I joined FiOS TV about 1 month ago from DTV. While there is a lot to like about the service:
* Multiroom DVR access
* Better picture quality
* Cheaper price
I am VERY UNHAPPY with the Motorola DVR they supplied. I was wondering if anyone else has similar complaints. My problems are with both the hardware/software of the box itself, and the low quality of programming information in the guide. (I still have the old guide, and from what I've read I'm not looking forward to the new one!)
For comparison, I had a TiVo brand DVR from Direct TV for the previous two years. It was responsive, easy to use and the TVG information was accurate and complete.
By comparison, the FiOS DVR has these annoying problems:
* Poor and very variable response to the remote control. There is no feedback, and sometimes it takes many seconds to respond to a "pause" or "skip" command.
* This poor response results in poor program positioning. If I skip forward 30 seconds, sometimes I have to press the skip backwards button 5 or 6 times to get back to the same spot. ALSO, sometimes, when resuming from a pause it skips forward a few seconds. My TiVo was always instantaneous and precise.
* The "series record" function barely works for several reasons.
** First of all, the program guide info is so inaccurate that in 1 month I've missed a dozen shows because they were incorrectly listed as repeats when in fact they were new shows.
** It is incapable of resolving a conflict by finding another showing of the same episode later in the evening.
** When I tell it "first run only" it still records multiple copies of the show including reruns from previous years.
* For some reason the remote control they are now supplying has no "page forward/back" buttons or "day forward/back" buttons, as described in the manual. There is also no A/B button to switch between the two tuners, and this feature is also mentioned in the manual. (Not to mention available in my old TiVo)
* During playback of HD programs, I get occasional picture breakup. It's just for a few frames, but still annoying.
* Regarding the guide, the episode info is frequently wrong. Both the description and the new/rerun info. Also, it shows such a small amount of info on the screen that it's impossible to actually surf to see what's on. (Especially when combined with the missing page buttons!!) It's a high def DVR for g-d's sake - it should be able to display a grid of a dozen channels for 2-3 hours of programming. Instead, I have to have my laptop open to Zap2it.com to see what's actually on.
That's enough for now. Does anyone else have these problems too? Maybe I'm spoiled, but frankly Verizon claims to have the most sophisticated system around and it does not measure up. I feel like I'm beta testing something from 5 years ago, not a state or the art system.
Mike
* Multiroom DVR access
* Better picture quality
* Cheaper price
I am VERY UNHAPPY with the Motorola DVR they supplied. I was wondering if anyone else has similar complaints. My problems are with both the hardware/software of the box itself, and the low quality of programming information in the guide. (I still have the old guide, and from what I've read I'm not looking forward to the new one!)
For comparison, I had a TiVo brand DVR from Direct TV for the previous two years. It was responsive, easy to use and the TVG information was accurate and complete.
By comparison, the FiOS DVR has these annoying problems:
* Poor and very variable response to the remote control. There is no feedback, and sometimes it takes many seconds to respond to a "pause" or "skip" command.
* This poor response results in poor program positioning. If I skip forward 30 seconds, sometimes I have to press the skip backwards button 5 or 6 times to get back to the same spot. ALSO, sometimes, when resuming from a pause it skips forward a few seconds. My TiVo was always instantaneous and precise.
* The "series record" function barely works for several reasons.
** First of all, the program guide info is so inaccurate that in 1 month I've missed a dozen shows because they were incorrectly listed as repeats when in fact they were new shows.
** It is incapable of resolving a conflict by finding another showing of the same episode later in the evening.
** When I tell it "first run only" it still records multiple copies of the show including reruns from previous years.
* For some reason the remote control they are now supplying has no "page forward/back" buttons or "day forward/back" buttons, as described in the manual. There is also no A/B button to switch between the two tuners, and this feature is also mentioned in the manual. (Not to mention available in my old TiVo)
* During playback of HD programs, I get occasional picture breakup. It's just for a few frames, but still annoying.
* Regarding the guide, the episode info is frequently wrong. Both the description and the new/rerun info. Also, it shows such a small amount of info on the screen that it's impossible to actually surf to see what's on. (Especially when combined with the missing page buttons!!) It's a high def DVR for g-d's sake - it should be able to display a grid of a dozen channels for 2-3 hours of programming. Instead, I have to have my laptop open to Zap2it.com to see what's actually on.
That's enough for now. Does anyone else have these problems too? Maybe I'm spoiled, but frankly Verizon claims to have the most sophisticated system around and it does not measure up. I feel like I'm beta testing something from 5 years ago, not a state or the art system.
Mike
