Which TV service would you choose?

[panteragstk]

I've been trying to decide which TV service provider to get for a few years now. I've been leaning toward Verizon FIOS, but have not had the opportunity to view it yet. I've seen DirecTV and Dish Network quite a bit and I like their channel lineup, but not their quality. I had heard that AT&T's quality was better, but had fewer channels. I got to see AT&T U-verse for the first time at a friends house and it looked like crap. I was very surprised. DirecTV looked about the same if not better. Dish made me mad in the past so I'd rather not go back to them. However, the R5000 mod looks interesting.

Right now I'm leaning toward Verizon FIOS for internet and tv, but NFL Sunday ticket is very tempting.

In terms of equipment, reliability, channel line-up, and most importantly sagetv integration who is the best? As you can see no cable providers are in my list.

What do you guys think?

[rerooks]

I think the quality of FIOS TV is unsurpassed. Since they have tons of bandwith, they don't need to compress like DirectV and Dish does. In fact, I heard that they don't recompress the local channels. Heresay.

I get about 80 or so HD channels, but you can check the lineup yourself at the FIOS website.

The internet service is very fast. I use 20/5, but higher speeds are available in my area.

I use the USBUIRT for tuning my 3 HD boxes. I get my local channels in HD through the Silicondust tuners.

You should check through existing posts for people who have looked at FIOS:

http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=42292

[aflat]

I say go with FIOS as well. Lots of HD, picture is fantastic. The boxes they use can be controlled via firewire, which includes the extra codes for UP/Down/enter/etc which allows you to view video on demand through Sage if you set things up right.

[panteragstk]

Originally Posted by rerooks

I think the quality of FIOS TV is unsurpassed. Since they have tons of bandwith, they don't need to compress like DirectV and Dish does. In fact, I heard that they don't recompress the local channels. Heresay.

I get about 80 or so HD channels, but you can check the lineup yourself at the FIOS website.

The internet service is very fast. I use 20/5, but higher speeds are available in my area.

I use the USBUIRT for tuning my 3 HD boxes. I get my local channels in HD through the Silicondust tuners.

You should check through existing posts for people who have looked at FIOS:

http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=42292

Are you using HD-PVR's to get the HD channels other than locals into sage. If you are it sounds like you have a similar setup to what I plan on using once I make a decision. U-verse is fiber-optic as well, but their picture quality sucks IMHO. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[rerooks]

BTW....this thread looks like it is partially in the wrong place...but, since it is here.....

Yes, I use the HD-PVRs for the non-local channels. I have the tuner boxes to output in 720p (which is my TV resolution) and I use the TOS cable between the box and the HD-PVR for 5.1 audio.

I have been interested in the Firewire tuning, but I am not sure how to do it. From what I understand, it has the benefits of being faster and gives you the ability of VOD (as posted above). The USB UIRT is pretty reliable, and I have few complaints.

I will have to do some searches. I have the QIP-7100 boxes. I know that they have Firewire. I wonder if it is just a matter of hooking up a Firewire cable to each box and the SageTV server and then telling Sage to use a different tuning method. If someone has a link that is pretty straightforward, please let me know, otherwise I can browse the forums.

[panteragstk]

Originally Posted by rerooks

BTW....this thread looks like it is partially in the wrong place...but, since it is here.....

Yes, I use the HD-PVRs for the non-local channels. I have the tuner boxes to output in 720p (which is my TV resolution) and I use the TOS cable between the box and the HD-PVR for 5.1 audio.

I have been interested in the Firewire tuning, but I am not sure how to do it. From what I understand, it has the benefits of being faster and gives you the ability of VOD (as posted above). The USB UIRT is pretty reliable, and I have few complaints.

I will have to do some searches. I have the QIP-7100 boxes. I know that they have Firewire. I wonder if it is just a matter of hooking up a Firewire cable to each box and the SageTV server and then telling Sage to use a different tuning method. If someone has a link that is pretty straightforward, please let me know, otherwise I can browse the forums.

I agree that this thread is in the wrong place. If someone could move it that would be great. (hint, hint)

Anyhow, thanks for the info. I plan on building a setup like yours and it is nice to see someone using it successfully.