The Fiber Optic Frontier Gets HD On Demand

Many early subscribers to Verizon's FiOS TV service consider themselves pioneers paving the way for competition among Internet and TV service providers and forcing cable and satellite companies to stay on their toes.

As with all pioneers, the early days on FiOS TV may have been rough. But today many of them are being rewarded with a bounty of high-definition video-on-demand content.

Eight states received the service today, including California, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Texas. Florida, Indiana, Virginia and western Pennsylvania saw VOD begin to trickle in back in December. New York and Oregon will get HD VOD in a few weeks, according to Verizon.

The company says it plans to offer at least 1,000 high-def VOD titles in 2008 from sources like CBS, Discover Channel, and HDNet. About 70% of these titles are free with FiOS TV service, though blockbuster movies like 3:10 To Yuma are priced at about $5.99. Hey, nobody ever said FiOS was a better deal than cable or satellite, but it is an alternative. -Rachel Rosmarin

Verizon

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