FiOS TV...the VOOMless HD Leader?

[riffjim4069]

Other than the VOOM HD Originals, FiOS TV actually offers two (2) more national HD channels than and Dish Network:

Dish Network offers FoodHD, and HDTV HD
~whereas~
FiOS TV offers WealthTV HD, MTV HD, Cinemax HD, and TMC HD

Additionally, while Dish Network may offer four (4) HD locals in many areas, FiOS TV is offering eight (8) HD locals in my area. Oh, and the HD PQ of FiOS TV cannot be touched by Dish Network these days.

Is it time to declare FiOS the new HD Leader? Personally, I say YES! While I love VOOM, much like the INHD channels they cannot be considered since they are currently an "exclusive" on Dish Network. Also, IMO HD PQ matters!

Congrats to FiOS TV...the "NEW" and "IMPROVED" HD Leader.

 

[korsjs]

agree. can't wait to get fios tv again.

 

[Hoopnoop]

I think FIOS is going to add Food and HDTV HD this month so they should gain two new ones.

 

[dimi1963]

I am waiting for it to be deployed on my area.... I was looking at the packages they offer, and I have to say it they are not that bad. BTW anybody knows when FIOS will be layed in Union NJ?

 

[navychop]

Too bad so few can get Fios.

 

[VinceT3]

voom is offered by a provider in canada that isn't dish

 

[riffjim4069]

Yep, a few International flavored channels are offered in Canada and they are also offered to certain areas in Asia, but they are currently a Dish Network exclusive here in the US.

 

[psumattDE]

Other than the VOOM HD Originals, FiOS TV actually offers two (2) more national HD channels than and Dish Network:

Dish Network offers FoodHD, and HDTV HD
~whereas~
FiOS TV offers WealthTV HD, MTV HD, Cinemax HD, and TMC HD

Additionally, while Dish Network may offer four (4) HD locals in many areas, FiOS TV is offering eight (8) HD locals in my area. Oh, and the HD PQ of FiOS TV cannot be touched by Dish Network these days.

Is it time to declare FiOS the new HD Leader? Personally, I say YES! While I love VOOM, much like the INHD channels they cannot be considered since they are currently an "exclusive" on Dish Network. Also, IMO HD PQ matters!

Congrats to FiOS TV...the "NEW" and "IMPROVED" HD Leader.

And FIOS may be adding HG and Food HD before the end of year - and least that's the Rumor I hear - and we know how much this board loves rumors.

 

[riffjim4069]

They would add all the VOOM HD Originals, but Rainbow Media is wanting too much for carriage of the entire lineup.

 

[tdti1]

FOIS is the the bomb, they can add tons of HD, I am glad they finally added enough to beat Dish, the poor HD quality of the pizza dish systems will never compair to FIOS.

 

[salsadancer7]

I go to their website once a week to see what they might have added. I know it is wishful thinking...but I am crossing all fingers and toes in hopes it comes down here to Miami...but unfortunately Comcast has such a HUGE strong hold here...it might never happened!!

 

[jgantert]

I wouldn't call FIOS TV the HD leader. They can't even get their program guide correct for their HD channels. Every month, at the beginning of the month, you lose guide information for UHD.

If it wasn't for the amazing PQ and low price, I would jump to Dish in a heartbeat.

-John

 

[datwell]

I wouldn't call FIOS TV the HD leader. They can't even get their program guide correct for their HD channels. Every month, at the beginning of the month, you lose guide information for UHD.

If it wasn't for the amazing PQ and low price, I would jump to Dish in a heartbeat.

-John

Well, I'm just the opposite - I have E* and could have had FIOS for many months. My reasons for not going FIOS - 1) I must lose my Earthlink (3 email addresses), 2) Lousy DVR w/ no external storage, 3) No VOOM, 4) No Sirius music.

My daughter & son-in-law are attempting to get FIOS again (again - Verizon has great difficulty keeping their appointments), so I'll keep watching.

--Doug

 

[garlandtxuser]

Well, I'm just the opposite - I have E* and could have had FIOS for many months. My reasons for not going FIOS - 1) I must lose my Earthlink (3 email addresses), 2) Lousy DVR w/ no external storage, 3) No VOOM, 4) No Sirius music.

My daughter & son-in-law are attempting to get FIOS again (again - Verizon has great difficulty keeping their appointments), so I'll keep watching.

--Doug

Wow, now sure where you are coming from here. Everyone else posting and that I have talked to seems very impressed with Verizons delivery and scheduling.

As for your email account, you can get Fios TV without the Internet and you can still keep your Earthlink account with Fios service. I have an Internet America account but have Fios Internet installed. Just choose the basic Earthlink service to reduce the monthly costs.

As for Sirius, the only reason to have it would be for the Music since there are more sports channels on Fios that one could shake a stick at.

Fios also offers a very large selection of excellent music channels, see below.

I really encourage you to look again. Just think, no pizza dish on the side of the house. Service even when it rains. More HD oferings. Investment in your local infrastructure (really, the more fiber laid the better off we all are). And last but certainly not least, the lowest cost provider in television service and Internet service added to all the other benefits, and with the savings you would experience you should be able to keep your Earthlink account and use Fios to access it 4-10 times faster.

600- Showcase
601- Today's Country
602- Classic Country
603- Bluegrass
604- R&B and Hip-Hop
605- Classic R&B
606- Smooth R&B
607- R&B Hits
608- Rap
609- Metal
610- Rock
611- Arena Rock
612- Classic Rock
613- Alternative
614- Retro-Active
615- Electronica
616- Dance
617- Adult Alternative
618- Soft Rock
619- Hit List
620- Party Favorites
621- 90s
622- 80s
623- 70s
624- Solid Gold Oldies
625- Singers & Standards
626- Big Band & Swing
627- Easy Listening
628- Smooth Jazz
629- Jazz
630- Blues
631- Reggae
632- Soundscapes
633- Classical Masterpieces
634- Opera
635- Light Classical
636- Show Tunes
637- Contemporary Christian
638- Gospel
639- Radio Disney
640- Sounds of the Seasons
641- Musica Urbana
642- Salsa y Merengue
643- Rock en Español
644- Pop Latino
645- Mexicana
646- Americana

 

[datwell]

Wow, now sure where you are coming from here. Everyone else posting and that I have talked to seems very impressed with Verizons delivery and scheduling.

As for your email account, you can get Fios TV without the Internet and you can still keep your Earthlink account with Fios service. I have an Internet America account but have Fios Internet installed. Just choose the basic Earthlink service to reduce the monthly costs.

As for Sirius, the only reason to have it would be for the Music since there are more sports channels on Fios that one could shake a stick at.

Fios also offers a very large selection of excellent music channels, see below.

I really encourage you to look again. Just think, no pizza dish on the side of the house. Service even when it rains. More HD oferings. Investment in your local infrastructure (really, the more fiber laid the better off we all are). And last but certainly not least, the lowest cost provider in television service and Internet service added to all the other benefits, and with the savings you would experience you should be able to keep your Earthlink account and use Fios to access it 4-10 times faster.

600- Showcase
601- Today's Country
602- Classic Country
603- Bluegrass
604- R&B and Hip-Hop
605- Classic R&B
606- Smooth R&B
607- R&B Hits
608- Rap
609- Metal
610- Rock
611- Arena Rock
612- Classic Rock
613- Alternative
614- Retro-Active
615- Electronica
616- Dance
617- Adult Alternative
618- Soft Rock
619- Hit List
620- Party Favorites
621- 90s
622- 80s
623- 70s
624- Solid Gold Oldies
625- Singers & Standards
626- Big Band & Swing
627- Easy Listening
628- Smooth Jazz
629- Jazz
630- Blues
631- Reggae
632- Soundscapes
633- Classical Masterpieces
634- Opera
635- Light Classical
636- Show Tunes
637- Contemporary Christian
638- Gospel
639- Radio Disney
640- Sounds of the Seasons
641- Musica Urbana
642- Salsa y Merengue
643- Rock en Español
644- Pop Latino
645- Mexicana
646- Americana

garlandtxuser:718893: I am a retired Bell Atlantic manager and am not at all hostile to VZ - I hold a good chunk of their stock - their product offering just doesn't meet my needs in a cost effective manner.

Ok, let's assume I make the switch.

BROADBAND
I currently pay ~ $40/mo. for Earthlink DSL with 100MB of mail space for each account. I think it will cost about $16/mo to duplicate this via dial-up (want keep some dial-up capability for when we travel). So a FIOS broadband account is ~$35/mo with a total bill of $51/mo. I'm $11/mo up and while I gain a bunch of speed with FIOS, I'm not convinced that's worth $121 /year.

TV
I guess this sounds unusual, but I really like E*'s DVR, VOOM, & Sirius. I have a 3-digit E* bill (you can do the math from my signature) but as you can tell, I really like the service. Now if old VZ would come up with a better DVR (and/or external storage), VOOM & Sirius (the other music stuff just isn't even close) - I would then be forced to take a fresh look at things.

But until then...

---Doug

 

[Jon Purkey]

I for one hope that FiOS doesn't get XM or Sirus as I prefer Music Choice.

 

[garlandtxuser]

garlandtxuser:718893: I am a retired Bell Atlantic manager and am not at all hostile to VZ - I hold a good chunk of their stock - their product offering just doesn't meet my needs in a cost effective manner.

Ok, let's assume I make the switch.

BROADBAND
I currently pay ~ $40/mo. for Earthlink DSL with 100MB of mail space for each account. I think it will cost about $16/mo to duplicate this via dial-up (want keep some dial-up capability for when we travel). So a FIOS broadband account is ~$35/mo with a total bill of $51/mo. I'm $11/mo up and while I gain a bunch of speed with FIOS, I'm not convinced that's worth $121 /year.

TV
I guess this sounds unusual, but I really like E*'s DVR, VOOM, & Sirius. I have a 3-digit E* bill (you can do the math from my signature) but as you can tell, I really like the service. Now if old VZ would come up with a better DVR (and/or external storage), VOOM & Sirius (the other music stuff just isn't even close) - I would then be forced to take a fresh look at things.

But until then...

---Doug

Doug, you got me on the equipment. In one of the other threads some said it appears that VZ is offering Cadillac service inside a Yugo chassis, or something like that. This is an accurate statement. I agree that ALL the satellite providers units are better designed and are much more feature rich. What they cannot bring to the table is the infrastructure upgrade that make everything in the house run better, ie. phone, internet, tv, future home automation, etc.

I understand staying with Dish or Direct for menus and equipment programming. My wife complains every day about the feature we gave up for Fios but I quickly remind her how much more HD programming we are getting and how much less we are spending. In addition, I work from home a couple days a week. I cannot tell you how much easier that is with Fios and the 15meg service offering. It's like being in the office. With cable internet speeds were slow at times and connectivity was always a day to day guess. Other than the Actiontec router lokcing up if you configure it with anything but the default settings, I have never had a single problem with Fios Internet.

As for VOOM HD, I was a subscriber and I liked the VOOM HD channels, but one can only watch the same program over and over again for so long before getting tired of it. Great concept, bad variety.

In closing, it looks like for the near term there will be customers for all the various providers. Each has pluses and minuses to the service. Can't say I fault anyone for staying put, but would love to see Fios become the leader so that they can drive the market. That's only because I am a subscriber. If I were with another service I would feel the same way about them. Hopefully there will always be room for competition.

 

[mindgrind]

Me, I go for the best PQ. Dish always look horrible on my 60" tv, even the SD channels look darn good with Fios.

And I don't remember Sirius' channels any better than Music Choice when I had Dish... but the PQ of Fios... ahhhhh!

 

[garlandtxuser]

Me, I go for the best PQ. Dish always look horrible on my 60" tv, even the SD channels look darn good with Fios.

And I don't remember Sirius' channels any better than Music Choice when I had Dish... but the PQ of Fios... ahhhhh!

Agreed, I have a 65" and the SD on Dish was never very good. Very pixallated. Much better on Fios, and I don't get those horrible screen jitters whenever there is a little moisture in the air. However, I have been told that other parts of the country recieve much better satellite signals and they can withstand the rain storms without picture degradation. I was not so lucky. I often had to go OTA to pick up my HD channels when it rained or at times just because, and that was with a 89% + signal. Now I plug it in and automatically get 100% + signals and nevr have to worry and it costs me about 15.00 per month less. That's just me though. Others have their reasons for not switching and they are probably good ones.

As for the equipment, I have to admit that I liked the Dish PVR better. The menus worked better, it responded quicker, since it was a dual tuner I could watch what I recorded from a different room (yes, I know that Fios offers this now, but not on the HD receiver). In addition, the menus FIT THE SCREEN, something that Fios just does not do. I miss being able to watch a full screen movie and broswe the menus without compromising the size or viewability of the show behind the menu (VZ, can you saw opaque). I miss the 30 sec commercial skip on the remote. I miss the search feature that would allow me to find a particular movie and recore it. I miss the sleek design of the unit. I miss not having a blaring display in my bedroom that I have to cover with black tape in order to speel at night (what moron thought of not putting dimming on the 5000watt display). But I don't miss these enought to pay the extra 15.00 per month and pay to upgrade the receiver.

 

[wlee]

since it was a dual tuner I could watch what I recorded from a different room (yes, I know that Fios offers this now, but not on the HD receiver)

Bit off topic but this caught my eye. I just called VZ yesterday to get price quotes for the comparable service I have from CV. Are you saying the multiroom viewing does not work if you record HD shows?