Verizon at Home

[#1]

Verizon has already redefined home entertainment by offering Internet Videos on FiOS TV, with Veoh, blip.tv and Dailymotion.  Now YouTube is joining the list.  Starting today, FiOS TV customers with a DVR or HD set-top box can use the remote control to search for and view user-generated content from the world’s most popular online video community right on the biggest screen in the house – the TV.

We’re also introducing Internet Radio on FiOS TV, providing the ability to stream hundreds of stations nationwide from the PC to the TV.

To get started with either Internet Videos or Internet Radio, just download Verizon’s free Media Manager service here, accessible for PC’s equipped with Windows.  Once Media Manager is up and running, you’ll find it in FiOS TV’s Interactive Media Guide or in the Widget carousel, where you can immediately choose either Internet Videos or Internet Radio and start enjoying.

YouTube on FiOS TV is similar to what you find online, and we help you browse the thousands of videos that are available daily.  Searching, for example, is simple and can be done by using keywords or different categories like “most watched” and “top rated.”  And because search results are displayed as video screen grabs, it’s easy to pick out exactly what you want.  Choose full-screen mode and it’s just like watching regular TV – plus, no more huddling around the laptop to show friends and family your favorite clips.  If you have a YouTube account already, then just log on using your remote control to view favorite or self-uploaded videos saved in your online account.

Turn on your TV tonight and pull up the new YouTube experience or stream your favorite songs to your TV with Internet Radio.  Be sure to let us know what you think.

[#2]

I went in to You Tube. I don't have the Media Manager on my PC (won't install it).  So You Tube and Internet Radio don't work. Now You Tube is in My Favorites and I did not add it as a Favorite. 

How do I delete You Tube from My Favorites?

Thanks!

[#3]

Cool !  Internet Radio works just fine....  there does appear to be a problem with YouTube videos "buffering" for a lack of a better word every few seconds.... have tried a couple of different videos and all appear to behave the same. Should I contact FIOS TV or FIOS Internet support about this ?

[#4]

Oh well.. fun while it lasted... now getting error playing video trying to watch any youtube video....

[#5]

Back to being able to watch videos but still "buffering" alot at every bitrate setting...... I'll sit down now.

[#6]

This would be great if Media Manager was not such a poorly written piece of software that quits without any warning when it encounters a file it can't index. In my case it's some mp4 files. If this happens, good luck getting Media Manager to work again. It quits instantly. While I'm in a complaining mood about Media Manager, why convert video files (and at such crappy quality), before playing and not take as examples the way the XBOX and PS3 do streaming from a home network? The ideal should be to make the FiOS STBs DLNA compatible so any media file on the PC cn be streamed as long as the codec exists on the PC.

[#7]

This all great but you did not mention the best part for a non-DVR STB owners. All of Media Manager now works!  I can now view photos, videos and music from my Windows PC.  Now if only there was a Linux version of MediaManager now that would be the ultimate.  All you would need to do is release STB API and the Linux community (like myself and others)  would write a simple plugin to interface to the STBs. 

[#8]

From the Media Manager help :

Why are some Videos very choppy on FiOS TV/STB? 

The source web server for Internet video files could be slow. In such cases the video will pause and play. It also depends on the internet connectivity and it’s bandwidth. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The source web server... would that be the YouTube server or ????  I ask since I can watch the videos fine on my laptop but not on the TV.

[#9]

PZL,

We're glad to hear that you're already using FiOS TV's new Internet Radio and YouTube features.

Regarding your YouTube video buffering issue, this is a problem with YouTube and not one with FiOS bandwidth. To eliminate some of the lag you're experiencing with YouTube, try using canceling out of any other programs you have running before launching YouTube; heavy data consumption could be exacerbating the buffering time. Also, try launching YouTube during non-peak hours (not between 6-8PM) to avoid the heavy traffic to the YouTube site, which could then become slow on FiOS as well.

Regarding your other comment, keep in mind that web browser play back has nothing to do with TV play back.

Thanks for reading the at Home blog!

[#10]

Thanks for the reply Sharon but even at 3 - 4 in the afternoon, I get "Error playing Video" messages in YouTube, Dailymotion will not play at all even after Video component check.  Once they DO decide to try playing, they are choppy (even after I use EndItAll to kill non-necessary programs / applications running on my laptop).  That being said, I see where I'm not the only one experiencing this problem.... See the post by Scadaguru at : http://forums.verizon.com/t5/FiOS-TV-Technical-Assistance/Media-Manager-Miscellaneous-Issues-Photo-p...

Cheers

[#11]

when is this going to be available for mac users???

[#12]

tw9jdt,

We do plan to offer YouTube and Internet Radio on FiOS TV to Mac users, but I can't provide any dates yet.  Continue to check the Verizon at Home blog for updates.

[#13]

Sharon,

I am experiencing the same issue with youtube on my TV. If it was youtube issue we would have the same issue in the web browser. What I see is even though I leave in Tampa, FL my google authentication request came from NY when I logged into my you tube account on my TV. Which means that Verizon is routing all traffic through NY server - that would explain lag in the buffering. And this has nothing to do with you tube.

Pavel

[#14]

Thank you Pavel for supporting the argument about the issue of youtube (et al) being choppy is a FIOS issue and not a YouTube or browser issue. 

[#15]

Pavel, PZL,

Sorry you're continuing to have issues when you try to connect with YouTube on FiOS TV.  If you can spare some time, we'll have someone get in touch with you to troubleshoot what's happening.  Please email your name, phone number and times you can be reached to:

sharon.cohen-hagar@verizon.com

[#16]

Thanks for adding YouTube to FiOS -- I look forward to many other fun, useful widgets.

I have a question, though.  A growing number of YouTube videos have captioning.  There does not seem to be any way to turn on the captions in the onscreen player.  Is that correct?  When will you fix this?  I think it's an important improvement to make.

[#17]

jimtobias,

You're right that captioning is part of some of the videos on YouTube, and YouTube even has a beta version of captioning where they automatically generate captioning on a video even if the original clip doesn't have it.  We're evaluating the feasibility of adding this capability to FiOS, but haven't made a decision yet, so your comment is very timely.   Thanks for letting us know that you'd like us to add it. 

Heather

[#18]

My you tube worked for 1 day now it always says ERROR IN PLAYING VIDEOS, we have rebooted our router but it did nothing to correct the problem. I hate when you offer something new without working out the glitches first, its very annoying! And it is not a you tube issue if I can watch the video on my computer, its just not working properly as a widget.

Tina

[#19]

rosebankmom,

Sorry you're getting error messages with the YouTube widget.  We'll have someone contact you offline so that you can enjoy YouTube videos on FiOS TV.

Heather

[#20]

My youtube widget won"t play any videos? I keep getting "error in playing video" message. Please tell me what's going on. Am I doing something wrong? Help!

[#21]

l wish I could get some help with installing Media Manager. When I call tech support it is like the rep has never heard of any issues in this matter. I get a 1606 error about can't access the network location. Yada Yada! I spent most of the day trying lots of different solutions, but to no avail... Just a waste of time for software that sucks! So, my question is this... Can I get HELP with this matter with out telling me it's a windows issue or maybe come out with a better, well written version of the Media Manager software? I like most of the features, but can't use them because the software just doesn't work for me... What say Verizon???

Larry from Menifee, Ca

[#22]

Larry,

We definitely want to get Media Manager working for you. Tech Support will contact you offline, so help is on the way.

Heather

[#23]

I've installed the Media Manager software and my set top box has found my pc and will show pictures, etc., but it will not go to YouTube. I get the error "Unable to verify your Parental Control status at this time". I have set up the parental controls on the STB, and I can't find anything on the Media Manager software side that has any settings. Whats wrong!!!??????

[#24]

well I just called customer support in reference to the youtube I spoke with someone who really didnt want to help me figure out why it wasnt working. then when I said I had a mac she said it wasnt configured for mac but the 

software was downloadable. I dont get that When I asked when would it be available she didnt want to tell me I had to pry it out of her not very good tech support I downloaded the software three time for someone to not want to help me or try to figure out why . The conversation was very discouraging to say the least  sorry Verizon but this is a Mac household always will be too bad you dont cater to us its a shame .  

[#25]

kuanyin28,

We are currently working on developing a verison of Media Manager that is Mac-compatible, and we'll keep you posted here on the atHome blog as soon as it becomes available. For the time being, Mac customers can download a beta Mac version of Media Manager, which will allow you to view your iPhoto library photos and listen to stored music from your iTunes library on FiOS TV.

http://www36.verizon.com/fiostv/web/UnProtected/MediaManager.aspx?os=Mac

Hope this helps, please let us know if you have any other questions and thanks for the reading and commenting.

[#26]

BobHart,

Sorry to hear that you're having trouble. Can personal message your information and we'll pass it on to our customer support team? They'll be able to assist.

[#27]

Hello,

My playlists and favorites are not loading. It says "no playlist found." Help?

-Samantha

[#28]

Can anyone help? When I try to launch youtube from media manager or widgets all that happens is that my DVR powers off. I had a live chat with support and was told this is a "known issue" and there is no info on when the problem will be resolved.

[#29]

samanthamarli --Just a friendly reminder, this is a forum where users help other users. It looks like your issue may require a Verizon representative to review your account details. Please contact our customer service team via live chat or email at: http://www.verizon.com/contactus

[#30]

I get this "Error in playing video" when using the Youtube widget also.  The suggestions to remove and/or reinstall media manager to get rid of this error are not valid long-term solutions - the error just comes back later.

[#31]

Can someone from VZ let me know if there are plans to allow internet video streams to viewed through the VZ media manager.  I want to be able to put in the stream address myself and not be locked in to youtube and others. When is this capability coming? Soon I hope.

[#32]

xalex25,

Thanks for the idea, and there's now a way to share it directly with our product managers and get their feedback on whether it's something we're considering or already working on.  Go to the Verizon Idea Exchange here in the Verizon Community Forums to get started.

Sharon

[#33]

Works fine however, I can't login to my youtube account through my tv. I can login on my computer but when I try to login through my tv I get a "password incorrect" error message. I am using appropriate caps in my password. What's up.

[#34]

alagash827 , I am sorry to hear you are having trouble.  If further assistance is needed I sent you a private message so I can help.  In the mean time I would double check your password since your error message has "password incorrect". When logging into your “you tube” account on your computer check to see if your password is saved for automatic login.  Since it has this error message about your "password incorrect" Verizon has no information about your password for “you tube” login.

[#35]

Downloaded and installed media manager with no problems.  Was able to view my pictures and my videos on my HDTV -- but very cool.  I am however having the "Error playing Video" messages in YouTube.  I was able to login to youtube and add some videos to my favorites but I was not able to play any videos.  I tried this at about 7:15am central time.  Also used the cool verizon fios app that allowed me to use my iphone 4 as a remote which also meant that I had a qwerty keyboard in my hand to in searches in youtube.  Any suggestions on getting the video to play?

[#36]

iSeeker - Please make sure you temporarily disable all firewalls on the local computer for testing purposes as the YouTube videos are streamed through your PC and delivered to the STB.  Let me know if this doesn't resolve and we will work towards a resolution.

[#37]

Adam_VZ, thanks for the reply.  I disabled Windows Firewall (all I am running right now), exited Media Manager on both the TV and on the computer, reopened on both the TV and computer and was not able to get videos to play.  Any other suggestions?

[#38]

Called Verizon technical assistance and was told something strange after 30 minutes of trying to get youtube app to work.  They told me the youtube app has been discontinued.  That seems strange given the recent comments on this thread.

[#39]

iSeeker,

Sorry you're still having issues with the YouTube app, but I can tell you the app itself is still available.  Adam, who reponded to you previously, is sending you a Private Message here in the Forums and will help you troubleshoot what's going on.

Heather

[#40]

Any one still getting the "Error in Playing Video" when attempting to watch video's using the Youtube widget on FIOS? I cannot seem to get it to work. Tried re-installing the media manager but no luck. What I have noticed is that some videos which are rather small tend to work most of the time, however, if I'm trying to watch free movies available on YouTube, they error out with "Error in Playing Video".

Please let me know if anyone has been able to solve this problem. I usually tend to use the widget late in the evening.

[#41]

It's been over a year since MediaManager for PC allows the viewer to listen to Iheart radio and view Youtube videos. Whatever happened to the MAC version we were promised in May 0f 2010?

[#42]

ABSOLUTELY PATHETIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I have just tried the Youtube widget, and the same error message that has been reported in this comment page since 2010 happened to me.  I called tech support and was told that sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.  GREAT ANSWER.  My response to that brilliant bit of assistance, well, sometimes I pay my FIOS bill and sometimes I don't.   Honestly, why have the widget available if it doesn't work?   Why announce it in April of 2010 with the article above and now 19 months later it still does not work?   Why doesn't someone take the necessary steps to correct the problem?  Very disappointing. . .

[#43]

Well, I just got FiOS recently and it looks like YouTube widget still has the same old issues.

1. It won't play some videos (in fact, it simply would say my playlist has no videos).

2. It would give me an "Error in Playing Video" if I run the Media Manager on one of my comuters. It would play the same ones if I run it on another.

3. No Unicode support, so lots of YouTube titles are simply unreadable. Come on Verizon, it's 21st century and the world actually does not end in Oklahoma...

[#44]

I'm having a problem similar to others I've seen in this thread.  The login from the widget reports that the password is incorrect but I've log in on my PC so I'm certain it's correct.  What gives?

[#45]

OK, so late to the party.  Question.  I downloaded and installed media manager.  I added a radio station in there, which from my PC I am able to play just fine.  

I was led to believe you can then have that same radio station play via the STB (HD DVR) to the television, and I found numerous links with explanations involving using the "Internet Radio Widget" that mysteriously appears.   

I don't see it.   I have tried various permutations, and no results.  

How do I get my radio station to play on the tv?