# If you're in FIOS country - why sticking with DTV



## chefwong (Jan 26, 2008)

Just curious. Out of contract. Been out of contract for a good while. I'm happy with the current setup already...HR24's .

Just doing the annual yearly review on Fios Vs DTV, price points, etc...
On a initial looks, Fios will be at least $35 less per month when comparing similar setup

Have been using Fios voice and internet for a couple years already


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## thomas_d92 (Nov 29, 2004)

I traveled from California to the Philadelphia area last week for my Mother's funeral and stayed at my brother's house. He has Fios and I can say the picture quality was as good as DTV and the internet service was very good. If I had the option here and I could get a price lower that DTV and my internet service combined I would not hesitate to switch.


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## bobcamp1 (Nov 8, 2007)

I didn't stick with D*. I just switched to FIOS. I'm saving $70/month the first year, and at least $50/month the second year (depends on how much D* raises prices. FIOS price is locked). It includes multi-room DVR service and a few more channels than D*.

The only problem is I'm stuck with the QIP6416, which has a limited HD size, is a little slow (between HR24 and HR20 in speed) and does not support eSATA. New customers are supposed to get the QIP7232, 500 GB + eSATA , but they are on backorder. Note that FIOS combines both hard drives, instead of disabling the internal drive like D* does.

The quality of the SD channels on FIOS is amazing. HD picture quality is slight better with FIOS, though most people won't even notice the difference. FIOS has much more VOD.

If switching, simply suspend your D* account for six months. FIOS has a 30-day window where you can cancel the contract no questions asked.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

Been waiting for FiOS for almost four years now. I am completely surrounded by it. Years ago, I would have switch in an instant. Now I would get FiOS just for the Internet and keep DirecTV now that I have their HMC HR34.


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## ShapeGSX (Sep 17, 2006)

No option for Fios here. But if I got the chance, I'd think about switching.

My HR24 is just bog slow at browsing the guide and the recorded program list. I've had to wait 5 seconds for the UI to update when I'm scrolling in some circumstances. There's no excuse for that. :nono2:


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## jjaromin (Nov 11, 2006)

A little history. I was a long time DTV user (~1998 - 2011). I had Triple Play Fios installed about 1 year ago when DTV would not swap out a 3 year old noisy receiver that was in the master bedroom. Prior to this I had Fios Internet installed for ~5 years but never found a compelling reason to switch to the triple play package.

One day I decided to take the plunge. I ordered Fios triple play online using my Verizon account. It looked like I was going to save around $30 dollars a month.

First issue.. WAF! She and my daughters hate the Fios DVRs. They gave it about 10 months and finally said we need to go back to DTV. I would have to agree. I have the newest (black, I forget the model number, 500GB DVR) and they are crap. They are slow, IR remote (not RF), multi room has terrible lag, season passes are difficult. The channels are separated SD (Channel 0 to 499) and HD (channel 500 and up, you basically add 500 to the SD channel number), so I usually don't even look at SD channel land when looking for shows. The internal HD is not upgradeable and I don't want to add an external SATA drive to the DVR, so storage gets to be a problem on our main TV. Its always running around 95% full.

Second issue.. Price. When everything was setup, 30 days had gone by, I got my first bill. WTF! Called Verizon, asked what was going on. They informed me that since I was an existing internet user, I did not get any new customer discounts.. (I can accept this, other than the fact I signed up for the package with my internet verizon account). So for the cost, without discounts, its a wash or I am paying just a little more with Fios. Their DVR fees are $15 or $20 per receiver so that adds up fast with 3 DVRs!! 

For me, I regret going with Fios. I'm waiting for one of the Returning Customer discounts from Directv to show up in my mail box and I will make the switch back and just keep Fios Internet (its awesome!!).


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

For me it's mainly because:

1. Fios does not have discreet IR codes
2. I have lifetime DVR with D*
3. I don't have a home phone, so no triple pay advantage

In the end, with the number of receivers I need (and such), FIOS has always been more expensive. Additionally, having viewed FIOS many, many times (everyone else around me has FIOS - we were just about the first in the US to get it), I see no discernible difference in picture quality.


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## billsharpe (Jan 25, 2007)

bobcamp1 said:


> I didn't stick with D*. I just switched to FIOS. I'm saving $70/month the first year, and at least $50/month the second year (depends on how much D* raises prices. FIOS price is locked). It includes multi-room DVR service and a few more channels than D*.
> 
> The only problem is I'm stuck with the QIP6416, which has a limited HD size, is a little slow (between HR24 and HR20 in speed) and does not support eSATA. New customers are supposed to get the QIP7232, 500 GB + eSATA , but they are on backorder. Note that FIOS combines both hard drives, instead of disabling the internal drive like D* does.
> 
> ...


I switched to FiOS last October primarily for savings of about $40 per month. I agree with the much better SD PQ and the much larger VOD offerings comments. TCM is about the only channel that I watch in SD.

I too had the older 6416 HD DVR installed but I was able to swap it for the 7232 model at a local Verizon store at no charge. Call first to make sure the store has the newer models in stock.

I also suspended my DirecTV account but closed it completely within 30 days.


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## chefwong (Jan 26, 2008)

OT ....but to the receiver running comment.

We go through this whole movement.
CFL, etc, etc, etc.
Sadly , with the advent of HD - HDTV -, etc.....we have receivers that run and eat energy 24.7


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## tonyd79 (Jul 24, 2006)

Well. (I am a dual sub.)

1. FIOS DVR sucks.

2. HD contents other than sports is about the same, no matter what anyone tells you but FIOS cannot compete on sports at all.

3. DirecTV HD is as good as and sometimes better than FIOS (side by side comparision).

4. Fios technology is a bit too gum and wire. It is actually pretty skiddish.

5. Fios keeps upping the ante on packages. Routinely take channels out of packages and push to the next level. Their package is a big shell game.

6. Fios customer service sucks.

I have Fios in the house for phone and internet. The TV stuff is a very cheap add on for me as I keep it minimum. My other alternative is a very bad, antiquated Comcast system.


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## chefwong (Jan 26, 2008)

What I found interesting per the rep is their VOD content (assuming it's true). I was advised that their is alot of current channels that are VOD....so for example, a show showed at 8PM wed, would be available current via VOD

However, a brief look here:

https://www22.verizon.com/OnDemand/unprotected/FTVOnline.aspx

Seems to contradict that


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## Jimmy 440 (Nov 17, 2007)

Anyone know off hand if Fios has NHL CI & MLB EI in HD & if they offer dual feeds (all games or just some) ??

I am actually exploring it becuase I am anticipating moving to a place where I would be unable to get D in the next 12-16 mos.


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## sangs (Apr 2, 2008)

Jimmy 440 said:


> Anyone know off hand if Fios has NHL CI & MLB EI in HD & if they offer dual feeds (all games or just some) ??
> 
> I am actually exploring it becuase I am anticipating moving to a place where I would be unable to get D in the next 12-16 mos.


You just hit on one of the reasons I'm back with D* for TV (will not give up my FIOS Internet and Digital Voice though). I'm actually a dual sub through May, when my FIOS contract is up.

Yes, FIOS has NHL CI and MLB EI in HD - but only TWO channels worth. So if your team isn't playing on one of those channels, no HD for you. I missed the hell out of that the last two years. (Same holds for NBA and other sports if you're into those.)

I hadn't planned to come back to D*, but the offer was just too good - especially with the HR34 included. The FIOS DVRs - unfortunately - are still buggy Motorola's and even though I had two of the newest ones with the largest hard drives, they still suffered in comparison to what I was used to with D*.

The HD PQ is very similar. I've been comparing the two side-by-side for the last week or so and I see no noticeable difference in HD feeds, except for AMC which looks better to me on D* than FIOS. SD however, FIOS wins hands down, but I don't want much SD at all.

FIOS internet is outstanding and really makes the D* Cinema downloads fly. So much faster than when I had D* before and Comcast was my internet provider.


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## profbobo (Jan 22, 2006)

I looked into it once and decided not to for the following reasons. Of course, your mileage may vary. 

1. I second what sangs said. I'm a NHL CI subscriber and love getting home and away feeds of all the games in both SD and HD. As far as I can tell, DirecTV just turns on the sports feeds for the games since I can tune to those. When I looked into it, I think FiOS received their sports packages from a company called onDemand. OnDemand wasn't able to provide every game in HD every night. They only had 2 channels for HD. It was luck if the game you wanted to watch was on one of the HD channels. I think this is the same for NBA and MLB. Someone please correct this if it's wrong or no longer this way. 

2. When I looked into it, the DVRs were absolutely unacceptable compared to DirecTV. I had two DirecTV receivers in the same room on different remote channels. Couldn't do this with FiOS. Smaller hard drives didn't help. I would have done TiVOs with cable cards and that would have cost more. The receiver pricing structure for FiOS was also more expensive for my needs. Each DVR was $15 I think instead of how DirecTV charges for their equipment.

3. At the end of the day, I put it all in a spreadsheet over the lifetime of the contract and FiOS would have been more expensive for me since I have lifetime DVR from the old TiVo days. Also, I would have wanted TiVos over the FiOS DVRs.

In my area, Verizon eventually sold their FiOS business to a company called Frontier. Frontier doesn't have the negotiation power and ended up pricing themselves out of FiOS TV. Now, they push new customers to Dish for TV. I still have their Internet and that is awesome.


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## CCarncross (Jul 19, 2005)

FIOS has junk dvrs, even if their prgramming packages may be more attractive price-wise, no sale here. Oh, and I cant get it here....


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## kirthew (Sep 21, 2006)

I worked for Verizon and now for Frontier Communications working with the FIOS product. 

I dislike our video product, I don't think that we offer the sports packages that Directv offers. NHL, NBA, MLB almost all of their games are in HD on Directv. On FIOS they have 1 or 2 max in HD. In an HD world, this is where they are missing a huge market. With the bandwidth that the fiber provides, there is no reason that Verizon / Frontier cannot offer these channels in HD, they just choose not to pay for them, at least that is what it seems like to me.

The DVRs and STBs are not the greatest in the world, having troubleshooted them for the past 5 years, I have seen it all, and I think the boxes that Directv offers far surpasses the Motorola boxes that Verizon / Frontier offer.

All your DVRs talk to one another. I love this feature, I have two DVRs and they talk to one another on Directv. With FIOS, you have two DVRs, at least with Frontier and prior to switching over Verizon, the DVRs did not talk to one another, and you could only have one as the Home Media DVR.

Ordering something in the Directv world is much easier than ordering something in the FIOS world. Having fielded a number of calls dealing with PPV ordering of fights and events, things just seem to fly in the Directv world. My impression of Verizon, is that they are a phone company that tried to add video.

Now the FIOS Data, is second to none, and would recommend to anyone under the sun. I could not live with out my 25/25, but the video portion, give me Directv any day.


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## Justin85 (Jun 16, 2010)

I'd love to even have the option of FiOS


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## thomas_d92 (Nov 29, 2004)

Why does everybody complain about the Fios DVR when you can get a Tivo to do the job.


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## adkinsjm (Mar 25, 2003)

"thomas_d92" said:


> Why does everybody complain about the Fios DVR when you can get a Tivo to do the job.


Some people like On Demand and PPV, plus TiVo costs more.


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## TBlazer07 (Feb 5, 2009)

kirthew said:


> I worked for Verizon and now for Frontier Communications working with the FIOS product.
> 
> I dislike our video product, I don't think that we offer the sports packages that Directv offers. NHL, NBA, MLB almost all of their games are in HD on Directv. On FIOS they have 1 or 2 max in HD. In an HD world, this is where they are missing a huge market. With the bandwidth that the fiber provides, there is no reason that Verizon / Frontier cannot offer these channels in HD, they just choose not to pay for them, at least that is what it seems like to me.
> 
> ...


Fios DVR's talk to each other just fine under the current software. I don't have it but my daughter does. She has 2 DVR's (500GB each) and an HD receiver. A multi-room DVR is the same as a regular DVR it just has MR activated (like DirecTV does). If you have more than 1 DVR they are both "automatically" M.R. just like DirecTV. They all talk to each other and you can set & manage recordings on each from each unlike DirecTV. I'm not crazy about the interface but, like with DirecTV, once set it's pretty much forgotten. Also it is mostly what you are used to.

As for all the sports, many folks don't give a hoot. As for price, the deal has been a M.R. DVR for free for life so that removes part of the cost.

I have Fios internet and it can't be beat. Been thinking about switching to triple play but DirecTV to me is like a Gynecologist is to a woman. You just don't want to try out a new one if you can avoid it. Too much trepidation involved making the change.


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## iceburg02 (Sep 20, 2006)

Sunday Ticket is the only thing keeping me at Directv. FIOS just came to my area about 15 months ago, and I've been thinking about pulling the trigger ever since. Verizon's Red Zone Channel might be sufficient, and at $50, it's a few hundred less than the Ticket. I'm sure I could live with whatever functionality their DVR has.


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## adkinsjm (Mar 25, 2003)

Lack of new HD with FIOS.


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

thomas_d92 said:


> Why does everybody complain about the Fios DVR when you can get a Tivo to do the job.


Because that rules out the cost savings that the OP was referring to.


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## Blankman2k5 (Oct 21, 2010)

jjaromin said:


> For me, I regret going with Fios. I'm waiting for one of the Returning Customer discounts from Directv to show up in my mail box and I will make the switch back and just keep Fios Internet (its awesome!!).


Just call DirecTV and usually there are pretty good offers to reconnect your service. Call up and see what you are eligible for...


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## zimm7778 (Nov 11, 2007)

I have Verizon internet and phone service. I won't take them up on a FIOS TV answer for a couple of reasons. 

1.) NFL Sunday Ticket
2. I know where all the channels are. I know this sounds petty but after so long with Directv I'm not interested in finding them all over again. I also don't like that HD Channels are somewhere else. I like that I can go to the same number I would go to regularly on Directv and it's the HD version.


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## AlanSaysYo (Aug 22, 2007)

Sunday Ticket is my reason also.

When other providers send their salespeople door to door and they come to my house, I just say "Sunday Ticket" and they go away. My wife laughed in the face of a Comcast guy who tried to tell her we would get "all the national games" or some similar line they use to try to fool people into thinking they'll get a lot of football.


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## CCarncross (Jul 19, 2005)

thomas_d92 said:


> Why does everybody complain about the Fios DVR when you can get a Tivo to do the job.


Here's my best pseudo "Rainman" quote in response:

"Tivo sucks Ray"

If I wanted an interface that treats me like a 3 year old, I'd buy a Mac....


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## bobcamp1 (Nov 8, 2007)

CCarncross said:


> FIOS has junk dvrs, even if their prgramming packages may be more attractive price-wise, no sale here. Oh, and I cant get it here....


When comparing my HR24 to my old QIP6416, each has its pros and cons. At this point the HR24 has an edge. But at least in the QIP6416 the to do list is right there, and it has a recycle bin. But maybe I should get the QIP7232 so it's a fair comparison.


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## fireponcoal (Sep 26, 2009)

Dat's a funny joke CCarncross..

I have Fios and D*.. Fios tv is simply for CSN Philadelphia but we currently have every premium movie channel for twenty bucks extra a month.. My D* service only has the family pack+sports pack,Fox Soccer+ and CI currently..


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## linflas (Feb 9, 2006)

NFL Sunday ticket is the primary reason. I am still using an HR20-700 DVR on DTV and would really like to get the newest one with 5 tuners but doesn't look like I should hold my breath on that since they don't even show it as available to current customers.

I currently have the newest FIOS DVR and really since their big update late last year my only complaint is that you still can't record a completed show on it even if it is still in the buffer. Other than that and the fact that I don't use it enough to know all the trick play options the way I do with my DTV DVR it does the job.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

linflas said:


> NFL Sunday ticket is the primary reason. I am still using an HR20-700 DVR on DTV and would really like to get the newest one with 5 tuners but *doesn't look like I should hold my breath on that since they don't even show it as available to current customers.*
> 
> I currently have the newest FIOS DVR and really since their big update late last year my only complaint is that you still can't record a completed show on it even if it is still in the buffer. Other than that and the fact that I don't use it enough to know all the trick play options the way I do with my DTV DVR it does the job.


Can you hold your breathe for more than a week?


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## kirthew (Sep 21, 2006)

TBlazer07 said:


> Fios DVR's talk to each other just fine under the current software. I don't have it but my daughter does. She has 2 DVR's (500GB each) and an HD receiver. A multi-room DVR is the same as a regular DVR it just has MR activated (like DirecTV does). If you have more than 1 DVR they are both "automatically" M.R. just like DirecTV. They all talk to each other and you can set & manage recordings on each from each unlike DirecTV. I'm not crazy about the interface but, like with DirecTV, once set it's pretty much forgotten. Also it is mostly what you are used to.
> 
> As for all the sports, many folks don't give a hoot. As for price, the deal has been a M.R. DVR for free for life so that removes part of the cost.
> 
> I have Fios internet and it can't be beat. Been thinking about switching to triple play but DirecTV to me is like a Gynecologist is to a woman. You just don't want to try out a new one if you can avoid it. Too much trepidation involved making the change.


Ahh, that function has not been rolled over into the Frontier footprint, probably because for the longest time, Frontier was looking to get out of the video business because it does not fit their business model. Now they are pushing it hard in Washington and Oregon again.


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## linflas (Feb 9, 2006)

Drucifer said:


> Can you hold your breathe for more than a week?


:lolrobably but I'm sure they won't be offering a break on the $399.00 without a lot of haggling despite being a customer 14 years and then only if I sign for another 2 years and I am really not sure I want to do that even with the NFL package being exclusive to them. It has just gotten so expensive that budget wise it would make much more sense for me to move to FIOS since I already get my voice and data from them. The only reason I have the FIOS DVR at the moment is because I jumped on a deal where it basically raised my monthly bill about $20.00 per month to get FIOS TV plus the DVR and it seemed like a cheap way to do a re-evaluation.


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## rucknrun (Jul 16, 2007)

I just switched too. Money is tight. It will save me 40 bucks a month. I have one of the new Cisco FIOS boxes and it seems fine to me. The VOD is great. I can now rip the dish up out of the middle of my yard too. They couldn't put it on the roof. I am very happy with the service. 

One thing I miss is the having a single channel for HD and SD. FIOS has a button that says hit c to watch in HD if there is an HD channel. So it is not that bad.


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## Scott R. Scherr (Aug 19, 2006)

I switched to FIOS too after 13 years with Directv. HD picture quality a little better with FIOS. OnDemand is excellent with huge library. I have the Cisco box as well and it has a 500 GB hard drive that holds about 75 hours of HD. Guide and menus more responsive to remote with Fios, but Directv has the better guide.

I switched because of the huge price difference. Triple Play package for me was $69.99 per month for TV, digital voice, and internet for 2 years. Free multi-room DVR for 1st year. I have 2 additional outlets which are $14.00 per month for the two of them. I had phone/internet with Fios before adding TV.

Scott


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## markfp (Mar 9, 2010)

I stick with a company or service because I'm satisfied with their product and how I'm treated. I've been with DirecTV for 13 years and have always been satisfied and well treated.

As for a cheaper price, at least around here, those low prices are for new customers and only for the first year after that they've all ended up as much or more than I'm paying now. The local cable company doesn't want to scare off new customers and won't even quote a price for a second year. More than once, when I been deluged with deals, like when FIOS was first starting up around here, I've called retention and they always came up with a way to save me money.


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## zimm7778 (Nov 11, 2007)

"AlanSaysYo" said:


> Sunday Ticket is my reason also.
> 
> When other providers send their salespeople door to door and they come to my house, I just say "Sunday Ticket" and they go away. My wife laughed in the face of a Comcast guy who tried to tell her we would get "all the national games" or some similar line they use to try to fool people into thinking they'll get a lot of football.


When I called Verizon to do something the other day they have a new line when I tell them that. "Well. You know you can now get it through the Playstation 3." To which I responded "yes but then I'm at the mercy of the Internet speed and the Playstation servers." She retorted "well, you have our Internet so you know that's reliable!"

I can see these cable and FIOS outfits striking a deal with Sony and giving playstations and a free years sub for NFL Sunday Ticket to anyone willing to switch to them coming soon. I still won't bite.


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## UTVLamented (Oct 18, 2006)

"markfp" said:


> I stick with a company or service because I'm satisfied with their product and how I'm treated. I've been with DirecTV for 13 years and have always been satisfied and well treated.
> 
> As for a cheaper price, at least around here, those low prices are for new customers and only for the first year after that they've all ended up as much or more than I'm paying now. The local cable company doesn't want to scare off new customers and won't even quote a price for a second year. More than once, when I been deluged with deals, like when FIOS was first starting up around here, I've called retention and they always came up with a way to save me money.


FIOS will give you a two year rate lock. After that you can call and get the latest new customer deal. I know this from experience. When my two years were up they gave me more channels and faster Internet for $10/month cheaper. If you are not a subscriber to sports packages FIOS is a very competitive service. I have had D* for 14 years but seriously considering dropping it now.


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## hiker (Mar 1, 2006)

Some of you that have Verizon phone and internet might not know that you can get a triple play discount by adding DirecTV to your Verizon billing. Any DirecTV programming changes still go through DirecTV and it simplifies the bill paying. There's even a bonus discount if you have Verizon Wireless in the one billing mix.


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## wilbur_the_goose (Aug 16, 2006)

1. NFL Sunday Ticket
2. HD on NHL Center Ice
3. Whole Home DVR

Reason I'm thinking about changing to FIOS:
1. CSN Philadelphia
2. CSN Philadelphia
3. CSN Philadelphia


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## zimm7778 (Nov 11, 2007)

"hiker" said:


> Some of you that have Verizon phone and internet might not know that you can get a triple play discount by adding DirecTV to your Verizon billing. Any DirecTV programming changes still go through DirecTV and it simplifies the bill paying. There's even a bonus discount if you have Verizon Wireless in the one billing mix.


You cannot get the discount if they offer TV service. I tried. I was told in that case they are considered a competitor. Perhaps if you had it in place prior to FIOS coming to your area you still get it but they told me they can't add it now.


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## chick3112215 (Jul 20, 2010)

5 Letters NFLST!!!!


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## bobcamp1 (Nov 8, 2007)

wilbur_the_goose said:


> 1. NFL Sunday Ticket
> 2. HD on NHL Center Ice
> 3. Whole Home DVR
> 
> ...


FIOS has a whole home DVR, they just call it "multi-room" instead. So now it's 3 to 2 for getting FIOS.


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## hiker (Mar 1, 2006)

zimm7778 said:


> You cannot get the discount if they offer TV service. I tried. I was told in that case they are considered a competitor. Perhaps if you had it in place prior to FIOS coming to your area you still get it but they told me they can't add it now.


FIOS hasn't come here yet so I might be losing the discount.


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## rainydave (May 28, 2006)

I have Frontier FIOS (they bought my region from Verizon) for internet and phone. I didn't even consider adding their TV package because I am happy with the products and service that DirecTV have provided me since 2001. Why change from a good thing?


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## billsharpe (Jan 25, 2007)

rainydave said:


> I have Frontier FIOS (they bought my region from Verizon) for internet and phone. I didn't even consider adding their TV package because I am happy with the products and service that DirecTV have provided me since 2001. *Why change from a good thing?*


To save money, for one reason. I also got fed up with the slow response time to remote commands on my HR20.

I'm in the LA area and not a pro football fan so the lack of Sunday Ticket doesn't bother me at all.


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## rainydave (May 28, 2006)

billsharpe said:


> To save money, for one reason. I also got fed up with the slow response time to remote commands on my HR20.
> 
> I'm in the LA area and not a pro football fan so the lack of Sunday Ticket doesn't bother me at all.


Then you made a great decision for yourself. I was speaking for myself and my family.


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## mitoca (Jun 1, 2006)

I have FIOS for internet & phone, but when I added everything up for 4-5 HDTV's it was going to cost more than D*. Plus the published prices I could find said they were for the first year - I didn't know if I would get hit with a big increase after that. I've been with them for 14 years with no complaints, so why change?


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## CurtP (Jan 9, 2008)

Went to FiOS for a few months and couldn't drop them fast enough. DVR was unusable and unstable, their HD picture wasn't as good as DTV's SD and their channel lineup was awful. I kept losing channels only to find out they moved them to a higher tier package. And my bills were always 30%+ more than what they said they would be because of their outrageous fees they charge for everything (like the receiver lease). They should be proud that they finally surpassed Comcast as the provider with the worst customer service.

Their internet sucks too. They force their POS Actiontec down your throat. I want an ethernet handoff to my firewall from the ONT. Nope, can't do it. Ok, so I'll put your POS into bridge mode so I can have an external IP on my firewall so my site-to-site VPN works. Nope, we're going to reset your modem every 3 days. Only way to do it is to switch to a business account, but that's 2x the price for a slower speed. Fine, my Cox 25/3 internet is 1/2 the price of the 15/5 FiOS, more stable and they'll hand me a routable IP address.

My discounted FiOS double-play bundle cost considerably more than my discounted separate services.


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## TBlazer07 (Feb 5, 2009)

CurtP said:



> Went to FiOS for a few months and couldn't drop them fast enough. DVR was unusable and unstable, their HD picture wasn't as good as DTV's SD and their channel lineup was awful. I kept losing channels only to find out they moved them to a higher tier package. And my bills were always 30%+ more than what they said they would be because of their outrageous fees they charge for everything (like the receiver lease). They should be proud that they finally surpassed Comcast as the provider with the worst customer service.
> 
> Their internet sucks too. They force their POS Actiontec down your throat. I want an ethernet handoff to my firewall from the ONT. Nope, can't do it. Ok, so I'll put your POS into bridge mode so I can have an external IP on my firewall so my site-to-site VPN works. Nope, we're going to reset your modem every 3 days. Only way to do it is to switch to a business account, but that's 2x the price for a slower speed. Fine, my Cox 25/3 internet is 1/2 the price of the 15/5 FiOS, more stable and they'll hand me a routable IP address.
> 
> My discounted FiOS double-play bundle cost considerably more than my discounted separate services.


 Maybe it's the salt water.


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## jimbo56 (Nov 13, 2007)

I have had FiOS internet for a couple of years now. Service is excellent, much better than the Time Warner internet I had before that. The only thing that was holding me back from getting FiOS TV was that Verizon was not able to carry the Sabres games in HD. That changed about a month ago, so I looked into FiOS pricing. By getting the Triple Play bundle and new subscriber discounts I am getting internet, phone and the Ultimate TV service for about the same price as I was paying for internet alone (I was given an additonal $30/month discount for a year when I complained that a rep at a FiOS kiosk had changed my installation appointment date without my knowledge). I figured I had nothing to lose, except my $115/month DirecTV bill and $20/month VOIP phone bill. After the first year, I'll lose a couple of discounts and my price will go up $50, but I'll still be saving $100/month.

After a week of playing around with FiOS TV, I really can't say too many bad things about the service. One thing I do like is that FiOS carries all my local channels in HD, including CW and MyTV, unlike DirecTV. PQ is equal to (HD) or better (SD) than DirecTV. The HD channel lineup seems as good or better than DirecTV (still no BBC America or DIY, though). I was given the latest equipment and so far the DVR (whole house) has performed flawlessly. The receiver changes channels almost instantly, unlike my DTV boxes. I haven't done any VOD yet.

Is DirecTV's favor is the guide; maybe I'm just so used to DTV's guide that it seems better, especially with the HD GUI. Also the DTV channel lineup seems put together/mapped a little better. I like the fact that I can tune to channel 49 directly on the DTV box while I have to remember that it's channel 508 on the FiOS box. I would also like the FiOS box to eliminate SD duplicates like the DTV boxes can.

As for sports, currently I get Sunday Ticket and Extra Innings on DirecTV. I figure with the $$ I'm saving I can buy a Playstation and get both those packages from Sony and have the benefit of a gaming system as well.

I still haven't cancelled DirecTV. I have 30 days to test-drive FiOS before I'm contractually bound, but offhand I can't see a reason to keep DirecTV. Not that I was ever dissatisfied with DTV, but it comes down to dollars and cents and if the two services are basically the same I might as well choose the cheaper option. And in two years when my FiOS rates go up to full price, I'm sure DirecTV will be hounding me to come back and will be offering some hefty discounts. Might as well play the game...


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## linflas (Feb 9, 2006)

jimbo56 said:


> I have had FiOS internet for a couple of years now. Service is excellent, much better than the Time Warner internet I had before that. The only thing that was holding me back from getting FiOS TV was that Verizon was not able to carry the Sabres games in HD. That changed about a month ago, so I looked into FiOS pricing. By getting the Triple Play bundle and new subscriber discounts I am getting internet, phone and the Ultimate TV service for about the same price as I was paying for internet alone (I was given an additonal $30/month discount for a year when I complained that a rep at a FiOS kiosk had changed my installation appointment date without my knowledge). I figured I had nothing to lose, except my $130/month DirecTV bill and $20/month VOIP phone bill. After the first year, I'll lose a couple of discounts and my price will go up $50, but I'll still be saving $100/month.
> 
> After a week of playing around with FiOS TV, I really can't say too many bad things about the service. One thing I do like is that FiOS carries all my local channels in HD, including CW and MyTV, unlike DirecTV. PQ is equal to (HD) or better (SD) than DirecTV. The HD channel lineup seems as good or better than DirecTV (still no BBC America or DIY, though). I was given the latest equipment and so far the DVR (whole house) has performed flawlessly. The receiver changes channels almost instantly, unlike my DTV boxes. I haven't done any VOD yet.
> 
> ...


I wonder how the picture quality is for the NFL games streaming through the PS3. Anyone used it that can comment?


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## jjaromin (Nov 11, 2006)

jimbo56 said:


> I have had FiOS internet for a couple of years now. Service is excellent, much better than the Time Warner internet I had before that. The only thing that was holding me back from getting FiOS TV was that Verizon was not able to carry the Sabres games in HD. That changed about a month ago, so I looked into FiOS pricing. By getting the Triple Play bundle and new subscriber discounts I am getting internet, phone and the Ultimate TV service for about the same price as I was paying for internet alone (I was given an additonal $30/month discount for a year when I complained that a rep at a FiOS kiosk had changed my installation appointment date without my knowledge). I figured I had nothing to lose, except my $130/month DirecTV bill and $20/month VOIP phone bill. After the first year, I'll lose a couple of discounts and my price will go up $50, but I'll still be saving $100/month.
> 
> After a week of playing around with FiOS TV, I really can't say too many bad things about the service. One thing I do like is that FiOS carries all my local channels in HD, including CW and MyTV, unlike DirecTV. PQ is equal to (HD) or better (SD) than DirecTV. The HD channel lineup seems as good or better than DirecTV (still no BBC America or DIY, though). I was given the latest equipment and so far the DVR (whole house) has performed flawlessly. The receiver changes channels almost instantly, unlike my DTV boxes. I haven't done any VOD yet.
> 
> ...


It looks like you had their internet service for some time prior to getting Fios TV. I had the same situation and even though I signed up online using my fios internet account, when my first bill came there were no new customer discounts. I had to call customer service to find out the discounts didn't apply. 
I hope this works out for you, but this cost me a significant amount of savings (and the first bill arrived well after the 30 day grace period).


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## pappy97 (Nov 14, 2009)

I have FIOS Internet (paying literally $46.64/month for 25/25, not bad at all!), but don't do TV for a double play for several seasons:

1.) Biggest thing is NHL Center Ice. Until FIOS can guarantee me that every time I get to see my Sharks I am watching the Sharks feed, I'll never even blink about switching.

2.) NFL Sunday Ticket, gotta watch my Niners.

3.) Need assurances that MRV would work like Directv, i.e. that I can use multiple DVR's in multiple rooms and watch shows on any TV. Comcast's DVR solution only has one server and the rest are clients. That's not acceptable to me unless the server has 5 tuners like that new Directv DVR.


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## jimbo56 (Nov 13, 2007)

jjaromin said:


> It looks like you had their internet service for some time prior to getting Fios TV. I had the same situation and even though I signed up online using my fios internet account, when my first bill came there were no new customer discounts. I had to call customer service to find out the discounts didn't apply.
> I hope this works out for you, but this cost me a significant amount of savings (and the first bill arrived well after the 30 day grace period).


I signed up for the FiOS Triple Play using an offer I received in the mail for existing customers. FiOS had been sending me these offers, sometimes 2 or 3 times a week, since I got their internet service. I did double-check with a rep to make sure of my pricing. Actually, while the deal I got is real good, I found that if I were a new customer my deal would've included a $500 Visa gift card as well.

That being said, I have not received a bill yet, so I may yet be in for a surprise...


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## jimbo56 (Nov 13, 2007)

linflas said:


> I wonder how the picture quality is for the NFL games streaming through the PS3. Anyone used it that can comment?


I pulled up this review:

"The first thing I noticed when I started watching a game was how good the picture quality was. Sony states that these are streaming in HD, but I wasn't able to confirm whether it was 1080p or 720p.

Regardless of the exact resolution, the picture quality was amazing. It was extremely clear, sharp and vivid. I never had any issues with the stream pausing or stopping for the rest of the day, everything ran perfectly smooth with no issues or loss of the stream. I switched between one of my local NFL games being broadcast over my cable and back to the NFL Sunday Ticket stream on my PS3 and most of the time the picture quality was so good there was no way to tell which one was being streamed. There were at times some areas here and there that would have a little bit of pixelation on parts of the screen but these were very rare, and in most cases hardly even noticeable. At least 95% of the time the stream was perfect with no noticeable artifacts."

Full review here: http://wegotthiscovered.com/videogames/directv-nfl-sunday-ticket-ps3-review/


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

jimbo56 said:


> I pulled up this review:
> 
> "The first thing I noticed when I started watching a game was how good the picture quality was. Sony states that these are streaming in HD, but I wasn't able to confirm whether it was 1080p or 720p.
> 
> ...


:lol: That's hilarious and not at all what people at AVS forum were saying.


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## gregftlaud (Nov 20, 2005)

Good reason to stay with DTV?? "NFL Sunday Ticket"


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## jimbo56 (Nov 13, 2007)

sigma1914 said:


> :lol: That's hilarious and not at all what people at AVS forum were saying.


Links, please?

Opinions are like a**holes, everybody has one. I'm sure the people on AVS have had some negative experiences, while whoever posted the review I linked to had a positive one. That doesn't make either one wrong.

If I choose to stick with FiOS, I still think I'm going to give ST on PS3 a try and I can form my own opinion. If I don't like it I can always return to DirecTV - I'm sure they'll be begging me to come back (and with some great deals, as well).


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## lordexter (Aug 6, 2007)

I tried FIOS for five months. I have been a DTV customer since the 90's. My first FIOS bill was over $100 higher then quoted. It took 5 months to get it down, but they still owed me a $50 credit. I finally cancelled and went back to DTV. Where I was welcomed with open arms. I had FIOS phone and Internet and the deal I was given was because of that. It was not worth the hassle and the pricing for equal packages were about the same. Don't be fooled with their deals, the extras will kill you. I will never leave DTV again.


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## Grafixguy (Mar 15, 2008)

You can add me to the FiOS for phone and internet, DirecTV for video. I had the triple play with FiOS for a year. The DVR sucked and there was no HD for local sports channels in NYC when I got it with the exception of YES. A few months later they added SNY but the battle with CVC over MSG and MSG+ HD was the kicker for me.

When DTV added MSG and MSG+ in HD at the end of 2007 I switched and haven't looked back. In addition to getting all the HD I need, the DVRs are better and the customer service is so far superior that there's no sense in even talking about it.

Notice I didn't bring up price? I may or may not be paying more...I don't know and I don't care.


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## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

I stay with DirecTV because of the HR34 and this place (DBSTalk). It also helps that MLB EI and NFL Sunday Ticket have every game in HD.

I've had FiOS Voice/Internet, rock solid, perfect. 

When I recently upgraded to FiOS Digital Voice (FDV) ... there were no more FCC line charges for additional lines or wacky taxes ... each line after the 1st line is unlimited for only $9.99/month. 

And more awesomeness ... when I did the FDV upgrade, I also added Extreme HD for just $10 additional per month, and got a 500GB 7232 DVR "Free for Life".

$99/month for Unlimited Voice, 35/35 Internet, Extreme HD, and 7232 DVR "Free for Life" ... price guaranteed for 2 years ... Perfect.

But I still love DirecTV ... and just use FiOS TV to play with once in a while, be familiar with the competition, and I now have a backup if the satellite ever goes out or a DVR recording is an issue.

But the real item is the DirecTV HR34 ... I want to have multiple 4-tuner (at least), 1TB, 3-stream MRV capable, PiP DVRs ... that are fully integrated with the provider, with any-to-any MRV connectivity from every receiver in any room in the home.

Presently, DirecTV is the only provider on the planet earth with such capability.

One 5-tuner 1TB box for me. One 5-tuner 1TB box for the wife/kids. Every recording accessible from every TV location in the home. Perfect. Absolutely perfect.


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

jimbo56 said:


> Links, please?
> 
> Opinions are like a**holes, everybody has one. I'm sure the people on AVS have had some negative experiences, while whoever posted the review I linked to had a positive one. That doesn't make either one wrong.
> 
> If I choose to stick with FiOS, I still think I'm going to give ST on PS3 a try and I can form my own opinion. If I don't like it I can always return to DirecTV - I'm sure they'll be begging me to come back (and with some great deals, as well).


http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1354523&highlight=sunday+ticket+playstation


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## jimbo56 (Nov 13, 2007)

sigma1914 said:


> http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1354523&highlight=sunday+ticket+playstation


Wading through some of the posts, I find references to "youtube quality video" to "pretty good" - looks like it's going to be a crapshoot as to whether or not I'm going to be satisfied. My hope is that Sony will be working out some of the problems from the first season. I have a fairly fast internet connection (35/35) so hopefully streaming will not be a problem.


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## jimbo56 (Nov 13, 2007)

Sixto said:


> I stay with DirecTV because of the HR34 and this place (DBSTalk). It also helps that MLB EI and NFL Sunday Ticket have every game in HD.
> 
> I've had FiOS Voice/Internet, rock solid, perfect.
> 
> ...


Considering that I'm basically getting FiOS TV for free, at least for the first year, I'll take my time before dropping DirecTV. My two year commitment with DTV doesn't expire until the end of March, so I'll wait at least until then. I'll definitely drop my movie packages with DTV since they're included with my FiOS TV package. There's a lot to like about DirecTV, that's for sure. I never ever said I was unhappy with them, the FiOS install was based on pricing.

I don't have the HR34 (from what I've read it sounds pretty sweet) but I'd be willing to bet they'd give me one if I told them I was canceling service.

BTW, you got even better pricing on FiOS than I did (my DVR is only free for the first year).


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## jimbo56 (Nov 13, 2007)

Grafixguy said:


> Notice I didn't bring up price? I may or may not be paying more...I don't know and I don't care.


Wow, you must be a salesman's dream

Seriously, although price is not the only factor in test-driving FiOS TV, it IS a big factor. I simply don't have money to burn. When decision-time comes I will take into account quality of programming, equipment and ease-of-use, customer service and pricing. Whichever provider I choose, there will be tradeoffs, I'm sure. But what might be the best fit for you might not be the best fit for me...


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## MrShowtime (Apr 8, 2009)

In my opinion the fios dvr is a steaming pile of crap. I've had fios for 1 1/2 years now (apartment, no dishes here).

In my opinion, the only benefit to fios tv is the onDemand and being able to see local philly sports. Other than that, dtv all the way


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## jimbo56 (Nov 13, 2007)

MrShowtime said:


> In my opinion the fios dvr is a steaming pile of crap. I've had fios for 1 1/2 years now (apartment, no dishes here).
> 
> In my opinion, the only benefit to fios tv is the onDemand and being able to see local philly sports. Other than that, dtv all the way


What model DVR do you have? As a new customer, I was given the latest equipment, model 7232 (whole-home). While it may be the ugliest piece of electronics I've ever seen, it appears to be reasonably functional. And I'm impressed by how quickly my recorded shows are able to be searched/played on the slave receivers - they start almost instantaneously, unlike the DTV boxes which seem to take 5 seconds or so.

I'm less impressed by the channel guide. Supposedly the img 1.9 software was a big improvement over what was there before, but I vastly prefer the DTV guide. I've seen complaints here about how the DTV guide does not show enough channels or extend enough hours, but the FiOS screen seems so cluttered, almost to the point of being annoying. The DTV guide is about perfect, especially with the new HD GUI.

Still in the process of evaluating FiOS TV...


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## Grafixguy (Mar 15, 2008)

jimbo56 said:


> Wow, you must be a salesman's dream
> 
> Seriously, although price is not the only factor in test-driving FiOS TV, it IS a big factor. I simply don't have money to burn. When decision-time comes I will take into account quality of programming, equipment and ease-of-use, customer service and pricing. Whichever provider I choose, there will be tradeoffs, I'm sure. But what might be the best fit for you might not be the best fit for me...


Okay, that may have a been a bit of a stretch and I am in total agreement on your final point. That's why I love the competition. In my town I can get FiOS, Comcast, Dish or DTV

My real point is that the cost is quite reasonable for what I have...4 HD DVRs, an HD receiver and one SD receiver. With credits that DTV is always willing to give out, even with Plus HD DVR, HBO and HD Extra my bill is $101.

With FiOS I'd have to pay $17 for each of those DVRs before I even started paying for the service and Verizon's customer service is impossible to deal with. In short, even if I could save money with FiOS it wouldn't be very much and I'd be giving up way too much for those few bucks I might be saving.


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## MrShowtime (Apr 8, 2009)

jimbo56 said:


> What model DVR do you have? As a new customer, I was given the latest equipment, model 7232 (whole-home). While it may be the ugliest piece of electronics I've ever seen, it appears to be reasonably functional. And I'm impressed by how quickly my recorded shows are able to be searched/played on the slave receivers - they start almost instantaneously, unlike the DTV boxes which seem to take 5 seconds or so.
> 
> I'm less impressed by the channel guide. Supposedly the img 1.9 software was a big improvement over what was there before, but I vastly prefer the DTV guide. I've seen complaints here about how the DTV guide does not show enough channels or extend enough hours, but the FiOS screen seems so cluttered, almost to the point of being annoying. The DTV guide is about perfect, especially with the new HD GUI.
> 
> Still in the process of evaluating FiOS TV...


motorolla dvr 7216, and an hd box in the bedroom.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

Is there a current FiOS map showing where it is? And where they're going next?


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

HERE's the coverage map

AFAIK, they're not going anywhere next. They've stopped expanding.


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## jimbo56 (Nov 13, 2007)

Grafixguy said:


> Okay, that may have a been a bit of a stretch and I am in total agreement on your final point. That's why I love the competition. In my town I can get FiOS, Comcast, Dish or DTV
> 
> My real point is that the cost is quite reasonable for what I have...4 HD DVRs, an HD receiver and one SD receiver. With credits that DTV is always willing to give out, even with Plus HD DVR, HBO and HD Extra my bill is $101.
> 
> With FiOS I'd have to pay $17 for each of those DVRs before I even started paying for the service and Verizon's customer service is impossible to deal with. In short, even if I could save money with FiOS it wouldn't be very much and I'd be giving up way too much for those few bucks I might be saving.


With only two of us in the house, the FiOS whole-home DVR (with an extra slave box) is just fine. Right now, with DirecTV I am paying $116 for 2 HD DVRs, the Plus HD DVR programming package (grandfathered), Showtime, Whole-home DVR, HD Extra and Protection Plan. With FiOS, I'm getting the Ultimate HD Package (includes Showtime, TMC, and Cinemax), one whole-home DVR with a second slave box, 35/35 Internet (which actually performs at 43/35) plus Digital Voice Phone with unlimited domestic calling for $85 per month (including a $30/month credit for 1 year I was given because a rep at a FiOS kiosk changed my installation date without my permission). Previously I had been paying $90/month for FiOS 50/20 Internet (which actually performed at 48/17), and an additional $19 for a VOIP phone line. So I am actually paying Verizon $5/month less than before but getting TV and phone, while only sacrificing 5 mbps Internet download speed. So my savings per month for the first year is $140, and the second is $90, or close to $2800 for the two years. So it's not just a few bucks a month savings. I know I could call DirecTV, threaten to cancel, play CS roulette and get a few bucks off my DTV bill, but is it worth it? Right now, I'd probably say no, but I'm still in the process of evaluating. I'll definately keep both services until my commitment with DTV expires next month, then decide.

I should also mention that, despite the horror stories I've heard about Verizon CS, my interactions with the CS rep and tech support people have been nothing but positive. The rep was quick to give me the $30/month credit and the tech support people were (surprisingly) extremely knowledgeable. But, just like with any company, one unpleasant interaction can sour me on the whole operation - it just hasn't happened to me with Verizon yet.


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## jimbo56 (Nov 13, 2007)

spartanstew said:


> HERE's the coverage map
> 
> AFAIK, they're not going anywhere next. They've stopped expanding.


Here in Buffalo there's a big stink with Verizon only expanding FiOS in the suburbs (where I live) and ignoring the inner-city. I think they've asked the state Attorney General to investigate.


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## jimbo56 (Nov 13, 2007)

MrShowtime said:


> motorolla dvr 7216, and an hd box in the bedroom.


It looks like the 7216 is an older model than the 7232 which I was given. What are your complaints with that particular model? The 7232 seems to work just fine for me.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

spartanstew said:


> HERE's the coverage map
> 
> AFAIK, they're not going anywhere next. They've stopped expanding.


Those maps go back to when I was told by a rep I was getting FiOS in Sep '09. The pin is still there and it still not here.

And there are no pins for Brattleboro, VT and I know it is there.


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

Then search for yourself.


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## jimbo56 (Nov 13, 2007)

Drucifer said:


> Those maps go back to when I was told by a rep I was getting FiOS in Sep '09. The pin is still there and it still not here.
> 
> And there are no pins for Brattleboro, VT and I know it is there.


It's not a map, but maybe this will help:
http://www.fiberexperts.com/fios-availability.html


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## MrShowtime (Apr 8, 2009)

jimbo56 said:


> It looks like the 7216 is an older model than the 7232 which I was given. What are your complaints with that particular model? The 7232 seems to work just fine for me.


Mainly the response to the remote control and lack of recording space. It can hold like 30-40 hours at the most. Software on it is OK, not a ton of complaints on that end. It seems to get that freeze pixel for like a second every once in a while during sports, but that could just be a broadcast issue. I watch my football on my ota and have never seen a glitch


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## Jive Turkey (Sep 6, 2011)

I got a plenty of those "FIOS is coming to your house soon!" flyers in the mail 3 years ago, but they never arrived (despite being all around me). I would have definitely moved to them for phone and Internet access, so perhaps they would have gotten me to try TV as well. I would have killed for the FIOS Internet because my choices now are brutal. They toyed with me emotions. 

I know no one cares, but I wanted to complain! :lol:


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## jimbo56 (Nov 13, 2007)

MrShowtime said:


> Mainly the response to the remote control and lack of recording space. It can hold like 30-40 hours at the most. Software on it is OK, not a ton of complaints on that end. It seems to get that freeze pixel for like a second every once in a while during sports, but that could just be a broadcast issue. I watch my football on my ota and have never seen a glitch


I have had no problems with the remote, but I have transferred all the commands to a learning universal remote, so it might be a problem with the range of the FiOS-supplied remote. I don't know the size of the HD on the 7232, but I think it may be larger than your model. Have not seen any freezes yet, not even on the Super Bowl (it's halftime as I post this)


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## jimbo56 (Nov 13, 2007)

Jive Turkey said:


> I got a plenty of those "FIOS is coming to your house soon!" flyers in the mail 3 years ago, but they never arrived (despite being all around me). I would have definitely moved to them for phone and Internet access, so perhaps they would have gotten me to try TV as well. I would have killed for the FIOS Internet because my choices now are brutal. They toyed with me emotions.
> 
> I know no one cares, but I wanted to complain! :lol:


FiOS started building out in my area about five or so years ago. They stopped probably 500 feet from my house and it took another three years for them to finally get the lines to my street.

Be patient, because even if you don't get FiOS TV, the internet is awesome. The best thing is that the speed does not drop during peak useage time because you actually have a direct fiber optic link to the Verizon hub. It's not being shared by hundreds of other users, like cable Internet.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

jimbo56 said:


> It's not a map, but maybe this will help:
> http://www.fiberexperts.com/fios-availability.html


Not bad. I bookmarked it. But looking at the latest news and it's dated '06. Which explain the missing Vermont.


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## jimbo56 (Nov 13, 2007)

Drucifer said:


> Not bad. I bookmarked it. But looking at the latest news and it's dated '06. Which explain the missing Vermont.


Maybe there just hasn't been any news in the last 6 years:lol:


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## EricJRW (Jul 6, 2008)

For the longest time a single HD DVR was a better deal than FiOS, as Verizon's "rental" rates were higher than my "owned" receiver with discounts. Now that the discounts are gone, FiOS is a better deal, in fact we can have two receivers. I'm currently crunching numbers to justify the move, but I can pretty much have the same setup, and an extra receiver and a $10 savings. My only regret on FiOS, no sub-channels on locals (which is now a lost cause on my AM21 too)... But I'm working on a new OTA solution for that (PC based DVR). In fact with so many shows available on the Internet, we may dump pay TV altogether.


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## HoTat2 (Nov 16, 2005)

MrShowtime said:


> Mainly the response to the remote control and lack of recording space. It can hold like 30-40 hours at the most. Software on it is OK, not a ton of complaints on that end. It seems to get that freeze pixel for like a second every once in a while during sports, but that could just be a broadcast issue. I watch my football on my ota and have never seen a glitch


Also keep in mind that no matter how well the FiOS DVRs can ever function, like with CATV's DVRs they're always going to be at a distinct disadvantage to DIRECTV in the area of recording capacity for national HD and locals since FiOS uses MPEG-2 compression which consumes HDD space at approximately twice the rate of MPEG-4 used by DIRECTV.


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## jimbo56 (Nov 13, 2007)

HoTat2 said:


> Also keep in mind that no matter how well the FiOS DVRs can ever function, like with CATV's DVRs they're always going to be at a distinct disadvantage to DIRECTV in the area of recording capacity for national HD and locals since FiOS uses MPEG-2 compression which consumes HDD space at approximately twice the rate of MPEG-4 used by DIRECTV.


The 7232 has a 500 GB HD, while the poster's 7216 is only 160 GB. I would advise the OP to check with Verizon to see if he can upgrade to the newer receiver, which should increase his recording time three-fold. Also, the 7232 has expandable capacity; don't know about the 7216.


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## EricJRW (Jul 6, 2008)

Space has never been an issue for us. It's like all space, the more we have, the more we fill... But we really don't need it... If we can't keep up with the buffer, it's time to start deleting. While MPEG is an issue, I'm willing to trade no more rain-fades for higher compression (while HD is gorgeous, it does not really improve our viewing experience - I say this because we watch 99.999% of movies via DVD and have watched less than 6 PPV movies in my entire history with DTV).


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## jpl (Jul 9, 2006)

jimbo56 said:


> I have had no problems with the remote, but I have transferred all the commands to a learning universal remote, so it might be a problem with the range of the FiOS-supplied remote. I don't know the size of the HD on the 7232, but I think it may be larger than your model. Have not seen any freezes yet, not even on the Super Bowl (it's halftime as I post this)


The 7216 has a 160 GB harddrive, and the 7232 has a 500 GB harddrive. Both are expandable (external eSATA drive), though, with their latest s/w upgrade.


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## CurtP (Jan 9, 2008)

jimbo56 said:


> It's not being shared by hundreds of other users, like cable Internet.


I know that's what Verizon advertises, but it's absolutely not true. It is being shared by hundreds of other users in your neighborhood.


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## jimbo56 (Nov 13, 2007)

CurtP said:


> I know that's what Verizon advertises, but it's absolutely not true. It is being shared by hundreds of other users in your neighborhood.


You would think Verizon would get called out for false advertising. I know that when I originally got FiOS Internet, I was told that my fiber optic connection was mine and mine alone, from my house to the Verizon station. I'm not doubting what you say, but it seems completely opposite of what I was told. I simply don't know specifically how the technology works

Irregardless, I can state from my own personal experience that my Internet speed does not drop during peak useage times, unlike the Time Warner cable Internet I used to have. I am extremely satisfied with FiOS Internet and would never go back to cable.


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## jimbo56 (Nov 13, 2007)

EricJRW said:


> Space has never been an issue for us. It's like all space, the more we have, the more we fill... But we really don't need it... If we can't keep up with the buffer, it's time to start deleting.


That's an interesting statement, which would make a good topic for a new posting. The last time I was running out of space on my DVR, I took a good look at the playlist to figure out what to delete. I found shows and series recordings over a year old which I had never watched, and probably won't. The way I see it, if I don't watch a show I've recorded within a week or so, it's not gonna happen.

I wonder how many members here have 3 or 4 DVRs full of programs that will never get watched and still feel like they "need" to have them. Some even buy eSATA drives to expand their storage capacity even more. For what? What purpose does it serve, other than to archive programming? How much TV can a person actually watch?


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

jimbo56 said:


> You would think Verizon would get called out for false advertising. I know that when I originally got FiOS Internet, I was told that my fiber optic connection was mine and mine alone, from my house to the *Verizon station*. I'm not doubting what you say, but it seems completely opposite of what I was told. I simply don't know specifically how the technology works
> 
> Irregardless, I can state from my own personal experience that my Internet speed does not drop during peak usage times, unlike the Time Warner cable Internet I used to have. I am extremely satisfied with FiOS Internet and would never go back to cable.


Those are mini central offices.

The POT switches that once took up whole floors in a brick & mortar central office, now can fit in a cabinet about the size of a stove. And these can be place almost anywhere.

I'm a retired NYNEX Special Service Test Desk Tech.


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## sangs (Apr 2, 2008)

jimbo56 said:


> Irregardless, I can state from my own personal experience that my Internet speed does not drop during peak useage times, unlike the Time Warner cable Internet I used to have. I am extremely satisfied with FiOS Internet and would never go back to cable.


Couldn't agree more. When I had Comcast, I always knew what time of day it was, because the internet connection bogged down daily around the same time. Have NEVER had it happen with FIOS. So while they may be stretching the truth with their adverts, that's the way it's worked for me.


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## jasonblair (Sep 5, 2006)

My wife had FiOS before we got married. Here are my thoughts:

1) I was SHOCKED at how small the hard drive capacity of her DVR was. It seemed like a 1 hour HD show would take up about 5% of the recording capacity. (I don't know if FiOS has different boxes with different hard drives, but hers was INCREDIBLY tiny compared to my HR22.)

2) At least in my opinion, DirecTV has a much better guide to navigate.

3) As much as I hate Comcast, they offer much faster internet service than FiOS. I know Comcast speeds vary from city to city, but I know they have been focusing on increasing speeds in FiOS areas. At one point, I was amazed by FiOS speeds, but they don't blow cable speeds out of the water anymore.

4) After dealing with Verizon's customer service for cell service and DSL at one point, DirecTV's customer service blows them out of the water. (Maybe the FiOS customer service is different, but it still has a "Verizon" mark on it.)

5) Sunday Ticket... that's the big one.


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## TBlazer07 (Feb 5, 2009)

sangs said:


> Couldn't agree more. When I had Comcast, I always knew what time of day it was, because the internet connection bogged down daily around the same time. Have NEVER had it happen with FIOS. So while they may be stretching the truth with their adverts, that's the way it's worked for me.


Absolutely. Solid as a rock and never a variation of speed (at least when I use it).



jasonblair said:


> My wife had FiOS before we got married. Here are my thoughts:
> 
> 1) I was SHOCKED at how small the hard drive capacity of her DVR was. It seemed like a 1 hour HD show would take up about 5% of the recording capacity. (I don't know if FiOS has different boxes with different hard drives, but hers was INCREDIBLY tiny compared to my HR22.) "WAS" is the keyword here. New models have much larger hard drive plus the ability to add external drives that do not REPLACE the internal drive but ADD TO IT.
> 
> ...


The only thing that holds me back (at the moment) from switching is my HR-34. 5 tuners are sweet.


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## jpl (Jul 9, 2006)

CurtP said:


> I know that's what Verizon advertises, but it's absolutely not true. It is being shared by hundreds of other users in your neighborhood.


Actually... no. It's shared by up to 64 houses in your neighborhood. That's the max they can do the optical splitting per node running GPON. And in reality, what I understand, is that they keep their max to 32. Meaning, unlike many cable nodes, it's not over-provisioned.

I'm not here to defend one service over the other (despite what many may think) but I did want to correct one point from a different post on internet speed. Yes, Comcast's speeds have increased, but I have to disagree that they offer 'faster' internet than FiOS. Comcast may have that silly 'blast' service, which ups your speed very temporarily, but guess what? With FiOS I don't need it. I have their 35/35 tier, and I routinely get 42 to 43 down - ABOVE what I'm provisioned for. I get that any time day or night... probably the biggest asset for their internet service is just that - no slow periods... no throttling... no download caps.

I'll grant that their TV service isn't for everyone, but for your money, right now, there is no company out there that can touch their internet service.


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## CurtP (Jan 9, 2008)

jpl said:


> Actually... no. It's shared by up to 64 houses in your neighborhood. That's the max they can do the optical splitting per node running GPON. And in reality, what I understand, is that they keep their max to 32. Meaning, unlike many cable nodes, it's not over-provisioned.


Usually up to 128 nodes. A PON can still be oversubscribed both upstream and downstream and most are. Even if it isn't, the backhaul will be.


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## jimbo56 (Nov 13, 2007)

jpl said:


> Actually... no. It's shared by up to 64 houses in your neighborhood. That's the max they can do the optical splitting per node running GPON. And in reality, what I understand, is that they keep their max to 32. Meaning, unlike many cable nodes, it's not over-provisioned.
> 
> I'm not here to defend one service over the other (despite what many may think) but I did want to correct one point from a different post on internet speed. Yes, Comcast's speeds have increased, but I have to disagree that they offer 'faster' internet than FiOS. Comcast may have that silly 'blast' service, which ups your speed very temporarily, but guess what? With FiOS I don't need it. I have their 35/35 tier, and I routinely get 42 to 43 down - ABOVE what I'm provisioned for. I get that any time day or night... probably the biggest asset for their internet service is just that - no slow periods... no throttling... no download caps.
> 
> I'll grant that their TV service isn't for everyone, but for your money, right now, there is no company out there that can touch their internet service.


After doing a little Internet research (and we all know that everything on the Internet is 100% true, lol), I see that you are right; the fiber optic connection is shared by other houses in your neighborhood. It's just that fiber optic strands have the capacity to carry so much more data than cable that the speeds remain constant.

While I"m still evaluating my FiOS TV, I _will_ defend FiOS Internet. Before I got FiOS TV I was on the 50/20 plan with gave me 48 down (well within tolerances); now I'm on the 35/35 plan which gives me 43 down. Speed is consistent, day or night, 24/7. And I don't think I've ever had an outage since I subscribed.

It would take a lot of convincing for me to even try any other Internet provider.


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## jimbo56 (Nov 13, 2007)

jasonblair said:


> My wife had FiOS before we got married. Here are my thoughts:
> 
> 1) I was SHOCKED at how small the hard drive capacity of her DVR was. It seemed like a 1 hour HD show would take up about 5% of the recording capacity. (I don't know if FiOS has different boxes with different hard drives, but hers was INCREDIBLY tiny compared to my HR22.)
> 
> ...


1) Haven't even begun to fill up the 500 GB HD on my 7232 yet, so I have no capacity issues.

2) Agreed. The FiOS guide is inferior to the DirecTV guide, especially with the new HD GUI.

3) IMHO, FiOS Internet is superior (see my previous post). In the NYC area, FiOS is offering 150 mbps DL service as part of their Triple Play (in Buffalo it's only 35 mbps). I'd like to see cable compete with that.

4) Have had zero complaints with the CS from either provider, although playing CS roulette with DTV reps can be frustrating. I've read horror stories about both companies' CS, but have not experienced any problems at my end.

5) I love my Sunday Ticket as well, but I am willing to try ST on PS3 if I switch to FiOS TV.


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## jpl (Jul 9, 2006)

CurtP said:


> Usually up to 128 nodes. A PON can still be oversubscribed both upstream and downstream and most are. Even if it isn't, the backhaul will be.


Sorry, but this (the 128 splits per node) is dead wrong. Every piece of documentation I've seen (including an independent news report out of NYC which shows the FiOS network from CO to household) counters that. Yes, a PON CAN be oversubscribed. But FiOS is not. BPON can handle download speeds of 622Mbps. Verizon splits those nodes UP TO 32 ways. 622/32 = 19+Mbps per household. But most of Verizon's network is now GPON, which can handle speeds of up to 2.4Gbps down. GPON also allows them to split up to 64 ways per node. But Verizon's architecture keeps even their GPON networks maxed at 32 households per node.

Besides, I don't need any literature to tell me what you wrote is wrong. When you read fios internet customers telling you that there are no slow periods... that they get speeds in excess of what they're provisioned for... they're neither blowing smoke, nor are they the exception. Everyone I know, or have talked to, with FiOS internet (everyone) says the exact same thing. When I say there are no slow periods... that's exactly what I mean. I get on at 6:00 PM (a traditional rush-hour time for HSI) and I do a speed test... I get 42 - 43 Mbps down. I do the same thing at 6 AM instead... I get the same results.

If Verizon really was running at 128 households per node, there is no way in hell I would consistently get what I'm getting. And it's not just on the speed tests that I notice it. I can download large volumes of data at 6:00 PM, and it absolutely flies. There's no hiccup, and the download speed pretty much stays pegged the entire time (I will see slight fluctuations, which are to be expected due to network traffic that have nothing to do with my internet connection). This is not the behavior of a system that's over-provisioned.

I'll take what you said at face value - that PON systems can be split up to 128 ways (I don't know if that's true or not, but let's say it is). Just because it CAN be doesn't mean that IT IS.


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## jimbo56 (Nov 13, 2007)

jpl said:


> Sorry, but this (the 128 splits per node) is dead wrong. Every piece of documentation I've seen (including an independent news report out of NYC which shows the FiOS network from CO to household) counters that. Yes, a PON CAN be oversubscribed. But FiOS is not. BPON can handle download speeds of 622Mbps. Verizon splits those nodes UP TO 32 ways. 622/32 = 19+Mbps per household. But most of Verizon's network is now GPON, which can handle speeds of up to 2.4Gbps down. GPON also allows them to split up to 64 ways per node. But Verizon's architecture keeps even their GPON networks maxed at 32 households per node.
> 
> Besides, I don't need any literature to tell me what you wrote is wrong. When you read fios internet customers telling you that there are no slow periods... that they get speeds in excess of what they're provisioned for... they're neither blowing smoke, nor are they the exception. Everyone I know, or have talked to, with FiOS internet (everyone) says the exact same thing. When I say there are no slow periods... that's exactly what I mean. I get on at 6:00 PM (a traditional rush-hour time for HSI) and I do a speed test... I get 42 - 43 Mbps down. I do the same thing at 6 AM instead... I get the same results.
> 
> ...


You guys are getting too technical for me. As the end-user, all I care about is my download speed, which I guarantee is 43 mbps, day or night, on a 35 mbps plan.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

But on a regular basis, servers actually serve you content at that speed? I can get a 50mbps plan, but not sure it's worth an extra $40 a month compared to my 30mbps plan and knowing your download speed is limited by how fast the remote system will actually send you the data.


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## zimm7778 (Nov 11, 2007)

"dpeters11" said:


> But on a regular basis, servers actually serve you content at that speed? I can get a 50mbps plan, but not sure it's worth an extra $40 a month compared to my 30mbps plan and knowing your download speed is limited by how fast the remote system will actually send you the data.


When I had 35/35 from FIOS I did get that speed when it was hard wired. When it was wireless about the most I could get was 18 or 19. For the longest I kept it hard wired and then came to the conclusion I was paying an extra $10 for the headache of having to keep the modem where I had it to be hard wired and the stuff I needed to download or use having that speed wasn't necessary so I downgraded back to 15/5.


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## HoTat2 (Nov 16, 2005)

dpeters11 said:


> But on a regular basis, servers actually serve you content at that speed? I can get a 50mbps plan, but not sure it's worth an extra $40 a month compared to my 30mbps plan and knowing your download speed is limited by how fast the remote system will actually send you the data.


That's what I've been puzzled by for a long times as well (have TW 12/1 here). Sure Verizon gives you those great up/download speeds, but certainly for average internet use at least (if not all the time), how many servers are going to serve up information at anything approaching those rates like 35/35 or something higher?

For instance DIRECTV's VOD servers download at only around 8 mb/s max. at a 1/1 ratio (1 min. download time for 1 min. of downloaded material).


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## jimbo56 (Nov 13, 2007)

HoTat2 said:


> That's what I've been puzzled by for a long times as well (have TW 12/1 here). Sure Verizon gives you those great up/download speeds, but certainly for average internet use at least (if not all the time), how many servers are going to serve up information at anything approaching those rates like 35/35 or something higher?


That's like asking the owner of a Ferrari why they need a car that goes 200+ mph when the fastest they'll ever regularly drive is probably 85 mph. It's human nature; we all want the fastest speed we can get whether or not we ever need or use it.


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## jimbo56 (Nov 13, 2007)

zimm7778 said:


> When I had 35/35 from FIOS I did get that speed when it was hard wired. When it was wireless about the most I could get was 18 or 19. For the longest I kept it hard wired and then came to the conclusion I was paying an extra $10 for the headache of having to keep the modem where I had it to be hard wired and the stuff I needed to download or use having that speed wasn't necessary so I downgraded back to 15/5.


On the 35/35 plan I get 43 wired and 41.4 wireless download (upload speed goes down to 28 wireless, but I rarely upload anything). Don't know why your wireless speeds were so slow.


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## DawgLink (Nov 5, 2006)

I had FiOS internet for 2 years and LOVED every single second with it and that to me is insane as I had had Cox, Charter, Comcast the previous few years (I travel a lot).

I kept DirecTV for the TV because I wanted Sunday Ticket..period


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## jpl (Jul 9, 2006)

dpeters11 said:


> But on a regular basis, servers actually serve you content at that speed? I can get a 50mbps plan, but not sure it's worth an extra $40 a month compared to my 30mbps plan and knowing your download speed is limited by how fast the remote system will actually send you the data.


First off, yeah, most of the sites I regularly go to can handle that through-put at a pretty constant speed (yes, there are fluctuations). However, there is one big reason why I need all that speed. Everyone assumes that you just have a single connection to the web. Were that true in my house. I have 5 kids, and several devices that connect, concurrently. From my PC and laptop, to my work laptop, to my 2 BD players, to my smart TV, to my son's DSi, to my daughter's iPod touch, to the 3 Kindles, to the Wii... at any one time there's a guarantee that at least one (and generally several) of those devices will be going at the same time.

One night we had the following going all at the same time: My oldest was watching a movie via Netflix streamed to our Wii, my wife was watching something on TV (it was something live, so it really doesn't count - I wanted her to watch VOD instead, just to see what the internet service would do... since FiOS VOD is fed via IP), my one daughter was playing on that obnoxious penguin website (the one that sucks down resources like water), and I was streaming a movie to my laptop via Epix (done wirelessly as well). So... yeah, we need that speed. And we need it consistent.

Besides, does it make sense to limit yourself? I mean if you have 35 Mbps down, and the site you go to can't hanlde that... ok. But if it CAN handle that, and you're running, say 5... you're now limiting yourself.


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## jasonblair (Sep 5, 2006)

TBlazer07 said:


> My wife had FiOS before we got married. Here are my thoughts:
> 
> 1) I was SHOCKED at how small the hard drive capacity of her DVR was. It seemed like a 1 hour HD show would take up about 5% of the recording capacity. (I don't know if FiOS has different boxes with different hard drives, but hers was INCREDIBLY tiny compared to my HR22.) "WAS" is the keyword here. New models have much larger hard drive plus the ability to add external drives that do not REPLACE the internal drive but ADD TO IT.
> 
> ...


I'm starting to wonder what the purpose of this thread is.... Someone asked why those of us who live in FiOS areas stick with DirecTV. I provided my reasons. Then all of a sudden, it turns into this big defense of FiOS like those of us who don't have it are attacking it!

You don't have to defend your choice of FiOS to me. People make different decisions in the free market. Some of us prefer Android over iPhone. Some of us prefer chocolate over vanilla. FiOS is just fine.

But why are a bunch of people here on the DBSTalk board trying to convince the rest of us that FiOS is the way to go? Are there DirecTV people over on a FiOS board?


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## jpl (Jul 9, 2006)

You may not believe this, but I'm not trying to engage in a reflexive defense of FiOS. I'm not making claims that it's superior to DirecTV. It is for me, but that's for me. What I (and others like me) are doing is correcting the record. If I see a statement that I find at odds with the facts (FiOS isn't consistently faster than Comcast, or Verizon splits their internet nodes 128 ways), I'm going to correct the record. I really don't see an issue with that.

Same thing with comments that are no longer true (the small harddrive on their DVR with lack of external expansion). Services change. DirecTV has, and so has FiOS. Again, just correcting the record.

The rest is just personal opinion... which is exactly what the OP asked for. I guess I'm not sure why the beef with the direction the thread has taken. It seems like a natural path for a thread of this nature.

As everyone on here no doubt knows, I'm one of those people who switched from DirecTV to FiOS, so I thought my input was pertinent.


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## Scott R. Scherr (Aug 19, 2006)

I just switched from Directv to Fios. I received my first Fios bill with TV included. Had a special promotion before for digital voice and internet for close to two years. Added TV and dropped Directv. My bill, for the Triple Play package (15/5 internet, digital voice, multi-room DVR, 2 additional outlets, Prime HD) is $91.00 per month for ALL three. No mistakes on my bill and it is a two year contract. After one year, bill will go up $20.00 per month to $111.00/month since multi-room DVR is only free for first year.

$91.00/month is cheaper than Directv alone and includes taxes and fees which for me are about $7.00/month (Baltimore County). There were no errors on my bill and discounts clearly show on my bill how long they last.

Scott


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## jimbo56 (Nov 13, 2007)

jasonblair said:


> I'm starting to wonder what the purpose of this thread is.... Someone asked why those of us who live in FiOS areas stick with DirecTV. I provided my reasons. Then all of a sudden, it turns into this big defense of FiOS like those of us who don't have it are attacking it!
> 
> You don't have to defend your choice of FiOS to me. People make different decisions in the free market. Some of us prefer Android over iPhone. Some of us prefer chocolate over vanilla. FiOS is just fine.
> 
> But why are a bunch of people here on the DBSTalk board trying to convince the rest of us that FiOS is the way to go? Are there DirecTV people over on a FiOS board?


Re-reading the posts, I don't see anyone even suggesting that anyone with DirecTV should move to FiOS. The thread has evolved somewhat into a DirecTV to FiOS comparison, which is actually useful for someone in FiOS country to determine which provider might be best for their particular situation. I don't see any blanket defense of FiOS over DirecTV. Sorry.

I have both providers, at least for now. Both are good - very good. Neither one is perfect. Each has some advantages over the other. It's not blasphemy to point these out.


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## TBlazer07 (Feb 5, 2009)

jasonblair said:


> I'm starting to wonder what the purpose of this thread is.... Someone asked why those of us who live in FiOS areas stick with DirecTV. I provided my reasons. Then all of a sudden, it turns into this big defense of FiOS like those of us who don't have it are attacking it!
> 
> You don't have to defend your choice of FiOS to me. People make different decisions in the free market. Some of us prefer Android over iPhone. Some of us prefer chocolate over vanilla. FiOS is just fine.
> 
> But why are a bunch of people here on the DBSTalk board trying to convince the rest of us that FiOS is the way to go? Are there DirecTV people over on a FiOS board?


 Nobody is DEFENDING it to you. (I don't even have it but have been seriously looking into it). You posted statements that were not factual from what I have been learning so I corrected/added my opinion to them. You have the option to not read the thread if it upsets you so. And yes, on Fios boards DirecTV is discussed, on DirecTV DISH is discussed and on Dish boards DirecTV is discussed. That's the nature of a "discussion."


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## CurtP (Jan 9, 2008)

jpl said:


> Sorry, but this (the 128 splits per node) is dead wrong. Every piece of documentation I've seen (including an independent news report out of NYC which shows the FiOS network from CO to household) counters that.


So you're a customer and not an Engineer?

Thought so.


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## jimbo56 (Nov 13, 2007)

This has been sticking in my craw for a while, so please let me vent:

Much as I love this board, it always amuses me to see how defensive some members get when someone dares to suggest that DirecTV is not the singularly best TV provider in the country. They seem to take it as a personal attack. If someone says they're switching to another provider, there's usually a "don't let the door hit you on the way out" response. I especially see this when someone switches to Dish Network. "Hope you enjoy your HD Lite" is usually the sarcastic response. I can fully understand and support the switcher's position - Dish offers many more basic HD channels than DTV. If those are the channels the switcher likes to watch then he is probably willing to accept a less pristine HD experience to be able to watch them in "HD Lite" rather than blurry DTV SD. It's not my personal choice, but it's a valid point. 

Look, I subscribe to DirecTV. I enjoy DirecTV, but I am not married to DirecTV. DirecTV does many things well; that's why they have had good subscriber growth even during tough economic times. But there are other providers who may do things as well or better and may be a better choice for those individuals. The DirecTV fanboys need to lighten up - it's only TV.


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## jpl (Jul 9, 2006)

CurtP said:


> So you're a customer and not an Engineer?
> 
> Thought so.


Um, actually I AM an engineer. And also a customer. And I can... what's the word... READ... yeah, that's it, I can READ on how they spec their system.

On top of that, I can do basic math. If they were doing 128 households per node, there is simply no way in hell they would be able to maintain my download speed like they do. When I say there are no slow periods... there are NO slow periods. None. How in the world could they do that if they were over-provisioned?

Assuming GPON is running in my neighborhood, if you divide 2.4Gbps 128 ways, you get: 18.75Mbps. Which is less than half of what I'm actually getting (not half of what I'm provisioned for... half of what I'm actually getting). And unless you think I'm in some enchanted area, look on any fios forum. Hell, look at the fios internet customers on here. How many tell you that you get constant slow periods? How many tell you they're not getting AT LEAST their provisioned speed? Hmmm? None... that's how many.

What's written on here about 128 households per node is in totall defiance of all material I've read on their architecture, and all common experience. But, that's right... I'm wrong.


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## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

FiOS Internet is great. End of story.

(going on 3 years now, with never the slightest issue)


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## fireponcoal (Sep 26, 2009)

"Sixto" said:


> FiOS Internet is great. End of story.
> 
> (going on 3 years now, with never the slightest issue)


Oh so true..


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