jsrore
@comcast.net |  Fios tv vs Dish networking..thinking about switching
We have dish network thinking about switching to Fios tv..would be going with the HD multi room DVR...any problems with the DVR?? pro and cons???? problems with tv service??? we live in oregon ..portland area....
thanks
jeff |
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kes601
join:2007-04-14
Virginia Beach, VA | I would suggest doing some searching in this forum, I think you will find all your answers. Many topics on everything you are asking about. |
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joe01880
join:2007-10-26
Wakefield, MA
edit:
July 13th, @03:37PM
| reply to jsrore
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joe01880
join:2007-10-26
Wakefield, MA
 ·Verizon FIOS
edit:
July 13th, @03:39PM
| reply to jsrore
As of right now, 7/13 i think you get more HD content through Dish. As of 7/21 verizon "should" have 53 HD channels in your area. Im not counting VOD HD content.
As for the service Verizon is great, their HD content is not compressed so if you view HD you should see a noiticable difference. Any HD DVD problems have been minimal on my end although you will see some threads here that complain about problems, as with any service there will be problems but i do not think this forum to be a fair segement by which to judge problems as those with problems tend to complain as those that dont have problems do not complain and often the more out weight the few.
I have also not had any problems with Fios Internet service or my telephone, as a whole i for one am very satisfied with Verizon Fios Service.
Verizon billing is a whole other nightmare but as a dish customer, if you have had any dealings with dish customer service and or billing you will not find Verizon any different. |
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Roche1972
join:2008-02-22
| reply to jsrore
One important thing to remember is that you cannot view HD recorded programming from a Multi-Room HD DVR through a SD set top box. Also, HD set top boxes won't work with the Multi-Room HD DVR. You need a SD set top box to view SD recorded programming from a Multi-Room HD DVR. |
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rtcy
RTCY
Premium
join:1999-10-16
Norwalk, CA | reply to jsrore
think hard and read a lot! I'm sorry I went with Verizon! |
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jsrore
@comcast.net | reply to Roche1972
Ok...i have 1 HDTV and 2 Non HDTV...will we still be able to view the SD programming on the other 2 sets???any one having problems with the HDDVR???easy to operate???
thanks jeff |
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bgtimber75
join:2006-06-23
Columbia, MD
| reply to jsrore
I switched from DirecTv. If I had to do it again I probably would just because I love being able to use the TivoHD.
I haven't had land line phone service in more then 5 years. So having to deal with phone company customer service has been a shock to the system. I hate having to jump through the the phone hell that comes from not having phone service with them. Be prepared to be treated like a second class citizen if you don't have Verizon phone service. |
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More Fiber
Premium
join:2005-09-26
West Chester, PA
 ·Bay Area Internet ..
| said by bgtimber75  :Be prepared to be treated like a second class citizen if you don't have Verizon phone service. A better anology is:
•2nd class citizen - has VZ phone service
•3rd class citizen - no VZ phone service
Even with VZ phone service, customer service is worse than second class. |
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JPL
Premium
join:2007-04-04
West Chester, PA
| reply to jsrore
said by jsrore :
Ok...i have 1 HDTV and 2 Non HDTV...will we still be able to view the SD programming on the other 2 sets???any one having problems with the HDDVR???easy to operate???
thanks jeff
Yes, you'll be able to watch SD recordings on your other TVs, provided those TVs have the SD STB on them (the QIP2500). Right now no other box is able to receive the multi-room feed from the MR DVR. I have the HD MR DVR, and a SD STB on a second TV. The multiroom feed works fine. There are some things to consider:
- You can feed up to 6 additional TVs off the DVR, 3 concurrently.
- The multiroom DVR gives you access to their media manager s/w, which allows for feeding digital music and pictures from your PC to the TV with the DVR on it. Pretty soon this will include streaming video as well.
- The feed works surprisingly well - the picture quality on the other TV is excellent.
- Verizon is getting close (from what I understand) to allowing HD feeds from the DVR as well. When this happens, I'm seriously considering upgrading the SD STB on my second TV to an HD box (we'll be doing alot more HD recordings pretty soon with all the other HD channels coming on line).
- You can pause a recording on one TV and resume watching it on another (also works when I stop the recording on TV 1 and then go to watch on TV 2 - it picks up where I left off).
Couple nits with the MR DVR:
- There's a latency on those other TVs when performing a DVR related command (e.g. rwd, ffwd). The reason for this is that all the feeds go through your computer router.
- Can't manage recordings on those other TVs - so on the TV with the SD STB, I can't add, change, or delete recordings - I can only watch them.
As for the ease of use - yeah, the DVR is easy to use. Although, I've never had Dish, I understand their DVR is excellent. The motorola DVR that FiOS uses is capable, but is missing some key functionality, in my opinion - there's nothing like a wishlist/autorecord function on it, e.g. Also the harddrive is small - only 160 GB for the HD version, and only 80 GB for the SD version. The size of the harddrive is compounded by the fact that Verizon doesn't do any additional compression on their feeds.
I used to have DirecTV, and on their system, 1 hour of SD programming would suck up about 1 GB of space on my DVR. In the case of FiOS, it's 2 to 3 times that. And HD programming sucks down the space like water. The DVR doesn't have any expandability on it.
As for their programming, as others have said, Verizon is set to roll out a bunch new channels. You mentioned that you live in Portland, OR. They're set to get the first set of new channels in about a week (7/21). More will be coming on line throughout the year (when this expansion is done, they'll have gobs of space).
I switched from DirecTV a year ago and I'm very glad I did. I really liked DirecTV, but FiOS is just a better fit for me. I get more overall channels (granted right now DirecTV has more of those channels in HD), with better PQ, and with local stuff again. I also never thought I'd care for VOD - I was wrong. I love that feature, and I look forward to more such programming. Oh yeah, and I save a bunch of money compared to what I would be spending for HD with DirecTV, and I don't have issues with rain fade anymore (not that it was THAT much of a problem before, but still, it's nice not having to worry about losing picture when that storm rolls through).
One last thing, if you can suspend your Dish account, you may want to considering doing that. That's what I did when I switched - I got fios installed, and suspended my directv account. I asked my fios installer to leave as much of my dish setup alone as possible, and he complied without issue. All markets have different deals, but I believe that Verizon STILL runs a money-back guarantee on their stuff (it was 30 days when I signed up, but recently, I believe, it got extended to 90 days). By suspending your Dish account, you'll be able to try fios and if you hate it, you can go back.
Realize, however, if you do that, unless you specifically request it, Verizon will convert all your services to fiber - so if you decide you don't like fios TV, you'll still have fios for phone service.
As for their customer service, maybe I'm one of the lucky ones, but I find their tech support to be excellent. Their installers (got internet set up 14 months before signing up for tv service, so I had 2 installers) were the best I've had in my house, as were their field techs. Whenever I did have a problem I found their CSRs bending over backwards to help me. The installers get paid by the hour, not by the job, so mine really took his time to make sure everything was working right before he left. I contrast that to my last experience with DirecTV - I ordered a second DVR from them. The installer (had to take the install to get the DVR for free) missed the first appointment (not his fault - the installation company severely overbooked him). When I rescheduled, and he did show, he ran a cable all of 10 feet to a multi-switch, and turned on the DVR. He called DirecTV to activate the box, was put on hold for a few minutes... then he handed me the phone, writing down what information I needed to tell them when DirecTV finally came on the line (which they did about 20 minutes later). The installer didn't even wait around to see if the DVR was any good or not. Didn't leave a great taste in my mouth.
Anyway, as is no secret if you read most of my posts on here, I love the service - their internet service is solid as a rock. I've had one outage in 2 1/2 years, and the speeds are consistent as anything. It doesn't matter when I run it, my speed tests are always right on target - whether I run the test at 6:00 at night, or 6:00 in the morning. I love their TV service too - I give them alot of credit for doing this expansion the right way. Yeah, it's been a little tough waiting for these new channels to come on line, but I'm glad that Verizon decided not to sacrifice quality for quantity. |
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joe01880
join:2007-10-26
Wakefield, MA
·Verizon FIOS
| reply to jsrore
said by jsrore :
Ok...i have 1 HDTV and 2 Non HDTV...will we still be able to view the SD programming on the other 2 sets???any one having problems with the HDDVR???easy to operate???
thanks jeff
Yes, you will be able to watch SD programming on the other 2 sets, however the other 2 sets will need a standard def set top box that you will have pay a monthly charge for.
Here's a tip. You can finagle with Verizon where you can not with Dish or DTV, especially if you are switching from a satelite provider. Hem and haw and make then give you an offer you cant refuse. They want your business and they will make a deal outside of what they advertise. TGhe triple play they can be made much better. If you dont get what you want from the first rep you talk to wait a few hours and call back. Be Monty Hall, make a deal. |
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BarnsleyFC
@verizon.net
| reply to jsrore
I switched from Dish Network to FIOS TV back in May 2007. I'd had the FIOS phone and internet service over a year; with those services being first class I thought I would give the TV ago.
From day one I had nothing but problems. The original programming guide was basic but worked. The new programming guide was riddled with bugs; my HDDVR box 'automatically' rebooted every day.
Like another poster stated, accessing the programs on the main DVR from a secondary room is performed through the router. There is a definite 2 - 3 second time lag from pressing the button to the request executing. Pressing the 'skip' forward button multiple times effectively crashed my system
The programming guide is run through the router too. In my miserable 7 months with FIOS I went through 4 routers. When the router dies there is not on screen guide or VOD.
I tried to be patient with FIOS TV but in the end I couldn't take anymore. To be fair to Verizon they were almost giving me the service for free because of all the problems I had.
Now I am back with Dish Network. I will never leave them again. I have a HDDVR (VIP722) in the main room and a HDDVR (VIP622) in the bedroom. I absolutely love it.
The FIOS DVR compared to the Dish Network DVR is absolute joke. It is possible to hook up Tivo but you lose the VOD capability at that point.
There are some things I miss about FIOS TV. The SD PQ is better, VOD and there are no outages with rain. Overall I will take a stable system (Dish) over a buggy upstart (FIOS).
I'd suggest threatening to cancel with Dish Network. They will do pretty much anything to keep you. At the very least they will give you 6 months of HBO and Cinemax for free. |
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jsrore
@comcast.net
| reply to JPL
So the MR HD DVR does not have a wishlist/auto record... i would assume that it has a favorite or somthing like that were you pick your show IE "24" and can set it up to record all shows or just new shows all season long...i know with my dish HDDVR i have somthing like 30-40 shows on my list that i want to record....if it gets too full it just delets the older programs to record newer stuff..
about VOD video on demand?? what is it???is it extra if i have it with dish i guess we never use it but i see it being talked about alot on this site...
thanks |
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joe01880
join:2007-10-26
Wakefield, MA
·Verizon FIOS
edit:
July 14th, @06:09AM
| there is a lot of PPV on VOD but there is also a lot of free stuff on VOD. The HD DVR i have, a Mot 6416-2 is bug free, the guide works great, there is an issue right now with Favorites but nothing that cant be worked around.
I have 1 sd stb and 1 HD DVR STB and get about all the programing Fios offers and pay less then $115 a month for it all. Including the STB taxes and all the movies channels Verizon offers, internet and phone. If its a little buggy here and there, for that price i cant cope, never had an outage and my internet is lightning fast.
I had Dish a few years back, they were a pain in my arse, never again. Had RCN and they screwed me out of $2400 over two years, never again. Had DTV and never had a problem but they are very pricey for programing and there HD PQ is shabby compared to Verizon, never had Comcast and never will. Till something better comes along i'll hang with Verizon. They will only get better!
And to try to NOT sound like a comercial for Verizon Fios i will re-state, Verizon Billing sucks. But again, im Monty Hall and take the deals as they come my way. Gotta take the good with the bad i guess.
With both Dish and DTV, if it rained hard, no reception, if it snowed, at all, no reception, if the rain or snow froze on the dish you watch nothing.
IMHO the absolute best deal is the Big C-Band dish along with Ku and S band if you can get it. Its a pain waiting for channels to swing around but the content you get is incredible. Its pricey to start up but programing isnt bad and its competitive. |
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JPL
Premium
join:2007-04-04
West Chester, PA
edit:
July 14th, @07:07AM
| reply to jsrore
said by jsrore :
So the MR HD DVR does not have a wishlist/auto record... i would assume that it has a favorite or somthing like that were you pick your show IE "24" and can set it up to record all shows or just new shows all season long...i know with my dish HDDVR i have somthing like 30-40 shows on my list that i want to record....if it gets too full it just delets the older programs to record newer stuff..
about VOD video on demand?? what is it???is it extra if i have it with dish i guess we never use it but i see it being talked about alot on this site...
thanks
Yes, you most definitely can set up series to record... that works just fine. What I'm talking about is setting up what Tivo would call a wishlist (and what DirecTV called autotune/autorecord). Basically it's a feature where you tell the DVR 'I really like Humphrey Bogart - whenever you come across something with Humphrey Bogart in it, I want you to put it on a list of programs I might be interested in.' And I can check that list to see if there was anything on there I wanted to record. Or you can have it automatically record those items for me.
That's something different from setting up a series - which, like I said, this DVR most definitely can do. And yeah, the DVR will automatically delete stuff to make room for new stuff. You can also protect recordings, so the DVR won't delete them on you until you tell it to. It has all the basic functionality of a DVR.
As for the acronym - sorry about that. Yeah, VOD = video on demand. There's some free stuff on there, and there's stuff that you pay for (they have very few PPV channels - PPV channels are mostly for events and the like - any movie you want to rent, you would rent through VOD (and there are a number of those) - you can watch the movie as many times as you want within 24 hours, after which it's gone). There is also VOD for some of the subscription channels - e.g. if you get HBO, you would also get access to HBO VOD. They're still a little light on the VOD compared to say Comcast, but considering that DirecTV had 0 VOD at the time, this is really a big step up for me. They just recently rolled out HD VOD - although I wish they were more aggressive with adding titles/channels to it (still waiting for Starz HD VOD to show up).
If you're interested in seeing their VOD offerings, check out this site:
»www36.verizon.com/fiostv/web/unp···vod.aspx
If you look at the listings, you'll see things like genre and rating and price. One note on the price - some say 'free', but are only free if you subscribe to the appropriate package (e.g. if something's on HBO VOD, it's free to me IF I have HBO - if not, then I can't get access to it). |
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aaronwt
Premium
join:2004-11-07
Woodbridge, VA
·Verizon FIOS
 ·Comcast
·Verizon Online DSL
edit:
July 14th, @08:51AM
| reply to More Fiber
said by More Fiber :said by bgtimber75 :Be prepared to be treated like a second class citizen if you don't have Verizon phone service. A better anology is: •2nd class citizen - has VZ phone service •3rd class citizen - no VZ phone service Even with VZ phone service, customer service is worse than second class. Verizon service is on par with Comcast service. Which isn't saying much but they both have their problems.
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bgtimber75
join:2006-06-23
Columbia, MD | Odd, because whenever I had to call Comcast I always got my home office on the first try and didn't mysteriously get a NY or NJ office and then end up in transfer hell. Even when I had to call DTV I never ended up in transfer hell. |
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aaronwt
Premium
join:2004-11-07
Woodbridge, VA
·Verizon FIOS
·Comcast
·Verizon Online DSL
| said by bgtimber75 :Odd, because whenever I had to call Comcast I always got my home office on the first try and didn't mysteriously get a NY or NJ office and then end up in transfer hell. Even when I had to call DTV I never ended up in transfer hell. I've called Comcast and have been transferred to several locations or I've called and it routed me to a closed office. Of course I've also had the same thing happen with FiOS too. It's almost comical. You get transferred to several people and end up exactly where you started talking to the first person again. I've had this happen with both Comcast and Verizon and it is extremely frustrating when it does. That's why I'm usually reluctant to make changes becasue once the billing is correct(after the two to 3 months it took both Comcast and Verizon) any change can throw the billing out of whack and it takes severalmonths to get it corrected again. |
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pvcleave
join:2008-07-08
Newberg, OR
edit:
July 14th, @09:33AM
| reply to jsrore
I used to have Dish and am so glad I switched. I like having all my locals in HD, I love the fact that I am not nickel and dimed to death as I was with Dish. There are more SD channels and the quality of SD is definitely better on my 65" HD set. I could never watch SD on Dish, but I would say the FIOS quality is very watchable, for most programs.
However, if you switch be prepared for the constant Dish calls. I still get at least one a week, that I answer, after having switched in Decmeber of 2007. |
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bgtimber75
join:2006-06-23
Columbia, MD
| reply to aaronwt
said by aaronwt :I've called Comcast and have been transferred to several locations or I've called and it routed me to a closed office. Of course I've also had the same thing happen with FiOS too. It's almost comical. You get transferred to several people and end up exactly where you started talking to the first person again. I've had this happen with both Comcast and Verizon and it is extremely frustrating when it does. That's why I'm usually reluctant to make changes becasue once the billing is correct(after the two to 3 months it took both Comcast and Verizon) any change can throw the billing out of whack and it takes severalmonths to get it corrected again. I'm not saying I never had billing nightmares with Comcast but it was comforting knowing that when I called I was calling my local office. When I have to call Verizon I actually have to set time aside because I know I'm going to be on the phone for a while and talk with several different people.
Strangely enough I never had a single problem with DirecTV customer service. |
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