Exploiting FiOS TV Favorites (IMG 1.8)

[Justin46]

I think many FiOS TV users do not realize how useful the Favorites function of the Interactive Media Guide can be, so I have put together a document describing how I have mine set up. Perhaps you will find it useful: Link 

Note: I created the document as a PDF and linked to it from here so that I can easily make changes if needed. If you find this information useful, great! If you don't, please just ignore it. And if you find any errors, or have additional information you think should be added, please post it. Thanks.

__________________________________
Justin
Verizon FiOS TV, Internet, and phone
IMG 1.6.0, Build 06.89
Keller, TX

[Farley]

I accidentally set ALL channels as my Favorites on one of my TV's.  I can't figure out how to delete this, it will not let me remove all?  Can anyone help with this?    Thanks for your time. 

[TimSykes]

 Log into Fios TV Central, and you can manage your favorites from there. 

http://www.verizon.com/fiostvcentral

[Farley]

Sorry I'm really NEW at this.  Where do I go to change my Favorites?  And how do I know what STB to do it on?  Thanks

[TimSykes]

Once you are logged in on the left side you will see "Favorites" and from there it will show you what boxes you have that you have Favorites on.

[CeeZee]

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@TimSykes wrote:
Once you are logged in on the left side you will see "Favorites" and from there it will show you what boxes you have that you have Favorites on.

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I don't see this either. Maybe you need Media Center DVR service? That I can't get because they don't support my computer's operating system Mac OS X.

 

To fix Farley's problem he can via their STB (set-top box) remote, select Menu>Settings>Favorites>pick the correct list>Remove All Channels. That should erase them all for that Favorites list and you can start all over.

Message Edited by CeeZee on 01-16-2009 11:45 AM

[Farley]

To fix Farley's problem he can via their STB (set-top box) remote, select Menu>Settings>Favorites>pick the correct list>Remove All Channels. That should erase them all for that Favorites list and you can start all over.

Unfortunately, it will not let me erase all channel favorites, it skips down to add or change favorites.  I tried to go in and delete each channel but that would take ALL day!

I can't see anything about Favorites on the website.  I don't have a DVR.  Anyother help would be appreciated, since calling Verizon Fios leaves you on HOLD forever.

[Justin46]

Farley,

What model STB do you have? I just went into my QIP2500 (non-DVR) and added all channels to my Favorite 2 list. I then exited the Menu, went back in and selected Favorite 2. It skipped the Add All entry and started with the Remove All entry, which, when I clicked on it and the following OK, allowed me to delete all of the favorites very quickly. 

I do not understand what you are experiencing. Are you are saying that, once you get to the Favorite 1, Favorite 2, Favorites Button, etc list, when you have the correct favorites list highlighted and press the Right Arrow to get to the action, that Remove All is bypassed? Mine always goes directly to the Remove All if I have previously used Add All.

We are all supposedly using the same release except for a few areas of the country, so I really think you are doing something wrong, but I sure don't know what it is. Where are you located, maybe you have the new level the rest of us don't have.

__________________________________
Justin
Verizon FiOS TV, Internet, and phone
IMG 1.6.0, Build 06.89
Keller, TX

[horn1993]

Tim - I don't see the favorites option on the FIOS TV Central web site either... any advice on what to do to bring it up?

I have 2 boxes - one HD DVR v.1.6 and one HD.  Media manager not running...

thanks!

[prisaz]

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@horn1993 wrote:

Tim - I don't see the favorites option on the FIOS TV Central web site either... any advice on what to do to bring it up?

I have 2 boxes - one HD DVR v.1.6 and one HD.  Media manager not running...

thanks!

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It looks as if managing favorite channel lists is a Remote DVR feature that is "Available to Home Media DVR subscribers only. "

FiOS TV Remote DVR FAQ's 

This is the URL when you are logged into TV Central. 

http://www36.verizon.com/fiostv/MyAccount/Members/RemoteDVRInfo.aspx 

"FiOS TV Remote DVR gives you the ability to record shows online using the FiOS TV Central website. In addition, it allows you to manage your DVR Schedules, Recordings, Favorite channel lists, Video on Demand, Bookmarks and Parental Controls."

 Remote DVR is only available to customers who subscribe to Home Media DVR Service, which includes Multi-Room DVR and Media Manager. Additionally, Remote DVR is only available in those areas that have the new Interactive Media Guide (IMG) for the set top box. Order Home Media DVR today!

[CeeZee]

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@prisaz wrote:

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@horn1993 wrote:

Tim - I don't see the favorites option on the FIOS TV Central web site either... any advice on what to do to bring it up?

I have 2 boxes - one HD DVR v.1.6 and one HD.  Media manager not running...

thanks!

---

It looks as if managing favorite channel lists is a Remote DVR feature that is "Available to Home Media DVR subscribers only. "

FiOS TV Remote DVR FAQ's 

This is the URL when you are logged into TV Central. 

http://www36.verizon.com/fiostv/MyAccount/Members/RemoteDVRInfo.aspx 

"FiOS TV Remote DVR gives you the ability to record shows online using the FiOS TV Central website. In addition, it allows you to manage your DVR Schedules, Recordings, Favorite channel lists, Video on Demand, Bookmarks and Parental Controls."

 Remote DVR is only available to customers who subscribe to Home Media DVR Service, which includes Multi-Room DVR and Media Manager. Additionally, Remote DVR is only available in those areas that have the new Interactive Media Guide (IMG) for the set top box. Order Home Media DVR today!

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And Home Media DVR is not available if you use a Mac.

[prisaz]

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@CeeZee wrote:

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@prisaz wrote:

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@horn1993 wrote:

Tim - I don't see the favorites option on the FIOS TV Central web site either... any advice on what to do to bring it up?

I have 2 boxes - one HD DVR v.1.6 and one HD.  Media manager not running...

thanks!

---

It looks as if managing favorite channel lists is a Remote DVR feature that is "Available to Home Media DVR subscribers only. "

FiOS TV Remote DVR FAQ's 

This is the URL when you are logged into TV Central. 

http://www36.verizon.com/fiostv/MyAccount/Members/RemoteDVRInfo.aspx 

"FiOS TV Remote DVR gives you the ability to record shows online using the FiOS TV Central website. In addition, it allows you to manage your DVR Schedules, Recordings, Favorite channel lists, Video on Demand, Bookmarks and Parental Controls."

 Remote DVR is only available to customers who subscribe to Home Media DVR Service, which includes Multi-Room DVR and Media Manager. Additionally, Remote DVR is only available in those areas that have the new Interactive Media Guide (IMG) for the set top box. Order Home Media DVR today!

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And Home Media DVR is not available if you use a Mac.

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Vista 64-bit either from what I have been told. Though the remote features or multiroom DVR do not require you to use the Home Media DVR software as far as I know. But if you pay for the PC features you should be able to get them all. I have had FIOS from the beginning but have held off on this feature. You could get these option and not have the software loaded for sharing your PC stuff. I don't want my stuff shared anyway.

[CeeZee]

Prisaz, thanks for the clarification! I wouldn't want to use the other sharing features either - just the remote programming.

[wilmepe]

Thanks Justin. This is a great document. It will help me skip all those channels that I don't care for.

[m_archer92]

Very nice guide there.

Well put together also.

[NewOrderrr]

This may help people who wish to quickly setup the favorites along the lines of how I feel the PDF author intended.

1)  Go to the following menu:

-- 'Menu' -> 'Settings' -> 'Favorite Channels' -> 'Favorite 1' - 'Add All Channels' -- and select Yes

2)  Hit 'Last' key to go back to the 'Favorite Channels' menu and be sure that the Favorites Button is set to 'Toggle Flip by Favorites', and be sure that Flip by Favorites is set to 'Favorites 1'

3)  Exit the menu

4)  Go to the lowest channel number you can on the STB (probably channel 2)

5)  Start flipping the Channel + button to cycle through the channels

6)  When you see a channel you don't want to watch, hit the Option button on the remote, and select 'Remove from  Favorites 1'

7)  Hit the Option key again to leave the Option menu.

😎  Repeat steps 5 - 8 (hitting channel + and using the Option menu to remove channels) until you have gone through the whole list.

This method will set up the Favorites 1 list to have all of the channels you want to watch, ignoring the ones you don't when you have Favorites 1 selected with the Fav button and use CH + and -.

The Favorites 2 list can be set up to have your real Favorites  by only adding the channels you really, really like with the Option key.

I hope this helps anyone having trouble knowing what channel they are trying to fav. That is why I am writing this out, because it took me a little while to figure out what channel I was removing from the list, since I wasn't up to speed yet with the new channels I am getting from FIOS.

Steve (aka NewOrderrr)

Note: I am using a Motorola HD DVR QIP 7216 1, with firmware 1.6.2.  I have the black remote with the green OK button

Message Edited by NewOrderrr on 03-31-2009 06:32 PM

[Justin46]

Steve,

Thanks for taking the time to write up your procedure. It certainly does make for asimpler process, and the end result is the same, getting one or two Favorites lists created the way you want them.

Just to clarify, I wrote the article the way I did for several reasons:

1) I have had FiOS TV since Sept. 2005, so I was very familiar with what channels were avaialble, and which ones I wanted to include in my Favorites.

2) I probably have less than 1/4 of the available channels in my Favorites list (and I only have one list), so I decided to add the ones I wanted, rather than remove the ones I didn't want, just fewer steps. When doing mass adds or mass deletes, I just find doing it through the menu to be faster (or at least easier for me).

3) I have the one Favorites list for the channels I watch, and then I just use the Favorites (Heart) button to switch to the all channels mode when I want to surf through my non-favorites, or see whether any new channels have appeared.

I note that you have the 1.6.2 level of the IMG. I do not yet have that level; have you seen anything that I wrote up that has changed in 1.6.2? I won't get the new level until April 14 as I understand it.  

Again, thanks for posting what you did, it gives folks another option for setting up the Favorites. And as I documented, I do use the Option method for adding or removing channels, usually though for just one channel at a time.

__________________________________
Justin
Verizon FiOS TV, Internet, and phone
IMG 1.6.0, Build 06.89
Keller, TX 76248

[Claudia]

My only complaint about FIOS is not having the ability to sort and create lists of channels.  I would prefer having the ability to sort the entire line-up to see all of the news channels as a group, or all the local channels in a group, or all educational channels, or all foreign language channels, or whatever "grouping" I would like to create.  I use the favorites lists extensively to get to this, but because I can't sort into as many categories as I wish, having only 2 favoriste lists is sometimes limiting and frustrating.

[DandyDon]

I have QIP7216, 1.6.2.  After setting up Favorites 1, and exiting, I can't get the remote to scan "Favorites 1" by pushing the channel up or down buttons.  Previously I had DirecTv DVR that did this.  I've read manuals, followed the tutorial on the FIOS TV channel, tried every setting on the menu setup.  Must we get into the Favorites guide every time we want to change to a Favorites channel?  I want to just hit Channel Up "forever" to change to my favorite channels.  BTW, 1.6.2 did NOT fix the irritating "channel not available" from appearing about every few hours after changing channels.

[Justin46]

I have a QIP 6416 and 1.6.0 (scheduled to get 1.6.2 in 2 days) so I have no idea how much change there is between the levels, other than what I have read. But did you use the procedure I documented in post #1 of this thread? If so, unless there is major change in this area in 1.6.2, once you do the setup you can hit the Favorites button on the remote (the "heart" button) to select either the full guide or the favorites guide to be used when you use the channel up/down buttons and when you hit the Guide button. You can hit the Favorites button any time you want to switch between the full guide and your favorites (two favorites if you set both up).

How about you give us the settings you now have set in the Favorite Channels section of the Menu and lets see what you (hopefully) have wrong?

Re: the "channel not available" issue you mentioned. I saw that on a few channels a little while back, it was a signal strength issue at the STB caused by an attenuator that had been in place for three years, and suddenly it caused problems. Removing the attenuator fixed the problem. I would not expect a change in the IMG level to fix (or even affect) that problem. Have you had Verizon come out and check the signal level at the STB? If not, you should (or look for an attenuator first if you want).

__________________________________
Justin
Verizon FiOS TV, Internet, and phone
IMG 1.6.0, Build 06.89
Keller, TX 76248

Message Edited by Justin on 04-11-2009 05:55 PM

[DandyDon]

I hit the Fav (the heart) and the DVR "hung" (ie no response to ANY buttons on the remote or on a backup remote).  I cycled power on DVR, after it reset the TV showed channel 10,  I hit the heart and my Fav #1 list appeared.  Pushing the Up or Down button highlights channels on Fav 1 list BUT the TV always shows channel 10 until you hit OK to select a channel.  You can move the cursor over to the left and select Guide, and select Fav 1, then select Close Guide and you get a TV station w/o guide or menu.  However, if you hit the channel up button, it scand through All Channels (not Fav1 list).  

[Justin46]

Sinced you did not provide the settings you are using, I can only guess that you have something set up incorrectly.

Assuming that you want to be able to:

1) Select which list is displayed when you hit the Guide button (ie, see in the on-screen Guide only the channels in Favorite 1 or All Channels, your choice at any time)

       - and - 

2) Control which list is used when hitting the Channel Up/Down button (ie, surf through the Favorite 1 list or the All Channel list, your choice at any time)

Then you should have the following settings:

1) Favorite 1: contains only the channels you want to see when using the Favorite 1 list (ie, contains a subset of all the channels available)

2) Favorites Button: Toggle Flip by Favorites

3) Flip by Favorites: Favorite 1 (or whichever list you want the "default" list to be)

And you should now see the following:

1) When you hit the Favorite button (the heart) you will see a little heart-shaped thingy in the upper right of the screen showing which list is being used (ie, flipping Favorite 1 or All Channels). You hit the Favorite (heart) button again to change to the next list, etc. in a wrap-around manner)

2) The Guide button will display the channel guide using whichever list is active.

3) The Channel Up/Down button will use whichever list is active to switch to the next up or down channel.

It is hard to explain but very easy to use once you get it set up. If it still doesn't do what you want, then please, please tell me what your settings are, it is hard to help in a vaccuum.

__________________________________
Justin
Verizon FiOS TV, Internet, and phone
IMG 1.6.0, Build 06.89
Keller, TX 76248