Tivohd and xl only require 1 M card. I think the old series 3 requires 2 of the older cards.

[joe1515]

I just tried calling FIOS to get some information and of course the sales person told me Fios was not compatible with Tivo. :mad: It is amazing how clueless these companies are.

[pilotbob]

I just tried calling FIOS to get some information and of course the sales person told me Fios was not compatible with Tivo. :mad: It is amazing how clueless these companies are.

Oh my god... someone should tell my TiVO it shouldn't be working with FiOS... even though it has been doing so for the last few years.

BOb

[bkdtv]

I've had a TivoHD on FiOS since late 2007.

Before the 11.0d software, I required attenuation to reduce my FiOS signal to a level the TiVo could handle. I'm not using any attenuation since that software was released.

[joe1515]

I know with cablevision every so often I have to reset the system or remove and reinsert the cards to get everything working properly.

Does fios experiance the same issues?

[richsadams]

just doublechecking something here. I have the orig series 3/648 series. it has 2 slots for cable cards. I was under the impression that you need a cable card in each slot for both tuners to work - whether they are S or M cards.

I almost went w/Fios, but still have Cox right now due to 2 series 2 tivos that are under contract. When i checked w/Fios, I was told they only had M cards. But if you need 2 cards for 1 tivo, it appeared that they would be charging me for each of the 2 cards. another reason i didn't pull the trigger to go over to Fios at that time.Your Series3 requires two cable cards for both tuners to work. It does not matter if they are "S" (single stream) or "M" (multi-stream).

We are charged for each card we have from Verizon...in our case three cards; two for our Series3 and one for our TiVo HD. Reportedly VZ only has "M" cards now, but again, it doesn't matter when it comes to your Series3.

[richsadams]

I know with cablevision every so often I have to reset the system or remove and reinsert the cards to get everything working properly.

Does fios experiance the same issues?Never had to do that when we had Comcast, and have never had to do that since we switched to FIOS a while back.

[Johncv]

I know with cablevision every so often I have to reset the system or remove and reinsert the cards to get everything working properly.

Does fios experiance the same issues?

Also, is there any close caption issues using Verizon FIOS, I am having issues with close caption on the SyFly channel using Cox.

[sinanju]

Also, is there any close caption issues using Verizon FIOS, I am having issues with close caption on the SyFly channel using Cox.

I haven't had any FiOS-related issues with CC, but since you don't say what your issues are, I can't tell you if you'd have them on FiOS or not.

[joe1515]

My wife and I watch HGTV a lot and on cablevision the audio is always going in and out has any experianced these issues with Fios on this channel?

I about to pull the trigger and switch to Fios.

Joe

[mae]

My wife and I watch HGTV a lot and on cablevision the audio is always going in and out has any experianced these issues with Fios on this channel?

I about to pull the trigger and switch to Fios.

Joe

My wife watches it constantly, on the TiVo in HD, and in SD on an STB, and hasn't complained (which I am sure she would) since we switched to FIOS last March.

[bkdtv]

My wife and I watch HGTV a lot and on cablevision the audio is always going in and out has any experianced these issues with Fios on this channel?

I about to pull the trigger and switch to Fios.Doesn't happen on FiOS.

[richsadams]

My wife and I watch HGTV a lot and on cablevision the audio is always going in and out has any experianced these issues with Fios on this channel?

I about to pull the trigger and switch to Fios.

JoeNever experienced that and we record quite a bit of HGTV. We were hoping that the split screens they use in "Sell This House" (I think that's the one) would not have any macroblocking/pixelization like we were seeing w/Comcast. Turns out it's the program itself and nothing to do with either provider. :rolleyes: But no problems w/audio on any channel for that matter.

[Scyber]

I know with cablevision every so often I have to reset the system or remove and reinsert the cards to get everything working properly.

Does fios experiance the same issues?

When I was with cablevision this used to happen with my CableCard TV about once every 2 months. Popping the CableCard out and reinserting the card fixed the issue. I didn't have TiVo at the time, so I can't say it was true with TiVo. I have never had any problems with either my TV nor my TiVo's with FIOS.

[ADG]

I apologize in advance for this question, but this is a 58 page thread and while I'm sure it has been asked and answered a couple of times I'm trying to avoid going through every post. I have two S3's and have had Cablevision for many years. In general I am pleased with them, especially since I also use their phone and internet services. Is there a good reason to consider switching to FIOS?

Again, I apologize for asking a question I'm sure has already been addressed multiple times in this thread. Thanks much.

[Rolento76]

I apologize in advance for this question, but this is a 58 page thread and while I'm sure it has been asked and answered a couple of times I'm trying to avoid going through every post. I have two S3's and have had Cablevision for many years. In general I am pleased with them, especially since I also use their phone and internet services. Is there a good reason to consider switching to FIOS?

Again, I apologize for asking a question I'm sure has already been addressed multiple times in this thread. Thanks much.

Overall I was happy with Cablevision except that they didn't carry Discovery Health or BBC America. Now that I have FiOS, those two channels are the most watched. It came down to channel selection for us. And we shaved off about $10-15 a month for the next two years.

EDIT: And to avoid the use of Cablevisions's Tuning Adapter.

[joe1515]

I just the ordered the triple package for 134.99 per month. My installation is set up for this Saturday. I will let you know how it goes. Thanks for everyones help.

Is there anything special I should know for the installation? I am switching my service from Cablevision.

Joe

[richsadams]

I apologize in advance for this question, but this is a 58 page thread and while I'm sure it has been asked and answered a couple of times I'm trying to avoid going through every post. I have two S3's and have had Cablevision for many years. In general I am pleased with them, especially since I also use their phone and internet services. Is there a good reason to consider switching to FIOS?

Again, I apologize for asking a question I'm sure has already been addressed multiple times in this thread. Thanks much.We know where you're coming from. After a lot of consideration and due diligence we switched from Comcast's "Triple Play" to Verizon FIOS (phone, broadband and TV) for a couple of reasons. (Although we never had any issues with Comcast's customer service.)


Picture quality - Due to finite capacity Cableco's are compressing their signals more and more in order to add HD channels. The result is less than stellar HD PQ. Even though some broadcasters and cable stations compress their signals (and there's nothing anyone can do about that) FIOS delivers full bandwidth broadcasts. SD PQ is markedly improved and HD PQ is as good or in some cases simply stunning as compared to Comcast.
Broadband reliability. Although Comcast was improving speed it was unreliable and dependant on how many others in my area were using it. FIOS broadband is rock solid 24/7.
Price. Comcast continued to raise their rates. We now have the same or more features (including a good deal more HD content) for about $50 less/mo. guaranteed for two years.


YMMV, but we're quite happy with our decision.

[ADG]

Rich (and Rolento76) - thanks very much. I appreciate the help. Quick follow up - you don't feel there was any downside? You didn't "lose anything" in the exchange?

[richsadams]

Quick follow up - you don't feel there was any downside? You didn't "lose anything" in the exchange?Nope...all positive so far. :up:

[ADG]

Thanks again. As it turns out I have nothing to consider - just checked and FIOS is not yet available in my area - thought for sure it was.

[richsadams]

Thanks again. As it turns out I have nothing to consider - just checked and FIOS is not yet available in my area - thought for sure it was.Too bad. It took them a while to get it in here, but once they started they flew through it so hopefully they'll be in your area pretty soon.

[joe1515]

Well my tech just left about an hour ago. I switched all three services from Cablevision. Everything went as smooth and easy as can be, my tech was great.

The picture quality is 10 x better it is not even funny. The M cable cards were no issue at all everything worked first try. My internet connection is also faster compared to optonline speed boost.

I would highly recommend switching to Fios. So far I could not be happier. Granted I have only had the service for 1 hour.

Joe

[Rolento76]

Well my tech just left about an hour ago. I switched all three services from Cablevision. Everything went as smooth and easy as can be, my tech was great.

The picture quality is 10 x better it is not even funny. The M cable cards were no issue at all everything worked first try. My internet connection is also faster compared to optonline speed boost.

I would highly recommend switching to Fios. So far I could not be happier. Granted I have only had the service for 1 hour.

Joe

Congrats. I love my FiOS services too. The only problems for me was billing. Took me three months to straighten out. My only advice is to keep a copy of the offer/order you placed so you have proof of the prices you are supposed to pay. And stay calm. The reps were fine... I think it was the system they were working with that makes things so frustrating.

[mphtrilogy]

question, my contract is up and verizon is sending me an M card, at least I hope its an M card, to replace my two single stream cards so i can save the $4 a month

Do I have to do anything special on the Tivo side to get this M card working?
Just place it in slot 1 and repeat guided setup?

Thanks!

[bkdtv]

question, my contract is up and verizon is sending me an M card, at least I hope its an M card, to replace my two single stream cards so i can save the $4 a monthVerizon won't ship CableCards under any circumstances, so expect to see an automated message on your answering machine (or voice mail) with the date and time of the installation appointment. With the automated appointment scheduling, you avoid the CableCard installation fee.

As far as replacing the cards, the installer should remove the two S-Cards and insert the M-CARD into slot #1 on the right. Guided setup isn't necessary.

[mphtrilogy]

Verizon won't ship CableCards under any circumstances, so expect to see an automated message on your answering machine (or voice mail) with the date and time of the installation appointment. With the automated appointment scheduling, you avoid the CableCard installation fee.

As far as replacing the cards, the installer should remove the two S-Cards and insert the M-CARD into slot #1 on the right. Guided setup isn't necessary.

Ok thanks. We'll see if it ships, I'll let you know if that policy still holds.

[richsadams]

We'll see if it ships, I'll let you know if that policy still holds.Don't hold your breath...it won't happen. Call and make an appointment or you'll be waiting even longer.

[mphtrilogy]

Don't hold your breath...it won't happen. Call and make an appointment or you'll be waiting even longer.

You ain't kidding.

I called back today.. no box, no M-Card ever shipped.

I have a Tech appointment tomorrow.

I do hope they have multi-stream cards now, i want to change out the 2 Single Cards for one, and give back the DVR for plain old HD box. to save $14 a month.

They did say they would waive the install fee, but the guy said he only made a note of it and I have to call back to make sure it was done next week.

if I did not call today, this could have been in limbo for months.

Thanks for the eye opener.

[richsadams]

You ain't kidding.

I called back today.. no box, no M-Card ever shipped.

I have a Tech appointment tomorrow.

I do hope they have multi-stream cards now, i want to change out the 2 Single Cards for one, and give back the DVR for plain old HD box. to save $14 a month.

They did say they would waive the install fee, but the guy said he only made a note of it and I have to call back to make sure it was done next week.

if I did not call today, this could have been in limbo for months.

Thanks for the eye opener.It's amazing after a couple of years now that the VZ CSR's still don't understand that cable cards can't/won't be mailed out. Seems like one memo would cover it, but instead they continue to give out incorrect information and tick off their newest customers. :confused:

In any case, be sure to follow up on the install fee waiver (get a copy in writing).

All that aside, I think you'll be very happy with what you'll soon be seeing. :up:

[paladin732]

Hey,

Couple of questions:

1. I went to a "verizon experience" store today to speak to a rep about FiOS and I was informed that, yes, I can get M-cards at 3.99, however, I would also need at least one cable box (at a minimum of 5.99/month) in order to use it. They said that the box is required to get the service. This sounds like total crap to me, because as far as I understand it the whole POINT of a cablecard is to NOT have to have a cablebox. Can anyone confirm that they have just the HD Tivo (or HD Tivo XL or Tivo Series 3) WITHOUT an additional box?

2. How long after the wires are laid does it typically take for the service to turn on, and is there a way to get the status on how much longer?

[zyzzx]

The installation of the fiber and the installation of service are separate. You'll have service when the service installer comes to your house for your appointment. Sometimes the service installer does a temporary fiber run and sometimes the line installer has everything setup for the service installer long before the appointment.

As to your MCard question, yes, the person you talked to at the store is full of it. We have 2 MCards and 2 TiVo HD boxes (1 card for each TiVo HD) and no Verizon boxes.

[bkdtv]

Can anyone confirm that they have just the HD Tivo (or HD Tivo XL or Tivo Series 3) WITHOUT an additional box?Yes, you can. You just got an uninformed rep.

How long after the wires are laid does it typically take for the service to turn on, and is there a way to get the status on how much longer?This will can vary from weeks to months (or longer). There are a lot of variables involved.

There's not an easy way to get status.