[Dan M2]

Can you use a stand-alone Tivo DVR with Fios like you can with cable? Meaning, does FIOS use cable cards or are they more like satellite where you have to have their box and nothing else will work with it?

DirecTV is supposed to have their new HD channels online in the next week or so. I'm tempted to switch to Fios for TV but I have a damn contract with DTV thru 2009!

My neighbor went for the triple play with Fios and they totally screwed up everything, only installing two services and saying he never ordered the third. He made them yank the crap back out and send 'em packing after trying to resolve it with their cust svc group.

-Dan

[tbernard]

Originally Posted by Dan M2

Can you use a stand-alone Tivo DVR with Fios like you can with cable? Meaning, does FIOS use cable cards or are they more like satellite where you have to have their box and nothing else will work with it?

-Dan

You can buy a Tivo HD and use cable cards with FIOS. If you can get a m-card, then you only need one card to watch/record on both tuners.

[frictioncircle]

Hey guys FIOS installer here. This is what I tell the nervous customers,it's the most advanced system on the planet available to the public. We have had order issues, component incompatability issues and others. The good news is we're doing a hell of a bang up job of pushing the competition where little existed before. The beginning of 2005 saw Verizon begin the transformation from a copper wire based telecom to a leader in fiber optic communications and entertainment.
Here are some of the questions I've has customers ask me "Now that I have fiber to my house I won't need these wires to my tvs, right?"
"What do you mean you have to charge to run coax around my house and through the attic to install a new vid outlet, they told me the installation was free"
In general customers are blown away by the network speed and the picture clarity and not the least by the customer service. None of us has the time it would take for me to relate the tales of woe I've heard from people trying to resolve issues with other cable providers.
It's time to put the horse in the barn and climb into the Porsche.

[smdubovsky]

Frictioncircle, could you PLEASE provide us a website were we can log bug reports (theres gotta be one right?) The new dvr software is unbelievably buggy. The fembots who answer the special dvr upgrade phone line are too stupid to understand any problems to even record my complaints. If its not fixed by the time dtv rolls out the new satellites, Im going back.

[Vicegrip]

Originally Posted by frictioncircle

Hey guys FIOS installer here. This is what I tell the nervous customers,it's the most advanced system on the planet available to the public.

The system might be advanced but the programers are not. The new programing killed slow motion and dropped a good search through a single channel function. I called FIOS and was told the loss of slow motion was a problem with the older remote I had. Older? it is one year old. The new box and new remote does not have slow mo ether and the installer said it was not anything to do with the remote. Great looking guide graphics and the channel logos are now shown on the guide but an easy and often used search and programing function was lost and you now can't watch something in slow motion! That is frigging slap your forehead stupid! Does anyone at Verizon ever watch Football or racing?
The program guide is not as informative as the one on my TEVO. FiOS uses the same description for many shows show after show when TEVO has more detail. As an random example, I don't need "A long running nightly talk show" for the Tonight show. I want to see who is going to be on. The Fios box also seems to not record a show when it is at a different time than normal and the TEVO catches it anyway. he Fios box will rtandomly jump to the end of the show when you are fast fowarding through an ad. you will me 1/2 way through a 3 hour program and bam you then have to start over and fast foward to where you last were before the box messed up.
FiOS has to realize that the costumer does not see the fancy stuff on the pole or the green box in the bushes, they see a buggy DVR box that is harder to program and that does not understand simpe things like an F1 season pass means ALL the f1 races not just that one. I have TEVO and now have 2 FIOS HD DVRs. TEVO is smother and functions better all the way. Don't get me wrong I like FIOS but the DVRs suck.

Tell the powers that be to fix the bugs they unleashed when they did the programing upgrade.

[SilverStreak]

X2 what Kurt said. The old menu/program guide/search functioned 1000 times better. It was much more like Tivo or Comcast. the new menu/guide/search IS THE WORST INTERFACE I HAVE EVER DEALT WITH ON ANY MACHINE EVER INVENTED!!!!!!!

I realize that giant companies have deadlines but there ore so many issues with the new programming that the implementation should never have happened. It's worse than useless. For example if I search for a show the results are not in alphabetical order. WTF? I search for Rolex racing (as listed on speedtv)(this pertains to all searches, not just racing stuff) and I enter R O I get lots of choices, none in order, none are ROLEX and then after a few shows listed with the first letters RO the search parameters begin listing shows that RO is in the second or last word of the title or not in the title at all but guess what's missing? ROLEX. Explain please. I actually have to go thru the motions of typing out ROLEX or the system won't pull it up. That's wrong and frustrating. If you don't know the EXACT name of the program your odds of finding it are less than 50%. If you don't know the EXACT name of the program it doesn't show up so you assume it's not going to air.

When you set up recordings and the program lists multiple times or channels you are screwed. You have to go to the guide and manually select each one. Defeats the purpose of 'record the series' and makes using the system much more time consuming. I don't trust it at all.

Picture and speed or awesome. Old program was just dandy. New program is CRAP CRAP CRAP. I don't really care to see the movie posters in the on demand section. They are too small to see anyway so again USELESS. My screen is not 94" The system is a lot of work and in no way intuitive, linear or logical.

I'm disappointed because there are some great features such as being able to watch one DVR in any room with a box. That's fantastic and I'm willing to put up with a few bugs but the new program has got to go. this ain't what I'm paying for.

[Dan M2]

Why don't you use your Tivo with the Fios system?

[SilverStreak]

Originally Posted by Dan M2

Why don't you use your Tivo with the Fios system?

A few reasons. I PAID VERIZON FOR A DVR SERVICE!!!!!

Also, my Tivos are old and not dual tuners so I can only watch what I record. I bought a lifetime service with them so they're staying.

I also run the Tivos from the direct feed, not thru the cable box so that I can watch one thing and Tivo something else. My old service (Comcast) provided a lot of channels w/o the box, like comedy central and the like. FIOS only has broadcast channels unless you use the box so I ordered their DVR.

I do still use the Tivo for anything on broadcast but I was really stoked to be able to record stuff on cable, particularly speedtv.

[BlackTalon]

Originally Posted by Dan M2

My neighbor went for the triple play with Fios and they totally screwed up everything, only installing two services and saying he never ordered the third.

2 out of three doesn't sound like totally screwing up -- it sounds like they got 2 out of 3 correct!

FWIW, all of Verizon's ordering systems seem to have lots of issues. I've heard this from Frictioncircle WRT FIOS installs, and also from someone else about Verizon Business services. They seem fond of rolling out software updates without testing first...

[frictioncircle]

My defensive thrust and parry aside, it's actually very enlightening to hear about all the issues. I don't know of a concerns website. If I remember correctly there is www.fioshelp.com but those of you with the service probably know it already.
I will keep tabs on this thread.