# Verizon FiOS and S3 -- Amazing



## passatdream (Nov 15, 2005)

I got my new Series 3 a few days ago and a Verizon technician came out this morning to install two brand new CableCARDs in the S3. The tech was here for about 20 minutes and everything is working GREAT. I just wanted to share my experience to let everyone that has FiOS know that it is possible to get CableCARDs from Verizon and get it to work with the S3.

Chris.


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## Bruce N (Dec 28, 2001)

Would you mind telling us your location?


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## bkdtv (Jan 9, 2003)

FiOS also works great with the S3 here in Arlington, VA.


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## rmassey (Sep 5, 2002)

so where do I find a list of cities with available FIOS from Verizon? I keep hearing how great FiOS is and it's cheaper, works great..... how do I get it. I live in Colorado.


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## ashu (Nov 8, 2002)

NoVA folks - FIOS works perfectly with S3. I'm eagerly waiting (well, not really any more because, knock on wood, AdelphiaComcast has been gloriously flawless for months) FIOS rollout in my region. It's currently 1-2 miles away.


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## SC0TLANDF0REVER (Dec 9, 2001)

I'm patiently waiting for them to offer it for 'stacked housing'.
To us lay people that's Condos & Apartments.

Once they do - I'm getting rid of Comcast on the lickety.


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## ashu (Nov 8, 2002)

SC0TLANDF0REVER said:


> I'm patiently waiting for them to offer it for 'stacked housing'.
> To us lay people that's Condos & Apartments.
> 
> Once they do - I'm getting rid of Comcast on the lickety.


Like I said, I'm no longer in a rush to. Comcast is doing their best to impress us during their transition from Adelphia hereabouts, and I must say competition is a GOOD motivator 

I also know the Comcast 6412 will have TiVo software (some day/month/century) but the FIOS 6412 likely never will!


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## rfoNYC (Oct 3, 2006)

Nassau County, New York: FIOS + S3 + 50" plasma=jaw dropping tv


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## Ziggy86 (Jun 23, 2004)

rfoNYC

Did you have to request two cable cards when you made the appointment or do they have extra cards with them when they arrive?

We don't have the FIOS TV available here in queens yet but I plan on getting it when it arrives.

did you hook up the S# before the cards arrived? If so does it work without the card or do you need it in order for the S# to work.

Thanks


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## TexasAg (Apr 2, 2006)

Dallas, Texas: Fios + S3 + 61" JVC HD-ILA = better jaw dropping TV. 

Actually, I have had only one problem with Fios + S3. One day, the HD local channels (801-809) randomly started having trouble. Constant pixelation and completely unwatchable. But, it was never consistent - it happened on both tuners, both CableCards, and both CableCard slots (although it always affected only one of the tuners/cards/slots at any given time, not both simultaneously).

I put a terminating resistor like this one (http://www.radioshack.com/family/in...nating+resistor&fbn=Type/Terminating+resistor) on the OTA antenna input on my S3, and the problem went away. No problems since.


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## TexasAg (Apr 2, 2006)

Ziggy86 said:


> Did you have to request two cable cards when you made the appointment or do they have extra cards with them when they arrive?
> 
> ...
> 
> did you hook up the S# before the cards arrived? If so does it work without the card or do you need it in order for the S# to work.


For me, I requested two cards. The installer here said they don't normally carry cards on the trucks, so better safe than sorry.

The S3 will work with Fios without the cards, but it's pretty limited. You can only get channels 1-49 (all analog local stations). All other channels need the cards. But, I'd suggest hooking up the S3 and making sure it works before Verizon shows up.


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## Ziggy86 (Jun 23, 2004)

Thanks for the quick reply and advice.

I am just worried about being the first person in my area to have FIOS TV with S3 when they do the install. Want the techs to have worked on a few other units before they arrive at my house


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## TexasAg (Apr 2, 2006)

Ziggy86 said:


> Thanks for the quick reply and advice.
> 
> I am just worried about being the first person in my area to have FIOS TV with S3 when they do the install. Want the techs to have worked on a few other units before they arrive at my house


I was the first S3 install for my tech, and it went fine. Just make sure they follow the directions and don't try to cut corners.

Also, they have a little more wiggle room for error than some companies. I can swap cards between slots (and get different pairing data for the cards) and still receive service from Verizon. Some cable companies use the pairing data more strictly, and you can't swap cards without calling the company to re-authorize the cards.


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## Ziggy86 (Jun 23, 2004)

Good to know. Well I am holding off on the S3 until the FIOS TV arrives here in my area around March, hopefully by then the S3 will come down in price


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## Timber (Apr 28, 2002)

I wish I knew when FIOS is coming to my street!!!!

I'm in Oak Hill (aka unincorporated Herndon), VA.

-=Tim=-


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## mcomer (Jan 20, 2003)

Anyone have any idea how I can determine when FIOS TV is coming to my area? We currently have FIOS internet and phone available, but no TV. Does anyone know if Verizon makes this information available anywhere?

Matt


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## Ziggy86 (Jun 23, 2004)

The verizon tech who installed my internet service told me when it was going to be available in my area.


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## micmason (Nov 11, 2006)

www22.verizon.com/content/ConsumerFios/ is the site to find out if fios is available in your area.If its not there yet,leave your address and they'll e mail you when it is. or just google fios


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## tefler (Feb 28, 2003)

I have been looking at FiOS TV, but one of my concerns is their analog channels. I'm planning on getting an S3, but I still have a couple of S2s that I want to keep hooked up without a cable box.

When I called Verizon, they said that the only channels broadcast via analog (didn't require a box) were the 11 locals (abc, cbs, nbc, etc..). Is this really true? Can anyone with FiOS confirm what channels are available without a cable box?

I'm in MA if that matters.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

It probably does vary by area, but on some discussions on slashdot, people were saying they got 50-60 (IIRC) channels in analog.

Though also, IIRC, you can apparently control a FIOS box similar to a cable box..


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## gt5059b (Jan 12, 2003)

From what I understand, FIOS will only be avilable where Verizon is the local telephone carrier. As I'm in Atlanta where BellSouth is king I don't think there is any chance of FIOS coming to our area. My only hope is that BellSouth will start their fiber optic netowrk to compete gainst the evil Comcast.


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## bkdtv (Jan 9, 2003)

> When I called Verizon, they said that the only channels broadcast via analog (didn't require a box) were the 11 locals (abc, cbs, nbc, etc..). Is this really true? Can anyone with FiOS confirm what channels are available without a cable box?


Yes, it is true.

On Verizon FiOS, channels 1-50 are analog, but there aren't actually 50 channels in this tier. The number of channels varies by the number of locals and must-carry stations in a given market, but it's typically more than 10 and less than 20.


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## SC0TLANDF0REVER (Dec 9, 2001)

ashu said:


> Like I said, I'm no longer in a rush to. Comcast is doing their best to impress us during their transition from Adelphia hereabouts, and I must say competition is a GOOD motivator
> 
> I also know the Comcast 6412 will have TiVo software (some day/month/century) but the FIOS 6412 likely never will!


I'm stuck w/ the SA 8300HD box... I'm tired of no wishlists & True Season Passes.
It's worked fine for me since I moved to Reston from Adelphia land (Ashburn), but I miss the TiVo interface. Will the TiVo enabled 6412 do HiDef?

I agree that competition is good... maybe there will be more channel adding in 2007!


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## ashu (Nov 8, 2002)

The 6412 is HD capable, and I don't see why the TiVo software (when added) would take that capability away!

That said, the 6412 I have is really getting on my nerves, and needs frequent reboots to alleviate regular stuttering and sundry occasional freezes - I wish I could afford S3 #2!


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## eisenb11 (Sep 6, 2006)

SC0TLANDF0REVER said:


> I'm patiently waiting for them to offer it for 'stacked housing'.
> To us lay people that's Condos & Apartments.
> 
> Once they do - I'm getting rid of Comcast on the lickety.


Yeah, what gives with that?

I called Verizon a few weeks ago and they said that they were now able to offer FiOS to townhouses and condos in our area... but today I checked the availability page and my townhouse isn't on the list... yet the house right next to me *is* on the list... what gives?!?


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## JerryL (Jul 1, 2002)

I just had my FiOs installed this week and the S 3 Tivo works great. I also have the 6416 DVR upstairs and I think it has the Tivo software in it. I can search for a show by spelling out the programs name. It seems very different than my Comcast 3416 box. Is there a way to tell if it has the Tivo software for sure?


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## randywalters (Oct 21, 2003)

eisenb11 said:


> I called Verizon a few weeks ago and they said that they were now able to offer FiOS to townhouses and condos in our area... but today I checked the availability page and my townhouse isn't on the list... yet the house right next to me *is* on the list... what gives?!?


My boss's huge Hermosa Beach townhouse wasn't listed, so he called Verizon and had them send a technician out to evaluate the building - they found a way to feed the building and now my boss is loving his FIOS internet connection. I think Verizon had to get permission from the other tenant in the other half of the building so maybe there's a legal issue where they have to have permission from other tenants or maybe the owner's association. And a few weeks later that other tenant saw how fast the boss's internet connection is that he signed up for FIOS himself 

They also offer the TV service, but he's committed to DirecTV for some sports package and just added two of their new HD DVRs to a few of his 5 TVs. He's missing out on some excellent picture quality !

Anyway, maybe they'd be willing to send someone out to evaluate your home or sweet-talk your neighbors into giving them access or whatever. It's worth a call at least. . . . .


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## FlippedBit (Dec 25, 2001)

micmason said:


> www22.verizon.com/content/ConsumerFios/ is the site to find out if fios is available in your area.If its not there yet,leave your address and they'll e mail you when it is. or just google fios


I went there and it asked for my Verizon phone. Well I have a AT&T phone number. If I say I don't have a phone number and put in my address instead, it says it can't find my address. So I get no where. I assume this means that it is not available in my area. This makes sense since my carrier is not verizon. Too bad. I'd like an option in case Comcast screws me with SDV.


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## tivotivotivo (Aug 29, 2002)

randywalters said:


> My boss's huge Hermosa Beach townhouse wasn't listed, so he called Verizon and had them send a technician out to evaluate the building - they found a way to feed the building and now my boss is loving his FIOS internet connection. I think Verizon had to get permission from the other tenant in the other half of the building so maybe there's a legal issue where they have to have permission from other tenants or maybe the owner's association. And a few weeks later that other tenant saw how fast the boss's internet connection is that he signed up for FIOS himself
> 
> They also offer the TV service, but he's committed to DirecTV for some sports package and just added two of their new HD DVRs to a few of his 5 TVs. He's missing out on some excellent picture quality !
> 
> Anyway, maybe they'd be willing to send someone out to evaluate your home or sweet-talk your neighbors into giving them access or whatever. It's worth a call at least. . . . .


Hermosa?

I checked on the verizon site and they said it was not available in Santa Monica (CA)...

I hope they are getting closer.


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## jmace57 (Nov 30, 2002)

FlippedBit said:


> I went there and it asked for my Verizon phone. Well I have a AT&T phone number. If I say I don't have a phone number and put in my address instead, it says it can't find my address. So I get no where. I assume this means that it is not available in my area. This makes sense since my carrier is not verizon. Too bad. I'd like an option in case Comcast screws me with SDV.


Same results for me when I plug in my address.

Jim


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## tivo33 (Feb 25, 2002)

It wasn't easy. It took several hours, two technicians, several phone calls and several cable cards before I was up and running. However, now that I am...Goodbye to Moto box. Thank goodness I have my beloved TiVo back. 

When I called and attempted to order the cable cards it seemed as if it was going to be a seemless simple process. Not the case. I got an appointment for the following day. They won't ship anything. Site visits from the Verizon tech for everything and each visit costs $25. When he arrived, right when they said he would, I asked him as he exited the truck if he had done the cable card thing before and he gave me a puzzled look. "Cable Cards??? What Cable Cards???" He then made a phone call and said he would be back in an hour. 

Within a hour he had returned with two CC's in his hand. He said his CC experience was limited to zero. I, being a Tivo Junkie had been reading this great forum and anything else related I could get my hands one. Especially before spending $619. At lease my complaining to TiVo got my lifetime sub transferred.

We put in the first card, which he could not even figure out where to put it. And immediately took us into a error 161-4 loop. It would allow us to do nothing else. I then removed the card and did the guided setup without the card(s) in. Still the dreaded 161-4 loop.

He made several phone calls to his tech support which were fruitless. As he was on the phone I googled 161-4 and discoved most results to say it meant nothing and just ignore it. IMPOSSIBLE!! It was a loop that would allow me to do nothing else. 

I called TiVo tech and they said to ignore it. They said call you cable co., Verizon, and tell them to send a bullet to clear out the card then resend the activation commands. Verizon said they can't send a bullet unless they can load the card's address so they can "see" it. Makes sense to me. 

A couple of hours and several calls later led to a determination that the cards were bad. The tech said that his direct supervisor told him they had no more CC's in the shop and they would have to come back. He even gave me his supervisors and his personal cell #'s. 

I waited until the next day and when I received co call I called Verizon back and told them the situation. They immediately scheduled another tech appt. for the next am. 9-12. When 12 noon arrived I recieved a call from the tech. He said he was aware that I had an a.m. appt. however he just received the job and would be over in an hour. 

Tech 2 was great. He came with several CC's in case one was bad. However, he had never activated one either. I walked him through TiVo and how to load the CC's. The S3 immediately recognized CC 1. He tried to activate on his laptop and is took all the appropiate #'s except for an error with a POD#. Neither of us knew what that was. So it was back to the phone...

A few calls later, and me continually playing with the setup/settings and we were able to get a download (via cat5) and some channels. However, no one seemed to know how or what was done that worked. Anyway, he called tech support back, and low and behold, he got the same tech on the line. What are the odds of that? He did the same thing again and after a quick download. And a lengthy software load it worked. 

TiVo and FiOS. 
I love it. :up: :up:


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## michaeltw (Jan 11, 2002)

Have you hit the Tivo/FIOS skipping FF issues yet? I'm starting to really regret the S3 purchase, it may have been lacking some features, but my HR10-250's are rock solid.


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## GoHokies! (Sep 21, 2005)

Wow, that looks like a pain in the neck!

Were you one of the people that TivoPony was working with trying to get this sorted out? I haven't heard anything on the topic recently...


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## jhimmel (Dec 27, 2002)

michaeltw said:


> Have you hit the Tivo/FIOS skipping FF issues yet? I'm starting to really regret the S3 purchase, it may have been lacking some features, but my HR10-250's are rock solid.


Wow, now I know what you guys are talking about. Thanks for the video clip. I am a FiOS customer on LI NY and have never seen anything like that with my S3.

Any other FiOS/S3 customers in the LI area want to comment on this issue? I am wondering if the problem is specific to certain area's.

Jim H.


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## steak (Jul 1, 2005)

What is Fios charging for the CC's? The Tivo charges montly can get expensive unless you are willing to do a multiyear commitment. That seems like a risk if you are then going to have potential trouble.


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## captain_video (Mar 1, 2002)

The cablecard charges vary depending on your location. I'm with Verizon in Howard Co., MD, and they charge $2.95 apiece for my cablecards. I bought the three-year Tivo service plan for $299 so my total monthly outlay for the S3 + cablecards is about $14.21 or only about $1.22 more than the Verizon HD-DVR. Considering that Comcast wants to charge about $5-10 more per month for their DVR (a similar Moto box, BTW) with Tivo software, it's not a bad deal.


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## Carlos_E (Mar 12, 2007)

Ziggy86 said:


> rfoNYC
> 
> Did you have to request two cable cards when you made the appointment or do they have extra cards with them when they arrive?
> 
> ...


FIOS told me they will be in Brooklyn/Queens early 2008. Which probably means late 2008.


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## michaeltw (Jan 11, 2002)

I'm on Long Island too, in Suffolk County - it's definitely happening on certain shows and not others, but for me it's seems to be most stuff.

I just played somethings from today and I get the skip, it happens at 2x and 3x is completely unusable.

Curb Your Enthusiasm - 408 - HBOC
Seinfeld - 5 - Fox
American Chopper - DISC-HD - 2X okay - 3X jumps

From the past:
The Riches - FX - 3/26 - In 3X it jumped from 5 minutes to 21 minutes

And I haven't heard anything new from Tivo, I guess there are so few of us they don't really care. I can film as many other examples at they want. I just wish they'd keep us up to date on the known issue.

michaeltw


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## bguild (Jul 1, 2004)

To the guy in MA, I have both Cablecards working in my S3 tivo in Marlborough. Yes, it is true that you will only get channels < 50, and the local HDs without a FIOS box or cablecard. Also keep in mind FIOS channels 23-43 are reserved for local programming, so you are effectively only able to get about 30 channels.


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