500GB Motorola QIP7232 HD DVR Coming soon!

[digidan2]

Found this on hd.Engadget.com  Now I wish I had kept FiOS.

http://hd.engadget.com/2010/10/28/verizon-fios-starts-rolling-out-500gb-dvrs/

[Hubrisnxs]

the official way to get one is www.verizon.com/fiostvcentral -> My TV -> Set Top Box -> bottom right banner ad about ur DVR > Click and fill in the info to be placed on the waiting list.     

You won't be garunteed a 7232 but you'll be on a waiting list to get a DVR that can do the enhanced expansion to a external ESATA hard drive when the software gets enabled in the next software release.

there is NO way you will get one mailed to you unfortunately, no matter what you hear from a verizon rep.

[zich61]

So, has anyone received a 7232 via mail/UPS?  If so, you're the first I've heard.

Please let us know.

[paulgs31]

Kind of an old topic, but according to the techs that have been to my house, the new boxes are Cisco. They are 500g but that is about where the good stuff ends. They are a POS. Remote DVR does NOT work, widgets are crippled and you cannot add or remove (I'm not buying them), can't record shows that are already started, esata doesn't work, and it incredibly fickle about media manager. Not to mention, nobody at verizon knows how to use these things. I witnessed a conference call between my technician, his foreman and something called a Cisco "bridge" and these guys are **bleep**. They were pretty much implying I'm nuts telling that this stuff doesn't work, the tech and the foreman had NO idea what I Was talking about only, to hear the Cisco reps say "yeah, thats bugged.... yeah thats bugged.... yeah thats bugged too....." .  So don't be in a hurry. There is nothing special about these boxes. Right now I'm stuck with these gimped **bleep** crippled DVR boxes when I Would happily trade for the smaller older working model.

[zich61]

Sorry to hear your experience.  You should know that in certain markets Motorola manufactures the 7232.  In fact, that's the one I have.  Further, remote dvr and the widgets all work fine.  The eSATA port will function with the update to firmware 1.9.

As to tech support, well, I've had my own challenges with them.  That said, in my area, in general, the techs that  come out are pretty good.

Bottom line is that my experience is nothing like yours.  I love my 7232 and in no way could I be described as a Vz fanboy.

[RacerD]

My MIL just moved in down the street and they installed today and she got the new 7232. She doesn't care about it though and said we could swap.   Will I be able to swap DVR's with her?  Wondering if the other STB will work or were those upgraded too? 

[zich61]

You and she need to notify Vz.  Then you'll have to activate the 7232 at your place.  As I've never done it, I'm not sure what the process is.

[mgp771]

Just had 3 7232's installed and mine are all Motorola. They seem to work fine...

[RacerD]

Thanks for the info.  Her STB are very different than mine too.  I wonder if I can keep my STB or have to swap that with her too?  I'm also curious about just ordering an extra DVR for a month or two and then sending one back...wonder which one I would get since they are rolling out the news ones here.   I'm so ready to be done with this low space issue.....

[Sabres1]

Just had my installation in Central New York and received the Motorola 7232.  Seems to work pretty well and has plenty of space.  Had to reset it to get surround sound but that is working now.  I was also given two HD boxes for my two other tv's for no extra cost because they said they are fazing out the SD boxes in New York.  So now I can watch all my HD recordings on my two other tv's which is nice.

I feel badly for all of the existing customers that are still waiting for their new boxes.  I'm amazed at how all (not just Verizon) treat their existing customers.  I've become a bit of a cable nomad for that reason, switching every year or two to get the best deals and equipment.  I'd love to stay with Verizon but we'll see if they are willing to update equipment after the end of my two years.  Existing customers really should have had first crack at these new boxes, not me.

[justputt]

just chatted with a rep.  told me i could exchange smaller dvr for 7232 at local VZ store (if they have them).  Question; is it merely a swap or will i have to go thru all kind of calls to get the 7232 setup and working?

[bluejez]

re: mail delivery of a 7232, no luck.

I have a 7216, tech shipped me a replacement that turned out to be a downgrade - 6416.  To her credit, she said the warehouse doesn't know the SKUs, they just pick up the next HD DVR off the shelf and drop ship it.

[RacerD]

I had a new DVR mailed to me in Texas in the hopes of scoring a 7232 and I got the same old DVR  I had.  I turned the box right around back to them.  I agree it is ridiculous that us long standing good paying customers can't get the upgrades but the new customers can.  What a hassle to have to cancel your account just to sign up again so you can be a "new customer".  I'll do just that if I have to.  I'm on month to month and just married so my new husband can take on the account and a new install if I can't get the box.

I posted on their Facebook about whether I could just swap the DVR with my MIL and the tech there said no, that the box was programmed to her account or some crap like that and I wouldn't be able to get it verified and activated on my system.  That seems wrong. 

I'm still wondering about just ordering a 2nd DVR on my account and what I would get. 

I still think this is unacceptable that we can't just call in and ask to be swapped out.   Bad business Verizon!  I pay over $5K a year to be treated like this??

[zich61]

People, it's very simple - the only way for an existing customer to get a 7232 without the hassle of canceling their account and re-establishing is to call tech support, tell them you have (made-up) pixelation or other problem, then get a tech out.  If, and I stress if, they have a 7232 on the truck, I've not heard of a single case where the tech refused to swap-out an existing STB for a 7232.  It's that simple, period.

Should it be this way, heck no.  But while many of you may not have the stomach for it, the choice is clear, follow the tried and true advice above, or wait until Vz deems you worthy.  

[spacedebris]

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@zich6 wrote:

People, it's very simple - the only way for an existing customer to get a 7232 without the hassle of canceling their account and re-establishing is to call tech support, tell them you have (made-up) pixelation or other problem, then get a tech out.  If, and I stress if, they have a 7232 on the truck, I've not heard of a single case where the tech refused to swap-out an existing STB for a 7232.  It's that simple, period.

Should it be this way, heck no.  But while many of you may not have the stomach for it, the choice is clear, follow the tried and true advice above, or wait until Vz deems you worthy.  

---

The only problem with that is that they may charge you for a bogus visit. Oh if you get a nice tech, he will happily swap it for you, but if they start getting too many of these, then they will start charging for wasting their time when they could be helping someone that has a real problem. That is what happend two years ago when they had the HD box shortage. And $100 per visit is a little steep.

Plus canceling your acct and re-ordering will not guarentee you of getting the new DVR. Only SOME new customers are getting the bigger box. Not all. The 7232's are in short supply right now.

No, the only way to get one for sure is to go to the web site and sign up on the waiting list.

https://www36.verizon.com/fiostv/web/members/DvrExpansion.aspx

[zich61]

"The only problem with that is that they may charge you for a bogus visit."

Highly unlikely.  Can you cite one instance where this has happened, other than your vague example of several years ago?  Of course you can't because I seriously doubt it  has.  As I've said before, the techs are good and they really want to make customers happy.  It's their butt if they don't.  Why would a tech take a risk like refusing you a piece of hardware they can give you without risk to them and then charging you a service fee?  That's a rhetorical question.  The answer is, they certainly won't if you do it right.  It's worked for many on this board without a single exception I have found.

When I said the only way to get a 7232, I meant without waiting.  I'm not going to address the cancellation issue as I wouldn't advise doing that.

Wait if you want.  That's exactly what Vz wants you to do.  "We'll abuse you and favor new customers, but you wait like a good little customer now."  I can just hear what PT Barnum would say.

[spacedebris]

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@zich6 wrote:

"The only problem with that is that they may charge you for a bogus visit."

Highly unlikely.  Can you cite one instance where this has happened, other than your vague example of several years ago?  Of course you can't because I seriously doubt it  has.  As I've said before, the techs are good and they really want to make customers happy.  It's their butt if they don't.  Why would a tech take a risk like refusing you a piece of hardware they can give you without risk to them and then charging you a service fee?  That's a rhetorical question.  The answer is, they certainly won't if you do it right.  It's worked for many on this board without a single exception I have found.

When I said the only way to get a 7232, I meant without waiting.  I'm not going to address the cancellation issue as I wouldn't advise doing that.

Wait if you want.  That's exactly what Vz wants you to do.  "We'll abuse you and favor new customers, but you wait like a good little customer now."  I can just hear what PT Barnum would say.

---

Of course I cant. Because it hasnt happened since then. But go back and look, there were many cases of people being charged for bogus visits. There were many complaints about this. But this is the first time since then that there has been a shortage of boxes since. Yes they want to make customers happy, but at the same time, they want to stay profitable. But dont belive me and give it a try. I couldnt care less if you get billed for it or not. I was just giving a warning about what happend in the past. And remember the addage, "Those who fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it"

[REDLEDELDER]

My DVR is going dead so I requested a new one. They sent me an older model (6414-1) than my current broken one (6414-2) rather than the new model rolling out now(7232). Called to get one of the new boxes swapped out for the old one they sent me. Answer... NO! you can not have a new box, they are for new customers only. It does not matter that I have cell phone, internet, Premium TV and home phone with them. Existing customers get the old broken crap (refurbished) and new customers get the shiny new higher capacity, better image quality boxes. Existing customers pay higher rates than the new Verizon customers and get less. Now is time to investigate switching providers for all my stuff. I wish I had found this thread before my first call to report my breaking DVR. I have already spoken to tech support, buisness services and a tech manager to no avail. I guess Verizon has no sense of existing customer loyalty.

[Hubrisnxs]

they are not for new customers only despite what they told you, but they are in limited supply, not avail in all areas, and are only available through a truck roll and a tech drop off ---- no way to get one mailed to you yet..   some people will want it bad enough to pay the 79.99 truck roll fee, or some people are patient enough to go on the waiting list since there aren't that many out there compared to the other boxes. 

verizon.com/fiostvcentral -> My TV -> Set Top Box -> bottom right banner ad about ur DVR > Click and fill in the info to be placed on the waiting list.    

[lasagna]

Amen Hubrisnxs.  Oh ... and just a point of correction to previous poster's commentary, there is nothing broken about a refurbished box (that's why it's refurbished0 and the image quality across all HD boxes is exactly the same.   Now ... as for higher capacity and a faster processor, well no argument there.

[REDLEDELDER]

Thank you for the replys.

I am happy to hear from an expert that the video quality is the same with the new and the old generation of Motorola boxes, I was going by hearsay from another technical forum that the newer boxes were less prone to "macroblocking" type distortion that shows up a lot on fast motion HD content. As far as "refurbished" items, I would much rather have a new item rather than a previously broken one when I am paying premium rates and I am pretty confident that I am not the only one that would feel this way.

[vzlpcicalvo]

Some of the Verizon FiOS Stores will be carrying the New 7232 HD-DVR 500Gig (Limited Quantities) Unit but I was informed that there will be an upgrade fee of $40.00. But for those interested you can always call to confirm and order at their location.

Verizon Stores