Does the Tivo DVR Work with Verizon FiOS Television Service?

Years ago, my brother and I purchased a Tivo brand digital video recorder (DVR), and it quickly changed our TV viewing forever. With Tivo, we could skip commercials in the shows we recorded, and we no longer had to make sure we were home to watch our favorite television shows. Instead, we just had to make sure we set up our Tivo box to record the shows we wanted, and then we could effortlessly watch them whenever was convenient for us. The Tivo box worked perfectly with our Comcast cable, and we were very pleased with Tivo for several years.

Recently, I moved to a different city with my boyfriend, and instead of getting cable television service from Comcast, we decided to try out the new FiOS television service provided by Verizon. We set up an appointment to have a Verizon technician come to our home and install the fiber optic lines required for FiOS television service, but after we did, I began to worry. Although Tivo worked perfectly with Comcast cable, would the same be true for Verizon FiOS? I searched online and found conflicting answers, so I anxiously waited for our FiOS to be installed. The technician (who was very nice) from Verizon came and set up our FiOS television service by connecting a Verizon set-top box to our television. As soon as he left, I began to figure out how to set up Tivo to work with our new FiOS service.

The process was relatively straightforward. I found the Tivo menu option to "Repeat Guided Setup," and from there I could choose Verizon FiOS as my programming source. Tivo recommended I used the "IR Blaster" cable to control the Verizon set-top box, and when I hooked that up it was able to change channels flawlessly. A Series 2 Tivo box should be able to control any Verizon set-top box, while a Series 3 or HD Tivo will require a special "Cable Card" from Verizon in order to access your television channels.

After a few weeks, I can safely say that the Tivo DVR does indeed work with Verizon FiOS television service. You will need to repeat the Guided Setup process on the Tivo box, but this one-time process takes at most a half hour. Depending on if you have a Series 2 or Series 3/HD Tivo, you will need different equipment from Verizon, but rest assured that Verizon FiOS television service can be used with whatever Tivo you happen to own. For more information on the Tivo DVR or the Verizon FiOS television service, check out the links listed in the resources section of this article.