[jazmaan]

I currently have TWC in West L.A. It's working quite well with my TivoHD and two Motorola cards. But quite recently Verizon FIOS has come to my area. What are the pros and cons (vis-a-vis Tivo HD) of switching to FIOS?

 

[ah30k]

FiOS Con - only 40 or so analog channels so you'll need STBs for every TV in the house and the S2DT becomes practically a S2ST.
FiOS Pro - I hated the fact that my local cable co had me by the b*!!$ for so long I loved the opportunity to switch
FiOS Con - the burst internet speed is lower than my cable unless I pay a premium
FiOS Pro - the internet speed is rock solid at 5mbps, very little variability
FiOS Pro - more HD availability, although I have not compared recently
FiOS Pro - cheaper for the triple-play
FiOS Pro - seems to me to have fewer outages

I'm sure others will add more

 

[bkdtv]

1. Better picture quality.
   
2. More HD channels.
   
3. Lower cost ($42.99/mo for 220+ digital channels and 20+ HD channels).
   
4. Plenty of capacity for new HD channels.
   
5. No SDV.

As far as negatives, I don't think Verizon's Internet infrastructure is as good on the west coast as it is on the east coast.

 

[TiVotion]

Absolutely - what they said.

I will say, though, I'm on the East coast, and I've had FIOS Internet for years now (only had the TV about 2 months). The Internet speed is blazing and consistent. They used to have us on the 15/2 package (download/upload), they bumped us up to 20/5. My speed tests routinely hit those marks.

 

[jazmaan]

Thanks. I think that because I currently have 3 analog cable TV's with no settop boxes and 1 HDTV with Tivo HD, I probably should stick with TWC for the time being - until analog cable gets phased out.

 

[Kanyon71]

FiOS at least in my area has Analog channels that you don't need an STB for.

 

[ah30k]

FiOS at least in my area has Analog channels that you don't need an STB for.

Yes, but only about 19 of them right? It is even lower than I first thought.

http://www22.verizon.com/content/fiostv/channel+lineup/channel+lineup.htm

and enter your area.

 

[capitolm94]

Where in West LA are you getting FIOS? I want this, but it does not seem to be up in my area yet. Thanks.

 

[Ilene]

I have had Fios since October '06, same day that I set up my S3. I check my cableCard diagnostic screens periodically. I have seen it where one or both card conditional access screens are not showing the perfect messages all the time.

For example, I just checked and Card1 is Missing_Program_Key and CA enable: unknown. Card2 is fine.

I am watching the Dallas-Minnesota game on HD without issue. I have checked the other tuner and everything is fine. If I check this tomorrow, Card1 will probably be fine and Card2 might say it's "having a problem". I won't have called anyone, nor would I have rebooted.

I have battled pixelation (not right now by the way and I have my own unsubstantiated suspicions of why this has happened) and posted when I have, but as of the last couple of weeks (knock on wood) have been clear.

The Diagnostic screen tells me what I already know - if the signal doesn't lock and it fluctuates, you will get pixelation. Why does this happen, beats me.

 

[Kanyon71]

Yes, but only about 19 of them right? It is even lower than I first thought.

http://www22.verizon.com/content/fiostv/channel+lineup/channel+lineup.htm

and enter your area.

Yes you are correct, I get a bunch of Local Origination Channels, not sure exactly what they are but there are quite a few there. I ended up just getting two of the STBs for my bedroom (hooked to a SA Series 2 Tivo) and for the spare bedroom. In my livingroom I have 2 CableCards in my S3 Tivo.

 

[jazmaan]

Where in West LA are you getting FIOS? I want this, but it does not seem to be up in my area yet. Thanks.

I don't have FIOS yet, but last week Verizon totally plastered the Santa Monica Mall with FIOS ads. So I'm assuming its either available now in Santa Monica or coming very soon.

 

[ConfusedBob]

I got Fios and a new S3 and it works great. My only (and big) problem is on HD channels I have bursts of 3-30 secs. where I have no video. The screen is just black. I am not sure if the problem is with Verizon or TiVo and thought to check here before contacting either company.