OK. I am now FiOS-equipped!
The install took 7 hours. The installers (2 men) needed to do work in the basement, the attic, the bedroom closet, and behind the TV and PC. They were very polite and professional, and the work done was top-notch. They get an A+.
After their work is done, they hand off the rest of the job to two other guys who program the remote and give a demo of many of the FiOS TV features. During that time, they found out the wrong box was installed. It was a non-DVR box, and I made sure they were installing a DVR box when I placed my order on the phone. They scrambled to find a DVR box by calling other installers, but no one had an extra. Although it was after 5PM (past their working hours) they decided to take a 1-hour ride to and from Verizon to pick up a DVR box, then install and activate it. Before they left to get the DVR, I told them it would be perfectly fine if they just bring one on another day, but they insisted they wanted to make sure the work was done correctly. They too delivered excellent service and they clearly went above and beyond.
As far as the TV picture and sound are concerned, there is a definite difference. With FiOS, the picture looks even sharper on both HD and SD channels. The color needed to be adjusted a bit as it was initially too bold, but now it looks GREAT. I also tuned the sharpness down a bit. I am sure this is because FiOS does not compress the signal, where Cablevision does (because they HAVE to).
The channel lineup is overwhelming, and that will take some getting used to. I have a TON of channels that we never had with Cablevision.
The TV Guide is far, FAR more advanced than what we were used to with Cablevision. There is a definite learning curve, and I would not recommend FiOS to, say, older folks that want nothing to do with computers or technology. There are SO many options, including automatically padding the beginning or end of recorded programs so they are not truncated (which was a problem with my Cablevision DVR... depending on the program, some would end a minute or two early, so you miss the very end of the recorded program).
As for the Internet, I thought it was blazing fast with Cablevision. That clearly wasn't the case as it's noticeably faster on FiOS (and I have FiOS' "slowest" connection speed).
My telephone now sounds just like a land-line. Voices are warmer and more clear and "present".
I'm still getting used to the guide and navigating the menus and all the options (tons of em), but I would highly recommend FiOS if it's available to you and if you don't mind the learning curve. I was extremelly impressed with the services performed by their employees, and I'm super-impressed with the quality of FiOS TV, Internet and phone. It really blows Cablevision out of the water.
If you have any questions, I'll try my best to answer them. I'm still in the process of learning the new system though.
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