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Short description of my problem:
I can't use the multiroom DVR with the SD receiver I was sent nor another DVR. This leaves me only one option, an HD receiver which costs me more per month but does not give me any other added benefits.
Long description:
I recently ordered FIOS TV. I was drawn in by the multiroom DVR. I was a DirecTV customer for over 7 years and never had a problem with them (never lost signal in a storm either...). I got an ad that said I could get a free multiroom DVR, which is $19 a month, free for life. With my DirecTV setup, I had a DVR connected to both TVs in my house. I thought it might be nice to watch a recorded show at either one instead of having to watch it on the DVR it was recorded on.
After a frustrating experience with tech support, I finally had my multiroom DVR and standard set top box activated. I recorded something on the DVR and went upstairs to try and watch it. To my surprise, I found out that I could not. I had recorded it in HD and the receiver that had been supplied to me was an SD receiver. At this point I found it stupid that if I wanted to be able to watch a show at both locations, I either had to record it in SD, which looks like crap on an HDTV, or record it in both HD and SD which would use up both of my recording channels for one show. I know that I can upgrade to a HD receiver and watch it on both sets, but if I am going to pay more (just to make something work that was supposed to work for "free"), I might as well pay a little bit extra and get another DVR. I really liked being able to pause and rewind live TV at both locations.
I called sales to place an order for another DVR. Surprise again, a multiroom DVR will not stream to another DVR. So my only option is to have an HD receiver if I want to be able to use the multiroom DVR and not lose functionality. As a result, I have lost 2 channels of recording because I have one less DVR than I used to, and I can no longer pause live TV at one of my TVs. I don't think that is worth the $10 ($19 - $8 for an HD receiver) a month.
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Correct answers
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@kiseraut wrote:Justin,
Thank you for the reply. I am in western PA but can't check my DVR for the version until I get home.
Can you please elaborate what you mean by "and as an aside, if you have QIP6416 DVRs and/or the QIP2500 SD STB, you will not be happy with 1.9 on any of those boxes." I'm not sure what kind of receivers I have off hand.
If I can get two DVRs to work with each other I would be ecstatic!!! Thanks again for the info.
You obviously have internet access, you can't use the internet to view what STBs you have in your account? If you do that, it will show you the model numbers of each of your STBs.
But anyway, the 6xxx boxes are the old original STBs that Verizon delivered for FiOS TV starting 6 years ago. They worked fine with all levels of the IMG up through 1.8 (I had one for 5 1/2 years, got rid of it earlier this year, replaced it with a 7232). With the new 1.9 level, the 6xxx and 2500 boxes perform very poorly, they just do not have the processor, graphics processor, memory (and for the 6xxx boxes, an eSATA port) to support the new HD graphics and things like an external hard drive. So your Guide will still be SD, it will be somewhat hard to read, the boxes will be slow, slow, slow, etc.
As I said, two DVRs most certainly can work together with 1.9. That feature is called Multi-Hub, it is free, just needs to be turned on on the DVRs. Allows you to access, schedule, and delete recordings on either DVR from other STBs as well as the DVRs themselves.
A simple way to tell if you already have 1.9 is to look at the Guide and if it has the light blue/gray background it is 1.9.
If you still have the two DVRs but not yet 1.9, I suggest you just keep them (unless they are 6xxx boxes), the new support should be available to you soon.
Edit: Just had a thought, I know Verizon also uses Cisco STBs in some areas. I have no idea whether they do where you are, but it is possible that that is what you have. If so, I think they have an older version of 1.9 that does not yet support some of the features that the 1.9 for Motorola boxes has. Not sure which features.....
__________________________________
Justin
FiOS TV, Internet, and phone user
QIP7232, QIP7100-P2, IMG 1.9A
Keller, TX 76248
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@kiseraut wrote:Short description of my problem:
I can't use the multiroom DVR with the SD receiver I was sent nor another DVR. This leaves me only one option, an HD receiver which costs me more per month but does not give me any other added benefits.
Long description:
I recently ordered FIOS TV. I was drawn in by the multiroom DVR. I was a DirecTV customer for over 7 years and never had a problem with them (never lost signal in a storm either...). I got an ad that said I could get a free multiroom DVR, which is $19 a month, free for life. With my DirecTV setup, I had a DVR connected to both TVs in my house. I thought it might be nice to watch a recorded show at either one instead of having to watch it on the DVR it was recorded on.
After a frustrating experience with tech support, I finally had my multiroom DVR and standard set top box activated. I recorded something on the DVR and went upstairs to try and watch it. To my surprise, I found out that I could not. I had recorded it in HD and the receiver that had been supplied to me was an SD receiver. At this point I found it stupid that if I wanted to be able to watch a show at both locations, I either had to record it in SD, which looks like crap on an HDTV, or record it in both HD and SD which would use up both of my recording channels for one show. I know that I can upgrade to a HD receiver and watch it on both sets, but if I am going to pay more (just to make something work that was supposed to work for "free"), I might as well pay a little bit extra and get another DVR. I really liked being able to pause and rewind live TV at both locations.
I called sales to place an order for another DVR. Surprise again, a multiroom DVR will not stream to another DVR. So my only option is to have an HD receiver if I want to be able to use the multiroom DVR and not lose functionality. As a result, I have lost 2 channels of recording because I have one less DVR than I used to, and I can no longer pause live TV at one of my TVs. I don't think that is worth the $10 ($19 - $8 for an HD receiver) a month.
Reasonably short answers, based on your short description plus a little of the long description:
SD box with DVR: That is the way it works. Always has, probably always will be, because Verizon no longer markets the SD STB. If you record a program in HD, then when the multi-room feature is used to access the recording, an HD recording is distributed in HD and an SD recording in SD, and the SD box only accepts SD input.
DVR access recordings on another DVR: Yes it can, if your area has been upgraded to the latest level of the IMG, 1.9. Since you do not identify where you are located, I have no way to know if you have the 1.9 level; you can easily check on the DVR:
Menu ==> Settings ==> System Information
If you do not yet have 1.9, you must be in the NE part of the US, and you should get it in the next few weeks (and as an aside, if you have QIP6416 DVRs and/or the QIP2500 SD STB, you will not be happy with 1.9 on any of those boxes).
HD STB with the DVR: Even if you have an SD TV attached to the HD STB, there is a benefit to this setup, you can watch the HD channels (which I find actually gives a better picture on the SD TV than an SD channel does), including ones like HDNet and HDNet for which there are no SD channel equivalents. So you do get some benefit for the extra money.
__________________________________
Justin
FiOS TV, Internet, and phone user
QIP7232, QIP7100-P2, IMG 1.9A
Keller, TX 76248
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Justin,
Thank you for the reply. I am in western PA but can't check my DVR for the version until I get home.
Can you please elaborate what you mean by "and as an aside, if you have QIP6416 DVRs and/or the QIP2500 SD STB, you will not be happy with 1.9 on any of those boxes." I'm not sure what kind of receivers I have off hand.
If I can get two DVRs to work with each other I would be ecstatic!!! Thanks again for the info.
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@kiseraut wrote:Justin,
Thank you for the reply. I am in western PA but can't check my DVR for the version until I get home.
Can you please elaborate what you mean by "and as an aside, if you have QIP6416 DVRs and/or the QIP2500 SD STB, you will not be happy with 1.9 on any of those boxes." I'm not sure what kind of receivers I have off hand.
If I can get two DVRs to work with each other I would be ecstatic!!! Thanks again for the info.
You obviously have internet access, you can't use the internet to view what STBs you have in your account? If you do that, it will show you the model numbers of each of your STBs.
But anyway, the 6xxx boxes are the old original STBs that Verizon delivered for FiOS TV starting 6 years ago. They worked fine with all levels of the IMG up through 1.8 (I had one for 5 1/2 years, got rid of it earlier this year, replaced it with a 7232). With the new 1.9 level, the 6xxx and 2500 boxes perform very poorly, they just do not have the processor, graphics processor, memory (and for the 6xxx boxes, an eSATA port) to support the new HD graphics and things like an external hard drive. So your Guide will still be SD, it will be somewhat hard to read, the boxes will be slow, slow, slow, etc.
As I said, two DVRs most certainly can work together with 1.9. That feature is called Multi-Hub, it is free, just needs to be turned on on the DVRs. Allows you to access, schedule, and delete recordings on either DVR from other STBs as well as the DVRs themselves.
A simple way to tell if you already have 1.9 is to look at the Guide and if it has the light blue/gray background it is 1.9.
If you still have the two DVRs but not yet 1.9, I suggest you just keep them (unless they are 6xxx boxes), the new support should be available to you soon.
Edit: Just had a thought, I know Verizon also uses Cisco STBs in some areas. I have no idea whether they do where you are, but it is possible that that is what you have. If so, I think they have an older version of 1.9 that does not yet support some of the features that the 1.9 for Motorola boxes has. Not sure which features.....
__________________________________
Justin
FiOS TV, Internet, and phone user
QIP7232, QIP7100-P2, IMG 1.9A
Keller, TX 76248
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My DVR is a QIP7232-P2. The standard box is a QIP2500 but if I get another DVR that should be a moot point. I'll update later with the version I have. Thanks again!