FIOS Information thread

[mike1961]

I'm not overly happy with my QIP2500 STB because about 5 percent of the time the dct.exe does not properly tune the channels. I'm thinking perhaps I need a different software package to properly tune the box or just look for a different solution.

Is it possible to get the stations including cable (HBO, etc.) without the Verizon STBs? It seemed like some might be doing this with the HD Home Run and if so are there problems recording HBO and other premium stations through firewire? I'm just thinking this Motorolo QIP 2500 STB is not going to work.

I need suggestions fast as the WAF is going down fast. I'm not sure if the solution for FIOS is with the cable card or some other option. Does one have to have their cable card or STB to get the local and premium channels?

Thanks,
Mike

[r00st3r]

Mike,

The HD Homerun does what I had posted about 3 threads up. All local HD's and SD's, Music Choice and Urge Radio Station Channels, WGN and Starz InBlack (I am not sure why that one). I have not found a way yet to pick up anything in basic programming (TNT, USA, TLC, DIY etc..) or premium channels.

So Basically anything I could get OTA, WGN, and Starz In Black are about all I get.

I was also asking about the firewire and whether or not it will pick up anything more than the HD Homerun using QAM. My wishful thinking is that since it's going thru the STB , then it will have decrypted the signal and passed it thru, but i highly doubt that's the case. I would love for someone to clarify whether that is true or not..

[sundansx]

Originally Posted by r00st3r

Mike,

The HD Homerun does what I had posted about 3 threads up. All local HD's and SD's, Music Choice and Urge Radio Station Channels, WGN and Starz InBlack (I am not sure why that one). I have not found a way yet to pick up anything in basic programming (TNT, USA, TLC, DIY etc..) or premium channels.

So Basically anything I could get OTA, WGN, and Starz In Black are about all I get.

I was also asking about the firewire and whether or not it will pick up anything more than the HD Homerun using QAM. My wishful thinking is that since it's going thru the STB , then it will have decrypted the signal and passed it thru, but i highly doubt that's the case. I would love for someone to clarify whether that is true or not..

See the first post in this thread. I tried this and most channels out the firewire are encrypted with a different method commonly called "5C". The firewire device recording has to do a handshake with the STB and exchange keys. To do this it has to be a 'registered' 5C device...all PC firewire cards that I know of are not such devices, so can only record un-5C encrypted content. for me that was locals and for some reason Discovery HD. everything else including SD stations were not available.

[mike1961]

I got the dctMultiTuner working. Hopefully it will be more reliable than the dct.exe. I was using ExeMultiTuner which works great for any exe tuner changing program. But, the dct.exe was the problem and simply was not reliably changing the channels.

CABLE CARDS - On another note, I've heard that there was an STB from ATI that accepts cable cards. If so, then it would be possible to get that and not have to pay the higher costs for the SD or HD STB's that the providers are charging. We could then use the Hauppauge HD card (released any time now?) to record HD. Any ideas on this or another way for HD with FIOS?

Thanks,
Mike

[r00st3r]

Thanks sundancex, I must have misread. I wasn't sure what 5C is, but now I do.
It seems to me that if I am paying for service, that any basic channels should be QAM and anything premium or VOD should be encrypted. Guess I'll just have to wait for a better solution then what I am doing now, which isn't bad. We always want more.

[mike1961]

Hello- this has been working great with the QIP 2500. But, the wife and kids are complaining it takes too long to change the channel on the STB through Sage. I think it is set for around 1.25 seconds. I tried making an adjustment but when I do, it seems to not change the channel so I'm wondering what settings I need to change because I would think serial should be able to change the channel a lot faster.

Thanks,
Mike

[The Truth]

Originally Posted by mike1961

Hello- this has been working great with the QIP 2500. But, the wife and kids are complaining it takes too long to change the channel on the STB through Sage. I think it is set for around 1.25 seconds. I tried making an adjustment but when I do, it seems to not change the channel so I'm wondering what settings I need to change because I would think serial should be able to change the channel a lot faster.

Thanks,
Mike

You have to send 4 digits to speed it up... My serial isnt working... how the heck did you get it to work!!!?

[mayamaniac]

I've been using FiOS since Feb this year, and overall its been great. I think my STB is an QIP7200 and I have firewire channel changing working using the MultiDCTTuner plugin along with the HD-PVR. I'm also using my HDHR and it works fine with FiOS picking up all the unencrypted QAM network channels. It's a bit of a pain to use my own "N" draft router and not verizon's "G" router, I had to tell them to switch to ethernet instead of coaxial. But in the end I got it working.

And I can't be more happy about the internet speed:

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by mike1961

I got the dctMultiTuner working. Hopefully it will be more reliable than the dct.exe. I was using ExeMultiTuner which works great for any exe tuner changing program. But, the dct.exe was the problem and simply was not reliably changing the channels.

CABLE CARDS - On another note, I've heard that there was an STB from ATI that accepts cable cards. If so, then it would be possible to get that and not have to pay the higher costs for the SD or HD STB's that the providers are charging. We could then use the Hauppauge HD card (released any time now?) to record HD. Any ideas on this or another way for HD with FIOS?

Thanks,
Mike

are you using this with serial or firewire?

[FlyingDoc]

With apologies for re-opening an old thread but it seemed the appropriate place for this question ...
I have just moved into the area and have FIOS to play with. My old sage box blew up the day we moved in so i am building a new one, The story so far has been a disaster (Firewire doesnt work any where near as reliable as my previous experience and there are many channels that seem to be unavailable, due to the CCI flags i assume. )

I trued getting a Colossus to access these channels but the install was painfull (see posts in colossus thread) and i still cant change channel with firewire without killing sage. .

So to the question.. Has anyone in this FIOS area (pomona is the EPG, we live in huntington beach) got a ceton card on the FIOS feed and if so can you let me know which channels are available. I am mostly interested in the usual networks with just a few others (BBC America, Speed, Versus, Animal planet etc) I am not looking for the premiums film channels at all,

If the channels i need are open and the stability is reasonable i would make the investment and take the risk in future changes to the available channels i just do not want to risk $400 only to find i still cant get the channels i want

Thanks in advance for you input

[mistergq]

I think there is something wrong with your firewire card, firewire cable, or STB. Other than my disaster thread which was caused by a screw falling out of my case, for the past 3 years, and one defective STB a year or so ago, my firewire tuning has been very reliable.

As to the colossus and FIOS, the only problem I am having is the out of sync after commercials. That is because I am using optical. If I went with RCA audio, then I would have no problems.

I am interested in cable card, and am debating about getting prime and a cable card. I have not decided to do it yet.

Hope that helps.

[sandor]

has anyone with fios been able to get firewire channel changing working with the cisco 335 HD tuner? (non-DVR)

http://onlinehelp.verizon.net/consum...chs_335hdc.pdf

none of the firewire drivers available seem to work... i got one HDPVR working with the IR Blaster, but apparently cannot run two individual IR blasters, so i was looking to switch to firewire tuning.

[guho]

Best for FIOS is R5000HD from Nextcom. I have 2 QIP2500 modded boxes recording everything under the sun.

While I love the R5000-HD hardware, I do not love the software. The glitches, crashes and incomplete recordings became nauseating and I could not sleep. So I wrote replacement recorder software for the R5000-HD. You can download it from http://www.hugolyppens.com/SageTVR5000HDRecorder.html. It only works for FIOS and with Motorola boxes. So it is a lot more limited than Nextcom's software. It is also just a command line so not user-friendly. Stay away if you are not comfortable with this. On the plus side, recordings are flawless. The software uses hardly any memory. It runs on Windows 7 and all others so no need to muck around, like previous posters, with running R5000HD on an old XP box just to make it stable.

If I get some success reports from fellow FIOS/Motorola users I will feel stimulated to figure out a way to make it work for other configurations. Thanks for looking.

[sandor]

Originally Posted by guho

Best for FIOS is R5000HD from Nextcom...It only works for FIOS and with Motorola boxes. ...

it seems FIOS in Philly only has new Cisco STBs, no Motos. I have one HDPVR setup and working great (and less than 1/2 the price of the R5000), just need to find an option for channel changing with more than one STB.

[mscdex]

what was the irblaster code for thecisco stb

[mscdex]

Got it. Scientific Atlanta code 90

[sandor]

Originally Posted by mscdex

Got it. Scientific Atlanta code 90

have you found the hex code for this? i got the HDPVR blaster working with "Verizon" and code 0104, but have yet to get my usb uirt working...