Verizon FIOS TV
#17
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Commuting around the mid-atlantic and rust-belt on any number of RJs
Programs: TSA Random Selectee Platinum, * Gold, SPG/HH/MR mid-tier, and a tiny bag of pretzels.
Posts: 9,255
Originally Posted by SpaceBass
Frankly if I ever change jobs and my company stops paying for my connection I'll leave Verizon. I cannot support an ISP that blocks ports or does traffic shaping...i find that so wrong.
Obviously, this is on the residential side.
#18
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Commuting around the mid-atlantic and rust-belt on any number of RJs
Programs: TSA Random Selectee Platinum, * Gold, SPG/HH/MR mid-tier, and a tiny bag of pretzels.
Posts: 9,255
Originally Posted by SpaceBass
Not to derail the topic...but the problem with comcast (besides the latency) is that they may deliver that in a bust, but you never get those actual speeds sustained. Frankly I never got over 7.3mbs on my 8/768k account...and i couldnt systain that through a transfer.
Enjoy it while you can (I don't say that with malice, either--I'd have it if I could get it).
#20
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: US CP, *wood Gold, Marriott gold, Hilton something
Posts: 1,458
Originally Posted by ScottC
In unrelated news Comcast just did the speed boost here; downloads average 16.9mbit with bursts of 24.5mbit.
this rocks
this rocks
Now I'm the jealous one!
What are you uplink speeds like?
#21
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2000
Posts: 37,486
Originally Posted by SpaceBass
You...you...!!!
Now I'm the jealous one!
What are you uplink speeds like?
Now I'm the jealous one!
What are you uplink speeds like?
#23
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 21,648
I got the FIOS internet last year. I had Direct TV because of 911 (used to get good TV for free). We just got the go ahead for the TV service so now my phone/interent/TV are on the same system. It is awesome. But possiblly could lead to lots of cables running all over your house. It does take a long time to connect and honestly I can't see how Verizon is running a profit on this service yet.
#24
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2000
Programs: UA Million Miler (lite). NY Metro area.
Posts: 15,053
We just got the entire package last month. Already had the phone service; but added computer and television.
The tv picture seems a bit clearer than Optimun from Cablevision.
As for DVR, this is a toy that I'm enjoying. My kids want to know when I'll watch (an erase) some of what I've recorded. We didn't have Tivo.
You can easily record anything, at any time. Just push the 'DVR' button. It's childs play. Just last week, I recorded:
Superman
Hill Street Blues
Mary Tyler Moore to name a few.
You can set this up to record the same show every time it's on.
I'll have The Office always at my beck and call.
You can even look into the future using the television guide to see what will be on in 3 weeks. Like what you see, Record it!
PS, I'm saving about $40-$50 bucks a month vs my old services.
The tv picture seems a bit clearer than Optimun from Cablevision.
As for DVR, this is a toy that I'm enjoying. My kids want to know when I'll watch (an erase) some of what I've recorded. We didn't have Tivo.
You can easily record anything, at any time. Just push the 'DVR' button. It's childs play. Just last week, I recorded:
Superman
Hill Street Blues
Mary Tyler Moore to name a few.
You can set this up to record the same show every time it's on.
I'll have The Office always at my beck and call.
You can even look into the future using the television guide to see what will be on in 3 weeks. Like what you see, Record it!
PS, I'm saving about $40-$50 bucks a month vs my old services.
#25
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: US CP, *wood Gold, Marriott gold, Hilton something
Posts: 1,458
I also bit the bullet and got FiOS TV.
Since I already had a business (static IP as they say) internet connection, I had to have a second run of fiber and second "optical terminal" installed (apparently for verizon the infinite bandwidth of fiber is not yet a reality)...
I switched from DirecTV ...this is how loyal I am...I cannot get any of the 3 birds from my yard so I have TWO dishes both outside of my property....one is about 150 feet down my alley the other is in a neighbors yard...I love TiVo- the interface specifically- and when DirecTV did the $40 TiVos I nabbed one for every TV in the house....just saying, I was obsessed.
In the last year, we moved to using Mac Mini's on each TV ... no a solution I'll detail here...but DirecTV starting being less important. I'm also watching a lot less TV personally.
FiOS is about $89 for all the cable channels, all their HD and all the premium movie channels plus 3 DVRs... it was apparently a deal they had, but I've been promised that it will be for as long as I have service (we'll see). So far I'm really happy. The picture quality on HD is as good as over the air (by my calculations they are broadcasting at about 18mbs, just shy of the uncompressed 19.2 HD standard). The SD channels are comparable to DirecTV. On Demand sucks...its like streaming video over the internet in 1998...or worse.
The DVR itself is fine...its no TiVo so what else is there to say? There are two big features lacking, first there is no page up/down button on the remote (and I've searched for codes online...no dice). The real hole is that there is not a tuner button. So this thing has two tuners, but there is no way to swap between them...to, say, have one show on pause while recording and then flip to the other tuner to watch another show. Other than that, "it is what it it is"... I was a little disappointed that, while enabled, the FireWire is very limited. My goal for a while as been to build a MythTV box, but with the encryption that cable companies are using, its just not doable.
Since I already had a business (static IP as they say) internet connection, I had to have a second run of fiber and second "optical terminal" installed (apparently for verizon the infinite bandwidth of fiber is not yet a reality)...
I switched from DirecTV ...this is how loyal I am...I cannot get any of the 3 birds from my yard so I have TWO dishes both outside of my property....one is about 150 feet down my alley the other is in a neighbors yard...I love TiVo- the interface specifically- and when DirecTV did the $40 TiVos I nabbed one for every TV in the house....just saying, I was obsessed.
In the last year, we moved to using Mac Mini's on each TV ... no a solution I'll detail here...but DirecTV starting being less important. I'm also watching a lot less TV personally.
FiOS is about $89 for all the cable channels, all their HD and all the premium movie channels plus 3 DVRs... it was apparently a deal they had, but I've been promised that it will be for as long as I have service (we'll see). So far I'm really happy. The picture quality on HD is as good as over the air (by my calculations they are broadcasting at about 18mbs, just shy of the uncompressed 19.2 HD standard). The SD channels are comparable to DirecTV. On Demand sucks...its like streaming video over the internet in 1998...or worse.
The DVR itself is fine...its no TiVo so what else is there to say? There are two big features lacking, first there is no page up/down button on the remote (and I've searched for codes online...no dice). The real hole is that there is not a tuner button. So this thing has two tuners, but there is no way to swap between them...to, say, have one show on pause while recording and then flip to the other tuner to watch another show. Other than that, "it is what it it is"... I was a little disappointed that, while enabled, the FireWire is very limited. My goal for a while as been to build a MythTV box, but with the encryption that cable companies are using, its just not doable.
#26
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: San Diego, CA USA
Posts: 534
I have had FIOS TV for almost a month now.
The HD channels are definitely not compressed to the level they are on the cable systems, as Verizon has much more bandwidth to spare than the cable operators.
Along with the Internet (15 down, 2 up), it is a bit cheaper than my former cable bill and the Internet is faster.
I also do not have any artifacts or pixelation on HD channels, an annoyance I dealt with on cable.
The HD channels are definitely not compressed to the level they are on the cable systems, as Verizon has much more bandwidth to spare than the cable operators.
Along with the Internet (15 down, 2 up), it is a bit cheaper than my former cable bill and the Internet is faster.
I also do not have any artifacts or pixelation on HD channels, an annoyance I dealt with on cable.
#27
Join Date: Jul 2004
Programs: CO Gold; SPG Gold***; AvisFirst;
Posts: 3,970
I have had FIOS TV for almost a month now.
The HD channels are definitely not compressed to the level they are on the cable systems, as Verizon has much more bandwidth to spare than the cable operators.
Along with the Internet (15 down, 2 up), it is a bit cheaper than my former cable bill and the Internet is faster.
I also do not have any artifacts or pixelation on HD channels, an annoyance I dealt with on cable.
The HD channels are definitely not compressed to the level they are on the cable systems, as Verizon has much more bandwidth to spare than the cable operators.
Along with the Internet (15 down, 2 up), it is a bit cheaper than my former cable bill and the Internet is faster.
I also do not have any artifacts or pixelation on HD channels, an annoyance I dealt with on cable.
#28
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: San Diego, CA USA
Posts: 534
Depends on the cable operator. Optimum also (at least in my area) uses fiber. Doesn't mean they're not compressing, but they *could* compete with FIOS on picture quality if they so chose. Personally, I don't yet have HD and have no issues with quality. On price, Optimum wins hands down if you're going beyond basic packages.
#29
Join Date: Jul 2004
Programs: CO Gold; SPG Gold***; AvisFirst;
Posts: 3,970
Internet bottlenecks would be at the ISP-Internet connection either way.
#30
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oregon
Programs: AA EXP, AS 75K, UA 1MM Gold, HH Diamond, Hyatt Explorist, IHG Plat, National EE, Hertz PC
Posts: 3,993
I wonder if I'll ever get FIOS here in Los Gatos. Seems we're just a little pocket of former GTE with SBC/AT&T serving all the surrounding communities. Even though I can walk to the nearest Verizon offices in three minutes, somehow I don't think we're on the fast track for FIOS.... :-(