# Turn out the lights, the party's over



## teasip (Aug 24, 2002)

FiOS install scheduled for 8.18.06. So long D*. It's been a long run. Anxious to see what I think of their HD-DVR.


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## Brewer4 (May 6, 2004)

Where are you located teasip?


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## bgtimber75 (Jun 2, 2002)

teasip said:


> FiOS install scheduled for 8.18.06. So long D*. It's been a long run. Anxious to see what I think of their HD-DVR.


It sucks, the space is far from adequet but I love the service regardless. If you can get past there buggy DVR you'll probably enjoy it. I don't know if I'll feel the same way when the new season starts and I won't have room to store alot of HD show (much less whether the thing will record them at all)


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## fastep (May 22, 2004)

teasip said:


> FiOS install scheduled for 8.18.06. So long D*. It's been a long run. Anxious to see what I think of their HD-DVR.


I am not sure why some people call the moto "buggy." It seems to be hit or miss.

I have the moto6412 (with comcast cable) and really like it. I believe you are getting the moto6416 which has a 160gb hdd (mine has 120gb). I have been using the moto for about 6 months and have never missed a recording and never experienced anything I would call "buggy". Just make sure you never turn the unit off. I had problems with my unit at first when I powered it off at night.

One minor negative other than the hdd size is that there is no keyword search and no tick marks in recordings. It does have other search options that are all very FAST. Menus, guides and recording setups are extremely fast. If you have used the hr10 exclusively you are in for a pleasant surprise with the speed of the moto (no more "please wait...").

Accessing the "favorites" menu is also easy and makes finding good shows to record a breeze. The interface is very plain but it gets the job done quickly and reliably. I also like the fact that it has native passthrough and a small video window that continues your show while you "surf" menus and guides.

In my opinion, the pros of the moto outwiegh the cons when comparing it to the hr10.

Hopefully the 160gb hdd will be sufficient for you. If not, I believe fios works with cablecard so you should be able to use other hd dvrs (like the sony hdd500 or the tivo3 when it comes out). Also, it should have an active firewire port that allows hd transfers to hd vcrs and some hd dvrs like the rca 2160 (check with your provider).

Please let us know how fios pq / content and dvr compares to D* and the hr10. Hopefully your moto won't be "buggy".


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## temp357 (Feb 18, 2004)

So long,

thanks for all the fish!


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## bgtimber75 (Jun 2, 2002)

fastep said:


> Please let us know how fios pq / content and dvr compares to D* and the hr10. Hopefully your moto won't be "buggy".


Both SD and HD PQ blow DTV out of the water. One of my moto's is extremely buggy, it'll do things like cut off a recorded program while FF'ing. Also when it has missed a recording it doesn't give you a reason why. For some reason it likes to pad recordings by 2 or so minutes. It's not horrible by any means and if it had more hard drive space I probably wouldn't complain about it at all.

Also the "wife factor" has come into play big time with me. With the Tivo it just worked, with the moto it's a high learning curve. She's wanted me to go back to DTV several times in the past 2 months. She doesn't care about HD (I only have one HDTV and I'm the only one that watches it) and the 15/2 internet doesn't really matter to her.

You also might want to get a different remote. I hate that I have to switch to the "tv" function on the remote to adjust the volume, turn the tv off and switch inputs.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

I hear Verizon has started offering CableCARDs so all of you FiOS people should be able to switch back to TiVo once the Series 3 is released. 

Dan


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## teasip (Aug 24, 2002)

Located in Plano, Texas.


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## stevecon (Apr 29, 2005)

teasip said:


> Located in Plano, Texas.


 I'm in Burlington, MA and Verizon (my employer) just started offering Video (TV) over FiOS here. I've had FiOS internet for over a year and have been very happy with it - never failed, great tech support (changing routers), etc. The trouble is the monthly rental for DVR's. All my IRDs are DVRs. That makes nine (9) total. I have inlaws living in a separate apartment in my home and 2 in a vacation home in the next state some 100 miles away. Losing DTV would force me to get CATV at the vacation home... plus, nobody is interested in losing the DVR (Tivo or otherwise). I like Tivo but I am also a purist - I *really* want true HD & a line up of more than just 7 or 8 HD channels. So far, I'm staying with DTV. The mirroring fee and a single $5 fee for Tivo service keeps my monthly bill significantly lower than FiOS. If money were no object - I'd be with FiOS tho, just for the PQ alone.

I'm sure you'll love Verizon's PQ and service. I can't vouch for the equipment though.


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## tall1 (Oct 12, 2004)

I can't get FIOS but I had comcast w/6412(s) for almost a year before switching to D* and HD-Tivos. Once comcast woke up and turned on 5C, there was nothing compelling to me about their service any longer. 

On Demand is a joke and a speedy UI that lacks the functionality of Tivo along with the puny HDDs were just 3 reasons to leave. WAF was also a deal killer. My wife wouldn't touch the 6412s but happily operates the Tivos by herself. 

The National HD PQ is a tough one but over 95% of my viewing is HD OTA (which comes in beautifully) and SD channels. SD PQ is comparable and who cares if PQ suffers when watching Hogan Knows Best?

D* is living on the edge if you ask me. With their gawd awful customer service and equally awful new DVR, they are at the tipping point. If I couldn't get OTA, I'd probably be with comcast.

If Comcast gets Tivo with SATA drives to expand, I'd leave D* in a heartbeat. But those 6412s with iGuide are dogcrap compared to Tivo.


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## TyroneShoes (Sep 6, 2004)

bgtimber75 said:


> Both SD and HD PQ blow DTV out of the water. One of my moto's is extremely buggy, it'll do things like cut off a recorded program while FF'ing. Also when it has missed a recording it doesn't give you a reason why...


If my DVR ever cut off or missed a recording, I would have to judge the PQ of that particular recording as a zero on a scale of 1 to 10. Since my HR10's have never missed or cut off a recording, historically, those recordings all seem to measure as 9's (from DTV) or 10's (from OTA). A PQ of 9 or 10 seems to blow a PQ of zero out of any body of water you might be able to name.


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## doncoolio (Jul 9, 2006)

I thought the Comcast and Fios Motorola box's ran different software.


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## teasip (Aug 24, 2002)

Unfortunately, I cannot make the claim that my HR10 never failed to correctly record.


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## PlanoBill (Apr 15, 2004)

I also live in West Plano and am in the process of installing the Internet FiOS now that Comcast has been bought out by TW. Given I have to change email addresses, I may as well change vendors. 
So the idea of changing from D* to FiOS is also appealling, but the big concern is I have a HR10-250 that I paid $1,000 for when it first came out (June of 04 if I remember correctly). It has been buggy. The first box failed after 6 months and was replaced by both D*.
With the new box, I frequently get pixelation even on OTA, the guides are slow, and it has failed (SW blow up) a few times, either while watching live or trying to record.
My current hang up is I have already paid for Sunday Ticket so I won't be changing until January. Maybe by then FiOS will have a larger DVR.


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## teasip (Aug 24, 2002)

I had to send my HDMI card off to get it repaired for the purpose of using that particular connection but aside from all the other standard buggy issues, i.e. slowness, etc., it has for the most part been ok (purchased when it was going for $799 online). I anticipate selling it on eBay once I get a feel for the new DVR (ordered two to be installed).


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## TyroneShoes (Sep 6, 2004)

teasip said:


> I had to send my HDMI card off to get it repaired for the purpose of using that particular connection but aside from all the other standard buggy issues, i.e. slowness, etc., it has for the most part been ok...


"Slowness" and HDMI are not "buggy issues".

A "buggy issue" would have to, by definition, refer to a software issue where the software does not perform as designed, or acts in an unexpected manner.

Any "slowness" is due to the legacy aspects of the code. IOW, it performs exactly as designed and exactly as expected, but was designed a very long time ago for a PVR that was never originally envisioned to have hundreds of WLs and SPs, or hundreds of hours of storage capacity. In 1998, who knew? It seems more like a testament to how good the OS actually was originally designed, that the code performs as well as it does, 8 years later, and is still the complete envy of every single competitor. Very few OS-based things can claim that sort of success, other than maybe Unix.

The HDMI issue is related to a hardware component failure.


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## teasip (Aug 24, 2002)

Excuse me. Our definitions vary in this case. How about "quirks" then? Bottom line, it isn't perfect just like everything else out there.


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## stevel (Aug 23, 2000)

Grumble. Verizon ran fiber in my neighborhood and I was looking forward to trying FiOS. But apparently Verizon decided to suspend negotiations with the cities/towns in NH and who knows when they'll pick it up again. In NH, "cable" companies have to contract with individual towns.


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## teasip (Aug 24, 2002)

It was the same in Texas as well but I do believe a new state law allowed them to secure statewide rights.


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## Hersheytx (Feb 15, 2003)

What part of Plano are you in??
I live near Parker and Tollway. Been praying for FOIS for a long time. I would be willing to have both just to see which is better.


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## MichaelK (Jan 10, 2002)

stevel said:


> Grumble. Verizon ran fiber in my neighborhood and I was looking forward to trying FiOS. But apparently Verizon decided to suspend negotiations with the cities/towns in NH and who knows when they'll pick it up again. In NH, "cable" companies have to contract with individual towns.


basically that's the model everywhere- each town issues a license.

VZ got a law passed in Texas to give them a statewide license.

Just last week they got a similar law passed here in NJ. And they plan to offer video to scores of towns by year end hear.

I guess they figure it's quicker as a whole to wait 6 months or a year to get a statewide franchise and be able to serve everyone, rather then go from town to town. Sure some towns would get video faster if they went town by town but many more would wait an eternity...


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

Amendment. Here in Maryland (with a few exceptions), the contracts with cable companies are county by county.


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## teasip (Aug 24, 2002)

Custer/Legacy in Plano.


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## MichaelK (Jan 10, 2002)

TonyD79 said:


> Amendment. Here in Maryland (with a few exceptions), the contracts with cable companies are county by county.


interesting...

Makes lot more sense. The county's have more power since they are bigger markets and cable or whoever only has to deal with a few tens of places instead of hundreds.

I remember as a young man the place I lived was served by TKR - Time Warner + Knight Ridder if I recall. THey had a cluster of local towns. When one town was up for renewal they would move the business office to that town and screw the others. THen when the others game up they would bail again and move to whoever was renewing that year. They totally played to the little towns only when they needed them. By county the government could have said "put an office every 10 miles" so everyone would get served.


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## DTSDude (May 24, 2006)

MichaelK said:


> basically that's the model everywhere- each town issues a license.
> 
> VZ got a law passed in Texas to give them a statewide license.
> 
> ...


Yup, much quicker and much more profitable for Verizon. Because they were able to get a state wide license they can provide the service where ever they want (i.e. the more densely populated regions) and they can also not offer it where ever they want (i.e. out in the less densely populated regions). One of the biggest benefits to requiring licensing by individual municipality is that the service provider can be forced to provide a certain amount of coverage or they don't get their license.

The biggest problem with this is mom and pop cable companies that survive off their bigger markets while taking a loss on the smaller ones will face losing bussiness to the giant that then comes in and picks and choses where it wants to offer service.


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## PlanoBill (Apr 15, 2004)

Sorry, Been away for a while. To HersheyTx earllier question, I am West of Midway between Park and Parker. Very near your location.


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## MichaelK (Jan 10, 2002)

DTSDude said:


> Yup, much quicker and much more profitable for Verizon. Because they were able to get a state wide license they can provide the service where ever they want (i.e. the more densely populated regions) and they can also not offer it where ever they want (i.e. out in the less densely populated regions). One of the biggest benefits to requiring licensing by individual municipality is that the service provider can be forced to provide a certain amount of coverage or they don't get their license.
> 
> The biggest problem with this is mom and pop cable companies that survive off their bigger markets while taking a loss on the smaller ones will face losing bussiness to the giant that then comes in and picks and choses where it wants to offer service.


that's got plenty of cable company spin there.

First off even cable usually gets provisions from towns that a certain number of homes per mile must be on a street in order for them to be required to offer service.

Second there's nothing that keeps the state from putting restrictions on them just like a town would if they give statewide franchises.

I'm not sure of the specifics of the final bill that got passed here in NJ (it's not of major consequence to me beacsue I'm served by crapp ass 'embarq' which is the cast off of sprint/nextels local phone service. We are lucky to get a dial tone- fiber is a dream here...) But there were all sorts of differnt provisions for build out suggested over the past year or so. Basically all of them freaked out verizon. So I'm fairly certain there are some stipulations for coverage withine a certaqin period of time. Obviously verizon wanted no stipulations...

Could be a problem for the mom and pop companies I suppose. That's a valid argument. But I wonder how many mom and pop companies orerate in any areas that verizon or ATT would want to service? I would assume that Comcast would have purchased said company by now if they had any significantly profitable towns.


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## daneyul (Jun 25, 2006)

Anyone who can tolerate a FIOS DVR after having used TIVO must be a masochist.

The FIOS interface is torture!


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## MichaelK (Jan 10, 2002)

series 3 SHOULD work with FIOS TV whenever it shows up...


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