Verizon promises increased interactivity for FiOS TV customers

With all this talk of interactive TV from the likes of Sony, Yahoo! and Intel these days, it's starting to seem like the early 90s all over again -- only this time it looks like things are actually panning out. Now Verizon seems to be upping its interactive game as well, with it boasting about a whole host of improvements that FiOS TV customers can look forward to this fall. The new features were apparently demoed during an "informal party" held by Verizon Communications CIO Shaygan Kheradpir, and include various applications that are tied to live programming, some Facebook and YouTube integration, and the ability to control the DVR from your cellphone, to name a few things. FiOS customers can apparently expect some improvements to the program guide as well, including the ability to browse by what's popular in their area, or by what was most popular in the same time slot last week. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like any pictures made their way out of the party, but Yahoo! and company have certainly raised the bar pretty high with their own widgets, and we can only hope that Verizon at least meets it.

[Seanross @ Sep 19th 2008 8:38PM]

Facebook & Youtube integration is all good and nice, but can they speed up the menus on the Set-top box?

It doesn't represent FiOS "blazing fast speeds" very well.

[web2.oh @ Sep 19th 2008 8:48PM]

Yeah, the set-top box interface is the worst part of FIOS. Great internet service, good pricing, good TV service, but absolutely piss-poor software on the STB. Slow as hell, clunky, and hard to navigate. I would love to use the on-demand service more often, but it takes so long to browse through what's available I rarely bother with it!

[Maeztro @ Sep 19th 2008 9:23PM]

Got to agree. I remember the installer saying two things...One was that the FiOS STB was not for the serious button pusher..(it isn't...way to unresponsive) and two that the "Coming Soon" was coming soon on the widgets...that was 2 years ago and still just have weather and traffic...

[Smoke_Dawg_187 @ Sep 19th 2008 10:04PM]

There's nothing worse than trying to use the VOD and the menus take forever to swtich between. Just hitting the VOD button the remote comes up with that loading screen. Then when you down arrow to Browse, it takes 2 seconds and so you end up hitting the down arrow again to now pass the Browse selection. Then if you go into Subscriptions to watch a movie from HBO On Demand there's no hour glass or anything informing you that you've pressed the remote to move forward.

I think VZ was going to use a Microsoft guide for their service, but ended up creating their own because Microsoft was too expensive. I know U-Verse users have a Microsoft IPG, do they have such laggy menus as well?

[Seanross @ Sep 19th 2008 10:10PM]

O jeez I had completely forgotten about On-Demand but yes it is terribly slow. I hate Comcast and Verizon, but Comcast's OnDemand service is leagues ahead of Verizon.

I only left Comcast because they were throttling my connection.

[Valicore @ Sep 20th 2008 2:33AM]

Smoke_Dawg_187:

I have U-Verse and while it had issues with slow menus at first, it's gotten to the point where it is really fast, at least for VOD and using the program guide. Applications (Flickr, Weather) are still a bit slow.

I'm betting that FiOS will be the shit once it switches over completely to IPTV and not RF overlay or whatever it's called that they're using now. Hang in there, you've got FTTP now, it'll only be a matter of time before my head implodes from jealousy.

[Wayne @ Sep 20th 2008 9:32AM]

The 1.6 IMG software update is supposed to vastly improve menu response times, including VOD access. The update also includes the interactive features. There are new widgets, including games and the ability to follow your ESPN fantasy football scoring.

The issue is that Verizon keeps running into problems with the rollout of the software. Several major markets that were supposed to receive the software already have been delayed indefinitely. There are now rumors that the software is being modified to version 1.61 before a continued rollout. Hopefully Verizon can get the bugs squashed soon and the updates installed by early October.

[Jason Litka @ Sep 22nd 2008 1:13PM]

Yeah, seriously. I use a TiVo S3 for most of my viewing and it's like a kick in the face to go into the bedroom and use the Verizon STB. I should not have to 5 or 6 seconds for the guide to show up when I press the button.

[ben @ Sep 19th 2008 8:45PM]

I really never understand what they mean by interactive. The word suggests that we, the home viewer can take part in the fun, by, for instance, shouting at sports commentators and them hearing us.

That'd be cool. But it doesn't happen.

[Flashpoint @ Sep 19th 2008 8:46PM]

I'm currently paying $80 for FIOS internet + phone

I refuse to spend more than $100 on all three so I'll just keep harrassing the Verizon cold callers who call me asking me to upgrade to TV.

My downloads and uploading is fantastic. 15,000kbps down on average and 5000 up on average.

[Maeztro @ Sep 19th 2008 9:27PM]

Jules: You know the shows on TV?
Vincent: I don't watch TV.
Jules: Yeah, but, you are aware that there's an invention called television, and on this invention they show shows, right?

[Fubar @ Sep 19th 2008 8:46PM]

How about a channel lineup that changes when Verizon says it's going to change?

How about a programming guide that actually reflects what's on the air?

How about no green bar on the right side of my screen, half inch of blur on the left side of my screen, and no intermittent snow at the top of my screen?

Screw the interactive TV, I'd be happy if FiOS did the basic TV service the way it's supposed to.

[Smoke_Dawg_187 @ Sep 19th 2008 10:06PM]

Let me guess you're using their 6416 HD DVR, with an HDMI cable and a Vizio TV?

[mrm3x1can @ Sep 19th 2008 9:07PM]

how about expanding fios to more areas first

[Ian @ Sep 19th 2008 9:59PM]

Agreed. I got flat out lied to by Verizon. They swore up and down they'd have FiOS here by Nov of 2007. Still not here. Its 10 miles up the road, but for whatever reason they just stopped rolling it out. Pity too because I was a Verizon customer with DSL from the beta testing of DSL in 1996 here. I recently switched to Comcast with 16mb down and 2mb up (tests @ 32mb down and 14mb up) because Verizon couldn't offer me anything faster than 3mb/768k and I need more than 768k for my job. I have lots of RDP sessions, VoIP, and file transfers going a lot at the same time. Sucks for Vz cuz I'd like to use their service if only they'd deploy it.

[Smoke_Dawg_187 @ Sep 19th 2008 10:08PM]

@Ian

You do realize that VZ has already spent $23 Billion on FiOS and they still haven't made a profit from it, if I remember correctly.

VZ's only money maker is VZW.

[Bakari @ Sep 20th 2008 12:41AM]

Oh, is that why Verizon Wireless overpriced plans? I'm only with them so I don't get dropped calls.

Honestly, there's a common thread here:

Verizon loves to cripple good hardware, literally, and with their god-awful interfaces.

Has anyone else seen the specs for the HTC Touch Pro on Verizon vs. Sprint? Slower processor, less ram, no accelerometer! They took an incredible phone and watered it down to the point where I don't even want it. Sounds like they do the same thing with fiber-optics, technology capable of out-doing everything else on the market.

Ian should get better down/up speeds, and not get bogged down by a crap interface in the process. I should get better phones with no crippling - for a better monthly price.

Verizon, have you no shame?

[Jaime @ Sep 19th 2008 9:08PM]

how about just expanding Fios to more areas first???

[Josh @ Sep 19th 2008 9:29PM]

TV service works great with the TivoHD.

[GON @ Sep 19th 2008 9:34PM]

Care to elaborate?

[Justin B @ Sep 19th 2008 9:34PM]

How about just...."promises increasing FiOS customers".

That works better for me.

[Tyler @ Sep 19th 2008 9:36PM]

Give me more HD channels (seriously, in the Baltimore area we get slim pickings) and they have my attention. I love my FiOS, and Verizon is lower on the list of evil companies than Comcast, so more good things is well...a good thing.

[Harley3k @ Sep 19th 2008 9:48PM]

How about fulfilling your promise of more HD channels that were supposed to be here last Spring?!

October ain't Spring.

[MI @ Sep 19th 2008 9:52PM]

How about 'keep the interactive crap' and give me a 500gig hard drive in my DVR??? Or let me ad an external drive at least.

[Hardcore @ Sep 19th 2008 11:14PM]

How about we all keep bitching till we grow boobs and then we can play with our boobs and won't need FIOS anymore?

[Hardcore @ Sep 19th 2008 11:15PM]

How about Engadget fixes its comment system?

[The Angry Intern @ Sep 19th 2008 11:50PM]

how about, "verizon promises Fios service in San Diego?" otherwise I don't care what they say

[Smoke_Dawg_187 @ Sep 20th 2008 12:30AM]

Unfortunately San Diego is all AT&T territory. It's such a bummer. But it would be sweet if VZ decided to build a few Central Offices out there.

[Dre325 @ Sep 20th 2008 12:16AM]

Current Comcast customer here. I still hate their STB interface (fast forward on the first speed freezes, they just removed the lower part of the menu in place of ads, the hard drive is terribly small, etc, etc). The old Microsoft interface they had about a year ago was worlds better. Reading how terrible FIOS is on here and elsewhere though, I'm not changing even though they just decided to put a freakin' small man-hole cover in my front lawn when Verizon just wired me up. A$$holes.

[Bootes @ Sep 20th 2008 4:56PM]

I don't know where you're reading about Fios being terrible. Overall, it's a million times better than Comcast. Sure the STB interface sucks, but so do all the other cable services DVRs. That's why I have a Tivo.

[Scuba Steve @ Sep 20th 2008 3:17AM]

HEY VERIZON! Want to do something really innovative with the FIOS TV guide? How about providing a simple setting that allows me to hide the friggin channels to which I do not subscribe!!??

Mother of godt, the guide lists 900 channels and I don't subscribe to at least 100 of them...and 100 others are on Spanish...and 100 others are music only. Yeah, that makes browsing the guide a joy. For the love of christ, can you please just provide simple software settings to hide that crap instead of making me build a favorites list with several hundred entries.

[EdgeOne @ Sep 20th 2008 9:26AM]

AMEN TO THAT!!

here are some other request before Verizon adds any more functionality:
- Stop changing channel numbers (4 digit channel numbers now?!)
- Remove non-HD channels when HD is available. The only time this could come in handy is because the hard drive is too small for all the HD content
- Bigger HD or at least software that allows me to use the existing HD space
- Improve the interface response time. It takes WAY too long for certain features to activate after time of button press
- Shoot for making the DVR at least half as easy to use as a Tivo
- Why can't the DVR catch up to REAL TIME? I have two and I can NEVER get them synced up, EVER. You know how annoying that is when I have people over for the football game and the people upstairs cheer 5-7 seconds before the people downstairs see it happen on the big screen? !

Thank you for the vent. whew.

[Gav @ Sep 20th 2008 6:31AM]

Whoa, is that what the FiOS EPG looks like?! Makes Virgin Media/Sky's EPGs look like some 20th century garbage.

[jsm @ Sep 20th 2008 7:43AM]

I've just bought a house in fios territory, am a prime customer for their 250/mo everything package but they won't be getting a dime because a) they massively decontented the touch pro, forcing me to buy an iPhone last month and switch myself ( and the three other phones on the account) off verizon for the first time in 10 years. They could have at least gotten me for tv/Internet but now I find they have no scifi-hd (hell, I find out that they have fewer hd channels than the gimppy rcn I've been using. So it's directtv (And the NFL pack!) for me. Amazing how a business strategy that depends upon penetration is so intently driving away potential customers.

[DrunkenMick @ Sep 23rd 2008 3:36PM]

Wut? You're basing the fact that VZW didn't have a "look at me i'm a tool" Iphone for your basis to get FIOS or not? Good idea. Hey, there's a bridge in Alaska I'd like you to take a look at. I'll sell it real cheap.

[phacops @ Sep 20th 2008 9:19AM]

FIOS TV - 10
FIOS TV DVR & menus - 2 *
FIOS TV channel lineup - 8
FIOS customer service - 9
FIOS internet - 10

(*) ABSOLUTELY the worst menu system I have ever seen or used. My mother could design a menu system that works better than what they came up with. Huh, or maybe someone just gave them the interface cause they couldn't sell it because it was soooo bad... ya think? Love the picture... hate the PVR interface every time I use it.

How can a company division stay alive in today's world marketplace and still have absolute crap for software? It simply amazes me to no end. I guess it's the gorgeous picture quality that FIOS brings us... yep, that's it.

[GETYOID @ Sep 20th 2008 1:32PM]

Because you buy it. When you (i.e. all of us customers) stop buying this stuff - they go out of business. It is then, and only then, that these idiot CEOs will realize that WE control their purse-strings.

[comingsoon @ Sep 20th 2008 9:32AM]

Comcast has interactive coming very soon. Order things on HSN from your TV, caller ID, interactive ads on TV. Lots of cool things.

[Andrew @ Sep 20th 2008 2:29PM]

Why on Earth would anyone be recording Ultraviolet?

[GIMMIE @ Sep 20th 2008 2:56PM]

How about Verizon just promise to deploy it to more than 10 houses first! BRING IT! BRING IT!

[Yogurt @ Sep 20th 2008 5:06PM]

How about service in my area!

[notlaW @ Sep 22nd 2008 8:13AM]

@Ian

You do realize that VZ has already spent $23 Billion on FiOS and they still haven't made a profit from it, if I remember correctly.

VZ's only money maker is VZW.

Wrong. How can you expect a payback period of 5 years for a $23+ Billion CAPEX investment? If they were to generate a profit they'd need to charge users $766 / month. Verizon is doing what all telcos need to do, build out their access platforms and develop VAS revenues (network sharing, cellphone-PVR control, facebook widgets, etc).

[Chris @ Sep 22nd 2008 6:40PM]

Both STB's in my house just reset at the same and now the guides display nothing...
(This was at 6:37 PM EST on monday the 22nd) Hopefully the new stuff is coming soon :]