04/19, 9:25am
Verizon sheds legacy wired tech as FiOS ramps up
Verizon during a call discussing its winter 2012 results made clear that it was shedding large parts of its legacy business in wired technology. It would stop adding DSL subscribers in those areas where FiOS was active, steering everyone towards the fiber service that's now 63 percent of Verizon's home landline revenue. It was implied that existing DSL users would get support until they left Verizon or upgraded to FiOS.
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04/04, 2:15pm
Convergence Consulting estimates 2012 cutters too
Over one million pay TV customers stopped their subscriptions in the US last year, a Convergence Consulting Group research report (PDF) published this month found. The total number was 2.65 million since 2008, as users look to online streaming services such as Netflix. Researchers estimated the 2011 figure at 1.05 million.
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01/12, 5:20pm
Eliminates need for set-top box to view content
Verizon and Samsung have together announced that Samsung will be the first consumer electronics manufacturer to commercially support a Verizon FiOS TV app on new TVs and Blu-ray players. With it, FiOS subscribers can watch programming and on-demand content directly without the need for a set-top box. Samsung will begin incorporating the functionality into its "Smart" devices as it adds them to its product line during 2012.
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12/22, 3:55pm
Verizon to eventually replace FiOS set-top boxes
Verizon will bring out a Media Server for its FiOS subscribers that will eventually replace set-top boxes. It will also have the ability to stream high-definition video to wireless devices such as notebooks, tablets, gaming systems and smartphones. Verizon hasn't revealed prices, timeframes or other details, but TechCrunch was given a peek at the gadgets.
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12/14, 5:10pm
Higher bandwidth coming closer to last mile users
Eight metropolitan areas will soon be getting high-speed "middle-mile" networks. These are the backbones that feed the "last mile" that bring broadband services to customers and businesses. Last week, the city-owned DC Community Access Network (DC-CAN) lit up its 100-gigabit network in Washington, DC, while earlier this week, Verizon said it was upgrading seven cities in its FiOS backbone network to similar speeds.
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12/13, 7:40pm
Verizon may try to take over Netflix
A claim from Mediatech Capital managing partner Porter Bibb late Tuesday maintained that Verizon was "very serious" about buying Netflix. Fueling earlier rumors, he explained to Bloomberg that sources inside Verizon wanted either Netflix or "something similar." Bidding was underway with unnamed competitors that Bibb heard could see a sale before Easter for an estimated $4.6 billion.
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12/06, 4:35pm
Verizon web vide service may hit in 2012
Verizon is planning its own rough equivalent to Netflix for those outside of its FiOS TV areas, insiders explained on Tuesday. Details weren't clear for Reuters' sources, but it would stream a subset of movies and TV for customers that didn't live in an area where its regular IPTV service was an option. It might go live sometime in 2012, but how much of a premium it would have, if any, wasn't apparent.
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12/05, 12:30am
Microsoft outlines launch plans for X360 live TV
In sync with the fall Xbox 360 Dashboard update, Microsoft has provided a listing of TV providers that will be ready to go this week. Along with existing access to ESPN, Hulu, and Netflix, the December 6 update will also bring EPIX authenticated video in the US, Lovefilm in the UK, MediaSet's Premium Play in Italy, Sky Go in Austria and Germany, Telefonica España's Movistar Imagenio, and MSNBC's Today in the US.
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11/04, 12:15am
Google may use traditional TV to upturn system
In an odd decision, Google may go into traditional TV, insiders may have divulged Thursday. The YouTube owner would use its Google Fiber in both Kansas City rollouts to include TV and possible VoIP phone service, the Wall Street Journal was told. Early talks were said underway with Discovery, Disney, and Time Warner to supply content.
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10/18, 11:50am
Verizon My FiOS app hits Android, due soon on iOS
Verizon on Tuesday unveiled a new, all-encompassing mobile app for its services. My FiOS (currently only on the Android Market) lets those who've bought into more than one piece of the Verizon ecosystem control all of it from a central area. Owners can control home automation and monitoring, schedule and steer the DVR and TV, or manage the home phone.
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10/04, 10:15pm
Xbox 360 Comcast and Verizon deal
Microsoft's Xbox 360 live TV option is being unveiled on Wednesday, a late-breaking scoop identified. As expected, providers like Comcast and Verizon will let users pipe video directly to the Xbox, either from the cable itself or through the Internet, AllThingsD found. Viewers will have to authenticate like they do for HBO Go or other cable-owned services, though, as legacy carriers try to shelter themselves from cord-cutting.
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09/20, 7:50pm
Verizon posts FiOS TV streaming app
After months of remote control apps, Verizon fulfilled a frequent request Tuesday by releasing a true TV streaming app for iPads and iPhones. FiOS on Demand (free, App Store) gives access to any content that its IPTV subscribers can see on demand, including movies and TV shows. Subscribers can't buy videos directly due to Apple's rules but can access any videos they bought, rented, or otherwise have access to.
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09/19, 1:35pm
Xbox 360 traditional TV due on Comcast, FiOS
Microsoft's live Xbox 360 TV plans may be much more conventional, insiders tipped on Monday. In a possible disappointment for owners, the company is reportedly talking to Comcast and Verizon about getting the normally cable- and fiber optic-based services piped directly to the Xbox. Digiday understood it would avoid the need for a set-top box.
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08/25, 2:10pm
ESPN app now ready for Xbox Live
Microsoft mid-Thursday took its ESPN Xbox 360 app live. The portal gives Xbox Live Gold members access to live college football and certain other sports normally shown on ESPN3. Viewers can watch up to two games at a time and voice control with Kinect if they have the camera controller.
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08/11, 12:05pm
Digital-only 4 tuner DVR to sell direct to users
Details of the upcoming TiVo Premiere Elite DVR have leaked. According to documents filed with the FCC, the Premiere Elite will have four tuners and can operate (record or view) up to four shows simultaneously. It is THX-certified and fully compatible with 1080p/1080i video. The Premiere Elite has two terabytes of recording capacity, enough to record 300 hours of HD programming. It supports networking with other TiVo boxes for content sharing and is MoCA compatible.
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08/10, 4:30pm
Future Disney deals to require log-in for web TV
Disney is following in the footsteps of the Fox book by requiring online TV show viewers to be pay TV subscribers and log in with a cable ID. According to a Wednesday GigaOM report, the company is working on deals with content distributors to allow this. Thus far, cable networks like CNN and HBO are already requiring such logins.
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08/02, 12:05pm
Agency sees big improvement since 2009 survey
A report issued today by the Federal Communications Commission shows broadband speeds in the U.S. are now significantly closer to what Internet service providers advertise than they were in 2009. The report found that actual download speeds provided by the majority of U.S. broadband providers were within 80 percent or better of companies' advertised speeds. In 2009, download speeds were more often around 50 percent of the advertised rate.
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05/25, 9:35pm
Comcast goes through MIT to test IPTV system
Comcast revealed Wednesday that it was testing a TV-over-IP system for its network. A dry run on MIT's grounds in the fall would prove it can deliver its regular TV service using Internet protocol in a way that would simplify delivering it beyond TV sets. The move as cast by the Wall Street Journal would simplify watching real-time broadcasts on tablets like the iPad, Xbox 360s, and other devices that Comcast can't normally reach.
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05/20, 5:45pm
ABI says online and telco TV hurting cable
In spite of doubts of cord cutting, at least some cable TV providers are feeling an impact from Internet video and some of their more digitally-aware phone companies, ABI Research found in a new study. Cable still had the lead but dropped from 72 percent of TV viewing worldwide in 2009 to 69 percent this past year. What growth there was took place in areas such as Latin America, where many hadn't had access to cable TV to start with and, in Brazil's case, were getting it through a government access plan.
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04/27, 5:40pm
Epix outs apps for Android, Roku, Samsung, more
Video-on-demand and online service Epix on Wednesday released apps that will bring its service to more than one hundred devices. This includes Android-based phones and tablets, connected Samsung TVs and Blu-ray players, the Google TV, Roku set-top boxes, and the BlackBerry PlayBook. All the apps are free and grant access to users authenticated from their cable and satellite providers with access to more than 3,000 Epix movies, original programs, and TV shows.
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04/07, 11:00am
ESPN intros iPhone and iPod app for live sports TV
ESPN gave iPhone and iPod touch owners a bonus for being subscribed to traditional TV on Thurdsay through its new WatchESPN app (free, App Store). The app lets viewers watch live ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, and ESPNU with a schedule to show both active and upcoming events. The system tries to shelter TV providers and requires a sign-in from a cable or satellite account to get access.
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03/14, 11:55am
AT&T, Verizon offer free calls, texts to Japan
AT&T on Monday said it has made calling and texting to Japan free effective as of Friday, March 11 and until March 31. At the same time, Verizon is waiving fees for calls to Japan until April 10, again since Friday. This includes calling and texting, with AT&T's US and Puerto Rico customers having free calling while US customers also get text messaging.
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02/15, 10:30am
Bundles cable, internet, VoIP and wireless
Verizon is using the iPhone to lure new customers to its FiOS fiber optic-based video and internet service. New customers will receive discounted rates for the service bundle they choose and a $200 gift card, enough to offset the cost of the 16GB iPhone 4. The deal is good for new FiOS customers only.
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02/09, 4:20pm
Time Warner asked to clarify fiber network ads
Time Warner Cable is being asked by a National Advertising Review Board (NARB) panel to stop claiming in ads that it uses fiber optic wires. Competitor Verizon challenged the validity of Time Warner's claims, as it offers a true fiber optic network, FiOS. The ads claim Time Warner's network is "dramatically faster" because of its "advanced fiber optic network."
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01/07, 4:00pm
Value-added cross-platform support on the way
Verizon is planning to expand its FiOS TV content beyond its GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network) and its next-gen XG-PON2 fiber network through the development of an app service. The aim is to add value to for customers of its service so that they can stream their FiOS TV content on their iPad or other mobile device and download it so that it can be taken on the road in a way that preserves DRM. With FiOS TV as an app that can be downloaded to a mobile device and then linked to a customer’s FiOS TV subscription service. Once linked, users can view their paid content across multiple screens and delivery platforms.
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12/29, 3:50pm
Verizon Home Monitoring and Control gets CES demo
Verizon today gave a tease of a minor but potentially significant home automation service ahead of its appearance at CES next week. Home Monitoring and Control will give home owners a Z-Wave based system that will control any suitably connected part of the home through a computer, smartphone, tablet or FiOS-equipped TV, even when out of the home network. Residents could lock the doors, turn on appliances, lights or the thermostat, and watch what's happening at home if security cameras are installed.
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12/21, 11:50am
Allows channel, DVR control
Verizon has launched FiOS Mobile for the iPad. The app is a effectively an elaborate remote control for FiOS subscribers, on a basic level letting people change channels, adjust settings or pause, rewind or fast-forward material. People can also browse schedules and video-on-demand listings however, and set DVRs to record individual episodes or an entire series.
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12/15, 1:35pm
Google Fiber picks delayed to early 2011
Google on Wednesday said it was pushing back its decision on the cities for Google Fiber to early 2011. It had originally planned to detail the cities and areas getting 1Gbps Internet access but was "not quite ready" to say which ones. Almost 1,100 communities responded and overwhelmed the company, Google said.
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12/07, 11:40am
Company claims interest in non-Verizon hardware
FiOS TV access should reach Mac and iOS devices sometime in early 2011, says Verizon's director of consumer product development, Joe Ambeault. The technology is meant for existing FiOS TV subscribers, and for the iPad app, at least, will require home Verizon Internet access to authenticate a device. The company is also working on iOS support for a video-on-demand service.
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11/22, 8:25am
Verizon FiOS reaches 150Mbps by end of year
Verizon today added an ultimate 150Mbps tier to its FiOS fiber optic Internet access. The speed is three times the previous 50Mbps peak and also boosts the upload speed from 20Mbps to 35Mbps. At maximum speed, a typical 720p movie could download in about four and a half minutes, and 100MB of photos could upload in under 23 seconds.
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11/10, 1:30pm
Verizon outs FiOS Flex View for Android and BBerry
Verizon today switched on Flex View as an on-demand option for FiOS TV viewers. Both the desktop and mobile versions of its Media Manager app can buy or rent the same video on demand options as they would have from the fiber optic service itself. Video is stored locally to work offline and supports bookmarks to pick up playback later.
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10/29, 11:55am
Verizon iPhone negotiations explained in detail
An iPhone for Verizon is coming early next year but only after the results of three years of talks, an unofficial look has revealed. Along with an interview with soon to retire CEO Ivan Seidenberg, sources have claimed that a CDMA iPhone 4 is a "fait accompli" but that resumed talks started as far back as December 2007, when AT&T was starting to see call drops and delayed messages even on its 2G network due to the iPhone load. Verizon's wireless chief, Lowell McAdam, is said by Fortune to have been making amends for the mistake of rejecting the iPhone earlier but also seizing on AT&T's weakness, which only got worse with 3G.
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10/19, 11:30am
Verizon FiOS Remote hits iOS and due for tablets
Verizon has quietly posted an iOS version of FiOS Remote (free, App Store) as part of a wider push to expand support. The app builds on an earlier DVR-only app and lets anyone with FiOS TV change channels, bring up the guide, order on demand titles or otherwise steer programming. Direct DVR functions are also available, as is a raw keypad for numbers or text.
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10/07, 6:25pm
Verizon gets ESPN deal for tablets and FiOS
Verizon and Disney today formalized a deal that will bring the ESPN sports channel's content to tablets as well as more to FiOS TV. The plan will give access to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, Buzzer Beater and Goal Line both on computers and in a tablet-optimized format. The approach is limited to FiOS TV subscribers but will let them authenticate themselves for access when the service goes live in "coming months."
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09/23, 10:05am
Verizon CEO says TV cord-cutting happening
Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg broke from conventional TV provider thinking today by telling those at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia conference that he expected the Internet to kill cable bundles. He expected that bundles would still have "some life left" but that many younger buyers were simply dropping traditional TV entirely in favor of Internet access. He likened it to wired phone service, which might not be dead but is in the minority and has been largely replaced with cellphones.
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08/25, 5:55pm
Verizon, Cisco talk about holographic TV future
An interview with John Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems, revealed that he believes holographic TV sets are the next big technology. According to the CNET report, Chambers saw this technology arriving in about 10 years. Such technology would further enhance the viewing experience and bring medicine applications much easier to view, from all angles and in true 3D.
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08/18, 1:50pm
Verizon hints at Apple deal with iPad TV app
(Update: video) Verizon provided a surprise to subscribers by previewing an iPad app for FiOS TV. The initial app will provide live, streaming TV to existing FiOS TV subscribers using the same technology that underpins the fiber optic network's set-top hardware. It will require Wi-Fi at home at first to use existing Verizon Internet access as a way of authenticating the connection.
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08/17, 10:20pm
Firmware updates seen as unlikely
Verizon's FiOS TV network is preparing for a transition to Simulcrypt technology, which will cause problems for many CableCARD owners. The conversion is said to be necessary for compatibility with certain Cisco and Motorola devices that require the encryption standard.
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08/16, 6:20pm
Verizon tests FiOS network at 1Gbps speeds
Verizon said on Monday that it has successfully tested its current gigabit passive optical network (GPON) to send data at near 1 gigabit-per-second speeds. At the bandwidth, which runs 200 times the 50Mbps it normally offers today, the bandwidth exists to support 3D TV, near-perfect desktop virtualization and remote storage, the carrier said. Verizon's platform can theoretically support even faster 2.4Gbps downstream and 1.2Gbps upstream speeds.
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08/11, 1:10pm
Verizon FiOS users to get first 3D NFL game
Verizon's FiOS subscribers in some parts of New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Rhode Island will get a chance to watch the first NFL game in 3D. The game is a preseason meeting between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots on September 2. The game, pre-game, half-time and post-game shows will all be in 3D.
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08/04, 7:40pm
Google, Verizon in own talks on net neutrality
Google and Verizon have come into an agreement as to how network operators can manage Internet traffic, according to sources familiar with their negotiations. According to a Thursday Washington Post report, this has happened while the FCC tries to create a set of net neutrality rules that the Internet content providers and ISPs are supposed to follow. An official statement from Google and Verizon is expected to come over the course of the next week.
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06/21, 11:05am
Verizon offers FiOS contract-free bundles
Verizon on Monday said it has now began offering its FiOS bundles on a monthly basis, dropping the associated contract without raising the monthly fee. The bundles include fiber optic-based Internet, TV and VoIP calling features. Verizon has offered monthly bundles before this, though they cost $20 per month more than the contract deal.
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06/03, 12:40pm
Verizon adds FiOS Digital Voice phone line
Verizon has added a VoIP calling option to its fiber optic FiOS service on Wednesday. Called FiOS Digital Voice, it offers live voicemail screening, an online call manager and Caller ID on TV, among others. An online management tool lets users change settings and options from any computer and web browser.
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05/25, 5:25pm
Comcast to more than double speeds soon
Comcast's plans to offer over 100Mbps on its cable Internet access were given away today after one customer posted mention of a new tier on his bill. The appropriately named Extreme 105 would provide 105Mbps downstream and 10Mbps for uploads. It would require a special Arris WBM760 cable modem to get the faster DOCSIS 3.0 speeds.
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05/05, 6:00pm
FCC decides to toughen Internet fairness
The FCC has quietly made the decision today to reclassify Internet access as a telecommunication service that would be subject to tougher net neutrality rules. Although rumors had spread of the agency backtracking on its promise, FCC chairman Julius Genachowski is now said to be readying a proposal that would put Internet lines under the same Title II "common carriage" rules as phone lines, requiring providers to treat data equally on the network. Not all of the same rules would apply, but which would be exempted weren't known.
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04/27, 11:55am
Verizon FiOS customers get YouTube, web radio
Verizon on Tuesday added YouTube functionality along with Internet radio to its fiber-optic FiOS TV subscribers. Those using the fiber optic service can browse the video hosting site with the existing FiOS TV remote. YouTube videos can be bookmarked, watched in full-screen mode, or even log into their accounts to view their favorites or their own videos.
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04/16, 2:10pm
Verizon to out 802.11n FiOS router this summer
According to Verizon spokesperson Bill Kula, Verizon will release a home Wi-Fi router for its FiOS fiber optic service that supports the 802.11n standard this summer. Thus far, the available Actiontec and Westell hotspots don't support the faster Wi-Fi and have required that users add their own routers.
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04/14, 4:40pm
Verizon to test two eco-friendly set-top boxes
Verizon and Motorola announced a partnership on set-top boxes that use up as much as 30 percent less energy than current devices. The two new devices, the Motorola QIP7232 and Motorola QIP7100, will be sold on a trial basis in some FiOS TV markets later in 2010. The QIP7232 is a DVR and has a faster processor and more memory than the QIP7100.
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04/02, 2:10pm
Verizon to offer 3D TV via FiOS before 2011
Verizon has become the first wired TV provider in North America to promise 3D TV content to any buyer of a 3D-capable TV. The service will only be available to subscribers to Verizon's fiber optics-based FiOS service before the end of 2010. While specifics aren't yet available, Verizon says it will bring the broadest range of 3D programming and touts a better interface. Whether the service will come in the form of a full- or part-time broadcast service or video on demand hasn't yet been decided.
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03/17, 6:15pm
Verizon files ITC complaint against Cablevision
Cable provider Verizon has filed a patent infringement complaint with the International Trade Commission (ITC) in hopes of stopping the sale of certain Cablevision digital set-top boxes, a report said on Wednesday [sub. required]. Verizon claimed violation of five of its patents related to its FiOS TV service, adding that it limited its complaint to a single claim per each disputed patent so that the issue is resolved within one year.
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