matcarl
join:2007-03-09
Franklin Square, NY | reply to JeepMatt
Re: Continuing Picture Quality Degredation In Philadelphia
I'll be in PA for a couple days next week in the Strasburg/Lancaster area. I'll check out the Comcast analog channels at the hotel  |
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JPL
Premium
join:2007-04-04
West Chester, PA
 ·Verizon FIOS
| First off, my apologies - I confused Matt with K. Second matcarl, yeah, you'll see just how good it can be. Verizon would have to get mighty crappy for me to even consider switching to Comcast. A couple years ago, I went to help a neighbor with a computer issue. He had the Eagles game on in his den, and I swear I thought he was watching it with an antenna - static and snow all over the place. It seems that they reserve the "best" for their own backyard. |
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KA3SGM
- -... ...- -
Premium
join:2006-01-17
West Chester, PA
clubs:
 ·Cricket Broadband
·Verizon FIOS
| JPL, at least Verizon's boxes and DVR's keep sync.
My neighborhood is a product of the wildly popular suburban sprawl, and what was then Suburban(or Sub-Human)Cable decided NOT to run new TV lines in my part of the development. My yard abuts a wooded area between me and the neighbors behind me. They decided to just run longer drop lines through the woods, and back to their original tap, and for me that cable run is almost 350 feet. Even using RG11 coax, I could only get around -10db of signal at the house.
Comcast's subsequent rebuild from a 450MHz to an 870MHz system, and still keeping the same distance from the tap really finished them off.
They said they would move the tap closer, but it would cost me over $2000 to do so, and even then, it would take almost 6 months to get the work order pushed through, because it would involve re-engineering the entire cable plant around me, not just simply burying the new hardline and moving a tap
Sure a 15db amplifier at the house brings me back to an acceptable level, but it also adds 3-5db of noise at the same time. I used to experience lots of freeze ups and video drop outs. My cable modem(cable mayhem)would see the signal dive from +5db at night, to -15 during the day, just due to the warming up of the cables and electronics between my home and the 'node'.
Comcast always said that they could not guarantee me any Quality of Service beyond 300 feet from the tap, so I moved to Dish network. Dish itself is quite over compressed, and I don't have many mounting options to get a clear aim with it, so I could not wait to get FiosTV installed.
As was the data service, I was the first video install in my neighborhood. When they installed the Fios data in Sept. 2005, the tech made a big deal that I was on the 1st port of the 1st splitter in the FDH serving the area of several hundred homes around me, so call me an early adopter, or beta tester if you will.
Believe me, I have gone through all the growing pains that Verizon has, to get to where I am now, and with every passing day, this grows ever more frustrating.
Other than the service problems that I experienced in February, and some annoying billing errors, which it looks like they have finally fixed, the FiosTv service has been great, up until the equipment failure at the Philly headend during the weekend of May 19-20.
Since then the picture quality has not been the same as it used to be.
I still don't understand why some people around Philly see the problem and some do not.
I do understand that not everyone has a decent sized HDTV set to look at, so the PQ problem is likely not so evident, but in 4:3 mode, my 40" set yields a 32" picture(measured diagonally), and the decrease in picture quality is quite obvious.
It's not like I'm trying to watch SD video on a 102" screen or anything.
I have seen the picture quality vary from almost perfect, to worse than ever, so this is a variable problem, and I intend to keep after them until a resolution can be found. |
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JeepMatt
Delaware Fios
Premium
join:2001-12-28
Wilmington, DE
·Verizon FIOS
2 edits | Well-
I'm now convinced I have shit luck with companies ending in "izon".
Right as I was about to leave for the shore today (with friends' housesitting the dog the next 2 days) - I noticed the Central air wasn't turning on.
Turns out my compressor blew (after only 2 years of a brand new $4500 Trane AC) from Horizon.
So, now my AC from "Hor-izon" is f'd, as is my TV from "Ver-izon" - and i'll be out $1100 - and w/o air conditioning (with 4 days of 90+ degree weather coming) until the part gets in and they install it.
The joys of being a home owner. 
So, I sat and watched a DVR'd episode of Top Chef w/ my friends - the Bravo picture from the other night was so bad it jumped all over the screen. My friends were like, what's wrong with your TV? Exactly...
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"ONE team - ONE city - ONE dream!!" |
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KA3SGM
- -... ...- -
Premium
join:2006-01-17
West Chester, PA
clubs:
·Cricket Broadband
·Verizon FIOS
| WOW Jeep, don't they provide a better warranty??
I had a new Carrier system installed last fall, Heater and A/C. The heater has a 20 year heat exchanger warranty, the A/C coil and compressor a 10 year warranty.
That was the standard warranty. I didn't pay for an additional one. The optional service contract is something like $180/year.
I looked at other systems from other manufacturers and the warranties were similar.
Sorry to say, it sounds like you really got a bad deal. 
Can you trace it back to a power surge? Lightning?
Your homeowners policy might even cover it. Less of course whatever your deductible is.
OK, I've taken my own thread off topic now, PM me when you get the A/C running again. |
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matcarl
join:2007-03-09
Franklin Square, NY | Compressors are guaranteed for 5-10 years. Trane is a good brand too. |
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JeepMatt
Delaware Fios
Premium
join:2001-12-28
Wilmington, DE
·Verizon FIOS
1 edit | If anyone wants an idea of HOW BAD our TV actually is.
Right now, on USA - Sweet Home Alabama is on.
You can't even make out Reece Witherspoon's face. It's like an Atari 2600 video game.
This is the SHIT we've dealt with for 4 weeks now. And VZ supposedly can't find the problem. And you wonder why KA and me are pulling our hair out???
No wonder i'm drinking so much! 
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"ONE team - ONE city - ONE dream!!" |
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matcarl
join:2007-03-09
Franklin Square, NY | I just put USA on now and it looks like it's in HD it's so clear.  |
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CeeZee
join:2007-04-11
Wynnewood, PA | reply to JeepMatt
Clear as a bell here too. But when I checked USA at 7:00, exactly when you posted JeepMatt, and Sweet Home Alabama isn't on. Had you recorded it? |
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matcarl
join:2007-03-09
Franklin Square, NY | I found that odd too that he said that. That wasn't what was showing. Maybe that hot temperature in his house with the broken A/C has him seeing things on his broken TV. |
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JeepMatt
Delaware Fios
Premium
join:2001-12-28
Wilmington, DE | It was on UP TO 7:00pm. |
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KA3SGM
- -... ...- -
Premium
join:2006-01-17
West Chester, PA
clubs:
·Cricket Broadband
·Verizon FIOS
| reply to matcarl
said by matcarl  : "Maybe that hot temperature in his house with the broken A/C has him seeing things on his broken TV" matcarl, I don't think Jeepmatt has a broken TV, as the video problems are more widespread than you might think.
But he obviously has a broken Air Conditioner.
I can't seem to find AirConditionerReports.Com, so he has a right to bitch about it somewhere.
Tomorrow and into the next week, we are looking at +90 temperatures. So no A/C sucks.
Jeep, Trane(cheap version of American Standard), has a 10 year compressor warranty on their A/C systems.
They have offered that for many years. So it looks like you are covered!!!
Please don't let some 3rd rate Trane distributor shove the cost of a compressor failure down your throat.
Unfortunately, the parts are covered for 10 years, but the Labor is NOT. The labor cost should not kill you though.
4 bolts and some copper tube brazing should not = $1000+
They can still reclaim the refrigerant, be it R-22 or R-410, so they should not have to charge you for that either.
Just consider an annual maintenance contract going forward.
It offers a little piece of mind.
Sorry, but in the end, the *.*-IZON companies have you.
You have been assimilated.
Thank you for choosing the BORG!!! |
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matcarl
join:2007-03-09
Franklin Square, NY | KA,
I'm well aware of the problems both you and Jeep are experiencing. I know it's not his TV, I was joking with him. I have IM'd both of you with my support of your problem and hope it gets resolved soon. |
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JeepMatt
Delaware Fios
Premium
join:2001-12-28
Wilmington, DE
·Verizon FIOS
2 edits | You guys crack me up!
Yeah KA - the parts are covered by my warranty - apparently the labor is that much! No worries, i'll be negotiating that estimate...
At least my TV pic still looks the same this morning...
Every morning I wake up and see they've made no attempt at late-night maintenance, it sickens me more and more.
I think the only engineers looking into this are the ones that drive Septa trains. |
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JPL
Premium
join:2007-04-04
West Chester, PA
·Verizon FIOS
1 edit | reply to JeepMatt
said by JeepMatt :If anyone wants an idea of HOW BAD our TV actually is. Right now, on USA - Sweet Home Alabama is on. You can't even make out Reece Witherspoon's face. It's like an Atari 2600 video game. This is the SHIT we've dealt with for 4 weeks now. And VZ supposedly can't find the problem. And you wonder why KA and me are pulling our hair out??? No wonder i'm drinking so much! Ok, now I know we're definitely not seeing the problem you are. I watched a chunk of that movie at the same time yesterday, and it looked fine to me. As good as a movie on USA can look.
Edit - wait a sec... maybe it wasn't that showing I was watching... they've been showing that movie so much lately that I lost track - I remember seeing it on the guide yesterday, but I think I watched it on Friday night... not yesterday. Still everything I watched yesterday looked great. We went to a friend's house last night for a graduation party. They have Comcast with a 50+" HD TV. He had the Phillies game on CSN HD, and it looked dull - if it wasn't in widescreen I would never have known it was in HD. I came home and just started flipping around - my SD looked sharper and clearer than his HD. |
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JeepMatt
Delaware Fios
Premium
join:2001-12-28
Wilmington, DE
·Verizon FIOS
2 edits | said by JPL :Ok, now I know we're definitely not seeing the problem you are. You got it JPL - they're not seeing it in Wayne either. The person that came by my home Thursday verified that as well. So as I said earlier - it's definitely an issue between the VHO and me and KA and whoever else is seeing it - and NOT everyone out of the Philly VHO. (See my Points A,B,C,D explanation above)
As KA mentioned earlier, they keep stressing to us that "it's being taken seriously" - but we don't get any updates at all - unless we bitch and prod for one - and those updates are merely, "we're still trouble-shooting". |
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JPL
Premium
join:2007-04-04
West Chester, PA
·Verizon FIOS
1 edit | One thing that really surprises me is that both me and K are in West Chester. Granted the WC area is a little spread out, and really encompasses more than just the city itself, so I guess it's technically possible that you and he are both fed out of the same office, while I'm fed out of a different office (if I understand how all these feeds work, that is - I'm basically talking out of my you-know-what on this). Some of what you've described in this thread really sounds horrible. For example when I have folks come over I usually get "man you're picture looks so CLEAR" not "what the hell's wrong with your TV, dude?"
I have to say, I REALLY noticed it last night coming back from my friend's house. He has a really nice TV, so I don't think it's that - it's gotta be that Comcast is still that crappy. I swear my SD looked better than his HD. In fact, while the game was on at his house, the feed flipped to SD mode - during a commercial, or it may have been highlights of another game during a break. You know I could see zero difference between the HD feed and the SD - the HD was THAT bad. When I put on my HD it's obvious. It smacks you upside the head - especially on channels like Discovery HD, and NGC HD (even, ironically, CSN HD, which I think has a really nice picture) - it's so clear. The difference is obvious - you KNOW you're watching HD, and it's not just because it kicks into widescreen mode (some of those channels have the annoying habit of stretching their SD commercials to fill the screen. I really wish they would stop that). |
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JPL
Premium
join:2007-04-04
West Chester, PA
·Verizon FIOS
| reply to JeepMatt
said by JeepMatt :Yeah KA - the parts are covered by my warranty - apparently the labor is that much! No worries, i'll be negotiating that estimate... No worries... except for the fact that it's going to be in the 90's for the next couple days  I'm sure they'll cover it, but you may be waiting a while for the repairman to come out to fix it - I get a feeling they're going to be really busy over the next couple days (like the time my furnace gave out, when the temperature plunged to close to single digits a couple years ago - that was the longest 2 days I'd been through). I hope they're faster at fixing your AC than Verizon has been at fixing your TV. |
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Thespis
I'm not an actor, but I play one on TV.
Premium
join:2004-08-03
Keller, TX
| reply to KA3SGM
quote:
Trane(cheap version of American Standard)
Sorry for the hijack, but Trane has been around for over 60 years and was acquired by American Standard in the 80's. Trane doesn't make a cheap version of anything. In fact, the American Standard brand is going away in favor of the Trane brand.
Again, my apologies. Back to your discussion... |
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JeepMatt
Delaware Fios
Premium
join:2001-12-28
Wilmington, DE
·Verizon FIOS
| Thanks Thespis.
Another hijack - is anyone seeing MAJOR pixilation this morning on ESPN2 HD?
Lol..i'm glad I laugh!
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"ONE team - ONE city - ONE dream!!" |
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