EyeTV and FIOS

[spectre51]

I currently have Time Warner Cable and use a EyeTV Hybrid to record our shows without a cable box. The EyeTV can pick up all the local stations in HD since they are broadcast unencrypted as they should be. Fiber is being put in my neighborhood and I am thinking of changing to FIOS.

My question is can I still use the EyeTV Hybrid to record the local stations in HD without using a box from Verizon? I know I won't be able to get all the available channels without a HD box from them but I don't plan to use it on the EyeTV anyway.

 

[EvilC5]

no, you will have to have a box. I have the EyeTv HD hooked to my Fios DVR in my office and record the shows I want to watch, and let the wife fill up the DVR with her crap. I can then either airplay to one of my ATV2's in the house, or can play it on my mini in my family room with the eyetv shared library (which is very nice).

Fios makes you have a box on every tv, you can get a few stations across the coax, but they are on weird stations that arent easy to figure out.

this was what caused me to purchase my 1st mini and several ATV's, this way I could get stuff to watch on all of my TV's and not have to pay 5-25 dollars a month for a box depending on which it was. we went from 7 boxes to 3.

 

[ftaok]

I think EvilC5 is a little mistaken here.

The OP already understands the limitations of clearQAM, since he's clearly using it with TimeWarner. He's only getting the locals with TWC, which is pretty much what he'll get with Verizon.

I'm in the SE Pennsylvania FiOS system ... I think it's VHO8, but I'm not sure. I don't have the eyeTV, but I've run a separate coax to my TV's coax input and I can confirm that I get all of my local HD channels.

But since I don't use it too often (I have the DVR on that TV as well), I cannot say if Verizon plays the same kinds of "games" that Comcast did with clearQAM channels. By "games", I mean Comcast used to switch the clearQAM assignments around all the time. At least once a month. It made for headaches with my Sony DVR for a while. Then, they started pushing through the PSIP data so that my TV and Sony DVR picked up the PSIP mapped channel, not the actual QAM channel.

On my FiOS set-up, the OTA channels are picked up using the PSIP mapped channel numbers.

I think that your eyeTV set-up will work the same with FiOS as it did with TWC. I would expect the eyeTV tuner to be able to pick up all the varied nuanced versions of clearQAM.*

* - If you don't know what I mean by this, what I'm saying is there's at least 2 different kinds of QAM (maybe more). On my Sharp TV, when I auto-tune the QAM stations, there's an option for 2 types of QAM "frequencies", plus an auto mode. I've only ever used auto mode for Comcast and FiOS. I've heard stories where some folks devices (admittedly, this is more than a few years ago) had issues where their TVs QAM tuner wasn't compatible with what their cable system was passing through.

ADDED - another comment. Are you getting a STB/DVR with your FiOS subscription? I can say that if your being offered the multi-room DVR for life, take them up on the offer. In addition to being able to record all of your channels, you'll be able to view recordings on other STBs that you have in the house. It's a really great feature. And don't bother with the digital adapter for secondary TVs. Just pay the extra money for a full STB and save the frustration.

 

[EvilC5]

im not mistaken, I do not get local stations over my coax, or at least not all of them, and the ones I get are on weird stations (ie: channel 11 might be on 117-58)

when I had Comcast, I got all of the local over the QAM tuner

 

[d21mike]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone 4)

When I went from TWC to FIOS I get most of the channels I want but not all. I believe TWC at the time passed analog as well as digital and FIOS only passes digital. Also, on one tv it did not find some channels when I did the scan. I had to scan only those channels where I knew where they were located. Agreed they are strange channel numbers. Like 72.307 for channel 7. But once you find them it works fine. Again it was easier on TWC.

 

[ftaok]

im not mistaken, I do not get local stations over my coax, or at least not all of them, and the ones I get are on weird stations (ie: channel 11 might be on 117-58)

when I had Comcast, I got all of the local over the QAM tuner

Evil,

When I say you were mistaken, I was referring to your statement that you needed a box at every TV. Please don't take offense to my assertion.

As your experience is different than mine, with FiOS, depending on where the OP lives, he may or may not get all of the locals on clearQAM.

I would suggest to the OP that he should check out AVSforum.com and look for his local Verizon thread to see what they pass through in clearQAM.

I'm actually shocked that you (Evilc5) don't get all of the locals on clearQAM. It's an FCC mandate that locals are to be available unencrypted. You should be able to get, at a minimum, the local stations in SD. Most providers that I've read about pass both HD and SD locals in clearQAM. Most times, they put them on the QAM assignments, so it takes some looking to find them.

 

[spectre51]

Thanks guys that helps. I'll head over to avsforums and see what they say as well.

 

[EvilC5]

Evil,

When I say you were mistaken, I was referring to your statement that you needed a box at every TV. Please don't take offense to my assertion.

As your experience is different than mine, with FiOS, depending on where the OP lives, he may or may not get all of the locals on clearQAM.

I would suggest to the OP that he should check out AVSforum.com and look for his local Verizon thread to see what they pass through in clearQAM.

I'm actually shocked that you (Evilc5) don't get all of the locals on clearQAM. It's an FCC mandate that locals are to be available unencrypted. You should be able to get, at a minimum, the local stations in SD. Most providers that I've read about pass both HD and SD locals in clearQAM. Most times, they put them on the QAM assignments, so it takes some looking to find them.

yes, I was quite irritated when I couldnt get at least the local stations across the coax. The answer the Fios tech gave me was that I needed a digital converter on each tv in the house @ 4.99 a month.....pass.

I only have the multi room DVR and 2 HD boxes (one for the wife in the bedroom, and one in our family room). I was able to run HDMI over cat6 to my basement mancave to get tv down there, and with the fios remote app, I can change the channel down there.

if it wasnt such a pain to run cat6 thru the walls, I would run it to the bedroom and get rid of that box, and just have 2. considering I have 9 tv's in the house, it would be way too expensive to have a box on every tv as they said. which was why i started my project with the mini and atv. for over a year now, its been pretty flawless with a few hiccups.

maybe I will investigate the local channel issue a little more, I love nothing more than sticking it to verizon after they have stuck it to me. you would think as much money as I give them, they would bend over backwards for me.

 

[ftaok]

maybe I will investigate the local channel issue a little more, I love nothing more than sticking it to verizon after they have stuck it to me. you would think as much money as I give them, they would bend over backwards for me.

Sounds like you have quite the set-up.

I was able to find the zip code for Hanover MD and I plugged it into the Silicon Dust website's channel finder. If you're not familiar, here's the link.

You may be able to find what QAM assignments your local channels are located. I did notice that Verizon FiOS had 4 tabs in the drop-down.

Maybe it'll be helpful for you.

 

[EvilC5]

Sounds like you have quite the set-up.

I was able to find the zip code for Hanover MD and I plugged it into the Silicon Dust website's channel finder. If you're not familiar, here's the link.

You may be able to find what QAM assignments your local channels are located. I did notice that Verizon FiOS had 4 tabs in the drop-down.

Maybe it'll be helpful for you.

wow, thats a bunch of channels there.

im not even sure my vizio will decode all of these.

 

[BigDukeSix]

Interesting and informative thread. I want to get rid of cable for my tv, keep my cable ISP, but do not know if I will be able to get any clearQAM stations over my cable. I know I could get the external antenna which should work just fine. But, since I am still paying the cable company for my internet, it would be easier to just be able to get what is still available over that. Do all cable companies have to provide clearQAM signals? Thanks in advance.

 

[EvilC5]

Sounds like you have quite the set-up.

I was able to find the zip code for Hanover MD and I plugged it into the Silicon Dust website's channel finder. If you're not familiar, here's the link.

You may be able to find what QAM assignments your local channels are located. I did notice that Verizon FiOS had 4 tabs in the drop-down.

Maybe it'll be helpful for you.

so for this:
http://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/lineup_web/US:21076#lineup_8308232
I should be able to go to 71-1028 to get WBAL in HD?

I dont recall seeing it pick this up in the auto scan, but will give it a try.

it would be nice to watch tv in the garage without a box.

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Interesting and informative thread. I want to get rid of cable for my tv, keep my cable ISP, but do not know if I will be able to get any clearQAM stations over my cable. I know I could get the external antenna which should work just fine. But, since I am still paying the cable company for my internet, it would be easier to just be able to get what is still available over that. Do all cable companies have to provide clearQAM signals? Thanks in advance.

I bought a HD antenna, granted a cheaper one, and it didnt work worth a crap. figured since I was in the middle of DC/Baltimore, I would get enough signal strength to tune the local's.....not.

 

[ftaok]

wow, thats a bunch of channels there.

im not even sure my vizio will decode all of these.

Most of those channels will be encrypted, so all you'll see is black.

so for this:
http://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/lineup_web/US:21076#lineup_8308232
I should be able to go to 71-1028 to get WBAL in HD?

Either that or 2.1. At my house, with Verizon FiOS, I can tune into the local stations using the "virtual" channel number. Verizon seems to pass along the PSIP data of the broadcast OTA channel.

So for me, if I want to watch 6ABC, I tune into 6.1. Actually, I think it works either way for me ... I can input either the virtual channel or QAM channel.

ADDED - Try this lineup. Looks like a few more locals on this list. It helps if you sort on "resolution" and look for the 720p and 1080i stations.

 

[spectre51]

Was able to test with the EyeTV on a Fios connection today at another house and was able to get all the local stations (CBS, NBC, ABC etc etc) without a box from Verizon. Also got a bunch of other channels I didn't really pay attention to. So at least I know it works in this area without a cable box for the local stations in HD