DTV and Verizon partnership in the works?

[asmcbride]

I've heard some rumors from some Verizon techs and read a few articles online stating that DirecTV may be working up a partnership with Verizon to deliver television services over the brand new and upcoming Verizon fiber-optic network, presently termed FIOS. Apparently Verizon is in the process of building this fiber network that will offer tv, voice, and data all on one pipe. This could be the end of home media as we presently know it...Anyone with any additional info on this please pass along what you know. My friend lives in Stephens City, VA and has been told that his development is in the works for receiving this FIOS service later in the year.

--mcbride

 

[h0m3rs1mps0n]

The term I hear verizon employees use is FTP (fiber to premises) so I'm not sure about the FIOS term you are using is the same thing that I know of or not, but I'm pretty sure it is.

I know some people working on the project. I'll see if they have any info they are allowed to give.

 

[h0m3rs1mps0n]

btw SBC has a similar service in the works as well called Home Entertainment Services (HES). It was a smash at the CES in Vegas I hear.

Not sure who is providing their channels but I would guess Dish.

 

[h0m3rs1mps0n]

oops left my cell at home today (no wonder its been so peaceful). I'll see if I can get an answer on this tonight/tomorrow.

 

[Stargazer]

I was told about 8-10 years ago from a Verizon contractor (I think it was Bell Atlantic then before Verizon took over) that eventually all customers would be getting tv and internet over the phone line but knew that it would be a while.

I had a customer tell me that he was promised by Verizon about a year or so ago that he would be getting high speed internet and television service through the phone line in about six months but that never happened. I dont see it happening here in WV for a while especially those that live out in the country.

I heard that WV led the country with fiberoptics but I bet that is no the case anymore. I never thought that we would have led the country in fiberoptics with the terrain that we have and due to the fact that we do not have very big cities but most live in the country here.

 

[charper1]

Here is the Verizon FIOS site: http://www22.verizon.com/fiosforhome/channels/fios/HighSpeedInternetForHome.asp

and an article on a location getting FTTP:
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20040719-4007.html

They are one in the same and refer to their 15mbps and 30mbps high-speed service. They best stick with FIOS, as FTTP is too close to the more common FTP (file transfer protocol). This is very similar to the VDSL service Qwest rolled out a few years ago, but they are smart by starting out at a respectable high transfer rate. Qwest took the cable type approach and opens up little by little only as competition dictates.

 

[LonghornXP]

Here is the Verizon FIOS site: http://www22.verizon.com/fiosforhome/channels/fios/HighSpeedInternetForHome.asp

and an article on a location getting FTTP:
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20040719-4007.html

They are one in the same and refer to their 15mbps and 30mbps high-speed service. They best stick with FIOS, as FTTP is too close to the more common FTP (file transfer protocol). This is very similar to the VDSL service Qwest rolled out a few years ago, but they are smart by starting out at a respectable high transfer rate. Qwest took the cable type approach and opens up little by little only as competition dictates.

If you think this technology is like VDSL you need to read up a bit because fiber can do a whole crap load more than VDSL could even dream of.

 

[charper1]

I said similar, not exact. The VDSL that Qwest uses is fiber to the neighborhood aka FTTN (Verizon is FTTP) then using a VDSL transceiver gateway at the home it can provide a max of up to 52 Mbps down & 16 Mbps up internet and it also provides home video, VoD and full phone services. What all is the Verizon total fiber solution going to provide that "is crap loads" more? What else does a home user need? I mean after 10 Mbps down does it really matter anymore? When the full FiOS is rolled out they may realize the 100 Mbps max, but is that relevant to typical home users and at what cost?

 

[Juan]

Verizon already has a deal with d* . You get a discount on d* when you buy a bundle (long distance,local,wireless,tv). As far as Verizon expanding that relationship I highly doubt it. Verizon has announced a series of deals with various programming providors(ex discovery networks) to provide programming services on their fiber backbone.(fios)

 

[Stargazer]

That extra bandwidth would be good for video services along with high speed internet. I am sure there will be good use for the extra bandwidth for future applications.

 

[LonghornXP]

Don't expect that Quest system to handle more than two HD feeds in the house at any given time. The verizon system can easily handle at least 4 HD feeds all going throughout the house. HD is the future so why would a company not prepare for it. To be honest if they offer HSI I'm not sure the quest system can handle even one HD feed in the house if a customer has HSI because all of that has to use the same amount of bandwidth. The system is very limited when it comes to HDTV.

 

[MishaGray]

...I mean after 10 Mbps down does it really matter anymore? ....

I laugh when I read this.

And 640K is all the RAM your PC will ever need also. And 650MB on a CDROM is plenty of space.

As already mentioned there are a few "killer" apps that Verizon is looking at: HD Video-on-Demand. Even using MPEG4, it will require at least 5Mbs-7Mbs PER STREAM.

But there are other services that are on the "horizon". One killer feature of the FIOS network is not just the DOWNLOAD speed, but the very respectable UPLOAD speeds. We will start seeing people hosting their own private movie servers in their home: Let grandma watch the video you shot of your kids by directly hitting your home server. Video conferencing is going to start becoming more and more common in ALL the chat software. Interactive High quality video GAMES ala XBOX 2. That 10mbs is going to get eaten up quite quickly.

It should also be noted that the speeds that they are rolling out are the INITIAL speeds of the FIOS network. But the network experts have already figured out how to increase these bandwidths by multiples of 10x-100x, all by using existing fiber installations (just swap the equipment at both ends - use the same cable). The CABLE installation is the most expensive part. So as the higher speed networking equipment prices start to fall, expect to see download speeds of 150Mbs in is little as 7-10 years from now, with only incremental costs after the initial investment. So their PRIMARY cost is in this initial roll out. The effective "bandwidth speed limit" of a fiber cable is still UNKNOWN, as Fiber communication guys are figuring out how to squeeze ever increasing amounts of bandwidth on the same cables that were laid down 20 years ago. That's because most network equipment is replaced about every 5-7 years. And the replacement equipment will just offer the higher speeds for the same price as the current equipment (and probably for less money).

So its quite a bold move on Verizon's part. And could be the first real challenge to Cable. While MANY cable companies have fiber backbones, they still use Coax as the last leg into the house. And they are bogged down in regulations. They have federal regulations, state regulations, and local city regulations that require a certain amount of backward compatibility. That means that cable companies find it much harder and more expensive to achieve the kind of network that Verizon will be rolling out today, and leap frogging all of those problems.

 

[LonghornXP]

To: MishaGray. I would like to say that you have the same understanding that I do and as you have said those others posting before aren't thinking about these things.

As you said the Quest system would have major problems allowing a single customer to have HSI and allow 2 or even three HD streams and when I say stream I don't mean VOD but just a regular HD channel like D*, V* and E* have today. The Quest system can do three or maybe just maybe 4 HD streams at a time for a customer without internet but that system now can't do both and in the very near future I see many people wanting internet and having two HDTV sets. Those customers are screwed with the Quest system but with Verizon fiber those customers will have more than they could need at least for the next 5-10 years at the least. The Verizon system today can handle at least 6-12 HD streams at any given time and offer phone and internet service again all at the sametime so my question is even in the future how many people will have more than 6 HDTV sets because right now most don't have 6 TVs and those that do don't have more than 10 and I'm pretty sure that the Verizon system could handle it. From what I've been told is that the wiring or coax in the house is what couldn't handle more not the fiber.

 

[h0m3rs1mps0n]

oops. I forgot to report my findings on here and just remembered today. My Verizon buds (which are NOT satellite groovy) told me that Verizon has their own satellite to provide the channels. I am guessing they are just buying bandwidth off another satellite as I have not heard of them having their own bird up there broadcasting but I'm not that big into Verizon so I really don't know.

So to answer, it looks like they are going with their own service, not D* for FTP (FTTP, whatever you wanna call it.)

 

[LonghornXP]

oops. I forgot to report my findings on here and just remembered today. My Verizon buds (which are NOT satellite groovy) told me that Verizon has their own satellite to provide the channels. I am guessing they are just buying bandwidth off another satellite as I have not heard of them having their own bird up there broadcasting but I'm not that big into Verizon so I really don't know.

So to answer, it looks like they are going with their own service, not D* for FTP (FTTP, whatever you wanna call it.)

All current channels out today such as HBO, TNT and the like are currently on satellites. For example D* and E* have their own satellites dishes that pick up the channel from the source satellite and than D* and E* take that signal and put it on their own satellites that they use to send to their customers.

Even cable companies have their own satellite dishes to get the programming they offer and their satellites dishes take in those channels and pipe them through their cable system.

Verizon will do the same as cable they will put up their own satellite dishes to receive the programming and pipe it down their various fiber systems. Again these aren't sats in space but dishes on the ground that are huge by the way.

What this means is that Verizon will offer what they want to offer on their own. If Verizon wants to offer Starz HD East and West they will get a contract and they would have a satellite dish that would receive the feeds from the satellite that hosts those two Starz HD channels and would send them down via their fiber system and their set-tops would allow viewing for paid customers as cable does.

Again what your friend most likely meant was that Verizon has their own satellite dishes and not satellite. Dishes happens to be the key word he left out.

 

[seadog]

So far, VZ only has a carriage agreement with Discovery, so it's going to be a while before FIOS TV is up and rolling. Also, they have to get franchise agreements in every town they plan on offering TV service in.

 

[LonghornXP]

So far, VZ only has a carriage agreement with Discovery, so it's going to be a while before FIOS TV is up and rolling. Also, they have to get franchise agreements in every town they plan on offering TV service in.

Trust me Verizon has way more than Discovery its just you and the public hasn't been told this yet. At least for Tampa thats true but remember this will be a fairly slow rollout so they have time to get this done before they have everything ready to go.