Switch to FIOS from Dish

[abisdabis]

I am making the switch from dish to FIOS on Tuesday. Other than the DVR and guide is there anything I need to know or tips to maximize the service? I am getting one Home Media DVR and one HD Dvr for 2 hd tv's. Verizon is ginving me an unbelievable deal on the triple play.

 

[Ken F]

You may want to run CAT5/CAT6 network cable to the point inside your home, opposite to where the ONT will be installed. That way, you can ask the installer to use ethernet WAN (Internet) on your ONT instead of coax WAN (Internet). The benefit of this is that it allows you use any router you want; you aren't limited to the Verizon router.

As per corporate policy, Verizon installers will not run CAT5 from your computer/router to the ONT. But if you run the CAT5 cable yourself, they will use it.

On June 22nd, you'll want to call Verizon to have them update you to the new/improved Internet tiers.

 

[abisdabis]

You may want to run CAT5/CAT6 network cable to the point inside your home, opposite to where the ONT will be installed. That way, you can ask the installer to use ethernet WAN (Internet) on your ONT instead of coax WAN (Internet). The benefit of this is that it allows you use any router you want; you aren't limited to the Verizon router.

As per corporate policy, Verizon installers will not run CAT5 from your computer/router to the ONT. But if you run the CAT5 cable yourself, they will use it.

On June 22nd, you'll want to call Verizon to have them update you to the new/improved Internet tiers.

I already have the ONT installed from the phone/internet install. There is coax running to the router now. Do you think that will make a difference? I have an ethernet cable running right past the ONT now that I could switch over.

 

[Ken F]

I already have the ONT installed from the phone/internet install. There is coax running to the router now. Do you think that will make a difference? I have an ethernet cable running right past the ONT now that I could switch over.

If you are already using Verizon's Actiontec router and don't mind it, then I see no reason to switch.

If it were me, though, I would have the installer connect the ethernet cable and call to provision it (simply connecting it is not enough; they have to call to switch you over from coax to ethernet). This just gives you the freedom to use your own WAN router in the future.

 

[JPL]

Since you're getting the HM DVR and a stand-alone DVR, just to make you aware, you can't share recordings from DVR to DVR. The HM DVR multi-room feeds only work from DVR to stand-alone set top box - either SD or HD.

 

[abisdabis]

Since you're getting the HM DVR and a stand-alone DVR, just to make you aware, you can't share recordings from DVR to DVR. The HM DVR multi-room feeds only work from DVR to stand-alone set top box - either SD or HD.

Get the heck outta here. I was not aware of that. I thought I would be able to share from the HM DVR. I guess I could switch the dvr out for a non HD box but I was looking for the extra capacity wihtout going tivo.

 

[JPL]

Get the heck outta here. I was not aware of that. I thought I would be able to share from the HM DVR. I guess I could switch the dvr out for a non HD box but I was looking for the extra capacity wihtout going tivo.

I figured that was the case - you CAN have an HM DVR and a stand-alone DVR, but you wouldn't be able to share recordings. About the only thing you would be able to do with the HM DVR - share digital music and pictures from your computers to your HM DVR. While that's a real nice feature, it's not worth the extra money in my book. Having the multi-room streaming, though, is. It works amazingly well. The PQ is really amazing - I thought it would take a hit being transferred over... it doesn't. I have a couple nits with the streaming - you can't manage recordings from the other set top box - you can only watch recordings from there. And there's a bit of latency when accessing your 'trick play' (things like ffwd, rwd, pause, etc.) from the other set top box. The reason for that has to do with the architecture of their feeds.

They use MoCA to stream stuff over, which means that everything goes through your computer router (the one that they give you). So all recordings go: DVR -> router -> STB, and all commands have to follow the same path back. The functionality on the TV with the DVR, though, is fast.

All that being said, from what I understand DVR to DVR streaming is coming. As are alot of other really cool features - e.g. video streaming (both home video and internet video source), and they're rolling out a sling-box like functionality on their system.

One thing that's really cool about FiOS (per my own research into how their system works) is that they really are serious when they say 'it's the network'. That's one of their biggest selling points. For example - their VOD is fed in via the IP feed. But so they don't suck down your internet connectivity, they actually bump up your internet speed (up some maximum) to compensate. The maximum depends on which market you're in (most are still using the older BPON network, while the rest have already been upgraded to the substantially faster GPON - eventually all will be upgraded to GPON). So, if my kids watch an HD VOD stream, my internet speed will actually bump up to 35 Mbps (20 for my actual internet service and 15 for the HD VOD feed).

 

[abisdabis]

All that being said, from what I understand DVR to DVR streaming is coming. As are alot of other really cool features - e.g. video streaming (both home video and internet video source), and they're rolling out a sling-box like functionality on their system.

Man am I glad that it is install day!! I do not kknow what to do about the second dvr right now. I guess the family will have to decide which rooom to record in for now. I bumped up to the 20/5 speed about two weeks ago because we stream netflix and the kids are on their bandwith hog sites so it was necessary. Now if that speed is not affected by the VOD stream that is a huge bonus. What are your thoughts about the DVR - DVR streaming in terms of time frame? Something we might see this year? When it happens do you think it would be a hardware change or just software?

 

[JPL]

I'm hoping that we'll see it this year. Verizon is not the swiftest when it comes to s/w updates, but from my experience (coming from DirecTV) they're pretty well-tested (yeah, some new bugs get introduced, but it's nothing like what I went through with DirecTV). It should just be s/w based. One thing that's interesting about Verizon's architecture - read this in an interview with one of their senior execs - most of the 'data' surrounding the TV service isn't stored locally on your set top box/dvr. It's stored on their servers.

For example, if you pull the plug on their DVR, the box will come back in about a minute, after you plug it in. Really fast. Before they did their own guide s/w (when they used Microsoft's piece of crap) it would take 15 - 20 minutes before everything came back. The reason they come back so fast now? They don't have to load all the progamming data back onto your box. So, after I reset, if I search for a show in the future, it'll find it, even if I JUST came back from a reset.

In other words - they rely very heavily on providing stuff as real-time as possible on their network, which is really cool. You'll see changes happen, even when there isn't a s/w upgrade that comes down (which threw me the first time that happened). One stupid example of that - they started 'decorating' their menus for particular holidays - we got roses on Valentine's day, e.g. All of that tells me that their DVR-DVR streaming will be handled via s/w update, and not hardware.

I also understand that a new DVR is coming. A couple years ago Verizon put in an RFP (request for proposal) for a new generation of set top boxes. They got several responses back, and apparently they DID choose a manufacturer, but they've never disclosed ANY details about the deal. Apparently that deal is set to come to fruition - I keep hearing different time-frames, but this fall is a time-frame that seems to be the predominant one. We'll see. Hopefully that'll mean: more harddrive space (or at the very least an active ESATA port).

That's probably my biggest nit of their hardware so far - the harddrive is way too small.

 

[JPL]

Oh, one more thing - when you get set up, check out:

www.verizon.com/fiostvcentral

You'll be able to do some pretty cool stuff from there - you'll need a log in to get access to most of the functionality (which is the same as your My Verizon account, if you have one - if you don't then I'd recommend creating one). You'll be able to:

- Search for programming
- Look up TV listings
- Set up/delete recordings on your DVR(s) - including series
- Manage (to some extent) your parental controls and favorites list (on the DVR only)
- Bookmark VOD offerings (again, just on your DVR(s))- and even search for VOD titles, and preview their featured on-demand offerings.

And if you get a HM DVR, you can download their Media Manager software from this site too - that's the s/w that you run on your PC(s) to feed digital music and pictures (and soon video) to your DVR.

 

[abisdabis]

I'm hoping that we'll see it this year. Verizon is not the swiftest when it comes to s/w updates, but from my experience (coming from DirecTV) they're pretty well-tested (yeah, some new bugs get introduced, but it's nothing like what I went through with DirecTV). It should just be s/w based. One thing that's interesting about Verizon's architecture - read this in an interview with one of their senior execs - most of the 'data' surrounding the TV service isn't stored locally on your set top box/dvr. It's stored on their servers.

For example, if you pull the plug on their DVR, the box will come back in about a minute, after you plug it in. Really fast. Before they did their own guide s/w (when they used Microsoft's piece of crap) it would take 15 - 20 minutes before everything came back. The reason they come back so fast now? They don't have to load all the progamming data back onto your box. So, after I reset, if I search for a show in the future, it'll find it, even if I JUST came back from a reset.

In other words - they rely very heavily on providing stuff as real-time as possible on their network, which is really cool. You'll see changes happen, even when there isn't a s/w upgrade that comes down (which threw me the first time that happened). One stupid example of that - they started 'decorating' their menus for particular holidays - we got roses on Valentine's day, e.g. All of that tells me that their DVR-DVR streaming will be handled via s/w update, and not hardware.

I also understand that a new DVR is coming. A couple years ago Verizon put in an RFP (request for proposal) for a new generation of set top boxes. They got several responses back, and apparently they DID choose a manufacturer, but they've never disclosed ANY details about the deal. Apparently that deal is set to come to fruition - I keep hearing different time-frames, but this fall is a time-frame that seems to be the predominant one. We'll see. Hopefully that'll mean: more harddrive space (or at the very least an active ESATA port).

That's probably my biggest nit of their hardware so far - the harddrive is way too small.

A bigger hard drive would be great especially if we could add an external and move it between dvr's (similar to dish).
On the cat5 connection from the ONT to the router.....Can I make that connection myself and call verizon to provision it or it is too late for that?

 

[JPL]

A bigger hard drive would be great especially if we could add an external and move it between dvr's (similar to dish).
On the cat5 connection from the ONT to the router.....Can I make that connection myself and call verizon to provision it or it is too late for that?

Yeah, you should be able to do that yourself. Run the cat5, but you still need to have the router connected to the cable tv splitter (to feed the vod and other ip feeds for your TV service). Then call Verizon to switch over the connection on your ONT to ethernet. I believe they can just do that remotely.