said by bobc2112 :

Any updates on this? I did order a new HD STB via Encore and the very nice women said that there is a slight wait, she said 3/31 is the date I should expect. Does this seem right, are boxes actually being delivered?

said by matcarl :

Wow, at least they called you.

said by matcarl :

Wow, at least they called you.

said by Boxless Bob :

I am a Cox Customer who lives in Rhode Island. I bought my first HDTV in early Febuary and had no idea about this HD Box shortage. Well, I'm STILL WAITING and it's driving me nuts. Here I have this beautiful new HDTV but I can't get HD.

said by FtvWhen :

On Vz's FiosTV site... they don't have HD STB boxes listed as Add-Ons anymore, only SD and that $3.99 digital adapter.

»www22.verizon.com/content/fiostv···ices.htm

I'm supposed to be installed on Feb 28, and they did say they don't have the HD boxes for 3-4 weeks.

said by acvthree :

Somebody should come up with a way of removing the encryption from the devices. Then we would not be at the mercy of the cable provider.

said by darcilicious :

Yes, typically when matters come down encrypted content (and/or DRM'd content), it's the content "owner"/licensing agent that is requiring it, not the "reseller" (like Apple for iTunes content or Verizon for cable video content).

said by acvthree :

Somebody should come up with a way of removing the encryption from the devices. Then we would not be at the mercy of the cable provider.

said by DMS1 :

That would probably violate Verizon's contracts with some of the content providers.

said by afiggatt :

You know, one temporary work-around for the shortage of HD boxes is for Verizon to temporarily turn off the encryption for the national HD channels from 825 to 846. Or for some of them.

said by rody_44 :

no it comes down to they screwed up and ddnt order enough. no excuses to be made just facts.

said by rody_44 :

yea cell phone is one. i guess it isnt enough tho. how many of verizons cell phone are made by motorola. i have no clue but it clearly isnt enough.

said by rody_44 :

if they were motorlola would be changing the line and build the boxes. thats just the way it is. the better the customer the better the service. when it comes to above the contract boxes its a how much pull you have and how much motorloa values you as a customer. small customers get small results. take away the STB and i cant think of any other thing verizon uses motorola for.

said by rody_44 :

verizon boxess are unique. cox, charter, comcast, timewarner and about every other cable company they are the same box. im sure tooling has to be changed that isnt going to be changed before they fill the big orders and wont cater to a small cable company like verizon.

said by rody_44 :

verizons just going to be waiting longer.

said by lets456 :

I am reading reports up to 4 months? Is that true?

said by kes601 :

Think knarf is referring to the part in China being the reason for the shortage, not the original anonymous post.

said by wreave :

Google "out of hd boxes" and you'll find it's a very real claim.

I work for a small cableco and we are out, too.

said by knarf829 :

I wouldn't get all worked up about a questionable claim by an anonymous poster.

said by Inside Fios :

... After 3/10 supposedly all will be ok. Also the Movie package or HBO and a DVR for $20 is over as well...

said by Murphdog856 :

This is funny. When I got service last month I was told that they no longer stock SD DVR's and that my only option was a HD DVR in a room where I only needed an SD one. The tech indicated that they don't carry the SD DVR on their trucks any more.

said by GeekGirl1 :

Just got my HD-DVR replaced today...

said by kes601 :

So it seems Verizon is not the only one facing shortages:

Cox Faces HDTV Set-Top Shortages:
»www.multichannel.com/article/CA6···opstory&

said by kes601 :

But I still say that at least Cox is having shortage problems as well based on the fact that 2 areas of the country have waiting lists. And the fact that Cox uses Motorola also leads you to believe that part of the problem lies with Motorola.

said by JPL :

I'm sorry but this makes no sense. DirecTV uses RCA, Philips, and Humax as its main suppliers for their boxes. Say one of these suppliers - say RCA - has production issues. You mean to tell me that DirecTV would be all fine and dandy on the supply of STBs? No, I don't think so. They're going to order so many from each supplier. Granted, going to multiple suppliers does give them some more flexibility longer term, but if one of their suppliers hits a snag, they have a shortage too. For short term issues (like what's happening with Motorola) having multiple suppliers really doesn't help. It would still take time for the other suppliers to ramp up production to meet the short-fall caused by the one supplier, and chances are they would still fall short.

Manufacturers don't run with gobs of spare capacity for production - that's wasteful. So they may be able to ramp up a little for a short period of time, but if one of their suppliers fell down on the job, they too would run into the same shortages that Verizon and other cable suppliers are hitting.

said by kes601 :

DMS1 I'll reply to you since your reply is civil, I saw the incorrect date, I thought it had said December 2007 and not January 2007, so I was wrong with the link I posted.

But I still say that at least Cox is having shortage problems as well based on the fact that 2 areas of the country have waiting lists. And the fact that Cox uses Motorola also leads you to believe that part of the problem lies with Motorola.

said by knarf829 :

Here's where the link in your cited blog post from a YEAR ago about a local shortage in Syracuse goes:

said by JPL :

I'm sorry but this makes no sense. DirecTV uses RCA, Philips, and Humax as its main suppliers for their boxes. Say one of these suppliers - say RCA - has production issues. You mean to tell me that DirecTV would be all fine and dandy on the supply of STBs? No, I don't think so. They're going to order so many from each supplier. Granted, going to multiple suppliers does give them some more flexibility longer term, but if one of their suppliers hits a snag, they have a shortage too. For short term issues (like what's happening with Motorola) having multiple suppliers really doesn't help. It would still take time for the other suppliers to ramp up production to meet the short-fall caused by the one supplier, and chances are they would still fall short.

Manufacturers don't run with gobs of spare capacity for production - that's wasteful. So they may be able to ramp up a little for a short period of time, but if one of their suppliers fell down on the job, they too would run into the same shortages that Verizon and other cable suppliers are hitting.

said by kes601 :

Fact: Here's an article on Time Warner running out of DVRs originally reported by channel 9 out of Syracuse, but I suppose there is no shortage:
Time Warner: »www.allpvr.com/time-warner-runs-···hd-dvrs/

said by kes601 :

And, yes I read the article. Do you really think Motorola is going to voluntarily bring up a shortage with other companies on an article that is specifically on Verizon, umm no.

said by kes601 :

Fact: My friend's parents just got a new HDTV, they are on a waiting list for an HD DVR, but I suppose there is no shortage.

Fact: My sister is on a waiting list for an HD DVR, Cox employees where she lives were told to bring a DVR back from their house if they have more than one, but I suppose there is no shortage.

said by matcarl :

Is that the one that reboots 4 times a day ;)

But to answer your question, it's both the HD & HD DVR

said by bobc2112 :

Also, hey VZ I'll turn in my HD-DVR for 3 months credit!

said by knarf829 :

Did you even read the linked multichannel article? There is no cable company shortage - only a QIP shortage. Not "inside" facts at all - just plain old facts straight from the (non anonymous Internet poster) source.

said by kes601 :

Umm, you are ABSOLUTELY INCORRECT. Cox, who uses Motorola boxes, has an extreme shortage. No boxes here in Hampton Roads. My sister, who lives in Fort Smith, Arkansas, also has Cox as her cable provider. I informed her of the shortage, she called because she is getting a new tv when I visit in a month, guess what....she is now on the waiting list because there is a SHORTAGE and they have none. All Cox employees there were told to return boxes if they have more than one in their house.

Care to tell me I am wrong again?

Get your "inside" facts straight before calling me a liar.

said by Digger262 :

Yes, DTV had the foresight to do this and Verizon did not. I realize it's a problem to do it now. That's my point. The mistake was in the management decision originally.

said by tew1165 :

Kes601 mentions that this is a shortage of HD boxes for multiple companies. That is not true at all. This is strictly a VZ issue. While the boxes for VZ may look the same as the one's manufactured for the major cable operators, they are if fact very different. There are design aspects that are unique to the VZ network that make them incompatable with any other operator. Let me also say that the shortage VZ is experiencing is mainly a forcast issue. I know for a fact that Motorola has no problem delivering as many HD boxes as are needed for any customer. I guess you could call me an "insider".

said by DMS1 :

Motorola builds all its products itself.

said by acvthree :

In my experience "Just in Time" always translates to "A Little Too Late".

Al

said by Digger262 :

Of course Verizon can do this. DTV does it with their boxes. This is VERY common in many industries to prevent exactly this type of thing from happening. This is VZs fault, plain and simple.

said by jvanbrecht :

This is something that Moto should be doing as a manufacturer. The service provider (in this case Verizon) cannot really source from multiple locations unless what they are sourcing is reference based (similair to Nvidia graphics cards, they have a reference board which others like evga and such take and modify, but they are essentially the same card) and many different manufacturers make similair devices that could utilize the same support contracts, so you do not have to train people on 500 different models.

So yes, this is technically Motos fault for not sourcing enough manufacturers to build their products.

But, as an end user, my contract is with Verizon, not Moto, so in that aspect it is Verizons fault for not being able to keep up.

said by jvanbrecht :

So yes, this is technically Motos fault for not sourcing enough manufacturers to build their products.

said by GeekNJ :

I don't know if Verizon can source the products from multiple vendors which is something most companies would try to do in order to cover their butts in situations like this as well as a bit more competitive pricing with two or more vendors.

said by kes601 :

So, you are saying Motorola should have no blame in the matter when they are the ultimate cause of the shortage for multiple companies?

said by kes601 :

So, you are saying Motorola should have no blame in the matter when they are the ultimate cause of the shortage for multiple companies?

said by frankpf3 :

So explain this, is it Verizon's fault for not ordering enough or Motorola's for not producing enough?

said by knarf829 :

As I mentioned in the other thread, this "It's Morotola's Fault" excuse hardly matters. It's Verizon I'm paying. Verizon should have been prepared.

said by kes601 :

Also, while this does affect Vz customers, it is Motorola's fault in the end for not producing enough boxes, as it is affecting cable companies that use boxes from Motorola as well.

said by frankpf3 :

They should allow people who do purchase a Tivo, free cable cards until the motorola boxes become available.