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Verizon Fios v. Directv

For the record I have not made up my decision yet however I am very close. Here is the issue.

I have been a Directv customer since 1997 and for the most part very happy with that service, However living in the Philadelphia area Directv has always had one major hurdle to deal with and that is their inability to provide the local sports channel, Comcast SportsNet. This was one of the major issues for giving Verizon a try and the hope of saving some money.

In late 2009 with Verizon Fios being offered with their "triple pack" I decided to reduce my Directv plan to basic and give Fios TV a try. (I already subscribed to their internet, wireless & phone package.)

So far here is how I see the comparison between Directv & Verizon Fios.

1. Ability to watch the Phillies, Flyers & Sixers (local sports). WINNER: Verizon

2. HD Channels WINNER: Very close but at this point it is Verizon

3. Equipment (DVR and HD Receivers) WINNER: Not even close, DIRECTV

4. Customer Service: Again, Not even close, the WINNER is DIRECTV.

5. Pricing. Again, very close I would say a PUSH at this point. I thought I was going to save some money switching to Verizon and sadly I found that not to be true.

At this point I have to say I am shocked by how far behind Verizon is when compared to DIRECTV on the technical end of things and customer service. I am going to have a decision to make this winter that's for sure because I will not continue keeping both services when this 1 year contract expires.

Comments

Hubrisnxs

well if it's any comfort, towards the end of the year, verizon announced it's higher end motorola DVR that has a 320 GB hard drive (same as directtv) and Esata support so that you can add a 1 TB hard drive (Same as direct)

The dvr aside from the storage capacity, has the multi room feature that direct is barely getting into and from what I understand is still being tested. and then you get the VOD which is kinda opinion based as to whether it's better than direct tv's.

If the DVR is the main thing holding you back, then try to hold out for the newer dvr and see if it satisfies your needs.

just my .02

NW_GXP

Or another option is to get a Tivo and not use the Fios provided DVR. Yes it will cost you up front but I bought 2 of them and couldn't be happier. I had Directv for the last 9 years and switched to Fios 3 weeks ago. I ripped my dish off the house last weekend so I think that shows my satisfaction level so far. The Tivo premeire blows away the Fios DVR and is a little better than the Directv DVR IMO. You do lose the Fios VOD option but I haven't missed it at all. I tried watching 1 movie using Amazon VOD (Tivo gave me a $10 Amazon gift card to try a VOD movie for free) and the quality was very good (1080p/24 too)

And for #2 on your list my picture quality, at least on my TV, is unquestionably better with Fios. Coupled with 35/35 internet I'm good for a long time assuming things stay as they are.

cdmann

Thats one of things I failed to mention,. The Verizon [hard drive] DVR capacity is much smaller then Directv's. I had TIVO with Directv for years until that partnership collapsed and nothing stands up to the TIVO thats for sure. With all the money you pay to Verizon (or Directv for that matter) we really should not need to subscribe to a 3rd party service for DVR services. The need to do so does not speak to favorably of Verizon or Directv.

I wonder what Verizon is going to charge to swap out an exisiting HD DVR for one of the new ones.

spacedebris

@cdmann wrote:
Thats one of things I failed to mention,. The Verizon [hard drive] DVR capacity is much smaller then Directv's. I had TIVO with Directv for years until that partnership collapsed and nothing stands up to the TIVO thats for sure. With all the money you pay to Verizon (or Directv for that matter) we really should not need to subscribe to a 3rd party service for DVR services. The need to do so does not speak to favorably of Verizon or Directv.
I wonder what Verizon is going to charge to swap out an existing HD DVR for one of the new ones.

Well, my experience for what its worth, has been a Big win on Verizon's side for me. I have both, Verizon and DTV. (one at one house and the other at the other house).

When it comes to picture quality and reliability Verizon is the clear winner. No comparison. There is no service that can compete with the picture quality, and I'm tired of loosing DTV everytime a storm comes in.

I have all the above mentioned DVR's. Verizon's, DTV's, and TIVO's. TIVO is the clear winner, and while most people will agree with me on that, Verizons and DTV's are not all that bad. Granted neither one is what I want but they do work well. I think that with the exception for recording capacity, that the Verizon DVR is superior to the DTV's (I HATE the DTV DVR with a passion, only the capacity is going for it). But just like the radio that comes in a new car, there is nothing really wrong with it, but that new BOSE stereo system will blow it out of the water. Comparing a Generic system (Verizon and DTV) to a company that specializes in DVR's (TIVO) is really not a fair comparison

Now everyone seems to complain or joke about the customer service from Verizon, but in my experience, I've had better service from Verizon than I have from DTV. But when it comes down to it, thats just a matter of YMMV. Now dont get me wrong, I've nothing but good things to say about DTV in general. But I've had better all around service from Verizon.

Also, just like with cars. Who goes out and buys a car and leaves it stock? No, most of us customize it to fit our desires. No different with the services. I modified the stock Verizon service to fit my needs. I got rid of the "Moca" system and have Ethernet internet, connected to my router, I'm replacing the Verizon DVR with TIVO and Cable cards because that is the type of system I want. (same on the DTV side, I'm in the process of dropping the DTV DVR for a TIVO). Nothing beats the FIOS internet for speed. So when I'm all done and everything is settled, I have a service that is not the cookie cutter service installed by any company. Instead I have a service that gives me exactly what I want and how I want it. I just had to put in the effort to get it.

Now the only thing that DTV has that made me even hesitate is their NFL Sunday Ticket service. No one can compete with that. But since I can get my team on local channels, its not all that bad.

alanm47

The one thing you have not mentioned is Picture reliability. I'm a former DTV customer that had many issues with DTV and it's weather related service problems. This problem became a real issue with me when DTV went to HD. Almost every time we had a heavy rain or snow I had the dreaded "Searching for signal" message come up. I've had Directv out here numerous times readjusting the dish and it never help with the problem. My dish had a clear view to where the satellites were so that wasn't the problem. I also had to climb up to clean my dish whenever it snowed or had ice build up. I was a DTV customer for over 12 years and when I finally had enough of the service problems I cancelled, only to have directv access me an early termination fee of $300.00. They claimed I owed them the $300.00 because I upgraded one of my DVRs a year earlier (cost me $200.00 to upgrade BTW). I'm very happy I switched to Fios. In my option DIRECT TV SUCKS!!

Gus_Gutz

Directv wins on the DVR programming too. The guide in my FiOS DVR is horrible. Multiple clicks and screens to record a series and then you are not sure it is going to record. Directv wins on VOD. At least you can pause and rewind a show. You cannot do that the FiOS box

I have heard the rumors of larger HD in the FiOS DVR. Those rumors have been around for a long long time. I wouldn't hold my breath.

FiOS wins with their installation. Directv comes out and wants to charge you for their installation even when Directv is on the phone saying there is no charge. That extortion is one of the reasons I left Directv. Had they called me once in the two years, I would still be their customer.

cdmann

When it comes to the Directv picture quality and reliability I believe everyone is subject to their location and install/setup. From 1997 onward I have had very little issues with outages due to weather other then for 10 minutes or so as a bad storm passed by. Other then that no outages to speak of. A challenge for Directv is that the setup and installation has to be completed in a flawless manner or there will be problems for the customer. Verizon Fios (or Cable TV) does not have this to deal with.

I still have basic-HD Directv (only so I can still get the football ticket) and both system's have nearly identical picture quality. I have no complaint there. Verizon Fios also has superior VOD services.

I am just saying that from my experience Verizon Fios on a technical end (receivers / DVRs / software such a grid and searching capability) and customer service are far behind Directv as this point.

Verizon Fios is relatively new to this so I am waiting a bit to see what happens.

BrianC

I think everyone has stories good and bad about various TV providers. My experience with Verizon customer service has been satisfactory so far. Not exemplary, but satisfactory. I realize some have had bad experiences. The good news is that I don't have to interact with them often. Now that I have the package, equipment and settings I want, I couldn't be happier. I was very satisfied with Dish Network too, but I like Verizon because of the package and no rain fade (although it didn't happen all that often). I can't say enough about how bad my experience was with Directv when I had them for 3 days. False promises, picture problems, customer service that was absolutely terrible. Even the managers didn't know what they were doing when my issues were escalated. I'm sure others have had good experiences with Directv. The point is that regardless of customer service, which is important, I'm very happy with the picture quality, reliabilty, VOD and the overall package that I currently have with Verizon.

spacedebris

@Gus_Gutz wrote:
Directv wins on VOD. At least you can pause and rewind a show. You cannot do that the FiOS box
You can pause and rewind on Verizon VOD. No different from DTV. Except on the "Network" shows. Programs that are provided by NBC, CBS, etc are blocked from fast forwarding by contract. They require the FF to be disabled so that you cant skip the commercials. Unfortunately, Verizon cannot disable a single command. So on those shows that the Networks require that FF be disabled, it means that all controls are disabled. But on any movie or other VOD provided by anything other than a network provider, all commands work fine.

Gus_Gutz

Not on either of my boxes. Any VOD has that function blocked. I have tried on dozens of shows and none of them allows that function.

BrianC

Mine works just like spacedebris mentioned. I have the 7216 DVR and the 2500 SD box and both work just fine with the on-demand functions (FF, REW, Pause, etc.) with the exception of certain network on demand shows as previously noted (notably NBC shows on demand block these functions). Sounds like there may be a technical issue for you.

wtech16

Your answer to Dvr is tablo. Tablo is ota broadcasting. All you need is an antenna, and hard drive. With the dvr refurbished that the company does for homes and businesses, you're really paying a lot more.

Roku streaming is the option for movies and shows. Tivo someone mentioned. If anyone has questions inbox me.

Did you know with satellite you can hoist an antenna up and get just as awesome quality content and even better?

wtech16

Comcast sportsnet is on roku. To everyone do the math. I wish I could help everyone so , sit down, look at the numbers and do the math.

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