Fios and Tivo

[cebbigh]

Has anybody found tricks or shortcuts or backdoor methods to the Tivo? I continue to like it more than the HR2x. I found by entering code 01142 you can program the D remote to work the Tivo as a DVR. This works for me because I also have my TV, receiver and BluRay programmed on it.

 

[cebbigh]

Has anyone else gotten hooked by the Wordsmith game?

 

[Soulwhat]

So after about 7 years I am leaving Dish for FIOS. I am very excited as I have heard a lot about the picture quality of FIOS vs just about everything else! What I am confused about is how the functionality of the whole house DVR. I have not found an explanation of how this product works. How does the recorded video get fed to the individual televisions? Do you have to have broadband connected to each receiver? Also I am loath to give up having my own DVR in my bedroom does having the whole house DVR interfere with and individual DVR?

I was also wondering how well the Slingbox HD works with FIOS?

Anyway here's looking to my April 1st install date!

Cheers!

 

[cebbigh]

Hope you like your Fios service.

Hope there is someone more knowledgeable on the Motorola who can answer your questions. I switched to Tivo soon after hooking up to Fios. In general, I found the Motorola box to be primitive compared to a D or E DVR. I hope you have better luck with it. On the other hand I've never been happier with any service since I linked Fios and Tivo. The combo rocks!

 

[riffjim4069]

Has anyone else gotten hooked by the Wordsmith game?

I haven't had much free time, but I did try the SameGame a couple times. Hey, I just tried WordSmith and on my last row of letters when I accidentially hit the Guide buttom instead of Thumbs Up.

 

[Ken F]

Has anybody found tricks or shortcuts or backdoor methods to the Tivo? I continue to like it more than the HR2x. I found by entering code 01142 you can program the D remote to work the Tivo as a DVR. This works for me because I also have my TV, receiver and BluRay programmed on it.

AVS has a nice TivoHD FAQ. Specifically, check out the Using TiVo, TiVo Tips, and Download Recordings sections.

 

[cebbigh]

AVS has a nice TivoHD FAQ. Specifically, check out the Using TiVo, TiVo Tips, and Download Recordings sections.

Thanks. Lots of good info there.

 

[cebbigh]

Is there any way to get the Tivo to go back to the start of a program you started watching and then stopped instead of rewinding?

 

[Ken F]

Is there any way to get the Tivo to go back to the start of a program you started watching and then stopped instead of rewinding?

If you don't have 30sec skip enabled, the -->| button will toggle between the beginning and end of the program.

If you do have 30sec skip enabled, the -->| will skip forward or backward 15 minutes when used in conjunction with rewind and fast forward. Press rewind once, then -->| to skip back 15 minutes. Each press of the -->| button will skip back another 15 minutes.

 

[cebbigh]

If you don't have 30sec skip enabled, the -->| button will toggle between the beginning and end of the program.

If you do have 30sec skip enabled, the -->| will skip forward or backward 15 minutes when used in conjunction with rewind and fast forward. Press rewind once, then -->| to skip back 15 minutes. Each press of the -->| button will skip back another 15 minutes.

Thanks. Can't do without my 30 sec skip, activated it the first day. Trade off but this will work. Better than just a normal rewind.

 

[Soulwhat]

So after about 7 years I am leaving Dish for FIOS. I am very excited as I have heard a lot about the picture quality of FIOS vs just about everything else! What I am confused about is how the functionality of the whole house DVR. I have not found an explanation of how this product works. How does the recorded video get fed to the individual televisions? Do you have to have broadband connected to each receiver? Also I am loath to give up having my own DVR in my bedroom does having the whole house DVR interfere with and individual DVR?

I was also wondering how well the Slingbox HD works with FIOS?

Anyway here's looking to my April 1st install date!

Cheers!

OK! I had my FIOS installed on the 1st of April and let me say one thing. It absolutely ROCKS! The PQ is VERY noticeably better. My locals, especially seem to POP! Also the amount of true HD on FIOS is amazing! Also SD PQ is much better too. I am still learning the remote and menu system but it is a minor annoyance right now. The On Demand content is astounding not only in quality but amount and variety of free programing. If you live in an area where FIOS is available, Get It!:

I am subscribed to the Freedom Essentials Package for $139 a month with a 2 year rate lock in. Total with receiver rentals and taxes will be more like $180 a month about $20 more a month than I paid for the Dish Americas Everything pack with HD Platinum. However I am now getting 5/20MB internet access and local and long distance phone included. I was paying ~ $50 a month for 756K/3M internet and $30 a month for Vonage telephone. Plus I get $150 cash rebate in 30 days. So I am definitely way ahead of the game.

The installer was VERY good. He knew his job well and did everything without taking shortcuts. He ran new cable where he felt it was needed, he programed the remotes in each room to work with the televisions, home theater systems, DVD players etc. He even recognized the way my wireless network was set up and installed the FIOS provided wireless router as a simple bridge so that I did not have to make any changes to my home wireless network. I really appreciated the fact that he could hold a technical conversation and actually knew what he was talking about. He then stunned me by coming by yesterday, checking to see if everything was working as expected and asked if I need anything tweaked.:up

So far my experience has been a good one. From what I have heard from some others on this site and elsewhere I should expect some billing issues as this seems to be a weak point in their customer service. I will deal with them as they come.

On a side note. because I currently subscribe the NHL package I downgraded my DISH account from 5 receivers to just one VIP-622 and my programing from Everything to Family. When I complained about having to pay the programming downgrade fee the CSR gave me $10 a month discount for 5 months. I doubt I will keep the service that long after NHL season is over though. Maybe I will move so I can get a different sports market for this fall.

Cheers!

 

[riffjim4069]

OK! I had my FIOS installed on the 1st of April and let me say one thing. It absolutely ROCKS! The PQ is VERY noticeably better. My locals, especially seem to POP! Also the amount of true HD on FIOS is amazing! Also SD PQ is much better too. I am still learning the remote and menu system but it is a minor annoyance right now. The On Demand content is astounding not only in quality but amount and variety of free programing. If you live in an area where FIOS is available, Get It!:

I am subscribed to the Freedom Essentials Package for $139 a month with a 2 year rate lock in. Total with receiver rentals and taxes will be more like $180 a month about $20 more a month than I paid for the Dish Americas Everything pack with HD Platinum. However I am now getting 5/20MB internet access and local and long distance phone included. I was paying ~ $50 a month for 756K/3M internet and $30 a month for Vonage telephone. Plus I get $150 cash rebate in 30 days. So I am definitely way ahead of the game.

The installer was VERY good. He knew his job well and did everything without taking shortcuts. He ran new cable where he felt it was needed, he programed the remotes in each room to work with the televisions, home theater systems, DVD players etc. He even recognized the way my wireless network was set up and installed the FIOS provided wireless router as a simple bridge so that I did not have to make any changes to my home wireless network. I really appreciated the fact that he could hold a technical conversation and actually knew what he was talking about. He then stunned me by coming by yesterday, checking to see if everything was working as expected and asked if I need anything tweaked.:up

So far my experience has been a good one. From what I have heard from some others on this site and elsewhere I should expect some billing issues as this seems to be a weak point in their customer service. I will deal with them as they come.

On a side note. because I currently subscribe the NHL package I downgraded my DISH account from 5 receivers to just one VIP-622 and my programing from Everything to Family. When I complained about having to pay the programming downgrade fee the CSR gave me $10 a month discount for 5 months. I doubt I will keep the service that long after NHL season is over though. Maybe I will move so I can get a different sports market for this fall.

Cheers!

Welcome aboard! Now you know why FiOS TV has been adding 100,000 subscribers per month while Dish Network is losing 100,000 customers each quarter. The FiOS DVR isn't bad, but a number of us former VIP622/722 lovers picked-up a TivoHD and enjoy it very much.

 

[Ken F]

The biggest problems with the FiOS DVR, as you will soon find, are (a) unreliable guide data -- new episodes flagged as repeats and repeats flagged as new episodes, and (b) limited capacity with no means for expansion.

The good news is that Verizon does have a DVR with a larger hard drive in testing now, so the capacity issue will be addressed before too long. Unfortunately, they still have no plans to change their current guide data provider.

Like riffjim4069, I got a TivoHD because I could not wait for both of these issues to be addressed.

 

[cebbigh]

The Tivo/Fios combo is outstanding.

 

[nycplayboy78]

Hi there guys this is a great thread

Could someone please tell me how do I get a TiVo on my FiOS service. I've had FiOS for 2 years now and just recently upgraded to the Home DVR system. I have 3 HDTVs (1 HD DVR and 2 HD STBs) and I just found out on CNET that WD has a 1TB DVR external Expansion system eSATA. My problem is that I don't know how to get a cablecard from Verizon to install it into my system. So could someone please explain this to me since I am a noob at this

Thank You

 

[cebbigh]

Hi there guys this is a great thread

Could someone please tell me how do I get a TiVo on my FiOS service. I've had FiOS for 2 years now and just recently upgraded to the Home DVR system. I have 3 HDTVs (1 HD DVR and 2 HD STBs) and I just found out on CNET that WD has a 1TB DVR external Expansion system eSATA. My problem is that I don't know how to get a cablecard from Verizon to install it into my system. So could someone please explain this to me since I am a noob at this

Thank You

Call Verizon: 888-553-1555 to order the card.

Here is some info from an earlier thread that aged off that might be useful. This was for a Tivo series 3, I think all you need for the HD Tivo is 1 series M card:

Ok, here is some info that I would have found useful if I was starting from scratch during set up of my Series 3 when self installing the cable cards with Fios:

Set the basics up on the Tivo up in advance and familiarize yourself with the screens you can get to by pressing the button at the top of the remote that has the Tivo icon (Tivo central).

The cards I received were 2 Motorola cards (M cards). Write down the serial number (SN) and the unit address (UA) listed on each card and keep track of which one you put in slot 1 and 2.

After the cards are inserted access the menu (Tivo Central) and work your way through to the screen that is called CableCard(tm) pairings for slot 1. The two most important numbers are called Host and Data. It also shows Unit Address (UA). You will definitely need 3 numbers for card 1, Serial Number (SN) from the card itself and Host and Data from the cable card pairing screen. I found I also needed the UA number. I don't know if that's needed all the time, but it was during my setup. Also the number of zeros at the start of the UA number is important. In my case it was 7 zero's.

Call this Verizon number: 888-553-1555. If you call another number (like 800-483-4400) it probably will not be a good experience (I'm pretty sure that's why I had so many problems to begin with). After the first card is activated (verify by looking at the Cable Card 1 diagnostics screen) and shows authorized by the cable company (ie: Verizon) repeat the whole process for step 2.

Expect to be on the phone a long time after you get a Verizon Tech. It just takes a long time to get each card processed.

If all fails and you aren't getting anywhere they will probably refer your case to another dept called the Video (something or other) where they can totally reprogram either one or both cards. Those people must be the super techs, they ultimately got me going.

Good luck

 

[HalfFull]

FIOS just came to my area and I want to install TIVOs. How much should I expect to pay monthly WRT fees for 1 HD TIVO and 1 standard definition TIVO?

Does Verizon charge for the cable cards, and if so, how much? Am also assuming that a verizon FIOS set-top tuner is not required if cable cards are used with the TIVOs...that correct?

Thanks in advance for any info! Just trying to find out what my total will be if I switch TV, phone, and internet over to FIOS.

 

[Kaos]

FIOS just came to my area and I want to install TIVOs. How much should I expect to pay monthly WRT fees for 1 HD TIVO and 1 standard definition TIVO?

Does Verizon charge for the cable cards, and if so, how much? Am also assuming that a verizon FIOS set-top tuner is not required if cable cards are used with the TIVOs...that correct?

Thanks in advance for any info! Just trying to find out what my total will be if I switch TV, phone, and internet over to FIOS.

Fios prices will depend on how many services you get from Verizon. Phone/TV/Internet bundle can be as low $99/mo. TV/Internet bundle can be as low as $80/mo. These bundles do not include taxes, fees or receiver fees. Go to Verizon.com to see prices in your area. Most prices are the same nationwide but there may or may not be subtle differences in your area.

Verizon charges $3.99/mo per cable card. If they only have the S series cable card, it will require 2 cable cards if you want to use the Tivo as a dual tuner. This is due to the S card only being a single stream card. If Verizon has the M series card, you will only need 1 card for dual tuner capability. This is a multi stream card.

Tivo prices vary depending on how long of a subscription you want. Check out the link for the subscription prices. This does not include the price of the Tivo. https://www3.tivo.com/store/plans.do

The TivoHD requires cable card(s) if you want to watch all programming in your programming package. The Tivo series 2 (non HD Tivo) is a standalone product and doesn't require cable cards but does require a regular set top box in order for it to work. The cheapest STB is $3.99/mo and will work with Tivo but it doesn't get video on demand or pay per view. The next step up on a STB costs $5.99/mo does allow VOD and PPV. One of the drawbacks (to some people) of the TivoHD is that it is not capable of VOD from Verizon. Tivo is able to download PPV movies with a broadband connection to the TivoHD (through Amazon.com). Also, the service price on a second Tivo is less then service price on the original Tivo. For example, if you get lifetime service on your first Tivo for $399, the service price on the second Tivo would be $299. I don't know what the price for monthly service as all my Tivos have lifetime service.

Another drawback to Fios is that it is all digital. It will require a STB to each TV. There are no analog channels. Also, you lose picture in picture and a series 2 dual tuner Tivo will only function as a single tuner.

 

[HalfFull]

Thanks so much for the great summary!

Based on this info, I will probably keep Dish and go with Fios for phone and internet. I just don't see much advantage of going to Fios for TV with all those fees and up front costs for the TIVO boxes. Plus, I like the Dish DVRs.

 

[riffjim4069]

Thanks so much for the great summary!

Based on this info, I will probably keep Dish and go with Fios for phone and internet. I just don't see much advantage of going to Fios for TV with all those fees and up front costs for the TIVO boxes. Plus, I like the Dish DVRs.

I just wanted to add that FiOS TV picture quality, both HD and SD, put DishHD-Lite to shame; FiOS TV also provides the most HD channels of any major MSO (106 HD nationals, plus 10 more locals HD in my DMA). Additionally, FiOS provides the best overall value, by far. I was paying almost $128 for Dish Network, but I have only been paying $168 (taxes included) for FiOS TV w/movies and sports, 20/5 Internet, and phone (both services with 3 HD DVRs) and I am getting a LOT more HD and movies with FiOS.

It's not always easy to do an apples-to-apples comparison, but the FiOS Triple Play is a great value. We were considering dropping down to the Double Play this year, but Verizon tossed in a few freebies and extended another year of great pricing (we would still require a landline/VOIP line) so it was an easy choice.