Broadband

It's not just the TV makers that have a vested interest in pushing video's transformation to 3D TV and beyond. Companies that supply and enable the technology are just as eager to see the next generation of video take hold as the TV makers looking to sell you another big screen.

"Video is today's voice-on-an-IP network," said John Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems, the largest supplier in the world of IP networking equipment.

I spoke to Chambers this week as he visited the Meadowlands sports stadium outside of New York City, which is the latest … Read more

In the second quarter of 2010 paid TV subscriptions fell for the first time ever, with cable taking the biggest hit, according to the research firm SNL Kagan.

A weak U.S. economy is the main reason the firm cited for the dip in subscriptions, as more consumers look for ways to cut down on monthly expenses. Last year's digital TV conversion may have also played a role in lower growth rates with some people canceling service after promotions on new digital TV packages ran out, the firm said.

The entire paid TV industry, which includes cable, satellite, and … Read more

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.--What will the sports stadium of the future look like?

Just ask Cisco and Verizon Communications, the two companies that helped build the technology in the new Meadlowlands Stadium here, which is home to the NFL's New York Jets and Giants NFL teams.

The 82,500-seat stadium, which cost about $1.6 billion to build, has about $100 million worth of technology invested in it to bring fans the ultimate football experience. It's equipped with four massive high-definition video display scoreboards. And there are more than 2,200 HD video screens mounted throughout the … Read more

New technologies are making it easier to get high-quality video streams just about anywhere and on any device, but content owners are still calling the shots.

What this means for consumers is that the dream of cutting the paid-TV cord and getting everything you want streamed over the Net without a subscription and largely for free is a pipe dream. Content owners aren't going to let this happen anytime soon. You will still pay, and there's a chance you will pay as much as you do today--or even more.

Some over-the-top services--those that use a broadband connection to … Read more

They say patience is a virtue. But it's certainly not easy, especially when you are waiting for the latest and greatest in technology.

This week I try to answer one reader's question about when he can expect to get Fios TV in his neighborhood. He's seen the fiber trucks and fliers promoting the service, and now he wants his Fios TV. But laying the fiber is only half the battle, especially in densely populated cities such as New York City where everyone lives in an apartment building.

If waiting for Fios wasn't bad enough, another reader … Read more

NEW YORK--Verizon Communications is prepping a new live TV streaming app for tablet PCs like the Apple iPad, a move that could eventually eliminate the need for a home set-top box and set the stage for true "TV everywhere" viewing.

At a demonstration at the home of Verizon CIO Shaygan Kheradpir, Verizon executives showed off a slew of new features for its Fios TV service, including the live TV streaming application on an iPad.

The new app allows Fios TV subscribers to stream live TV from their service onto an iPad over a home Wi-Fi connection. Initially, the … Read more

Verizon Communications has demonstrated in a real-world field test that its Fios all-fiber broadband network can deliver speeds topping out at 1Gbps.

The company said in a press release Monday that it had successfully tested the 1Gbps service in June connecting an existing Fios business customer to its local facilities in Taunton, Mass. Verizon said it tested the speed of the connection using a local server as well as a server that was 400 miles away. Verizon said that the download speed for the link to the local server was 925Mbps and the connection to the remote server was 800Mbps.… Read more

As I read the criticism of Google and Verizon's supposed evil plan to demolish the Internet, and as I hear about "protests" of several dozen people at Google's headquarters, I scratch my head and wonder: am I missing something?

The Google-Verizon Net neutrality proposal I read last week doesn't sound nearly as apocalyptic as Free Press, a media advocacy group, and some of the most vocal critics out there have made it sound.

In fact, most of proposal sounded a lot like a plan FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski offered nearly a year ago, which many … Read more

Google defended its Net neutrality proposal that it co-authored with Verizon Communications in a post on its public-policy blog Thursday.

Since Monday, when Google and Verizon took the wraps off what the two companies are calling a "legislative framework" for public-policy makers on Net neutrality, it has received a tongue lashing from critics. Net neutrality supporters have called the company a "sellout." They've questioned Google's intentions for teaming up with Verizon. And they've said the proposal, if accepted, would mark a backward step for Internet progression.

Joel Kelsey, political adviser for Free Press, … Read more