Verizon FiOS TV → Re: Fios SD - HD channel remapping

I want to know the channel I'm looking at. I don't want to be on certain channel number that is showing content from a different channel number.

I want the content on the channel number to match what I'm watching.

This feature seems like it's aimed at the people who know nothing, or don't care about HD(like the people who are watching SD content on an HD set and swear it looks great and are watching HD, the ones that have no clue). It forces them to watch the HD content when they go to an SD channel.

If I ever tune to an SD channel it is on purpose, not by mistake. So I expect to see SD content from an SD channel.

Most people don't know anything.

One of the things in my mind that holds back HD adoption rates from providers and limits the number of HD channels for those who have it is having the different channel numbers, in addition to box fees, programming fees, and bandwidth.

You all may have forgotten that DirecTV scatters the HD channels around next to the equivalent SD channel. FiOS puts most (except some PPV, etc.) HD channels in a block starting at 500. I would think most people could undertand that but might have more of a issue remembering what the HD channels are when they're mixed right in with the SD channels.
I do not believe "having the different channel number" holds back HD adoption rates.

For old people used to turning to channel 5 who now have to use channel 505, it is a challenge. It's better with FiOS because it at least makes sense, a ton of lineups don't. Comcast will have you turn to 231 for an HD channel that's SD channel 5, what does that mean?

It is definitely part of what holds back HD adoption rates. Technology fees are a bigger part of it though, but I see no problem with what DirecTV does with their channel mapping. I think it's more of a problem that they add an additional $10/month for HD without auto bill pay.

I think you're giving our seniors a bad rap. Having them remember very different channel numbers for HD channels versus familiar channels like "5" is indeed a challenge -- but not just for them but for everyone. But adding "500" to the "familiar" channel number is not very difficult to grasp, and all the "old people" I know can add.

Right but is there a reason you would tune to a SD version of a channel instead of the HD. The whole point of the Direct TV feature was that if there was an HD Version of a channel, it would only map to that one and not the SD one

I can't speak for others, but for me, I like having the SD channels for recording purposes, to save space. I don't need the SD channels for live TV but they can be useful if I'm running out of hard drive space on the DVR. There are some programs that I don't need to see in HD anyway, like the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. I'll record it in HD if I have a lot of space, but I can choose the SD version if I don't. More importantly, my friends with 6416 DVRs (only 180 GB, I think) record the Daily Show and Colbert Report in SD and they would be really ticked off if they couldn't do that to save space.

I used to have Cablevision and they re-mapped the HD channels over the SD channels and eliminated those SD channels. I was REALLY annoyed -- especially because Cablevision only has (or had, at the time) 180 GB DVRs and nothing bigger, and no way to add an external hard drive. So I'd run out of space on that stupid DVR (with its primitive interface, looking like it was programmed on a Commodore 64 or something!) in the blink of an eye.

I'm all in favor of re-mapping for live TV as long as I can CHOOSE to record in SD (maybe as a menu option after you hit "record" or something like that). There are a LOT of VERY ignorant people out there who don't know the difference between SD and HD and will keep surfing through the 0-500 channels and saying, "Why does this look so bad compared to Cablevision? I'm going back to Cablevision!" Never overestimate the intelligence of the average person.

Ike1,

the 6416 is 160 GBs/ The "16" indicated the GBs of the HD.

Anyway,

I would implore you and/or your friends to upgrade your DVRs to 7000 series DVRs. Then they can use eSATA if they want. I say this because very soon, there will be more MPEG4 channels being added, and converted. If one does not have a 7000 series HD box, then you can not get these channels.

They already have done this with the MLB Extra Innings channels, as well as Spanish Package channels to start.

I do know that the Discovery Networks are in the process of switching their Satellites to MPEG4. The Animal Planet, and Science channel are MPEG4, and in September, Destination America, TLC, and the Discovery Channel itself will be switched over to MPEG4.

After they switch, for the people who still have 6000 series boxes, they will get a prompt on their TVs saying they need to upgrade to 7000 series HD boxes and DVRs.

I just thought you should know, before the day comes when one is surfing the TV and is like : WTF, I get Discovery Channel, but I can't tune to it because my box not MPEG4 etc.

Just a little heads up.

Just because Discovery is changing to MPEG4 does not mean Verizon is converting those channels. You're getting ahead of yourself.

Surfing the TV?? No need for that with a DVR.

Yes. When I watch Family Guy on TBS I watch it on the SD channel because TBS decided that they will stretch 4:3 content to fit my screen, which I loathe. Let me decide that myself, don't do that for me.

-Shark2k

Couldn't agree more Shark2k as they've never shown a widescreen movie on 4:3 TV anamorphic save for the credits. It was pan-n-scan or letterboxed. Why not go status quo on HD?

Verizon is giving us BBC America HD in MPEG2, not MPEG4, so I think that shoots a pretty big hole in your MPEG4 speculation, unfortunately.

I agree with Matcarl. I'd love it if Verizon made more space by distributing more channels in MPEG4 but they're clearly not going to do that. Someone (claiming to be) from Verizon already said they're not switching any existing channels to MPEG4, not even those putrid useless .tv channels! Any channel that comes from satellite in MPEG4 is already being converted to MPEG2 by Verizon. (Isn't HBO native MPEG4?) And so will Discovery. Verizon doesn't want to deal with the flood of requests for new DVRs they'd get if they switched popular channels to MPEG4. (MLB Extra Innings and that Spanish package are not widely-watched so they can get away with it there.)

So, thanks for the advice, but I already have a 7232 (I got lucky with the installer). It's my friends who have 6416s. Never mind getting them to upgrade -- I was barely able to get some of them to let me fix the settings so that the SD channels would not be all insanely stretched out. One of them got Fios just a few months ago and they gave him a 6416. Either there was still a hard-drive shortage from the after-effects of floods in Thailand, or Verizon just doesn't care and would prefer to hand out crappy old equipment than to switch any popular channels to MPEG4 any time soon to make more space. I suspect the latter.

Anyway, more on topic, Shark2k makes an excellent point. Another show that looks idiotic in HD on a Turner channel is Charmed (a dumb show, IMO) which I stumbled across all stretched out on TNT HD the other day. The stretched-out visuals hurt my brain and made my eyeballs scream.

I guess anybody who likes that goofy show needs TNT SD.