tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18974303.post116534717611086329..comments2015-09-21T11:30:34.115-04:00Comments on The Former Pundit: Verizon FiOSAlan Frayerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10249238429882332554noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18974303.post-73703553086844679932009-01-17T16:12:00.000-05:002009-01-17T16:12:00.000-05:00I think Verizon FiOS has come along way and really...I think <A HREF="http://www.ifibercompany.com" REL="nofollow">Verizon FiOS</A> has come along way and really, is there anyone out there that beats the speed that they provide. Probably not. The kinks are being worked out and their service will only get stronger as 2009 progresses. Cable will take some time to catch up.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18974303.post-8839106288329274782007-10-08T23:59:00.000-04:002007-10-08T23:59:00.000-04:00I don't think "anonymous" is necessarily correct. ...I don't think "anonymous" is necessarily correct. Feb 2009 is the analog _broadcast_ cutoff date. Cable can continue to be analog as long as the local cable company is willing to convert the digital broadcast signals to analog (they may not be, perhaps because it's too expensive).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18974303.post-78665465922876981692007-07-16T06:35:00.000-04:002007-07-16T06:35:00.000-04:00Anonymous has an interesting point, but I wonder h...Anonymous has an interesting point, but I wonder how much impact that rule will actually have. Most TVs I've encountered, in a very informal survey, already have digital tuners. For those that don't, the FCC requires cable companies to allow third-party set-top boxes, so the price of these boxes is likely to become pretty competitive.Alan Frayerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10249238429882332554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18974303.post-74176727917922541612007-07-16T00:07:00.000-04:002007-07-16T00:07:00.000-04:00Unfortunately most comsumers are NOT aware that in...Unfortunately most comsumers are NOT aware that in February of 2009 every cable tv proiovider is going to have to go to digital so unless the tv manufacturers can incorporate digital converters into their tv's, you will need a "cable box" to get a picture on your tv.<BR/><BR/>That is one of the biggest points I get from customers. With Comcast basic customers get 70+ channels without a box. They can't understand why they will need a box with our FIOS service. Without a box you will still receive tv but only about 22 channels.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18974303.post-45816476437392229012007-04-05T07:00:00.000-04:002007-04-05T07:00:00.000-04:00Interesting comment, William. A couple thoughts on...Interesting comment, William. A couple thoughts on your reasons for not switching their TV service, none of which are likely to change your mind, but might help balance the discussion:<BR/><BR/>Since the TV set-top boxes are dependent on IP for programming management, for TVs to be shipped "FiOS Ready", the TVs would need their own IP client. I think you see where I'm going with this, and I can easily imagine the day when the TV gives up channels for IP addresses, but I don't see this feature coming soon.<BR/><BR/>As for the static VPN, this is something not traditionally needed by consumers (it just isn't very often that a consumer needs a permanent connection to another consumer). You don't say why a dynamic VPN wouldn't do the job, however. I'd like to learn more.Alan Frayerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10249238429882332554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18974303.post-91155376830052109312007-04-04T10:24:00.000-04:002007-04-04T10:24:00.000-04:00My retired parents live in nearby Sarasota. Veriz...My retired parents live in nearby Sarasota. Verizon installed FiOS in their neighborhood last year (2006) as well. In early January of this year (2007), I had their broadband Internet connection switched from Comcast cable to FiOS. The speed is somewhat faster than cable, but nothing that my parents will notice. The cost for broadband Internet service is about the same as well (FiOS @ $40/month vs. Comcast's $43/month).<BR/><BR/>As with Alan, Verizon switched the phone service from their copper POTS network to FiOS at the time of the install. This has done a lot to improve the voice quality on the line. Previously, my parent's phone line was periodically plagued with static and other annoyances that Verizon said were likely the result of water intrusion on aging underground wiring and connections. This was a problem of longstanding; Verizon's attempts at repairing this were met with only limited success. (It seemed to me that Verizon was little motivated to replace existing copper line, as it was their intention instead to go fiber.)<BR/><BR/>I considered switching their TV service from Comcast to FiOS as well. The cost for Verizon's "Premium Package" was $40/month - somewhat less than Comcast's comparable "Enhanced" package ($47.50/month).<BR/><BR/>However, I backed out of this for several reasons:<BR/><BR/>1 - You need to rent from Verizon a set-top receiver box for each TV you intend to use with the new system. The cost for each of these is $4/month (going up I'm told to $5/month). If you only need one or two of these, the monthly cost for FiOS TV is comparable to Comcast, but my parent's have seven TVs in different rooms. Perhaps eventually, this functionality will be incorporated into standard TV tuners, much as most TVs now come with "cable-ready" tuners. Then, it would no longer be necessary to rent set-top boxes.<BR/><BR/>2 – My second reason is a little more complicated and will not matter much to most folks. If you get FiOS TV, you have to use a MoCA (Multimedia over Coax Alliance) compatible router. The Actiontec route that comes with the FiOS install is such a router. It has similar functionality to most consumer-grade 802.11g wireless routers, but also has a coax connection on the back. With FiOS TV, the router distributes a TV signal to your home's existing coax network through this coax connection.<BR/><BR/>Like many consumer-grade wireless routers, the Actiontec router allows dynamic VPN (virtual private network) pass-through but does not support static VPNs. This may not be a consideration for most people, but I have a permanent VPN between my place and my parents' so I can manage their systems remotely. (Being able to remotely view & control someone's system is especially helpful when they call asking for help and don't know how to accurately describe the problem.)<BR/><BR/>Having a static VPN means that the router that is exposed to the public Internet needs to be able to support a static VPN. I suppose I might be able to position the Actiontec router inside my VPN router, but there's no assurance that my VPN router can support passing the TV signal. Also, the folks from Verizon said they would need to "see" the Actiontec router from their end in order for the TV component to work correctly.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, you can see why I gave up on this. Hopefully, by the time all TVs come with FiOS-compatible tuners, all consumer-grade & MoCA-compatible routers will also be VPN routers.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10012041652011175002noreply@blogger.com