fios

Will more competition finally mean better TV?

Instead of a bloody price war between cable operators and phone companies in the TV market, battle lines are now being drawn over who has the most compelling new features.

Digital video recorders, on-demand services, and more recently Web sites such as Hulu.com have taught people that they don't have to be beholden to a TV schedule. But the TV industry is about to be shaken up even more as phone companies and cable operators, which are all vying for your viewing eyeballs, add new features to their services to lure customers.

So what's it mean for … Read more

Verizon intros on-the-go DVR programming

LAS VEGAS--Verizon will soon allow some Fios TV customers to remotely access their DVRs online from a computer or via a Verizon Wireless cell phone, the company is expected to announce Thursday at the Consumer Electronics Show that it.

Using the remote access service, Fios TV subscribers are able to remotely review, change or add recording requests, delete recorded programs, browse and search TV and video-on-demand listings, and set parental controls.

The remote control service can be accessed through the Fios TV Web site or by using downloadable software on select Verizon Wireless handsets, including the LG enV2, LG Voyager … Read more

Digital City: Episode 2

It's the highly anticipated second episode of Digital City, our ongoing conversation about technology and urban spaces. Look for a new episode every Monday, available here at digitalcity.cnet.com or on iTunes. Listen now: Download today's podcast Digital City rundown Episode 2

Market Meltdown continues!!! World Stock Markets have lost $26 Trillion since the peak of almost exactly one year ago.

Apple -- $92 -- was north of $160 a couple of weeks ago Sirius -- 39-cents! Seriously! GameStop $27 -- was $60 last Xmas season Take-Two -- $11 -- was $25 or so for most of … Read more

Verizon bets big on network infrastructure

From Verizon CIO Shaygan Kheradpir's 38th floor apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan with panoramic views of the East River, I saw first-hand the fruits of the company's $23 billion gamble to build a new fiber network directly to customers' doorsteps and a glimpse into where the strategy will lead next.

Kheradpir had invited a handful of journalists to his swank pad to show off the latest enhancements to Verizon's Fios TV service. The new features, which include everything from new widgets for getting weather and local traffic to a specially designed ESPN fantasy football … Read more

Six new HD channels to premiere on Fios TV

Fios TV is adding to its leading HD channel count with six new original HD channels before the end of the year.

Launched by Entertainment Studios, a large independent producer of first-run content that's nonetheless hardly a household name, the new channels will serve niche markets that are largely already served by existing, well-known specialty channels.

The channels center around cars, pets, comedy, food, celebrity news and gossip, and travel. They'll be pure 1080i high-definition with no standard-def content, and will include Entertainment Studios' 15 original show titles at first, including Comics Unleashed, a talk show featuring four comics and apparently similar to the old Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn on Comedy Central; and Entertainers with Byron Allen and Kickin' It with Byron Allen, hosted by Entertainment Studios' ubiquitous CEO, who hosts several of his company's shows.… Read more

HD channel-counts compared: Fios TV ascendant

We just finished a major update of our popular chart of HD programming compared and the new winner, in terms of national and local HD channels, by our count, is Fios TV. Bringing a hefty 83 such channels to bear in the New York City area, the fiber-optic-based TV service from Verizon comes out ahead of perennial satellite champions DirecTV (67 channels) and Dish Network (68) as of today.

The key here is our definition of "national and local." The big three all tout HD channel counts near or above the nice round number of 100 in their advertising campaigns, and by our count of "total channels," they all come more or less close enough, but we took a closer look at the channels themselves, and broke down national and local channels we consider important. That includes local broadcast channels like PBS (which neither satellite service offers), ABC and Fox, premium movie channels like HBO and Max (formerly Cinemax), and the myriad niche channels from ESPN to Mav TV to Palladia to World Fishing Network. We specifically exclude Regional Sports Networks, exclusive channels like Voom (which is only available on NY-area provider Cablevision), and duplicate feeds of premium movie channels, such as HBO (east) and HBO (west) carried by DirecTV and Fios.

Check out the updated HD programming compared chart.… Read more

Verizon's secret weapon against cable companies: Amazon Kindle!

Let me start by saying I'm in no way recommending Verizon Fios. Just file this post under "stupid things I noticed while watching TV." OK, so shortly after Verizon started rolling out Fios in New York it began an attack ad campaign against "cable."

In this ad, the installer--the Fios version of the "can you hear me now?" guy--apparently uses Amazon's Kindle reading device to keep track of his installation appointments while his competition from Comcast Time Warner the cable company uses an antiquated clipboard and pen.

Silly? Absolutely. But it's … Read more

Verizon averts workers strike

Verizon Communications reached a deal with labor unions representing 65,000 employees, averting a strike that could have disrupted its operations across its Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic territories.

The company on Sunday reached tentative agreements with the Communications Workers of America, which represents some 50,000 Verizon technicians and the Electrical Workers union, which represents about 15,000 of Verizon's affected workers.

The new contracts, which have been shortened from five years to three years, include wage increases that total 10.5 percent over the next three years. As part of the deal, Verizon will transfer more than 600 positions … Read more

Broadband war gets bloodier

The broadband war between cable and phone companies could get bloodier as these companies aggressively try to steal customers from each other.

Comcast, the largest cable operator in the U.S., said Wednesday that it is still adding new subscribers for its high speed Internet and telephony services, but that growth is slowing as broadband penetration levels plateau and economic concerns ripple through its business.

Judging from the earnings announcements from Comcast, Verizon and AT&T, adding new broadband customers is getting more tough as many people already subscribe to either cable or DSL. As a result, cable operators … Read more