Verizon to Opt for Microsoft TV Tech

[electron]

NEW YORK - Verizon Communications Inc. plans to use Microsoft Corp. technology for its rollout of television service over a new fiber-optic network, becoming the third major telephone company to help fulfill Microsoft's long-stymied bid to barge into the TV business.

The software maker's platform initially will be used to provide an interactive program guide, high-definition television, digital video recording and video-on-demand for Verizon's FiOS TV service, which is due to launch in undisclosed markets around mid-year.

Verizon, which is spending billions to replace its copper phone lines with speedy fiberglass cables, also expects to exploit the technology's Internet-based capabilities to roll out more advanced interactive services down the road, the companies planned to announce Monday.

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[Micah]

Internet TV. I can't wait.

Does anyone know what the hardware behind this will require? Is it TV that can be streamed across a network without having to plug into coax lines?

 

[jlehnert]

I can't say for sure as I have not done any checking, but the way these setups have worked during testing in the past, they either bring fiber to the curb (FTTC) or fiber to the house (FTTH). At the point the fiber stops, there is an adapter (basically a souped up modem/gateway/router) that breaks the signal into TV (Coax), telephone (UTP), and computer (UTP) signals.

I doubt that it would be IP all the way to the TV/Phone, as that would require all the customers to rewire their house and get all new phones and TVs. Probably could stream to a computer or HTPC though.

 

[DavidL]

"Verizon, which is spending billions to replace its copper phone lines with speedy fiberglass cables"

fiber network = fiberglass? Don't think they are fiberglass.

 

[Micah]

haha

Good catch David. I didn't even notice that. Damn, just think how much easier it would be to transfer data if we could take advantage of all that insulation in the walls. Sahweet!