Verizon will offer MPEG-4 QAM channels that matches the master satellite broadcast

[HDTV1080P]

Verizon FIOS to offer both MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 QAM channels with the exact same bit for bit picture quality as the master broadcast.

Verizon FIOS channels are currently 100% digital QAM. Verizon FIOS currently offers the native MPEG-2 satellite feeds (channels) and local broadcast channels with the exact same bit for bit picture quality as the master broadcast when using MPEG-2 QAM (no extra video compression is used by Verizon). Since many satellite feeds (channels) are now using MPEG-4, Verizon is now going to offer MPEG-4 QAM channels with the exact same bit for bit picture quality as the master broadcast. In the future all cable companies will be switching most of their QAM channels from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 since MPEG-4 is a more efficient codec that takes up less bandwidth.

On or shortly after April 15th 2013 Verizon FIOS announced that in some areas in the United States, around 20 MPEG-4 QAM channels will be added. Currently native MPEG-4 satellite feeds are currently converted to MPEG-2 by Verizon so that they will work with older Motorola 6000 series cable boxes which only support MPEG-2. Verizon is in the process of replacing all the Motorola 6000 series boxes with the new Motorola 7000 series boxes. The advantage of the Motorola 7000 series boxes is that they support both MPEG-4 and MPEG-2 QAM channels. The disadvantage of the Motorola 7000 series boxes is that the IEEE-1394 interface has a special copy protection feature that will not allow consumers to record programs to an external device when using the IEEE-1394 interface. With the old Motorola 6000 series boxes consumers could make a perfect bit for bit copy of a program that was marked as “copy always” or “copy once” under the 5C copy protection system onto to a 1080i D-VHS machine (or possible future external Blu-ray recorders over the IEEE-1394 interface). Now with the new Motorola 7000 series boxes the IEEE-1394 interface is designed for only live viewing since a new copy protection system prevents consumers from recording over the firewire connection. The new Motorola 7000 series boxes when using the IEEE-1394 interface cannot even be used to make a recording of the local news to a D-VHS, etc. Of course, the Motorola 7000 series HD DVR’s with an external e-SATA jack will allow consumers to connect a 2TB hard drive for recordings. However since the external hard drive is encrypted with a special key it prevents consumers from making a backup copy of the recordings onto another hard drive. To make matters worse if the Motorola 7000 series HD DVR box breaks and needs exchanged for another Motorola 7000 series HD DVR box one ends up losing all of their recordings on the external 2TB hard drive since each Motorola box generates a special serial number key for any attached external hard drive. To make a long story short a consumer will lose all their recordings on an external 2TB hard drive if they try and switch the external e-SATA hard drive to another Motorola 7000 series HD DVR box. The Motorola 7000 series HD DVR generates a new encrypted key in order to use any newly attached external hard drive and in the process will erase all contents on the hard drive.

According to TIVO customer service only the current TIVO Premiere, Premiere 4, and Premiere XL4 boxes will support both MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 channels (Older TIVO boxes are only MPEG-2). Also the modern Scientific Atlanta and Motorola 7000 series boxes will also support both MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 channels.