I just upgraded my home cable system to Verizon FIOS, I was running COX Cable which worked perfectly with my two Haupauge 350's. I just plugged the cable into a splitter and fed it to the two cards, I did not use the cable box at all in my old configuration.
Once I installed the cable system my problems started.
I went ahead and rebuilt my system splitting the signal after it comes out of the Motorola QIP 2500.
Currently I am getting no channels at all and really wonder if I haven't set up the hardware correctly.
I haven't seen any support for this box anywhere so I am not sure if it is the box either.
I am not using the digital version of the FIOS system.
Anybody give me some guidelines on the way to add the box correctly

FIOS is all digital, so you have to use their box to decode the channels. I think you need to set up a IR Blaster or something to get the MythBox and the Digital FIOS box to work together.

I am getting hook up on the 18th, so I will have to do something very similar soon.

Marc

I agree the system is all digital but the signal out of the cable box to the TV is through a coaxial cable and my TV is not digital so my guess is that once it exits the box I am getting a standard signal.
This is the same as my COX cable signal which worked before.
Let me know how your installation goes I am going to order a IR blaster myself.

Your Verizon "cable TV" box should have a bunch of outputs. If you are using the "coaxial" one (i.e. the one that uses the thick cable with the screw-type connectors), then you would have to tune your TV to Channel 3 or 4 to view the output from the box, and switch channels on the box.

Similarly, you would have to set your Hauppauge tuner to Channel 3 or 4 to view output if you connect it via the screw-type connector cable.

You'll get a better quality signal if you instead use the composite (RCA connector) or S-video (round connector) output.

In all cases, you'd need a IR blaster to change channels on the cable box. The reason you didn't have to do that when you were using Cox is that the Hauppauge cards have analog cable tuners. If you were subscribing to Cox digital, you'd need to use an IR blaster on their digital box to record digital channels (just like you'll have to do with Fios).

I have finally gotten the Verizon Fios calble box working, what I am struggling to figure out is how to make myth understand that everything is not coming off of channel 3.
I also don't see how I can get my myth box to change the channels on the cable box when i schedule a recording.

search for irblaster...it will send IR signals to your VIOS box like a remote.

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It seems that the IRBlaster only has a single serial connector.
If i understand correctly I should be able to connect a serial cable from my computer to the cable box so that the myth software sends signals to the cable box.
But it is odd that the recordings only see the tv as channel 3 and cannot differentiate between the channel 3 and all the other channels.
Am i just not setting up correctly?

you will be using the tuner on the fios box to change channels, the fios box will send a tuned signal to the capture card.

There are several ways to have the mythbox change the channels on the external tuner. the most popular is an IRBlaster that consists of a wire (I think it can be serial or usb) hanging off of the mythbox that has in IR transmitter at the other end. the transmmitter is placed infront of the fios's IR reciever. whe you tell myth to tune to channel 34, the tuner in the myth box should stay on channel 3 and the correct signal should travel through the IRBlaster cable to set the fios channel to 34.

In this type of configuration, you will need a separate fios box for each tuner. each capture card needs its own. two 350's means two fios boxes which inturn means two IRBlasters.

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Thanks that actually clarifed what the config should be I appreciate it.

I thought FIOS was supposed to also include a base 50 channels or so in analog? So you should be able to plug your card in before the cable box and get at least those.

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I just got some propaganda in the mail from Verizon for their new FiOS TV and I am tempted. Anyout out there using this, I would appreciate your input. I currently have 2 PVR150s and Comcast cable. One of the PVR150s has a IRBlaster and one does not. Is this going to be a problem for me? Is an IRBlaster required?

Any comments and opinions would be appreciated

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I switched to FIOS a few weeks ago, so I can answer some questions, although I hae not yet set everything up properly.

Yes: some channels will come through unencoded- mostly the first 50, though I picked up a couple above that as well, strangely.
Key to using he UNENCODED channels separately is splitting the coax BEFORE the cable box.

To see any of the encoded signals you MUST go through the FIOS cable box.
An irblaster or similar is required to change channels on the cable box.

I have not yet worked through all the fiddly bits of this yet, and am still working on getting my HDTV card working reliably as well, so all of this is not a trivial process.

Checking basic connections is though:
if splitting for unencoded channels (before FIOS box): there should be 30 or so working channels with programming.
if you are going through the FIOS box- set tuner card to channel 3 (or 4, depending on box) and change channels with the cable box.

I'm in a FIOS market that is expecting the TV service soon. What tuners are you using to get the 50 unencrypted channels? I've read that they use QAM encoding on the coax.

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FIOS includes analog service along with its digital service so that any cable-ready TV (or tuner card) will work without a set top box. I think the 50 channels he's referring to are the analog channels.

http://www22.verizon.com/content/fiostv ... aqs.htm#q5

I'd imagine they're also sending out unencrypted digital channels of at least the local network affiliates over QAM but I kinda doubt it's 50 of 'em.

Still fighting my way through a reinstall and test config again, trying to get the whole procedure nailed down...

But here is a list of what I have right now with my pcHDTV 5500 tuner connected to the coax BEFORE the FIOS box:

2-13
15
21
25
27
44
48
49

Note that I am currently using the v4l driver and NOT dvb.

I am seeing signal on a couple of HD channels as well but get no picture as yet with the v4l driver and NTSC.

Most of the channels from 28 through 50 are shown as "local origination" anyway, and carry no programming right now.

And yes- they do NOT encrypt all the channels- largely stuff that is available locally OTA should be available without encryption I think.

Other notes:
The HDTV work above is being done on a spare machine- my main MythTV system has a Hauppage PVR-350 connected to the FIOS box.
This system does get ALL the channels, of course, but no HD and the channels must be changed on the cable box.