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Verizon's setup at DigitalLife is extensive, which is to be expected considering the quadruple play bundles its in the process of pushing. One area of the display was of particular interest to me, Fios IPTV. I've had my doubts about the validity of IPTV as a legitimate contender to the cable companies, and Verizon made news a couple of months ago with its push to lay fiber optic cable in New York City. DigitalLife is the first opportunity I've had to see the IPTV service and the hardware first hand.
As you can see from the photo above, the interface for Fios IPTV is pretty much the same as with any cable or satellite service, but Fios has an added bonus, a VOD service with over 20,000 movie titles. The price point seems to be in the right spot to be competitive, starting at $39.99 before you add on services like HBO.
The receivers, made by Motorola, come in two variations. A dual-input DVR and a standard receiver. Both receive HD signals, the DVR is pictured to the left. The receivers will be leased as part of the monthly fee from Verizon, which is a good move. In order to gain relevance in the battle with the entrenched cable companies, Verizon and all of the telecoms for that matter, need to remove barriers to entry for potential IPTV customers. The high price of hardware was a huge stumbling block for the satellite television companies when they first tried to take on the cable companies.
I left the Verizon display feeling a little better about IPTV's chances. Originally, I thought they really wouldn't go anywhere. Now, I think they could chip into satellite television's market share, providing quality television services to rural areas, and an alternative to some early adopter customers elsewhere (Check back later for a post on Ruckus Wireless and its solution for IPTV in the home). The problem is the roll out. When I asked a Verizon representative when the service would be available in New York City the answer was, "It's going to be some time before we can get the franchises." — Brian Ward
Technorati tags: digitallife, iptv, verizon.
