TIVO & FIOS
mdr227
Contributor - Level 1
Is FIOS able to be used with TIVO players that are not provided by Verizon?  If so, what features would you be losing by going away from the standard Verizon issued DVRs?  I am new to FIOS and have already had a number of problems and miss some of the things we had with Dish (such as the ability to pause a show longer than 10 minutes).  I like the pricing and the channel offerings of FIOS, but am worried about the continual issues I am having. 
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Re: TIVO & FIOS
Larry99
Newbie

According to the TIVo Forum, yes.  I have been searching the Verizon website today and can find no metion of using TIVO.  Verizon seems to purposely keep this a secret. Check out the link below;

http://forums.tivo.com/pe/action/forums/displaythread?rootPostID=10421902

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Re: TIVO & FIOS
KenAF
Specialist - Level 2

@mdr227 wrote:
Is FIOS able to be used with TIVO players that are not provided by Verizon?  If so, what features would you be losing by going away from the standard Verizon issued DVRs?  I am new to FIOS and have already had a number of problems and miss some of the things we had with Dish (such as the ability to pause a show longer than 10 minutes).  I like the pricing and the channel offerings of FIOS, but am worried about the continual issues I am having.

I am using a TivoHD and a TivoHD XL with FiOS.  Picture quality on the TivoHD is the same for HD and noticeably better for SD than the FiOS DVRs running IMG 1.6 (but should be comparable after Verizon's upcoming IMG 1.6.2 update).  I did require about -16dB of attenuation, as the FiOS signal straight from the wall was too strong for my TiVo; the TiVo is more sensitive than the Motorola DVR, and if the signal is too strong, you will get pixelization.

With a TivoHD, you lose FIOS Video On Demand (VOD), multi-room viewing with other Verizon STBs, and widgets.

TiVos support Netflix SD/HD streaming (free with Netflix subscription) and Amazon's PPV VOD, but they do not support FiOS VOD.   If you want a TiVo and FiOS VOD, then you would have to keep a Verizon STB and connect it and the TiVo to separate inputs on your TV.  The TivoHD only supports multiroom with other TiVos, not with Verizon STBs; if you want multi-room with a TiVo, you'd have to buy a second TiVo.

The TivoHD currently costs $199 at Sears, and one of the following subscriptions is required: $12.99/mo, $129/yr, $299/3yrs, or a one-time payment of $399 ($330 on ebay); this subscription includes nightly guide downloads, software and feature updates, and remote scheduling.  For every TiVo after the first, the subscription is $9.99/mo, $99/yr, or a one-time payment of $299.   The TiVo replaces the Verizon DVR so you would no longer need to pay for that box or its DVR fee.

A TivoHD requires one M-CARD ($3.99/mo) from Verizon to support both tuners with FiOS.  A CableCard is basically an access card that plugs into the front of the unit and authorizes all the cable channels you pay for.   Service calls are free for the first 30 days after a FiOS TV install, but after that, Verizon charges $79 for a "truck roll" to install anything, and that includes CableCards.   Verizon will not ship CableCards under any circumstances (as they will the Motorola STBs and DVRs), but sometimes you may get an installer that is willing to drop off the card and let you do the install, thereby avoiding the $79 fee.

If you buy the $199 TivoHD model, you'll probably want to budget another $110 for drive expansion.  If you are willing to open the TiVo and follow some simple directions, you can replace the built-in TiVo drive with a 1.0 TB drive ($110 at Buy.com) to get 157+ HD hours.   If you aren't willing to open the TiVo, then you can buy the external 500GB Western Digital My DVR Expander ($115 at Newegg.com) to get 92 HD hours.

You can read more about the TivoHD and TivoHD XL in this post.

Message Edited by KenAF on 02-23-2009 12:36 PM
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Re: TIVO & FIOS
Joe01880
Contributor - Level 1

@mdr227 wrote:
Is FIOS able to be used with TIVO players that are not provided by Verizon?  If so, what features would you be losing by going away from the standard Verizon issued DVRs?  I am new to FIOS and have already had a number of problems and miss some of the things we had with Dish (such as the ability to pause a show longer than 10 minutes).  I like the pricing and the channel offerings of FIOS, but am worried about the continual issues I am having. 

1)Tivo works great with FiOS usng an M card.

2) The only feature you are loosing from FiOS is Video on Demand. TiVo has VOD but it is different. TiVo also has movies from Amazon and Neflix which    FiOS does not have and you can transfer videos from Tivo to your PC and from your PC to TiVo. The FiOS DVR does not do that.

3) You can pause live TV with TiVo 30 minutes.

4) The FiOS DVR's have many issues. TiVo's are better in every way and IMHO well worth the initial costs.

5) If you think the FiOS DVR's are bad pray you never have billing issues! Smiley Wink

Message Edited by Joe01880 on 02-23-2009 02:34 PM
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Re: TIVO & FIOS
JG
Newbie

We switched to FIOS from Directv/Tivo.  Thing we miss most is the ability to simultaneously watch 2 channels at once.  For instance, we could set one TIVO tuner to channel 2, the other to channel 4, then switch back and forth, backing up either or both to see what we missed.

Can you do that with the TIVO/cable card/FIOS solution?

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Re: TIVO & FIOS
KenAF
Specialist - Level 2

@JG wrote:

We switched to FIOS from Directv/Tivo.  Thing we miss most is the ability to simultaneously watch 2 channels at once.  For instance, we could set one TIVO tuner to channel 2, the other to channel 4, then switch back and forth, backing up either or both to see what we missed.

Can you do that with the TIVO/cable card/FIOS solution?


Yes.

The TivoHD does everything the DirecTiVo did (except support DirecTV), and much more.  It's based on newer, faster hardware with more memory and it runs a newer version of the TiVo software with added features, such as the ability to download recordings to your computer.

You can read more about it in this post.

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Re: TIVO & FIOS
TimSykes
Specialist - Level 2

KenAF wrote: 
Yes.

The TivoHD does everything the DirecTiVo did (except support DirecTV), and much more.  It's based on newer, faster hardware with more memory and it runs a newer version of the TiVo software with added features, such as the ability to download recordings to your computer.

You can read more about it in this post.

 

The $79 fee is waved, there is no install fee for this. I just set one up today. I was told the system will not even allow to put in a fee, and will not show up on a bill.
 

KenAF wrote: 
 
A TivoHD requires one M-CARD ($3.99/mo) from Verizon to support both tuners with FiOS.  A CableCard is basically an access card that plugs into the front of the unit and authorizes all the cable channels you pay for.   Service calls are free for the first 30 days after a FiOS TV install, but after that, Verizon charges $79 for a "truck roll" to install anything, and that includes CableCards.   Verizon will not ship CableCards under any circumstances (as they will the Motorola STBs and DVRs), but sometimes you may get an installer that is willing to drop off the card and let you do the install, thereby avoiding the $79 fee.

 The thing that got me to get a tivo, after saying I never would is the PC transfer. With that I am able to kill off my MR-DVR and my HD STB. My HD STB is hooked up to my 50", and my PC is hooked up to the same 50" via HDMI. Its perfect for me. But the trasfer speeds are so **bleep** slow. 
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