# DirecTV vs FiOS Analysis



## sat-geek (Jan 12, 2004)

After searching the forums for a recent comparison of DirecTV vs FiOS (after the latest Verizon firmware update), I decided to use some holiday downtime to do an analysis for myself. I've tried to look at all angles: cost, hardware, software, picture quality, content/programming, and advanced features/connectivity. While I'm sure this isn't exhaustive, I am interested in feedback from others on their experiences.

Cost
Since I am already a FiOS internet & home phone service, there are significant bundling discounts available by adding video creating a true triple-play. I have ignored taxes in this analysis (yes, I know they can differ for land-based vs satellite).

My current DirecTV package consists of:

Choice $60.99
Showtime $12.99
DVR $7.00
Whole Home $3.00
2 Addtl Settop Boxes $12.00
Standalone FiOS internet (35/35mbps) & phone $104.99
Total Cost of TV, Internet & Phone = $200.97

With a Pure FiOS Package:

Ultimate HD $74.99 (includes Cinemax & Showtime)
Multiroom DVR $19.99
2 Addtl Settop Boxes $18.98
FiOS internet (35/35mbps) & phone $70.00
Total Cost of TV, Internet & Phone Before Promos = $184.96
Less 2 Year Promo Discount of -$30.00 per month
Net Cost = $154.96

A savings of $46.01 per month....ADVANTAGE FiOS

Hardware
As a one-tv trial, I've been testing the FiOS Motorola QIP7232 which is 500GB. My DirecTV DVR is an HR22-100.

Other than hard drive size, it's difficult for me to evaluate hardware independently of software. However, the HR22 seems a bit underpowered vs the QIP7232. Both allow eSATA external storage.

TIE

Software

I tested using FiOS IMG 1.9 (the latest release with HD GUI). From a speed perspective, it flat out flies. There is absolutely no hesitation when changing menus or channels (reminds me of channel changing times back in the days of analog cable with no cable box). While the GUI is attractive, it does not have posters for shows as does DirecTV. The guide also crams much more info onto the screen which can be a bit disconcerting.

I've used the DirecTV guide for years and I'm quite fond of it. The search functionality is great and the information available is quite comprehensive. Having said that, it is dreadfully slow. I am very frustrated lately with the agonizing wait times between channel changes (up to 8 seconds by my count). The new HD GUI looks great, and I hear guide scrolling is greatly improved, but am also told the long pauses in channel changes still exists.

ADVANTAGE....DirecTV (based solely on aesthetics)

Picture Quality

Verizon boasts quite a lot about having the best picture quality of any provider. As I understand it, they do absolutely no compression for MPEG2 signals received and pass thru exactly the bit rate received from the provided. For MPEG signals, they must process (as they have a MPEG2 system), but allegedly no additional compression. For HD, I can tell virtually no difference in the PQ from DirecTV. For SD, the difference is huge. The SD quality on FiOS is light-years (my technical measure) better than DirecTV.

Advantage....FiOS

Content

As an avid sports fan, DirecTV has been a haven for many years. I have been a Sunday Ticket subscriber 3 of last 5 years. Obviously, DirecTV is the only provider with NFLST. However, FiOS provided NFL RedZone channel free of charge in the package mentioned above. FiOS also carried ESPN Goal Line which DirecTV does not.

DirecTV offers the RSN package. FiOS does not.

TIE...(although I will save approx $300/yr by opting for NFL RZ with FiOS vs NFLST with Directv)

Advanced Features/Connectivity

DirecTV offers many great features including the ability to take DVR content out of the home via Nomad. Additionally, their iPad app is best in class and now offers live in-home streaming for many networks. Additionally, DirecTV's Cutting Edge program allows geeks like me to play active roles in the development process.

FiOS claims to be working on streaming for both iPad and Xbox Live. Details remain sketchy. FiOS also offers an iPad app with similar DVR programming functionality as DirecTV. The biggest gap is the ability for me to take by DVR content with me like I can with Nomad.

ADVANTAGE...DirecTV.

After all this, I must admit that I'm still quite torn on the final decision. I've been with DirecTV for almost ten years and I've seen them really be a technology leader. However, Verizon FiOS (maybe more than any other provider out there) seems to rival DirecTV's technology, content and at a lower price (at least for my situation).

What are your thoughts??


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## Davenlr (Sep 16, 2006)

I was sent a bill for $570 for a phone Verizon claimed I ordered. Then sent to a collection agency when I refused to pay it, and providing proof I was an AT&T customer with an AT&T cell phone the entire time. Then they admitted they had the "phone" in their possession, and claimed the $570 was a ETF. Only filing a police report accusing Verizon of fraud, and threatening them with a lawsuit, got them to back off. I dont know where they got my name, and SSN from. Dont know where they sent the phone. Dont care. I would NEVER subscribe to ANY service from them, EVER.

In your case, just use whatever service has the channels you want, as everything else seems pretty even.


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## gphvid (Jun 19, 2007)

sat-geek said:


> After searching the forums for a recent comparison of DirecTV vs FiOS (after the latest Verizon firmware update), I decided to use some holiday downtime to do an analysis for myself. I've tried to look at all angles: cost, hardware, software, picture quality, content/programming, and advanced features/connectivity. While I'm sure this isn't exhaustive, I am interested in feedback from others on their experiences.
> 
> Cost
> Since I am already a FiOS internet & home phone service, there are significant bundling discounts available by adding video creating a true triple-play. I have ignored taxes in this analysis (yes, I know they can differ for land-based vs satellite).
> ...


It seems to me that Verizon is making quite a concerted effort to make FIOS a very strong competitor to DirecTV and with what they currently have vs their potential, they may actually one day surpass DirecTV in terms of technology and service, although I believe the fight will be back and forth between them for years. Dish can't really compete due to their HD lite, and the other cable companies can't hold a candle to these two. What I do like about FIOS is the internet option included which DirecTV can't really offer something in comparison to.

Of course, these are my observations and assumptions based on what I;ve read and or heard about FIOS recently. My neighborhood has been getting FIOS cabling installed into the streets with the exception of those run by my HOA who, in a brilliant moment of stupidity, voted to not permit Verizon to dig up the streets to lay the cable for stupid reasons like it will make the streets bumpy (true excuse). So I can't compare as I would like and have to stick with DirecTV over Dish or Time Wierdner cable. And that is fine because I am happy with what I have from DirecTV, and have been since 1994. But it would be nice to see what Verizon would offer me with FIOS and the cost...


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## sat-geek (Jan 12, 2004)

I also forgot the mention VOD. FiOS is the winner here. Much larger selection of titles and also winner of speed (due to integration with their fiber optic internet.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

For PQ, isn't MPEG2 compressed by definition? And of course the SD comparison only matters if you watch anything in SD


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

Here's the biggest factor - Availability. It'll never be available here or in many other areas.


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## litzdog911 (Jun 23, 2004)

sigma1914 said:


> Here's the biggest factor - Availability. It'll never be available here or in many other areas.


Amen. We had Verizon FIOS in our area (Washington State), then Verizon pull up roots and sold everything to Frontier Communications. Frontier no longer wants to be in the TV delivery service and so they're pushing customers to switch to Dish or DirecTV.


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## SteveHas (Feb 7, 2007)

I have the best of both worlds,
FiOs internet at 35/35, and digital phone
DirecTV for TV, 
Many of my neighbors switched to FiOs TV as soon as it came in a few years back (as we all have hated Comcrap for years), and many of them claim to be dis-satisfied. I don't listen to their reasons for this, as I immediately start speaking glowing about my 12 year love affair with D*.
I have not noticed any great improvement in PQ on their TVS over my D* set up though.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

"litzdog911" said:


> Amen. We had Verizon FIOS in our area (Washington State), then Verizon pull up roots and sold everything to Frontier Communications. Frontier no longer wants to be in the TV delivery service and so they're pushing customers to switch to Dish or DirecTV.


Very true. I'm lucky to have the equivalent in Cincinnati, but even here the telco has dropped back to something closer to the UVerse model. Fortunately, these services are great for Internet, at least since Frontier dropped their insane limit.


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## Firehawk295 (Apr 1, 2006)

Davenlr said:


> I was sent a bill for $570 for a phone Verizon claimed I ordered. Then sent to a collection agency when I refused to pay it, and providing proof I was an AT&T customer with an AT&T cell phone the entire time. Then they admitted they had the "phone" in their possession, and claimed the $570 was a ETF. Only filing a police report accusing Verizon of fraud, and threatening them with a lawsuit, got them to back off. I dont know where they got my name, and SSN from. Dont know where they sent the phone. Dont care. I would NEVER subscribe to ANY service from them, EVER.
> 
> In your case, just use whatever service has the channels you want, as everything else seems pretty even.


Thats a beef with Verizon Wireless and has nothing to do with Verizon FiOS which is run by their landline operations.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

Davenlr said:


> I was sent a bill for $570 for a phone Verizon claimed I ordered. Then sent to a collection agency when I refused to pay it, and providing proof I was an AT&T customer with an AT&T cell phone the entire time. Then they admitted they had the "phone" in their possession, and claimed the $570 was a ETF. Only filing a police report accusing Verizon of fraud, and threatening them with a lawsuit, got them to back off. I dont know where they got my name, and SSN from. Dont know where they sent the phone. Dont care. I would NEVER subscribe to ANY service from them, EVER.
> 
> In your case, just use whatever service has the channels you want, as everything else seems pretty even.


I've had similar experiences with Verizon. If their cell phone network wasn't so good, I wouldn't have anything to do with them. They lie blatantly, cheat in any way they can and are never wrong. I will admit that I'll give their FIOS Internet service a shot if they ever get to my area with it. I'm sick of Cablevision's Net service. Talk about bad service, you can't beat CV.

Rich


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

Firehawk295 said:


> Thats a beef with Verizon Wireless and has nothing to do with Verizon FiOS which is run by their landline operations.


It's still Verizon. No matter how you spin it, it's still Verizon.

Rich


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

sat-geek said:


> Hardware
> As a one-tv trial, I've been testing the FiOS Motorola QIP7232 which is 500GB. My DirecTV DVR is an HR22-100.
> 
> Other than hard drive size, it's difficult for me to evaluate hardware independently of software. However, the HR22 seems a bit underpowered vs the QIP7232. Both allow eSATA external storage.


You do realize you're comparing the FIOS DVR with one of the worst, if not THE WORST, DVR that D* has in it's lineup? Compare that FIOS to a 20-700 or a 24 and see what you come up with.

Rich


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## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

I have a DirecTV HR34 next to a FiOS 7232 P2. Been running this way for a few weeks, and expect to always have the two best DVRs from each provider, it's nice to play, but DirecTV is the primary TV service for the home.

With the recent FiOS "Free Multi-Room DVR for Life" promotion, it was an easy choice to add the 7232 into the mix, always wanted to play with FiOS TV, but still prefer DirecTV.

Personally I love Verizon, 4 iPhones for the family on Verizon Wireless, an LTE Datacard for my laptop, 35/35 FiOS Internet for the home, 3 landlines on FiOS Digital Voice, and now also FiOS TV (Extreme HD) ... along with the DirecTV Premier Service with NFL Sunday Ticket & MLB EI.

Few thoughts after playing for the past few weeks ...

I don't have a client FiOS box for FiOS MRV, but it appears that FiOS "Multi-Hub" might be comparable to DirecTV MRV, but does have a limitation of 7 receivers at least for now. Very little FiOS MRV experience that I've found in the blogosphere.

I've not yet received FiOS TV IMG 1.9, it comes this week (Edit: it seems to now be delayed), so still playing with the old 1.8 interface.

I really haven't noticed much of a HD picture quality difference.

I do prefer the simplicity of the DirecTV interface, but need FiOS 1.9 to really compare.

Speed wise they seem to be about the same, but the HR34 may get better when officially rolled out, and the 7232 may slow down with 1.9, don't know yet.

Have gotten used to PIP on the HR34, so miss it when playing with the 7232 and there are two ballgames on. And the HR34 can do PIP and still record 3 programs in the background, awesome.

The FiOS iOS app is cool, can see individual DVR info such as free space and scheduled recordings.

I prefer the DirecTV remote, but it may be that I'm just more familiar with the DirecTV remote, having them all over the house.

The HR34 with 5 tuners, 1TB, and PIP is certainly my preferred DVR. The HR34 does about 220+ hours of HD, the 7232 does about 70-80 hours of HD. I've been mirroring the series on each, but the HR34 is awesome for worry free recording with never a tuner conflict, I love it. I also prefer to not have appendage eSATA units. The advantage to the 7232 is never a worry with rain fade.

The 7232 seems to allow non-UPL MRV, you can individually select a DVR, but the family now actually prefers the DirecTV UPL throughout the home. One click DirecTV LIST to everything in any room, wonderful. And the HR34 supports 3 MRV streams simultaneously.

MoCA seems to be similar, the 7232 uses standard coax and the FiOS Actiontec Router sets up the MoCA 1.1 network, same with DirecTV and the Cinema Connection Kit (CCK). Both work fine.

Haven't played with FiOS VOD yet, but do use DirecTV Cinema HD for purchases a few times every few months.

The big bright time/channel display on the 7232 is annoying, covered it up with black paper, you can shut it off in standby. Also turn off the HR34 lights right after every reboot.

FiOS DLB does seem to buffer both tuners, but it's not as easy to swap between the two as DirecTV DLB. With DirecTV you can independently manage each tuner and easily swap between the two. With FiOS you can easily erase the 2nd buffer if you're not careful.

Will play with FiOS TV IMG 1.9 once received. If Motorola ever ships a quad-tuner box, then DirecTV might have some real competition.

Very comparable services, but lovin the DirecTV HR34 ... the 7232 is really just a toy to play with, and a backup for when a storm comes through.

And I much prefer DBSTalk.


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## cforrest (Jan 20, 2007)

Sixto said:


> I've not yet received FiOS TV IMG 1.9, it comes this week, so still playing with the old 1.8 interface.


Sixto, 1.9 is delayed for us in NY & Boston (DAC 5) until 1/12 at the earliest now, fyi!

To the op, having both FIOS (35/35, Ultimate HD & Phone) and Directv, they each have their strengths and weaknesses, as laid out by others. I'm able to afford having both but if you are into sports Directv is a winner, as well as their DVR. FIOS is great for VOD selection though IMO. PQ is close, FIOS is a little sharper on my TVs than D* but it's not enough to avoid D*. My 2 cents.


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

sat-geek said:


> Choice $60.99
> Showtime $12.99
> DVR [strike]$7.00[/strike] (lifetime)
> Whole Home $3.00
> ...


All depends on your situation. In my case (assuming your other numbers are correct), I'd be saving a bit less than you. That's assuming that one Multi-room DVR would be enough.

I get free premiums just about whenever I want (currently getting HBO and Showtime), so that's a wash.

I get Red Zone free now (and also last year), so that's also a wash.

I don't watch SD, so PQ is a wash.

The big DIRECTV advantage for me is discreet IR codes. I have two DVR's in the living room, and you can't do that with FIOS. That's a deal breaker.

Features, discreet IR codes, PIP on HR34, all mean that D* is the right choice for me in my situation.


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## jappleboy (Apr 2, 2010)

How long will skinmax and showtime be free , One year. more


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## sat-geek (Jan 12, 2004)

jappleboy said:


> How long will skinmax and showtime be free , One year. more


Showtime and Cinemax are included in the Ultimate pkg with FiOS. Not a teaser.


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## TBoneit (Jul 27, 2006)

dpeters11 said:


> For PQ, isn't MPEG2 compressed by definition? And of course the SD comparison only matters if you watch anything in SD


What Fios is saying that they take the MPEG2 feed from OTA for example and leave it untouched. Whereas DirecTV & Dishnetwork both re-compress it to MPEG4 thus compressing a already compressed video.

I watch things in SD, some of the channels I watch content from are not in HD. So SD matters.


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## Davenlr (Sep 16, 2006)

TBoneit said:


> What Fios is saying that they take the MPEG2 feed from OTA for example and leave it untouched. Whereas DirecTV & Dishnetwork both re-compress it to MPEG4 thus compressing a already compressed video.
> 
> I watch things in SD, some of the channels I watch content from are not in HD. So SD matters.


But the inverse is also true...Any mpeg4 distribution feeds they receive, are recompressed using mpeg2. Personally, for DVR storage space and efficiency, I prefer mpeg4. Either one will provide a good picture, given enough bitrate.


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## texasmoose (May 25, 2007)

We've had Fios running side by side with our D* HR24s for the last year. 
We have the IMG 1.9 coupled with the 7232.

The wife is always complaining about the Fios hardware & UI. It seems D* has spoiled her with our 2-HR24s. She only puts up with Fios, because it's a nice back up during storms & it's nice to have 2 extra tuners.

HD sometimes looks better on Fios, other times equal. SD definitely is better on Fios.
VOD is better on Fios.

The Fios remote simply blows, We love our D*RF capable remote(fios only offers IR, which u have to point it directly at the STB for it to work, a royal pain-in-the-arse)

We can't wait to get our paws on the HR34....................


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## mikeny (Aug 21, 2006)

cforrest said:


> Sixto, 1.9 is delayed for us in NY & Boston (DAC 5) until 1/12 at the earliest now, fyi!


May I ask who your source is regarding this ETA?

My contract will be up in May. Hopefully it'll be rolled out by then. My issue is how I will go from 3 DirecTV HD DVRs and an H unit with Whole Home DVR service to what I can comparably afford (preferably save) with FiOS. I could probably go to 2 FiOS DVRs.

Then again, I'm considering using a HTPC in one room stream to an XBox 360 and using the FiOS boxes in the other 2 rooms. However that would leave out FIOS live tuning ability in the 360 room, I believe. I heard they are working on some Xbox implementation though.


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## cforrest (Jan 20, 2007)

mikeny said:


> May I ask who your source is regarding this ETA?


Verizon employees on dslreports.com:

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r26...getting-loaded-onto-the-network~start=940#end

There is some back-end engineering issue with the DAC that hasn't been fixed yet in the past two months pushing the 1.9 upgrade off for a second time.


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## SledgeHammer (Dec 28, 2007)

Your biggest expense and obviously the biggest area for savings is your internet / phone options.

1) Do you REALLY use your land line at all vs. your cell? or is it just a fail safe back up for emergencies? I think at this point in time most people use cells for just about everything. Certainly digital phone service at the home is a complete waste of money these days. Get yourself the cheapest analog service without long distance. I pay a total of $26 per month for AT&T for that. I think at some point I'll disconnect it completely, although I'm hesistant... probably not for usage or emergency, but nostalgia... lol.

2) Do you really use 35/35 internet? Come on... I know you like to have the highest service available and that may be all that Fios offers, but look at your cable company for tiered options. I don't know your internet usage, but unless you've got 10 people at home all downloading movies 24/7, you can't possibly be using all that bandwidth. Most download websites aren't going to be able to deliver that kind of bandwidth to you.

3) As for PQ on SD, yeah, DTV isn't that great there. Not a deal breaker. I don't watch SD anymore unless the channel isn't even offered or its an older show.


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## Lord Vader (Sep 20, 2004)

SledgeHammer said:


> Your biggest expense and obviously the biggest area for savings is your internet / phone options.
> 
> 1) Do you REALLY use your land line at all vs. your cell? or is it just a fail safe back up for emergencies?


Yes, I use my landline, and no, it's not a fail safe in case of emergencies. I have Ooma, so I don't have a monthly bill. I purchased the Telo adapter for it and now don't have a monthly cost for my landline.

I prefer my landline because it still is superior in call quality. I don't care what anyone says, but cell calls will never beat landline calls in terms of voice quality (not including crappy landline VoIP service like Magicjack, et. al.).


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## mikeny (Aug 21, 2006)

cforrest said:


> Verizon employees on dslreports.com:
> 
> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r26...getting-loaded-onto-the-network~start=940#end
> 
> There is some back-end engineering issue with the DAC that hasn't been fixed yet in the past two months pushing the 1.9 upgrade off for a second time.


I did find a post that said "not this year". I didn't find any that referred to 1/12.


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## mikeny (Aug 21, 2006)

SledgeHammer said:


> Your biggest expense and obviously the biggest area for savings is your internet / phone options.
> 
> 1) Do you REALLY use your land line at all vs. your cell? or is it just a fail safe back up for emergencies? I think at this point in time most people use cells for just about everything. Certainly digital phone service at the home is a complete waste of money these days. Get yourself the cheapest analog service without long distance. I pay a total of $26 per month for AT&T for that. I think at some point I'll disconnect it completely, although I'm hesistant... probably not for usage or emergency, but nostalgia... lol.
> 
> ...


Verizon has been bundling me for several years under their "Double Freeedom" package which for $74.99 includes Verizon Freedom Essentials unlimited calling $22.00 [includes $7.99 for long distance] and FiOS Internet (20/5) for $52.99.

When I had phone issues over the summer (wound up needing new lines run), I looked into a bunch of VOIPs as well as OOMA. None of them seemed as cheap as this and my internet would have gone up to about $60 or $65 IIRC if I cancelled the phone portion so it wasn't worth it.

BTW I read there has been a stay in court blocking the carriage (again) of MSG HD on FiOS.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

mikeny said:


> Verizon has been bundling me for several years under their "Double Freeedom" package which for $74.99 includes Verizon Freedom Essentials unlimited calling $22.00 [includes $7.99 for long distance] and FiOS Internet (20/5) for $52.99.
> 
> When I had phone issues over the summer (wound up needing new lines run), I looked into a bunch of VOIPs as well as OOMA. None of them seemed as cheap as this and my internet would have gone up to about $60 or $65 IIRC if I cancelled the phone portion so it wasn't worth it.
> 
> BTW I read there has been a stay in court blocking the carriage (again) of MSG HD on FiOS.


I'm getting ready to dump my OOMA. We really don't need it and I'd like to sell it on eBay or CL while I can still get some money for it. Just got a notice that I'm gonna have to start paying taxes on it, about $3 a month. We've all got cell phones and we really don't need the OOMA. My wife might want to keep the OOMA just because of the phone number, but I'm not gonna pay for the "bells and whistles" (about $125 a year) if we do keep it. If I can port the phone number to my cell phone, we'll definitely sell the OOMA. Gotta check on that.

I didn't quite understand what Vader was trying to say about land lines and voice quality, but my OOMA is just as good as the land line we had.

Rich


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## mikeny (Aug 21, 2006)

rich584 said:


> I'm getting ready to dump my OOMA. We really don't need it and I'd like to sell it on eBay or CL while I can still get some money for it. Just got a notice that I'm gonna have to start paying taxes on it, about $3 a month. We've all got cell phones and we really don't need the OOMA. My wife might want to keep the OOMA just because of the phone number, but I'm not gonna pay for the "bells and whistles" (about $125 a year) if we do keep it. If I can port the phone number to my cell phone, we'll definitely sell the OOMA. Gotta check on that.
> 
> I didn't quite understand what Vader was trying to say about land lines and voice quality, but my OOMA is just as good as the land line we had.
> 
> Rich


What if you want to send or receive a fax every now and then?


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## Kevin F (May 9, 2010)

"mikeny" said:


> What if you want to send or receive a fax every now and then?


Internet fax services will do.

Kevin


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## mikeny (Aug 21, 2006)

Kevin F said:


> Internet fax services will do.
> 
> Kevin


I'm sure they will do and I don't mean to take the thread OT but what 'will do' for as cheap as Rich is paying for OOMA?


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## Lord Vader (Sep 20, 2004)

rich584 said:


> I didn't quite understand what Vader was trying to say about land lines and voice quality, but my OOMA is just as good as the land line we had.
> 
> Rich


I was *including *Ooma, as well as Vonage, for example, in the category of landline.


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## Lord Vader (Sep 20, 2004)

Kevin F said:


> Internet fax services will do.
> 
> Kevin


Sure, for $15 or more per month.


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## dualsub2006 (Aug 29, 2007)

"mikeny" said:


> What if you want to send or receive a fax every now and then?


Whenever I'm asked for a fax number, I give my email address. Whenever I'm asked to fax something, I ask for an email address. I can recall this happening 4 or 5 times since I ported my home phone to a cell phone and cut the cord in 2007. Hardly enough use to justify the expense of a landline or Vonage account.

I have a printer and a document scanner. If emailing a PDF isn't good enough for you in 2011, I probably don't want to be doing business with you.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

mikeny said:


> What if you want to send or receive a fax every now and then?


My wife sends them from work. We've never had a fax machine.

Rich


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

Lord Vader said:


> I was *including *Ooma, as well as Vonage, for example, in the category of landline.


Gotcha, didn't understand your post.

Rich


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

dualsub2006 said:


> Whenever I'm asked for a fax number, I give my email address. Whenever I'm asked to fax something, I ask for an email address. I can recall this happening 4 or 5 times since I ported my home phone to a cell phone and cut the cord in 2007. Hardly enough use to justify the expense of a landline or Vonage account.
> 
> I have a printer and a document scanner. If emailing a PDF isn't good enough for you in 2011, I probably don't want to be doing business with you.


Works for me. We've always been able to use the scanner method.

Rich


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## hoopsbwc34 (Aug 13, 2002)

rich584 said:


> I'm getting ready to dump my OOMA. We really don't need it and I'd like to sell it on eBay or CL while I can still get some money for it. Just got a notice that I'm gonna have to start paying taxes on it, about $3 a month. We've all got cell phones and we really don't need the OOMA. My wife might want to keep the OOMA just because of the phone number, but I'm not gonna pay for the "bells and whistles" (about $125 a year) if we do keep it. If I can port the phone number to my cell phone, we'll definitely sell the OOMA. Gotta check on that.
> 
> I didn't quite understand what Vader was trying to say about land lines and voice quality, but my OOMA is just as good as the land line we had.
> 
> Rich


Port it to Google voice for $20 and then have it forward to her cell phone.


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## Lord Vader (Sep 20, 2004)

Where she can get garbled speech, dropped calls, and other common cell call frustrations.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

hoopsbwc34 said:


> Port it to Google voice for $20 and then have it forward to her cell phone.


Thanx, but it dawned on me that her iPhone is owned by the company she works for and she can't change the number. I don't want it on my phone. We'll probably keep the OOMA for a while longer. It would be a real PITA to change the phone numbers on all our accounts, I'm going thru that now with all our accounts that are linked to our old BofA account. We dropped BofA for a smaller bank that doesn't charge us for all the things BofA did.

Rich


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## skatingrocker17 (Jun 24, 2010)

You're lucky you can get FiOS and if I was given a choice between the two I would definitively choose it over DirecTV.

FiOS seems like a better version of cable, and in my experience if there's an HD version of an SD channel on cable, you get it. If a new HD channel comes out, you also get it fairly quickly while it seems DirecTV likes to sit around forever and eventually release it and a few of the major networks are STILL missing.

For example, I had AMC HD for like 3 years before switching to DTV last year. They just added it in September of this year. I only have DirecTV because their boxes are SOOOOO much better than Time Warner Cables. The FiOS boxes seem decent though, DirecTV really doesn't have any other advantage except for that. It's not even cheaper for me.


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## mikeny (Aug 21, 2006)

skatingrocker17 said:


> You're lucky you can get FiOS and if I was given a choice between the two I would definitively choose it over DirecTV.
> 
> FiOS seems like a better version of cable, and in my experience if there's an HD version of an SD channel on cable, you get it. If a new HD channel comes out, you also get it fairly quickly while it seems DirecTV likes to sit around forever and eventually release it and a few of the major networks are STILL missing.
> 
> For example, I had AMC HD for like 3 years before switching to DTV last year. They just added it in September of this year. I only have DirecTV because their boxes are SOOOOO much better than Time Warner Cables. The FiOS boxes seem decent though, DirecTV really doesn't have any other advantage except for that. It's not even cheaper for me.


After the upfront lease fees for HD DVRs on DirecTV (which can often be waived..not necessarily all at once), FiOS runs more (especially long term) monthly in a multi DVR scenario. That's what I've always seen as the catch.


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

skatingrocker17 said:


> You're lucky you can get FiOS and if I was given a choice between the two I would definitively choose it over DirecTV.
> 
> FiOS seems like a better version of cable, and in my experience if there's an HD version of an SD channel on cable, you get it. If a new HD channel comes out, you also get it fairly quickly while it seems DirecTV likes to sit around forever and eventually release it and a few of the major networks are STILL missing.
> 
> For example, I had AMC HD for like 3 years before switching to DTV last year. They just added it in September of this year. I only have DirecTV because their boxes are SOOOOO much better than Time Warner Cables. The FiOS boxes seem decent though, DirecTV really doesn't have any other advantage except for that. It's not even cheaper for me.


Fios lacks some HD that others have. I don't get the fascination people have with Fios that it's some magical provider with all the HD. I know DirecTV doesn't have it all, but Fios also lacks:

DIYHD
E!HD
HLNHD
GSNHD
OWNHD
BBCAHD
G4HD
Cooking Channel HD
Fox Movie Channel HD
H2 (formerly History International) HD
Turner Classic Movies HD
Cartoon Network HD
Hallmark HD
Oxygen HD
Style HD


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## mikeny (Aug 21, 2006)

sigma1914 said:


> Fios lacks some HD that others have. I don't get the fascination people have with Fios that it's some magical provider with all the HD. I know DirecTV doesn't have it all, but Fios also lacks:
> 
> DIYHD
> E!HD
> ...


and MSG HD


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## tonyd79 (Jul 24, 2006)

skatingrocker17 said:


> FiOS seems like a better version of cable, and in my experience if there's an HD version of an SD channel on cable, you get it. If a new HD channel comes out, you also get it fairly quickly while it seems DirecTV likes to sit around forever and eventually release it and a few of the major networks are STILL missing.


While Fios is a much better version of cable, the belief that they provide so much HD is a misconception. They are very slow to add HD after their initial splash a while back and have capacity issues to add more. (All sounds familiar, huh?) They are actually missing several that DirecTV has and have several that DirecTV does not.

Where they do shine in is in local channels and subchannels.


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## mikeny (Aug 21, 2006)

tonyd79 said:


> While Fios is a much better version of cable, the belief that they provide so much HD is a misconception. They are very slow to add HD after their initial splash a while back and have capacity issues to add more. (All sounds familiar, huh?) They are actually missing several that DirecTV has and have several that DirecTV does not.
> 
> Where they do shine in is in local channels and subchannels.


Plus, of course their signal holds up in thunderstorms and snow storms.


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## dmurphy (Sep 28, 2006)

I switched to FiOS back in July when I moved into a new home.

The reason is purely financial.

My monthly FiOS bill is $162/month, and that includes 25/25 Internet, 2 phone lines, and FiOS TV with 3 DVR's, 2 non-DVR STB's and whole-home DVR service.

Previously, I paid $100/mo for cable Internet & 1 phone line, and then another $125/mo to DirecTV.

That's $63/month in savings, or $756/year.

Even when my FiOS discounts expire, that's still $43/month in savings.

Quite a substantial amount of money. I prefer the DirecTV DVR and DirecTV service, but FiOS isn't terrible either.


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## tonyd79 (Jul 24, 2006)

"mikeny" said:


> Plus, of course their signal holds up in thunderstorms and snow storms.


But not when the power goes out.

Red herring.


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## Lord Vader (Sep 20, 2004)

tonyd79 said:


> But not when the power goes out.


Neither does DirecTV when the power goes out.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

Depends on your battery backup. But when we had the windstorm that took out 90+% of power in Cincinnati, once your power came back, you had satellite unless it knocked you out of alignment too badly. Some on cable had to wait several more days. Of course my power was out a week, so that didn't help me.

Our phone company didn't offer TV service then, but wold have been the same thing.


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## gfrang (Aug 30, 2007)

No option here their is no fiber coming close to my house and i think i would pass on Comcast,even if i could get Foios i sure i would stay with D* at least i know what i am getting.That is my choice but everybody don't like the same things and they have to decide for themselves what is best for them.

I am glad there is competition because if prices get too much higher i would have to stick whit the antenna.


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## skatingrocker17 (Jun 24, 2010)

sigma1914 said:


> Fios lacks some HD that others have. I don't get the fascination people have with Fios that it's some magical provider with all the HD. I know DirecTV doesn't have it all, but Fios also lacks:
> 
> DIYHD
> E!HD
> ...


You proved me wrong then. I know when I had TWC, I had most if not all of those channels. Well not H2, it was History International back then like you said and OWN wasn't around yet but I know that both are available in HD now.

Are all FiOS channels the same everywhere (excluding locals)?

I'm definitely not missing Hallmark, Oxygen, Style, Cooking, G4 (which DTV dropped anyway because it sucks now), OWN or DIY HD though.

It is pretty annoying when there's a show you like and it's only available in DirecTV SD, because it always looks like crap. I still might pick FiOS over DTV for that reason alone.

If he doesn't need Sunday Ticket he can save himself some money and get FiOS. At the end of the day, channels are channels and they're for the most part the same and saving money is usually a good thing.


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

skatingrocker17 said:


> You proved me wrong then. I know when I had TWC, I had most if not all of those channels.


It's cool you admit being wrong, seriously, a few here refuse to.


> Well not H2, it was History International back then like you said and OWN wasn't around yet but I know that both are available in HD now.
> 
> Are all FiOS channels the same everywhere (excluding locals)?


Yes, channels are "national."


> I'm definitely not missing Hallmark, Oxygen, Style, Cooking, G4 (which DTV dropped anyway because it sucks now), OWN or DIY HD though.
> 
> It is pretty annoying when there's a show you like and it's only available in DirecTV SD, because it always looks like crap. I still might pick FiOS over DTV for that reason alone.


I understand and it's all about what's best for you.


> If he doesn't need Sunday Ticket he can save himself some money and get FiOS. At the end of the day, channels are channels and they're for the most part the same and saving money is usually a good thing.


Agreed.


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

sigma1914 said:


> It's cool you admit being wrong, seriously, a few here refuse to.


Some of us have never been wrong.


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## Lord Vader (Sep 20, 2004)

Indeed. One time I thought I was wrong, but I was mistaken.


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## Joe C (Mar 3, 2005)

sigma1914 said:


> Fios lacks some HD that others have. I don't get the fascination people have with Fios that it's some magical provider with all the HD. I know DirecTV doesn't have it all, but Fios also lacks:
> 
> DIYHD
> *E!HD*
> ...


Fios in New Jersey has the bolded channels in HD. It's listed on the website.


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## tonyd79 (Jul 24, 2006)

"Joe C" said:


> Fios in New Jersey has the bolded channels in HD. It's listed on the website.


You are correct. Nation wide. They just added E! A short time ago.


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

Joe C said:


> Fios in New Jersey has the bolded channels in HD. It's listed on the website.


Thanks - I just cut/pasted from an old post of mine without checking for updates.


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## DawgLink (Nov 5, 2006)

Had FiOS internet when I lived in Arlington, VA and loved every single second of it. I mean, WOW was it awesome. Got 25/25 for a great price and perfect reliability. ZERO issues for 2 years of service. 

Now I moved to NOLA and am back to crappy AT&T and Cox


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## dcowboy7 (May 23, 2008)

In northern NJ here we get all their premium movie channels free with the bundle ultimate package.

Has something to do with all the competition from directv, dish, cablevision.

Im not into their original shows & most of the channels dont do OAR so i dont really even watch them much.

840	Starz
842	Starz Edge
845	Starz Kids & Family
847	Starz Comedy
850	Encore
865	Showtime
866	Showtime West
867	Showtime Showcase
868	Showtime Showcase West
869	Showtime 2
870	Showtime 2 West
873	Showtime Extreme
874	Showtime Extreme West
885	The Movie Channel
887	The Movie Channel Xtra
894	IFC
895	Epix
896	Epix II
899	HBO
901	HBO West
902	HBO 2
903	HBO 2 West
904	HBO Signature
905	HBO Signature West
906	HBO Family
907	HBO Family West
908	HBO Comedy
909	HBO Comedy West
910	HBO Zone
911	HBO Zone West
912	HBO Latino
913	HBO Latino West
920	Cinemax
921	Cinemax West
922	More Max
923	More Max West
924	Action Max
926	Thriller Max
928	Women's Max
929	At Max
930	Five Star Max
931	OuterMax


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## HoTat2 (Nov 16, 2005)

Hey somebody quickly update me on the present FiOS whole home DVR solution. Are you allowed more than one of those Motorola QiP type whole home capable DVRs for DVR to DVR streaming like with DIRECTV?

Or are you permitted just one WHDVR per home feeding multiple STB receiver clients?


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## jpl (Jul 9, 2006)

HoTat2 said:


> Hey somebody quickly update me on the present FiOS whole home DVR solution. Are you allowed more than one of those Motorola QiP type whole home capable DVRs for DVR to DVR streaming like with DIRECTV?
> 
> Or are you permitted just one WHDVR per home feeding multiple STB receiver clients?


With their latest s/w (1.9) you can stream from any DVR to any STB/DVR in your set-up. So, yes, you can do DVR to DVR streaming with their latest s/w update. You can also now set up recordings from stand-alone STBs against any DVR in your setup. Although if you set up a recording from a DVR you can only set it against that DVR.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

jpl said:


> Although if you set up a recording from a DVR you can only set it against that DVR.


Ouch. That's a shame. Can you check another one DVR's scheduled recordings from another DVR? Or just from a vanilla STB?


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## jpl (Jul 9, 2006)

Steve said:


> Ouch. That's a shame. Can you check another one DVR's scheduled recordings from another DVR? Or just from a vanilla STB?


Yeah, I think that's an oversight in their implementation, which they're supposed to fix in an upcoming release. As for checking the scheduled recordings across DVRs... to be honest, I don't know. I only have 1 DVR in my set up.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

jpl said:


> Yeah, I think that's an oversight in their implementation, which they're supposed to fix in an upcoming release. As for checking the scheduled recordings across DVRs... to be honest, I don't know. I only have 1 DVR in my set up.


I know I saw a screen image somewhere showing you could select a remote DVR's TDL, but I don't know if it was a DVR or a vanilla STB screen-shot.


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## jpl (Jul 9, 2006)

Steve said:


> I know I saw a screen image somewhere showing you could select a remote DVR's TDL, but I don't know if it was a DVR or a vanilla STB screen-shot.


Right - I know I can see my DVR's to-do list from my stand-alone STB.


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## briancav (May 10, 2007)

To the OP: From your original post it sounds like you have an XBOX360. If you already have both a 360 and a Windows 7 PC, I'd recommed trying an HD Homerun Prime from Silicondust and a cable card from FiOS.

The HDHRP attachs to your network and will get you 3 tuners. It'll run you about $200.

You can run the 360 as a Media Center Extender which will perform all of your Live TV and DVR duties. All of the recording actually gets done and saved on the W7 PC.

I recently went to this set up and I'm loving it. I have 5 XBOXs throught the house and 2 HDHRP's and one original HD Homerun, which gives me a total of 8 tuners. I pay FiOS 3.99 apiece for the 2 cable cards I need and don't use any of their boxes.

I ran this set up side by side with DTV for 2 or 3 months just to be sure I liked it before I canceled DTV. 

At least when I signed up, FiOS had no contractual commitment so you could probably give this a try without too much financial risk. If you don't like it you can always flip the HDHRP on ebay.


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## TBlazer07 (Feb 5, 2009)

jpl said:


> With their latest s/w (1.9) you can stream from any DVR to any STB/DVR in your set-up. So, yes, you can do DVR to DVR streaming with their latest s/w update. You can also now set up recordings from stand-alone STBs against any DVR in your setup. Although if you set up a recording from a DVR you can only set it against that DVR.


 Does the phone ordering folks know what software version and hardware you would be getting? From what I understood this "1.9" software has been "coming soon" for 2 years and is still not available in all locations. I was considering FIOS but only if I could get 2 DVR's with the larger HD and with MRV capability. Fios "triple play" with 25/25 internet would cost me like $20 more than I pay for DirecTV alone and that includes premiums + 2 DVR & 1 reg box. I already have FIOS 20/5 internet which I pay $58 for. I would be hard to give up DirecTV but it's just getting too expensive and only going to get worse.


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## jpl (Jul 9, 2006)

TBlazer07 said:


> Does the phone ordering folks know what software version and hardware you would be getting? From what I understood this "1.9" software has been "coming soon" for 2 years and is still not available in all locations. I was considering FIOS but only if I could get 2 DVR's with the larger HD and with MRV capability. Fios "triple play" with 25/25 internet would cost me like $20 more than I pay for DirecTV alone and that includes premiums + 2 DVR & 1 reg box. I already have FIOS 20/5 internet which I pay $58 for. I would be hard to give up DirecTV but it's just getting too expensive and only going to get worse.


If you're in NJ, then 1.9 is already there. It's in most markets currently - and the cisco boxes all have 1.9 already on them. There are only a couple markets that don't have 1.9 yet. But I know that NJ already has it (per your signature, you live pretty darn close to my brother, who lives off of exit 137, and he got upgraded with 1.9 a couple months ago).


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## cforrest (Jan 20, 2007)

DAC5 is the only one without 1.9 for FIOS. Scheduled for 1/11/12 tentatively, we shall see. DAC5 is NY & MA area. NJ has had 1.9 for a couple of months now.


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## TBlazer07 (Feb 5, 2009)

jpl said:


> If you're in NJ, then 1.9 is already there. It's in most markets currently - and the cisco boxes all have 1.9 already on them. There are only a couple markets that don't have 1.9 yet. But I know that NJ already has it (per your signature, you live pretty darn close to my brother, who lives off of exit 137, and he got upgraded with 1.9 a couple months ago).


Thanks! Which is the box with the larger (500GB?) hard-drive and do you automatically get that or is it one of those DirecTV "you get what they send you" situations?


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## jpl (Jul 9, 2006)

TBlazer07 said:


> Thanks! Which is the box with the larger (500GB?) hard-drive and do you automatically get that or is it one of those DirecTV "you get what they send you" situations?


They're doing alot of installs with the cisco hardware, and that DVR (forget the model number) has a 500GB harddrive. Likewise the Motorola QIP-7232 (which is the one that I have) also has a 500 GB internal harddrive. And both will support external expansion under 1.9.

As for which hardware, they generally give new installs the latest and greatest h/w, but I do hear of cases where new installs end up with the QIP-6416 (the really old hardware). If you get an install, just make sure that the installer gives you either the cisco boxes or the 7232. Basically if the installer pulls out a silver colored box, tell him to put it away - all the new hardare is black.

One other caveat - both the cisco and motorola platforms are functionally equivalent, but when it comes to MRV, you can't cross the beams. Meaning if you have a cisco DVR, you can't feed a recording to a motorola STB, and vice versa. Although that's not a biggie - I haven't heard of a single case where an installer gave a customer one of each.


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## dmurphy (Sep 28, 2006)

TBlazer07 said:


> Thanks! Which is the box with the larger (500GB?) hard-drive and do you automatically get that or is it one of those DirecTV "you get what they send you" situations?


I had my FiOS install back in July, and all 3 DVRs are the 500gb model. Usually, for new customers, you get new equipment... unless, of course, there's some kind of backlog and they're out of the new gear. Plus, with the 1.9 firmware, you can always stick an eSATA drive on the DVR.

If you get a box you don't like, you can always take it to a FiOS store (the closest one to me is in Denville - here's the list: http://www22.verizon.com/Residentia...Support/Account+Issues/QuestionsOne/98776.htm ) and swap it out at no cost. They're pretty friendly.

I'm in Parsippany, for what it's worth. The cost differential is the ONLY reason I made the switch. My Triple Play bundle is running me about $160/month - that's with 3 DVRs, two non-DVR STB's, multiroom DVR, 25/25 Internet and two phone lines. Previously, I was paying over $220/mo between cable Internet/phone (1 line) + DirecTV.

I still miss my DirecTV, but I'm learning to live with FiOS. Of all the non-DirecTV providers, it's the best (in my not-so-humble opinion .


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## kmax (May 23, 2007)

briancav said:


> To the OP: From your original post it sounds like you have an XBOX360. If you already have both a 360 and a Windows 7 PC, I'd recommed trying an HD Homerun Prime from Silicondust and a cable card from FiOS.
> 
> The HDHRP attachs to your network and will get you 3 tuners. It'll run you about $200.
> 
> ...


If you haven't already, spend a couple dollars and get the My Channels Logos for WMC.

Only thing I really miss over the WMC vs Direct is getting more cast and crew information. But the speed, guide, performance, etc. makes up for it.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

dmurphy said:


> I had my FiOS install back in July, and all 3 DVRs are the 500gb model. Usually, for new customers, you get new equipment... unless, of course, there's some kind of backlog and they're out of the new gear. Plus, with the 1.9 firmware, you can always stick an eSATA drive on the DVR.
> 
> If you get a box you don't like, you can always take it to a FiOS store (the closest one to me is in Denville - here's the list: http://www22.verizon.com/Residentia...Support/Account+Issues/QuestionsOne/98776.htm ) and swap it out at no cost. They're pretty friendly.
> 
> ...


And here I sit, surrounded by towns with FIOS and another member from another town in NJ weighs in on his FIOS experience. All I want out of life is a decent Internet Provider, which Cablevision isn't and probably never will be.

Rich


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## briancav (May 10, 2007)

kmax said:


> If you haven't already, spend a couple dollars and get the My Channels Logos for WMC.
> 
> Only thing I really miss over the WMC vs Direct is getting more cast and crew information. But the speed, guide, performance, etc. makes up for it.


Thanks, got that already. I've purchased that, GuideTool to back up my guide listings, and Tuner Salad to remove that ridiculous 4 tuner limit.

For whatever reason I've never really checked the cast and crew info, so i'm not really missing that.


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## dmurphy (Sep 28, 2006)

"Rich" said:


> And here I sit, surrounded by towns with FIOS and another member from another town in NJ weighs in on his FIOS experience. All I want out of life is a decent Internet Provider, which Cablevision isn't and probably never will be.
> 
> Rich


I moved from one side of Parsippany to the other back in July... My previous home wasn't in FiOS territory, and probably never will be. Where I am now really is the 'right side of the tracks' I guess.

Honestly, I eliminated my issues with optimum online by paying for Boost. It put me on a different frequency on the line - one which had no congestion in my neck of the woods. It was rock-solid at 30mbit/5mbit.

Have you tried Boost? It made all the difference for me.


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## oo7li (Feb 27, 2007)

Steve said:


> Ouch. That's a shame. Can you check another one DVR's scheduled recordings from another DVR? Or just from a vanilla STB?


Yes, you can. I recently added a second Motorola 7232 DVR to my account. When you go to View Schedule, it's let's you pick which DVR you want to see.


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## briancav (May 10, 2007)

dmurphy said:


> I moved from one side of Parsippany to the other back in July... My previous home wasn't in FiOS territory, and probably never will be. Where I am now really is the 'right side of the tracks' I guess.
> 
> Honestly, I eliminated my issues with optimum online by paying for Boost. It put me on a different frequency on the line - one which had no congestion in my neck of the woods. It was rock-solid at 30mbit/5mbit.
> 
> Have you tried Boost? It made all the difference for me.


+1 for Boost. I had cablevison prior to FiOS and was having problems with my internet dramatically slowing down during points of the day. Paying the $10 for Boost totally eliminated those problems.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

dmurphy said:


> I moved from one side of Parsippany to the other back in July... My previous home wasn't in FiOS territory, and probably never will be. Where I am now really is the 'right side of the tracks' I guess.
> 
> Honestly, I eliminated my issues with optimum online by paying for Boost. It put me on a different frequency on the line - one which had no congestion in my neck of the woods. It was rock-solid at 30mbit/5mbit.
> 
> Have you tried Boost? It made all the difference for me.


I've got Boost+, the next step up. What happens to me is my speed down varies, at times not always, from 56Mbs to 2 or less Mbs. I've had many techs out to my house and they've changed and checked everything and they always end up on the pole and tell me that's where the problem is.

Cablevision has some sort of techs that only work on the lines on the poles. I threatened to sue CV for theft of my payments while not providing the services I was paying for and that woke up the supervisors who take care of the lines. A day later I had a supervisor in my home and he watched the sporadic download speeds. His conclusion was that someone had "dirty" equipment on the same lines that fed my house and in a couple days it cleared up and my signal became steady at about 56Mbs. Now I'm having problems with it again.

Enough to drive me to drink.

Rich


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

briancav said:


> +1 for Boost. I had cablevison prior to FiOS and was having problems with my internet dramatically slowing down during points of the day. Paying the $10 for Boost totally eliminated those problems.


Cablevision is phasing out the Boost for the Boost+. They told me they're having all kinds of problems with the first version of Boost. I got the Boost+ for the same price and it has helped.

Rich


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

oo7li said:


> Yes, you can. I recently added a second Motorola 7232 DVR to my account. When you go to View Schedule, it's let's you pick which DVR you want to see.


Wish we could do that on our DirecTV boxes! I've got DVRs on three different floors of the home.

OTOH, the exercise is good for me!


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

Rich said:


> Cablevision is phasing out the Boost for the Boost+. They told me they're having all kinds of problems with the first version of Boost. I got the Boost+ for the same price and it has helped.


When I had Cablevision earlier this year, after repeated complaints, they finally solved the fluctuating speed problem I was experiencing by swapping my Docsis 2.0 modem for a Docsis 3.0 modem.

I did not have Boost service, tho, just 15/2. With Docsis 3, I was consistently around 13-14 Mbps, IIRC.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

Steve said:


> When I had Cablevision earlier this year, after repeated complaints, they finally solved the fluctuating speed problem I was experiencing by swapping my Docsis 2.0 modem for a Docsis 3.0 modem.
> 
> I did not have Boost service, tho, just 15/2. With Docsis 3, I was consistently around 13-14 Mbps, IIRC.


I got the ARRIS Docsis 3 modem a while ago. Now it's working quite well since they "fixed" the problems with the lines. Seemed like the supervisor of the line techs who came to my house was trying to "baffle me with BS" about the problems with the lines, blaming it on people's equipment rather than CV properly monitoring and maintaining those lines.

When the line tech went up on the pole and checked the terminal box he said that the two other people on CV were getting a worse signal than I was. I asked him if he was gonna fix their lines and he just looked at me.

Tell me how you can have three lines coming into a closed Court and have one different from the others. I don't get that.

Rich


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## cowboy620 (Mar 4, 2009)

i have been a dtv customer since 1999 and love my service. their only downfall was when they introduced the hot pass package for nascar, mr driver is the #17 matt kenseth, but all they ever show is a select # of drivers very rarely matt i was paying 80 a month for then they went free but i stopped watching it when they didn't show matt. that was dissapointing.

now as for fios i'm a computer builder repairer when i go to peoples home i see fios all the the time i'm sorry my dtv blows it away! yes my hr 22 dvrs that i have are slow! but a dtv tech told me the new hr 34 is fast so when i get mine we'll see. and if you get a 600 series samsung with the hr34 all you need is 1 reciver and the other tv's just need coax running to them up to four tv's off the hr34, so far theyb are the only 1's with the software to do that.

the only thing i want fios for is their internet but i live on cape cod and it's not here yet. they have not come over the bridges to cape cod yet.
i'll stay with dtv won't ever change thank you. nice thread though good analyises nice to see a comparison of the 2.


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## fiosguy (Dec 29, 2011)

sat-geek said:


> After searching the forums for a recent comparison of DirecTV vs FiOS (after the latest Verizon firmware update), I decided to use some holiday downtime to do an analysis for myself. I've tried to look at all angles: cost, hardware, software, picture quality, content/programming, and advanced features/connectivity. While I'm sure this isn't exhaustive, I am interested in feedback from others on their experiences.
> 
> Cost
> Since I am already a FiOS internet & home phone service, there are significant bundling discounts available by adding video creating a true triple-play. I have ignored taxes in this analysis (yes, I know they can differ for land-based vs satellite).
> ...


1. Some of VERIZION FIOS AREA & some other local non-VERIZION FIOS-IPTV have fiber to the home and in the home.

2. Fct that you do not need a dish and all the damage putting the wires into your house entails.

3. Ability to use a non-neutered TIVO - to me is far superior to DIRECTV's dvrs.

4. The fact for the same price you are paying DIRECTV for programming with FIOS you get a superior channel lineup - below are the channels FIOS has and DIRECTV lacks

ALL local sub-channels

arts
----CLASSIC ARTS SHOWCASE

anime
---FUNIMATION

etc
---BLUE HIGHWAYS TV
---G4
---LIFETIME - REAL WOMEN
---MILITARY HISTORY CHANNEL
---WEALTH TV
---YOUTOO SOCIAL TV

movies
---CINEMAX - OUTER MAX
---EPIX - 1 + 2 + 3
---FEARNET
---PIXL
---SHOWTIME - FAMILY ZONE
---STARZ - INDIEPLEX + MOVIEPLEX + RETROPLEX

music
---BET - GOSPEL + HIP HOP
---CMT - PURE COUNTRY
---HARMONY CHANNEL
---MTV - HITS + JAMS + U
---SOUNDTRACK CHANNEL
---VH1 - SOUL

news
---ABC NEWS NOW
---BBC WORLD NEWS
---CNN INTERNATIONAL
---EURONEWS

public interest
---CSPAN 3
---PENTAGON CHANNEL

sports
---BLACKBELT TV
---FIGHT NOW TV
---HRTV
---MAVTV
---WORLD FISHING NETWORK
---WWE - FIOS has said they will carry it -- NO WORD from DirecTV yet

5. One Bill

6. The fact with VERIZION & other FIOS areas as a subscriber your bloated montly charge is not used to subsidize IPAD - CELL PHONE APS and other non-CHANNEL stuff.
IF people want all that extra - have them pay it and let the people who just want channels and dvr pay just for what they use.

The ONLY advantage DirecTV has is their extra sports packages - BUT they have used that as an excuse not to add channels listed above. Because they think they can rely on these package to stop churn, well when as the economy starts tanking more, Sports packages is one of the 1st things to go and providers who have the dame prices as Directv but with more channels will win out.


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## F1 Fan (Aug 28, 2007)

fiosguy said:


> 1. Some of VERIZION FIOS AREA & some other local non-VERIZION FIOS-IPTV have fiber to the home and in the home.


True



> 2. Fct that you do not need a dish and all the damage putting the wires into your house entails.


How does the Fios cable get into your house then? Directv only has one cable into the house from the dish.



> 3. Ability to use a non-neutered TIVO - to me is far superior to DIRECTV's dvrs.


I have been trying to find the name of the TIVO unit with the 5 tuners, 1Tb hard disk space and lets me use RVU on my tv with no other receiver, but I cannot find it. Do you have a link? I want to trade in my Directv HR34 for it.



> 4. The fact for the same price you are paying DIRECTV for programming with FIOS you get a superior channel lineup - below are the channels FIOS has and DIRECTV lacks
> 
> ALL local sub-channels
> 
> ...


One or two on there I would watch but really not that interested. I prefer quality over quantity. But each to their own. Do you really watch all those channels?



> 5. One Bill


With paperless billing - zero bills! And coming soon - a $2 "convenience fee" for paying your bill, if they are like Verizon Wireless which is starting this next month.



> 6. The fact with VERIZION & other FIOS areas as a subscriber your bloated montly charge is not used to subsidize IPAD - CELL PHONE APS and other non-CHANNEL stuff.
> IF people want all that extra - have them pay it and let the people who just want channels and dvr pay just for what they use.


So if I read this right, you pay the same as Directv (we know they all follow each others packages) but you cant get to watch your TV you paid for on anything other than a TV? But with Directv you can. and thats a bad thing, how?



> The ONLY advantage DirecTV has is their extra sports packages - BUT they have used that as an excuse not to add channels listed above. Because they think they can rely on these package to stop churn, well when as the economy starts tanking more, Sports packages is one of the 1st things to go and providers who have the dame prices as Directv but with more channels will win out.


Given that Directv are the only provider adding net new customers in 2011, I say your argument is flawed.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

sigma1914 said:


> Here's the biggest factor - Availability. It'll never be available here or in many other areas.


FiOS was coming to my area in September. That's September 2008. Still ain't here!


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## F1 Fan (Aug 28, 2007)

Drucifer said:


> FiOS was coming to my area in September. That's September 2008. Still ain't here!


Google will be here before Fios :lol:


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

F1 Fan said:


> Google will be here before Fios :lol:


What's worst, I'm retired from one one of the companies that became Verizon.


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## fiosguy (Dec 29, 2011)

f1 fan said:


> true
> 
> how does the fios cable get into your house then? Directv only has one cable into the house from the dish. - they wire it in the house
> 
> ...


fios has quality and quanity and carries channels in genres that directv does not even have 1 channnel in their lineup - aime - international news - old time tv shows


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

fiosguy said:


> . . .
> arts
> ----CLASSIC ARTS SHOWCASE
> 
> ...


Thank you troll for the list. But there's nothing there to entice me to jump ship.


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## cowboy620 (Mar 4, 2009)

fiosguy said:


> 1. Some of VERIZION FIOS AREA & some other local non-VERIZION FIOS-IPTV have fiber to the home and in the home.
> 
> 2. Fct that you do not need a dish and all the damage putting the wires into your house entails.
> 
> ...


hey fios guy i have 1 bill phone dsl dtv from verizon! i want fios internet thats all but not available for me yet on cape cod!


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## beestea (Dec 13, 2006)

texasmoose said:


> The Fios remote simply blows, We love our D*RF capable remote(fios only offers IR, which u have to point it directly at the STB for it to work, a royal pain-in-the-arse)
> 
> We can't wait to get our paws on the HR34....................


Completely agree re the Fios remote... I've got the newest Cisco HD-DVR and i literally have to point the remote right at the damn box to get it to register.

I didn't even use RF mode on my D* HD-DVR's and it would work even when the IR sensor was facing completely away from the remote.

Still trying to decide if the $$$ savings of FiOS is worth the loss of usability.


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## n3vino (Oct 2, 2011)

Drucifer said:


> Thank you troll for the list. But there's nothing there to entice me to jump ship.


 I agree. More bull corn channels that I would never watch.


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## UTVLamented (Oct 18, 2006)

I have Directv (14 years) and Fios (3 years). I can tell you Fios has gotten to the point I am considering dumping Directv. Fios has all the channels I watch on Directv plus red zone, goal line, Epix and more HD premiums. The HR20 channel changing and guide delays are maddening. if you think having an rf remote is a good trade for all these minuses more power to you.


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## TBlazer07 (Feb 5, 2009)

Can you use multiple outputs (HDMI, composite, component) on a Fios DVR at the same time? 

Over $60/month savings (at least for 2 years) has me doing the yes/no/yes/no thing for the last couple weeks since the annual price increase was announced.

Minor tweaky things like aiming a remote wouldn't make me give up well over $700 a year savings plus 1 free multi-room dvr "for life" (saves $20/mo) and a $250 gift card. Sure, I like my HR34 and 9 tuners in my home, but 4 tuners (2 DVR's) would more than suffice. Frankly, between usenet and DVD's and other sources I could probably do with plain old OTA and save $1200/year (I'd have to keep Fios internet which I already have).

Thing is, it's like a woman and her gynecologist, you just hate to change after so many years of getting up close and personal with with what you are used to! Tough decision.


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## billsharpe (Jan 25, 2007)

FiOS doesn't carry ALL the local sub-channels in the LA area. I get 126 digital channels OTA with my rooftop antenna. FiOS does carry a few of the local sub-channels. AFAIK, DirecTV carries only a PBS kids sub-channel, unless you have OTA capability with an HR20 or an AM21. Even then you won't get all those 126 digital channels, only the ones that are in the DirecTV database.

It doesn't really matter though. Most of those 126 channels are foreign language and a couple are audio only.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

billsharpe said:


> FiOS doesn't carry ALL the local sub-channels in the LA area. I get 126 digital channels OTA with my rooftop antenna. FiOS does carry a few of the local sub-channels. AFAIK, DirecTV carries only a PBS kids sub-channel, unless you have OTA capability with an HR20 or an AM21. Even then you won't get all those 126 digital channels, only the ones that are in the DirecTV database.
> 
> It doesn't really matter though. Most of those 126 channels are foreign language and a couple are audio only.


Last time I checked, I can get 56 channels in my area on OTA. I don't have an antenna, but I know a couple folks that just use the antenna and they say they're satisfied.

Rich


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## nuspieds (Aug 9, 2008)

Drucifer said:


> FiOS was coming to my area in September. That's September 2008. Still ain't here!


They have it in a neigboring city, but I'm still waiting... 

...but waiting to swap out TWC Broadband for FiOS! That's the only reason I want it. 

Until some other provider has exclusive access to NFL ST, my DirecTV subscription stays put!


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

nuspieds said:


> They have it in a neigboring city, but I'm still waiting...
> 
> ...but waiting to swap out TWC Broadband for FiOS! That's the only reason I want it.
> 
> Until some other provider has exclusive access to NFL ST, my DirecTV subscription stays put!


A couple of my sets have PIP. If the FiOS triple plan was almost as cheap as their phone/broadband, I was thinking back then of using both DirecTV & FiOS in order to use my sets PIP.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

Drucifer said:


> A couple of my sets have PIP. If the FiOS triple plan was almost as cheap as their phone/broadband, I was thinking back then of using both DirecTV & FiOS in order to use my sets PIP.


Why can't you use 2 HRs?

Rich


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

Rich said:


> Why can't you use 2 HRs?
> 
> Rich


I did for a short while before I upgraded to HD. But the cost didn't make sense at the time when I switched HD.


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