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korsjs

Supporting Founder

Last reply Oct 20, 2005 · posted in Cable Television and Fiber Providers

verizon fios tv review

thanks to member scatt for sending me this info.

http://www.i4u.com/article4365.html

there are some good pictures at the link as well.

We reported in September that Verizon launched it's fiber optics FiOS TV service in Keller, Texas.
We asked in that story if anybody living in Keller is getting the FiOS TV service. Craig J. contacted us and answered a couple of questions about his new Verizon FiOS TV service for us. Craig also was kind enough to make a couple of photos of his setup (see below).
So, read on to learn about Verizon FiOS TV and why it sucks that you do not live in Keller.

I4U: How is the image quality of Verizon FiOS TV?
Craig: The picture is really the best that I have seen ever, even on non-HD channels.

I4U: What about the promised HD channels?
Craig: I have about 20 HD channels including all the major networks starting at 801 and working down to PBS HD, WB HD, TNT HD, UPN HD, NFL HD, ESPN HD & ESPN2 HD and to HBO HD. I even have some that I have not heard of like Wealth TV.

I4U: Anything that reminds you that it is not cable or satellite?
Craig: I know that it is not satellite because it rained over the weekend and we all know what happens then. It is not cable because the starter channel package is really affordable.

I4U: What can you tell us about the video on demand channels?
Craig: As far as the VOD, a lot of shows are free, the wife loves the 18 or so Sex and the City episodes that she can watch and rewind, fast-forward, but can't record. I really have my own DVD collection on my remote. If you have HBO then you get all the movies that appear that month and so on with Cinemax and Starz, etc. The new releases are $3.95 and movies from the library are $2.95.

I4U: Is the DVR function in the Verizon FiOS setop box (by Motorola) usable?
Craig: The DVR hard drive is about par for the size of the box, 30 hrs. Dish has the 80 hrs DVR but is the size of a boat. The 30 hrs gives you enough to record your month of favorite shows but with the VOD, you are really cutting your live TV viewing time in half.

I4U: Thanks Craig for giving us a reason to move to Keller.
Craig: You are welcome.

Besides TV, Verizon offers also broadband internet access over their FiOS network. You can get up to 30Mps/5Mps. More details on that service here.

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jolibee

Oct 12, 2005

Sorry if this has been mentioned before, but is Verizon transmitting in MPEG2 or MPEG4?

vinnyv07

Oct 12, 2005

I would switch to Fios in a second if it was available in NY. I have a feeling that Staten Island won't be seeing Fios for a very long time. Its so unfair!!!

peterl1365

Oct 12, 2005

LonghornXP said:
I've compared both SD and HD on an HDTV set that was 60" in size. I've also compared just SD quality on a 36" analog CRT that happens to be from Sony and is a non-wega and image quality was supurb to say the least. Also the Verizon HD DVR (all they will have is an HD DVR) has a 160GB hard drive and it can record about 30 hours of HDTV. If you record all non HDTV stuff your looking at around 60 hours of total recording space instead of 80 hours like cable simply because every single channel Verizon will offer is at a higher bitrate and has less compression thus takes more space.

Thanks. That's great info. The higher bitrate is a double-edged sword though, because I've become accustomed to the 120 hour capacity of my DirecTivo. I don't suppose the Verizon DVR's will ever be upgradeable.

Any idea if the Multi-Room Viewing is working yet with the DVR? I haven't heard that reported anywhere else but from you. Since you've demonstrated that you know what you're talking about, I'm wondering why the media has been ignoring this feature.

LonghornXP

Oct 13, 2005

peterl1365 said:
Thanks. That's great info. The higher bitrate is a double-edged sword though, because I've become accustomed to the 120 hour capacity of my DirecTivo. I don't suppose the Verizon DVR's will ever be upgradeable.

Any idea if the Multi-Room Viewing is working yet with the DVR? I haven't heard that reported anywhere else but from you. Since you've demonstrated that you know what you're talking about, I'm wondering why the media has been ignoring this feature.

At this time Verizon won't have anything better size wise but they will support customers adding their own bought SATA hard drive as long as they are either Western Digital, Seagate and/or Maxtor SATA drives. You will need to format it with the box to use it and anything on it will be encrypted. The multiroom aspect will be a standard feature at some point in the near future (within the next 6 months) but for now because its so early in this rollout stage they want to keep things simple.

Also to answer another poster all programming is in MPEG2 and will be sent via QAM 256. Now as with anything in the future they plan to move to MPEG4 (all current Verizon boxes from the start have support for MPEG4) and IPTV instead of QAM but that is way down the line. Now with that said they have switched video hardware in place so only the basic package (15 or so channels) will always be sent down the fiber. This means that all other channels beyond those select 15 or so channels will be sent via switched video hardware. This means in simple terms that all the channels above those first 15 will only be sent down the fiber to your house if you tune them in. This gives Verizon the ability to offer pretty much an unlimited amount of channels without running out of bandwidth and without reducing picture quality. Maybe cable companies which include Comcast and Time Warner Cable among others have added switched video hardware or soon will which gives them these same benefits. For those Comcast areas that have all their analog channels in digital now with a digital box you are seeing the benefits now of switched video.

RScottyL

Oct 20, 2005

Cyclone said:
I do not like the comment about satellite and rain. It takes a pretty heavy rain to lose a Satellite picture.

Well, it depends on different factors. The first factor being the size of the dish. If you have the standard 18" dish, then you are going to be more prone to have the "rain fade" than if you have the 18" x 24" oval HD dish or larger.

The second factor being the starting signal strength. If your signal strength is just barely enough to keep your satellite picture going, then obviously rain will bring it down more than if you are starting with a very high siganl strength. The low signal strength would be caused by the dish not being properly aimed for the best signal, or just by location. I think people in the southern central parts of the US have the possibility of getting a high strength just by the satellite position in it's orbit over Earth, but not 100% sure on that.

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Linus Tech Tips

10 minutes ago · posted in Linus Tech Tips

I’ve never seen this before (and it’s 20 years old.)

Time for another AWESOME video from Linus Tech Tips!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hlTu95nOCw

Direct YouTube Link - I've never seen this before (and it's 20 years old.)
Linus on Facebook
The LTT Store

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dfergie

Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU!

Last reply 43 minutes ago · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Gas Price Info With National Gas Temperature Map

Stumbled across this ... http://www.gaspricewatch.com/USGas_ZipSearch.asp
I found no local prices, although it did show stations at my location...
Added these to this post...
USA National Gas Temperature Map
State By State Gasoline Taxes
Gas Buddy

Ethanol Free Stations

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dfergie

Oct 31, 2026

$4.04 most places, Diesel $5.85...

Bobby

Yesterday at 11:49 AM

Regular$5.459
Premium$5.899
Diesel$7.999
at Costco, Rohnert Park.

Reactions: harshness

dishstaller

Yesterday at 11:59 AM

Billboard along I-10 had reg at $3.81 and diesel at $5.54

Bobby

Today at 11:10 AM

Regular$5.399
Premium$5.899
Diesel$7.999
at Costco, Rohnert Park.

osu1991

43 minutes ago

$3.55

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TWiT Tech Podcast Network

Today at 11:22 AM · posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network

Claude Designed a Linux Kernel Exploit in 53 Minutes #shorts

Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!

View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/H5w96sy17FM

Direct YouTube Link - Claude Designed a Linux Kernel Exploit in 53 Minutes #shorts
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed

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Scott Greczkowski

Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge

Last reply Today at 11:11 AM · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Song Name Game Part 3!

Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!

So let the game continue!

The last song was added by Bobby who posted...

One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters

CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!

Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game

Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.

Example:

Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow

Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio

Another example:

Ride the Lightning -- Metallica

Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne

Get it?

An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....

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ClarkGable

Yesterday at 8:18 PM

To Know Him Is To Love Him - The Teddy Bears

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long_time_Dish

Yesterday at 9:21 PM

Really Wanna Know You - Gary Wright

hwkn

Today at 2:43 AM

Don't WANNA KNOW-Maroon 5

harshness

Today at 9:51 AM

I Want to Know What Love Is - Foreigner

Bobby

Today at 11:11 AM

Oh What A Night For Dancing - Barry White

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KyL416

Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Pub Member / Supporter Cutting Edge

Last reply Today at 10:46 AM · posted in DIRECTV Programming Forum

Genre Packs from DIRECTV

https://www.directv.com/insider/mysports-changes-the-game/
https://streamtv.directv.com/mysports/ (You might have to logout or open a private window to see the details)
As of now this is only available for streaming customers in select markets. Existing streaming customers can switch to it for $69.99, but they are not eligible for the $20 off for 3 months discount. More genre-specific packages will launch during the first half of the year.

At launch, MySports includes 40 sports and broadcast channels and is initially available in 24 metro areas, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, and others. Click here for more information and the list of initial launch markets. The availability of MySports will expand into additional markets as DIRECTV adds more local stations to the package.

The streamlined MySports package includes national and local channels in select markets, as well as live news channels.

National sports channels immediately available through MySports include ACC Network, Big Ten Network, DIRECTV 4K Live, DIRECTV 4K Live 2, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, Golf Channel, MLB Network, NBA TV, NFL Network, NHL Network, SEC Network, TBS, TNT, TruTV and USA Network. Local channels will initially include any stations owned and operated by ABC, FOX, and NBC, with additional stations coming online soon.

Additional networks, local stations and ESPN+, will be included in MySports at no extra cost in the near future.

Consumers who sign up online for the contract-free package before Feb. 28, 2025, can receive MySports for $49.99 monthly for the first three months, a $20 monthly savings. After the free trial, it auto-renews monthly, and consumers can cancel anytime.

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KyL416

May 26, 2026

They recently split the news channels off of MySports, so CNBC, CNN, FBN, FNC and MSNOW are no longer part of it.

MySports was decreased to $64.99, and a new "MySports+MyNews Duo" pack is $79.99, which will also give you Bloomberg, CNBC World, CNNI, the C-SPANs, i24 and Newsmax.

Tennis Channel also joined MySports at some point over the past year.

Curtis0620

Jun 16, 2026

KyL416 said:
They recently split the news channels off of MySports, so CNBC, CNN, FBN, FNC and MSNOW are no longer part of it.

MySports was decreased to $64.99, and a new "MySports+MyNews Duo" pack is $79.99, which will also give you Bloomberg, CNBC World, CNNI, the C-SPANs, i24 and Newsmax.

Tennis Channel also joined MySports at some point over the past year.

AMC+ now included in MyEntertainment Pack. I guess we know why the $8 price increase.

KyL416

Jun 16, 2026

Here's the Insider article. Shudder is now part of MyCinema and Fanatiz1 was added to the Spanish packages last Friday. PX Sports was also added a few weeks ago.

It's not just AMC+ driving the price increases on the genre packs, the rest of the AMC Networks (AMC, WE, IFC, Sundance, BBC America), along with Paramount/CBS, Hallmark, Weigel and others joined since they debuted last year.

Reactions: mario315 and Mr Tony

KyL416

Yesterday at 10:35 PM

MySports now has some CW affiliates, and MyNews now has some CW affiliates and the MyNetworkTV O&Os.

At quick check, it looks like the CBS and Sinclair owned CW affiliates are missing.

Curtis0620

Today at 10:46 AM

KyL416 said:
MySports now has some CW affiliates, and MyNews now has some CW affiliates and the MyNetworkTV O&Os.

At quick check, it looks like the CBS and Sinclair owned CW affiliates are missing.

No Hearst owned CW in Orlando

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osu1991

Pub Member / Supporter

Last reply Today at 10:29 AM · posted in The Chit Chat Club

EV News

America’s Fastest-Growing EV State Isn’t California—Not by a Long Shot

New data shows electric vehicle adoption is increasingly driven by state policies, electricity prices and charging access—not federal incentives

www.autoweek.com

The number-one US state for EV growth, according to the June 22 Yardi report?
Oklahoma.

:eek

It has no ZEV mandates and "minimal" incentives, Yardi says, but also has cheap electricity, high multi-car household rates (so, for example, a non-Lightning Ford F-150 pulls their trailers), and a consumer base willing to switch.

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meStevo

Oct 31, 2026

View: https://youtu.be/z1-G2Qn9F1Q

Reactions: osu1991 and Foxbat

osu1991

Sunday at 2:08 PM

View: https://x.com/itskyleconner/status/2116861127883702684?a=dBYY7Yu2XtKD-LA0vzo&s=20

Reactions: Foxbat

osu1991

Yesterday at 11:30 AM

The Tesla Cybertruck Is Dead, The Ford F-150 Lives - The Autopian

The Cybertruck was supposed to make the F-150 obsolete. It wasn’t supposed to be boring, like a Ford or a Chevy. It was supposed to be “more truck than truck.” It turns out, people just wanted trucks that were trucks, and CEO Elon Musk announced on X earlier this morning is that the Cybertruck...

www.theautopian.com

The Cybertruck was supposed to make the F-150 obsolete. It wasn't supposed to be boring, like a Ford or a Chevy. It was supposed to be "more truck than truck." It turns out, people just wanted trucks that were trucks, and CEO Elon Musk announced on X earlier this morning is that the Cybertruck is dying.

Ending production in middle of next year at gigatexas for cybercab production.

Reactions: dishstaller

dishstaller

Yesterday at 12:09 PM

IF they had made the cyber truck more like a conventional truck, more would have bought it. There is a REASON trucks all have a very similar layout....it's what people want AND it serves the purposes those of us who have a truck needs.

Reactions: osu1991

harshness

Today at 10:29 AM

dishstaller said:
There is a REASON trucks all have a very similar layout....it's what people want AND it serves the purposes those of us who have a truck needs.

As it is, most consumers buy trucks as comfortable transportation rather than commercial utility. The Cybertruck approach to that goal was way out in left field. It turned out to be more of an austere sedan with awful daily-driver attributes (visibility, parking). The expectations regarding truck durability were dashed early on.

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Neutron

Supporting Founder

Last reply Today at 10:07 AM · posted in Computers and Gadgets

Apple HomePod Home Automation

Does anyone here use Apple Home/HomeKit with HomePods or Apple TV to automate smart devices in their house? We have had Amazon's Alexa set up in our house for the last 10+ years and I have been waiting to switch them out to Apple for a few reasons; We are already in the Apple ecosystem with our phones, tablets, and computers. I have never liked Amazon's stance on privacy and I really like that Apple has pushed for privacy for a long time.

I bought 4 of the new HomePod Mini 2 speakers to go in various rooms in our house and we have one of the new Apple TVs on preorder that will be the start of me replacing our Rokus. I have the HomePod Mini 2s set up and have an RPi that is running HomeBridge for our legacy smart devices that worked natively with Alexa but don't work with Apple Home natively. I had trouble with the older smart bulbs not keeping the brightness or light color consistent with what our routines were with Alexa despite trying every setting in HomeBridge with the bulbs just not shining very bright. I ended up replacing them with updated versions that are Matter compatible so they work in Apple Home natively. That in and of itself has been interesting to set up because I have my home network segretated with the IoT devices on their own vlan and wifi and pretty locked down. Matter requires IPv6 and due to how my home network is designed I had to do some digging with AI to figure out how to make it all work correctly.

Apple Home definitely has some shortcomings that Alexa does much better with but I am hoping Apple will continue to improve their Home products and introduce features that will bring it closer to the functionality of Alexa.

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b4pjoe

Yesterday at 3:44 PM

I tried HomeKit to be able to see my Ring cameras on my Apple TV as they are not supported natively on Apple devices. The best I could get was to be able to view the cameras live but I could not view any recordings. After the last major update version of HomeKit I could not even view the live cameras anymore. I gave up on it after that. If I were going to do it again I would only buy devices that can work on Apple devices natively as HomeKit didn't work well at all for me.

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Neutron

Yesterday at 4:01 PM

b4pjoe said:
I tried HomeKit to be able to see my Ring cameras on my Apple TV as they are not supported natively on Apple devices. The best I could get was to be able to view the cameras live but I could not view any recordings. After the last major update version of HomeKit I could not even view the live cameras anymore. I gave up on it after that. If I were going to do it again I would only buy devices that can work on Apple devices natively as HomeKit didn't work well at all for me.

That's what I started doing after seeing legacy devices work hit or miss using the HomeBridge. At least Apple is following a standard now with Matter which is unusual for Apple. Looks like HomeBridge does allow you to see the live views but I haven't seen how to view past recordings. I'd really like to ditch Ring altogether due to their stance on privacy and if I had my choice I'd go with UniFi since that's what I use for my network and I like the idea of my camera recordings being all local and not in the cloud. UniFi doorbells and cameras are quite pricey though.

I'll try to access the Ring doorbells in Apple Home for now but I'll see if it's useful any.

Foxbat

Yesterday at 4:20 PM

I found that the IoT devices need to see the Apple TV to be able to use it as the HomeKit Hub. Unfortunately, that means being in the same IPv4 subnet.

I was thinking of getting a HomePod Mini for my Mother-in-Law to play music and set up HomeKit scenes, as well as make FaceTime Audio calls. When Apple announced their price rises due to RAMageddon, I kicked myself as they went up 50% in cost. I'll be curious to see the HomeView in person as this might not be a bad way to get her started on automation.

She asked about it because her friends have Alexa and they use it to control lights. But like you, I feel better putting in a HomePod or HomeView that's listening for commands instead of Amazon or Google.

b4pjoe

Yesterday at 4:28 PM

Neutron said:
That's what I started doing after seeing legacy devices work hit or miss using the HomeBridge.

Homebridge is what I meant when I said HomeKit. Forgot the name of it.

harshness

Today at 10:07 AM

I find that I don't interact with my home automation system (Hubitat Elevation) as much as I thought I would.

Apple made everything more expensive and less flexible with its "our way or the highway" approach. To be sure, a Homebridge server addresses some of the major deficiencies, but it seems like it will always be a battle to keep pasting things together.

b4pjoe

Pub Member / Supporter Cutting Edge

Last reply Today at 9:55 AM · posted in Computers and Gadgets

Fox Is Buying Roku in $22 Billion Deal

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Neutron

Yesterday at 3:04 PM

Another reason I'm glad we are swapping or Rokus out for Apple TVs. I was already planning on ditching the Rokus earlier this year and had been waiting on Apple to announce the new one last month. Our Rokus have had issues the last year or so with freezing video and reboots, and one with an HDCP issue randomly.

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primestar31

Yesterday at 8:33 PM

Neutron said:
Another reason I'm glad we are swapping or Rokus out for Apple TVs. I was already planning on ditching the Rokus earlier this year and had been waiting on Apple to announce the new one last month. Our Rokus have had issues the last year or so with freezing video and reboots, and one with an HDCP issue randomly.

Lol, I'm watching an Apple Tv ON my TCL Roku tv set... I use it as a client for my Channels DVR.

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TRG

Yesterday at 9:50 PM

Neutron said:
Another reason I'm glad we are swapping or Rokus out for Apple TVs. I was already planning on ditching the Rokus earlier this year and had been waiting on Apple to announce the new one last month. Our Rokus have had issues the last year or so with freezing video and reboots, and one with an HDCP issue randomly.

Hmmm... I don't have any of those problems with my Roku devices. I have 3 of them.

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navychop

Yesterday at 10:36 PM

I suspect Fox will make me consider 2-3 more Apple TV STB purchases.

harshness

Today at 9:48 AM

navychop said:
I suspect Fox will make me consider 2-3 more Apple TV STB purchases.

Until I can get a mortgage on an ATV, I doubt that's going to happen for me.

As much as the price has gone up, the complaints on the forums about this, that, and the other nits surrounding various limitations and Apple business decisions seem to be keeping pace.

Jimbo

Today at 9:55 AM

TRG said:
Hmmm... I don't have any of those problems with my Roku devices. I have 3 of them.

I have the Roku's, 2 or 3, I just rarely use them ... I prefer the Google/Android Sony set up.

People tell me that the Apps on the TV will end thier usefulness as they age ... They are doing ok for me so far ... I also have the TV take the App Updates whenever possible ... then again, I don't know how often App updates come to it.

So, so far, I'm doing ok, but if they start to get sluggish, I'll eventually change to a Roku ... I don't want to, but eventually ... (Or buy another new TV :eeek