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Watch That Tiny $74 1.5GHz Android-Powered Thumb-Puter In Action PC Mag is reporting that Verizon is looking at a couple different ways to spread the good word of FiOS beyond the projected 18 million homes it’ll reach in 2010, maybe by using less, um, fibre after that, according to tech chief Mark Wegleitner.
Verizon FiOS’s blazingest 50Mbps downstream/20Mbps upstream package is no longer confined to the pit of the tri-state NY/NJ/CT area and select other locales. Starting next week, it’ll be available across Verizon’s entire, growing FiOS footprint in 16 states. (Though it’ll run US$139.95 a month to NY and VA’s bargain US$89.95/month.) Also, everyone who got 15/15 Mbps now has the option for 20/20 symmetrical (US$64.95 a month), and its lower end packages are getting juiced from 15/2 Mbps to 20/5 Mbps, and from 5/2 Mbps to 10/2 Mbps (uh, why do you people have FiOS?). Overall, a nice day to be a FiOS customer, even more so than before. *Kicks stupid cable modem* [Verizon]
Gather around, class. I said, shut-up fools! Recess is over and I’m gonna tech you suckas a lesson. See this picture? That’s Verizon FiOS streaming a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert in HD. Mr. T likes those Red Hot Chili Peppers and Mr. Anthony Keidis with his long, flowin’ hair. And Mr. T doesn’t mind pointing out that Mr. Anthony Keidis has quite the bicep at 17.73 Mbps.
Comcast has begun compressing HDTV shows in order to deliver more HD channels to you while using the same amount of bandwidth. They didn’t use to do this before, but now, when compared to Verizon FiOS, the channels are grainy and blocky and full of artifacts—a result of shoving three channels into a space where only two previously occupied. A guy at AVSForum measured how the new bitrate stacks up against Verizon.
Comcast confirms we’ll see the rollout of DOCSIS 3.0—the next-gen data over cable standard allowing bandwidth of 160Mbps down and 120Mbps up—start next year, with 20 percent of its footprint expected to be blanketed in bandwidth goodness by the end of 2008. Even though Comcast isn’t saying where it’ll fall, markets where there’s FiOS are probably going to continue having all of the fat pipe fortune—competition is good for people in those areas, bad for the rest of us. Now for the real bad news:
The imminent announcement about wider coverage of Verizon’s symmetrical FiOS that was teased last week has arrived, and it’s pretty nice: Everyone gets it. FL, MA, and RI get 20Mbps up and downstream like NY, NJ and CT, while the rest get 15Mbps both ways. They’ve also got an option for 30 down and 15 up, but the trailblazing tri-state area picks up a new 50 down/20 up package. No word on that 400Mbps Gozilla bandwidth, unfortunately. [Verizon]
You might have heard about Verizon’s new 20/20 symmetric FiOS—a sweet 20Mbps upstream and down. But 20 ain’t 100, and we’re damn jealous of the Japanese, so we got on the phone and asked the guys managing Verizon’s tubes what’s around the bend. The scoop for citydwellers is that we can expect “not too distant” announcements about FiOS availability in Manhattan thanks to ultra-bendable Corning fiber ideal for labyrinthine build-out in apartment high-rises. So, what’s the hold up on the Japan- style 100Mbps fiber optic love? Doesn’t Verizon have the pipes to supply it? Here are the answers to those questions, and the most important of them all: When is it coming to your house?
Verizon’s spreading the FiOS lovefest to the HDTV side things today, announcing plans to ballon their HD channels to over 150 by the end of 2008. The HD expansion’s more of a rollout than an explosion, initially doubled to 60+ on a “market-by-market” basis, at least some of those being sports channels. On the HD VOD front, they’re introing HD content this year, but pickings are going to slim until 2008, when it’ll hit over 1000 titles. Finally, their DVR service is getting an upgrade that’ll let you record HD shows and watch them in anywhere in the house with an HDTV and HD set-top box. All of this is good and gravy, but a year’s kind of a long time to wait, no? [Verizon]
Now we’re really jealous of the lucky ones who already have FiOS TV, Verizon’s fibre optic-network-based cable TV replacement gets you all the HD channels you can watch, premium content and a dual-tuner DVR. Hey, sounds a lot like cable TV, doesn’t it? That DVR is getting a lot more sophisticated, and Zatz Not Funny’s Dave Zatz got a close-up look at its upcoming features that are set to hit in Q1 or Q2 of next year.
Turns out it can do lots of media extender tricks, such as stream AVI, MPEG 4, DivX and Flash from a PC on your network. Plus, since Verizon is also in the phone business, it’s putting together a mobile DVR scheduling software package for its mobiles. Neat stuff. So let’s see, FiOS gives you much faster broadband service (15 Mbps download/2 Mbps upload for $US50/month), tonnes of TV channels, a DVR that soon will be able to stream video? Yeah. It’s about time the weasel cable companies had some formidable competition. Bring it. [Zatz Not Funny]
