Do I Need Both an HD Box & DVR FiOS?

There are currently (as of June 2011) a total of eight high-definition cable receivers that are compatible with Verizon FiOS TV service -- Six manufactured by Motorola and two by Cisco. There is, for example, the Motorola 7100-P2 HD, the Motorola 7100-P1 HD, the Motorola 6200 HD and the Cisco CHS 335 HD. These high-definition cable receivers are set-top boxes only. They do not have dual DVR functionality.

If you are using a FiOS HD cable receiver but you also want a DVR, you have three options. You can hook up an independent DVR box, such as a TiVo DVR, to your FiOS receiver. You can have a FiOS cable card installed in your independent DVR box. Or you can simply lease a FiOS HD DVR.

Of the eight total high-definition cable receivers, four are combination cable receiver/DVRs: the Motorola 7232-P2 HD DVR, the Motorola 7216 HD DVR, the Motorola 6416 HD DVR, and the Cisco CHS 435 HD DVR. If you have a FiOS HD receiver/DVR, you do not need to hook up a separate DVR box to your cable receiver because the DVR is already integrated into the cable receiver. FiOS charges you a monthly fee, in addition to the charge for general FiOS TV service, for DVR service.

The TiVo Premier DVR can be connected directly to your FiOS TV service. With a FiOS CableCARD installed, this TiVo DVR is used as a replacement to a FiOS cable receiver. If you choose to use a TiVo DVR instead of a FiOS DVR, you will have to subscribe to both TiVo's DVR service and FiOS TV service. FiOS also charges you a small monthly fee for leasing a FiOS CableCARD. The CableCARD is required to access the encrypted channels in your FiOS channel package. The card must be professionally installed by a FiOS technician.