FIOS or Dish?

[Lord_Vader]

I saw the U-verse thread and thought I would ask the same about FIOS

I had pretty much decided to stick it out with Dish. The XIP receivers look interesting and BBC / Cartoon network are both SD on FIOS. However, verizon is offering a $500 gift card to switch.

You will be able to choose one of the these great offers when you add a qualifying bundle with TV,internet and phone with 2 year agreement

• $500 Visa prepaid card (order a new Triple Play bundle with FiOS TV Ultimate HD, Internet up to 35Mpbs/35Mbps and unlimited phone plan)
• Multi-Room DVR 12 Month Credit (savings of $19.99/month)
• FiOS Spanish 12 Month Credit (savings of $12.99/month)
• Showtime 12 Month Credit (savings of $11.99/month)
• $300 Visa prepaid card (order any new Triple play bundle)

The IMG 1.9 will be out in my area shortly so they will pick up external storage and the new DVR has a larger drive.

Thoughts? I've been with Dish for a long time, so I don't want to just jump ship without giving it some thought.

I currently pay about $152 for Dish and Comcast internet, so the monthly price is a wash.

I can get FIOS Triple Play bundle with FiOS TV Ultimate HD, Internet up to 35Mpbs/35Mbps and unlimited phone plan for $145 before taxes. ($10 discount it I order through work.)
Multiroom DVR
HD DVR
SD STB (free)
( I don't really need the phone, but will probably use it as a fax line. )

Dish setup is ~$112
AT250, Platinum / Dish BB
722 - one TV
722 - One HD / One SD
Comcast internet ~$40

Thanks in advance for your thoughts / suggestions.

 

[CK SatGuy]

That really is a good deal Fios is offering for that triple play. If you don't really care about BBC and Cartoon network in SD Only, I would take that offer if I were you. But if you still prefer dish, you could downgrade your 2nd 722 to a 612 if you only use it for one TV. Or do a 211k and pay the one-time $40 fee for EHD and you could save $10/month in receiver fees.

 

[whatchel1]

I saw the U-verse thread and thought I would ask the same about FIOS

I had pretty much decided to stick it out with Dish. The XIP receivers look interesting and BBC / Cartoon network are both SD on FIOS. However, verizon is offering a $500 gift card to switch.


The IMG 1.9 will be out in my area shortly so they will pick up external storage and the new DVR has a larger drive.

Thoughts? I've been with Dish for a long time, so I don't want to just jump ship without giving it some thought.

I currently pay about $152 for Dish and Comcast internet, so the monthly price is a wash.

I can get FIOS Triple Play bundle with FiOS TV Ultimate HD, Internet up to 35Mpbs/35Mbps and unlimited phone plan for $145 before taxes. ($10 discount it I order through work.)
Multiroom DVR
HD DVR
SD STB (free)
( I don't really need the phone, but will probably use it as a fax line. )

Dish setup is ~$112
AT250, Platinum / Dish BB
722 - one TV
722 - One HD / One SD
Comcast internet ~$40

Thanks in advance for your thoughts / suggestions.

Before you jump find out what the whole house HD DVR is? If it's a dog find out if you can get something better (TIVO Premiere). I personally would have problems w/ BBC in SD. The net speed is great though.

 

[chicagonettech]

Talk to others who live in your area who have the FIOS product. While Verizon generally has an excellent reputation, the killer is in the details and the bandwidth is the thing that is most frequently not up-to-par with the advertised speeds. Many of the plans also have some pretty firm bandwidth limits on them.

The other side of the equation is whether you will be in a FIOS/VERIZON fiber-to-the door area, or you will be in a last-mile copper area. Fiber to the door is always preferable and those who have copper in the last mile of the loop suffer many outages and data slow-downs.

Don't jump based on price, do your homework, talk to neighbors who live you YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD and have the same product you are looking to purchase. This is not line-of-sight satellite content delivery, it is all predicated on the network working at its peak performance to deliver according to the specs you are about to shell out hard earned money for.

Finally, ask about customer service. Again, speak with actual FIOS/VERIZON customers. Put a free add on Craig's list or read the appropriate forum up here. Ask specific questions about your service area and ask those questions of FIOS/VERIZON customers.

Good luck, and please keep us posted.

 

[DK_Sat]

Verizon Fios will kill you on fees and taxes, i have the Fios 15/5 Internet with phone for $59.00 a month and my bill with taxes and fees is $78.95

 

[Lord_Vader]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the advice.

 

[nlk10010]

I have both Dish and FIOS. I switched to FIOS because I had CV and their Internet (at least in my area) was horrible, speeds dropping to less than 1 down during the day. CV was either unable or unwilling to fix it. FIOS Internet (I have, I think, 25/25 but often get more) is rock-solid. I took a triple play because, frankly, it cost me about the same as I would have paid for just FIOS Internet and my Verizon landline. The FIOS DVR sucks compared to my 622; it works, but is quite unfriendly; you can't increase recording time once you start, the guide (I realize this is not Verizon but a service) is terrible when it comes to identifying new episodes, I haven't yet seen the cool 622 feature where if you skip one episode in a series it automatically finds the next airing. Now I have only IMG 1.8, 1.9 is rumored to let you increase recording time after you start, but Dish really does DVRs right. Finally, I kept Dish, at least for now, because it has a s**tload of HD that Verizon doesn't and probably won't for at least a while. BBCA-HD, RFD-HD, HLN-HD, DIY-HD, COOKING-HD, TCM-HD (maybe not HD but much better than SD) Bloomberg-HD and I'm sure at least a few more that slip my mind right now. Of course Dish doesn't carry my RSN (MSG) so I will eventually dump them but you really need to figure out what's important to you: as I say, FIOS Internet speed can be (and IS, in my area) super rock-solid but the lack of HD channels and DVR features is the downside. Good Luck with your decision.

 

[Laddyboy]

I have both FIOS and Dish. FIOS is at the Florida house. Picture quality is stellar. The DVR leaves a lot to be desired, but it's serviceable. The internet is great. I've had no problems there at all. The problem is the cost once all the discounts expire plus the load of taxes and fees tacked onto the bill each month.

 

[Lord_Vader]

Would you mind posting a ballpark of what the taxes / fees are? ( $10, $20, etc )

 

[Bobby]

Verizon Fios will kill you on fees and taxes, i have the Fios 15/5 Internet with phone for $59.00 a month and my bill with taxes and fees is $78.95

Would you mind posting a ballpark of what the taxes / fees are? ( $10, $20, etc )

That's already been done Vader.... It looks like $20 or so...

 

[harshness]

While Verizon generally has an excellent reputation, the killer is in the details and the bandwidth is the thing that is most frequently not up-to-par with the advertised speeds.

It is generally not a good idea to associate FIOS with Verizon. Many FIOS systems are actually Frontier properties and they're not particularly good stewards of FIOS in some areas.

 

[navychop]

Yep. Doesn't Frontier have a policy of no FIOS expansion?

 

[Laddyboy]

Fees and taxes are around 14% on my FIOS bill. I only have double play, TV and internet.

 

[Jonhern]

Talk to others who live in your area who have the FIOS product. While Verizon generally has an excellent reputation, the killer is in the details and the bandwidth is the thing that is most frequently not up-to-par with the advertised speeds. Many of the plans also have some pretty firm bandwidth limits on them.

The other side of the equation is whether you will be in a FIOS/VERIZON fiber-to-the door area, or you will be in a last-mile copper area. Fiber to the door is always preferable and those who have copper in the last mile of the loop suffer many outages and data slow-downs.

Don't jump based on price, do your homework, talk to neighbors who live you YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD and have the same product you are looking to purchase. This is not line-of-sight satellite content delivery, it is all predicated on the network working at its peak performance to deliver according to the specs you are about to shell out hard earned money for.

Finally, ask about customer service. Again, speak with actual FIOS/VERIZON customers. Put a free add on Craig's list or read the appropriate forum up here. Ask specific questions about your service area and ask those questions of FIOS/VERIZON customers.

Good luck, and please keep us posted.

Fios internet is great, can't say the same about the tv, although the new dvrs are better, my brother got one, but it is still slower than dish dvrs. But for the internet, if i remember correctly there was a study on speeds and time of day, and FIOS was the only provider that maintained advertised speeds, in fact the speeds were generally higher, throughout the day with no dips at the high demand times. And from experience this is true, although we pay a bit more because it is only a double play bundle, phone and internet, and we are planning on getting rid of the the phone soon too, the price is worth it because there is never any downtime. We have lost internet 1 day and 2 hours in the the last 3+ years with fios, the couple of hours was because of a down wire while they were doing construction, the 1 day was after Irene (we lost power for 4days so not counting that) when our router bit the dust after the power came back on, they replaced it the next day. My contract with dish is up but I will stay for now, if fios adds the Spanish channels dish has and bbc hd i might consider switching if the new dvr software is out here. The only thing is with fios to have hd on all the tvs (we have 4) it gets pretty expensive.

 

[Lord_Vader]

I am also looking at either Tivo or Windows Media Center. I know there are pro/cons involved.

 

[Lord_Vader]

So, just an update. I've decided that I will go ahead and place the order for FIOS. Main reasons are that I want faster/more reliable internet, a MRV DVR and the bundle discount. It has gotten cold again and just on queue, the comcast node in my yard is getting flaky. SNR ratios are getting worse. I could have them fix it again, but I would also like faster upload speeds.

As far as TV, I figure I am getting a mixed bag. I watched a lot of FIOS TV over the weekend at my brothers house. The picture quality on the SD BBC America isn't great, but watchable. The HD channels looked good, maybe better than Dish. I will reserve final judgement for when its on my regular TV.

I do feel like I am shooting my old dog or something. I've had Dish for about 11 years now. It will seem really weird not coming home at night seeing the Dish at the end of the driveway or that silver remote on the table.

 

[harshness]

Before you jump find out what the whole house HD DVR is? If it's a dog find out if you can get something better (TIVO Premiere).

Is it fair to classify the TiVo Premiere as a "Whole House DVR"?

 

[ERSanders]

It the Fios deal is anything like TW, make sure you fully understand the cost to you in the SECOND year. TW uses promotional pricing that is really good but will not tell you what the normal prices (subject to annual increases) will be.

 

[Lord_Vader]

It the Fios deal is anything like TW, make sure you fully understand the cost to you in the SECOND year. TW uses promotional pricing that is really good but will not tell you what the normal prices (subject to annual increases) will be.

Thanks for the recommendation.

It will be $138 before taxes. I also get a $10 discount so it will be $128 plus taxes.

Includes:


MRV DVR with one HD STB, and one free SD STB

FiOS TV Ultimate HD

FiOS Internet Speeds up to 35 Mbps/ 35 Mbps

FiOS Digital Voice - Unlimited Plan 20 calling features

$500 Visa prepaid card

It also includes $35 in bundles discounts for 2 years.

I don't really need the phone, but I guess I can use it as an extra line.

I am not sure about going from 4 tuners to 2 tuners, but I can replace the HD STB with another HD DVR for an additional $8. I think it will be ok, because a lot of the old shows that I was recording have moved to Netflix streaming, and I have a lot of duplicates right now on my DISH DVRs so I could watch the shows in either room.

 

[Super Dave]

I switched from Dish to FIOS last March, and my plan is the Ultimate, 35/35 and Digital Voice. I have the Whole House DVR and 3 HD STBs and the monthly price with tax is $126.67. The WHDVR is awesome, the On Demand library is even better and the picture quality is better than we had with Dish. There are no complaints at all, and after 2 years if I do nothing the bill will be $154, $16 more than we were paying for Dish alone. Of course I'll call and get discounts, or else we'll switch and then switch again, but we are very happy with FIOS. We have had some bad storms and no picture loss, yet we were expecting it. You will like it, and with the new software it might not be Dish but it is good.