Verizon FiOS Mobile App Streams Outside the Home While Verizon has been offering FiOS TV customers the ability to watch FiOS TV content via tablets and phones for some time, broadcast licensing restrictions limited this ability to only within the home, while connected to a user's home network. Now Verizon says they're taking their FiOS Mobile App to a new level with the ability to stream nine live channels outside of the home. That still doesn't compare to the 75 channels you can stream while at home, but it appears that Verizon's going to expand the total number as they manage to get new licensing deals with broadcasters.
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  aaronwtPremium
join:2004-11-07
Woodbridge, VA
 ·Verizon FiOS
| I tried this out yesterday.. on a 2nd gen Nexus 7, a 7" FireHD, an 8.9" Fire HD and a 4.3" HTC reZound.
The app itself did work very well. Playback started quickly. Picture quality was good since it played back in HD.
Although when on the cellular network it only had a limited selection of channels and said I needed to connect to my WiFi to access more channels. As soon as I switched over to WiFi they showed up.
Although my biggest complaint is that this app is like watching TV decades ago. With no way to FF,Rew, pause etc. I don't want to watch TV like I did forty years ago.
Although if you have a FiOS DVr is does have an option to initiate a recording on your DVR. But I've always used TiVos in the 6+ years I've had FiOS.
If I use this app it will probably be to stream CNN. Otherwise I'll continue using my Slingbox 350 so I can pause the content.
Although the SlingBox is limited to one stream. I had all four devices streaming from the same channel concurrently with this app when I was comparing them. | |
|  | Reviews:
·Verizon FiOS
 ·voip.ms
| Re: I tried this out yesterday.. As @aaronwt says there is little marginal utility to this app, and the pieces I find frustrating are:
1. No local channels
2. The app doesn't filter the stations according to your package. I have SelectHD which reduces my possible streaming channels to maybe 5-7.
3. No adaptation - Either it streams or it doesn't, no bitrate adaptation
4. No integration w/ their systems. There seems to be a button to record on DVR (I use W7MC)
5. App stability marginal. Verizon is known for crappy software and this is just the latest version. Crashed on me a few times, so just like any other Verizon software it will be abandoned and bugfixes won't be addressed.
6. Live streaming. Now this is really useless unless say you are in need of watching something live. I really can't stand commercials, so this is a non starter.
Specifically, I use Plex which works 100% today, along w/ skipping and bitrate adaptation. Since Verizon only puts CCI flags on a few channels, once W7MC records a show (and I use Ceton app to records on the go), it shows up in my Plex DVR tank and I can watch on any tablet or phone.
Maybe if they ever get their VMS out and actually have some integration there may be something there, but in the meantime this is junk.
So IMHO this app is basically trying to get a basic channel on your tablet. WOW. Welcome to 1940 with color. Not exactly earth shattering technology with the additional DRM phantom failures. | |
| |  BootesPremium
join:2005-01-28
Palo Alto, CA | Local channels are available in markets.
The CNN app can stream CNN and is probably the better option anyway. Verizon isn't very good at writing software.
You probably know this, but you can initiate recording with Tivo's app. It is kind of a pain to have to switch through all these apps. At least with the Roamio, Tivo has finally added live streaming (including over the internet). So the Tivo can basically cover all these needs, but it's expensive to upgrade... | |
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| | Who cares? Whopdee Friggin' Doo. Who cares about this? Give me access to my DVR shows and we'll talk. There is nothing that I care to watch "live". I'd bet that's what 99.99% of people want - we don't want live TV. | |
| | HooperPremium
join:2001-10-22
Villanova, PA | Re: Who cares? I was able to watch the NFL games live on CBS and Fox yesterday. Decent use case if you want to catch a game while you are out.
I can't get any of my secondary accounts to login to the app however. I don't think that is expected behavior. Just throws some general error message | |
| | b10010011Whats a Posting tag?
join:2004-09-07
Bellingham, WA | Like we say in our house "Live TV is for saps". | |
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| | hotspot? No, more like $10 a gigabyte cellphone charges Too bad you won't find many free hotspots.. while you practically trip over any one of 100,000+ of the cable-wifi hotspots. | |
| | | Dish has had this for years With Dish Sling, you can access all DVR shows on all of your DVRs PLUS live TV on EVERY channel you subscribe to complete with DVR trick play, plus set recordings/manage etc. from iPhone/iPad/PC from anywhere with high-speed Internet.
Of course, EchoStar, parent company of both Sling and Dish, offers the SlingBox for those that don't have Dish or want more Sling functionality. | |
| |  skeechanAi OtsukaholicPremium
join:2012-01-26
AA169|170
kudos:2 | Re: Dish has had this for years Exactly...with a Slingbox I get EVERY channel and all the stuff on my DVR.
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Nocchi rules. | |
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