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Verizon's FiOS TV expansions: September 27, 2008
No, we didn't forget about you, but given that Verizon didn't announce any new FiOS TV spots last week, we figured we'd hold off until this week rather than gabbing aimlessly. Thankfully, the provider stepped up here recently and delivered its fiber-based programming service to two more Massachusetts towns -- or, at least a video franchise was granted. Also of note, it pumped out 39 new stations (19 in high-def) to subscribers in Maryland and Northern Virginia, while 79 new channels (56 in HD) were delivered in the Philadelphia region. We'll see you next week -- here's to hoping your neck of the woods gets covered within the next seven days.Read - Mansfield, MA expansionRead - Bellingham, MA expansionRead - Maryland / NoVA channel lineupRead - Philadelphia channel lineup
Comcast unloads a bunch of HD nets in Boston, MA
Looks like Chattanooga isn't the only Comcast market waking up to news of fresh HD channels bulging from the DVR, as word from Bean Town has it that Boston will also be blessed with a new heap. Without further ado, here's what you folks can expect: Encore HD (785), Fox Business HD (789), Hallmark Movie HD (790), Toon Disney HD (792), Fuse HD (793), Bravo HD (794), CNBC HD (795), ESPNews HD (796), Biography Channel HD (797), Independent Film HD (798), Women's Entertainment HD (799), MGM HD (819), FX HD (830), FOX News HD (841), Starz Edge HD (873), Starz Kids HD (874), Starz Comedy HD (876), and Big Ten Network HD (885). Phew.[Thanks, Mike]
Time Warner Cable passes ESPNU HD / ABC Family HD to Albany
Clearly TWC has the ability to add ESPNU HD to its markets, and while some of us aren't exactly confident that we'll be as lucky as Albany, at least subscribers in New York's capital can now keep up with the latest in sports in glorious high-definition. According to a local in Pittsfield, MA (which is in the Albany system), he can now check out the aforementioned sports network along with ABC Family HD. Here's hoping this is a trend -- anyone else out there seeing these two? [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family][Thanks, Jon]
Verizon's FiOS TV expansions: September 13, 2008
Not too many expansion efforts to discuss this week, but that's primarily because Verizon shifted the bulk of its FiOS TV installation efforts to the Evergreen State. Outside of that, a video franchise has been granted to the provider in one more Massachusetts town: Millbury. We know everyone needs a break now and then, but surely you can do better than this next week, right Verizon? We'll see you next week -- here's to hoping your neck of the woods gets covered within the next seven days.
BELD Broadband adds NBC Universal properties, NFL Network HD
The mom 'n pop carrier strikes again, and this time it's Braintree, Massachusetts' BELD Broadband showing up the big guys. This localized provider has added in a number of NBC Universal properties in high-def just in time for (some of) the Olympics, including Bravo HD (535), CNBC HD+ (533), USA HD (549), Sci-Fi HD (516) and -- for the duration of the Beijing Games -- Olympic Basketball Channel (516) and NBC Olympic Soccer Channel (535). Additionally, NFL Network HD will be added in "soon," presumably before the nearby Patriots attempt to redeem themselves at home on September 7th against the Chiefs. Not bad for someone you've never heard of.
Colorizing technology highlights cancerous tissue
In operating rooms today, cancer surgeons are essentially forced to operate without any definitive way of determining whether or not 100% of the diseased tissue has been removed. Thanks to a radical invention by researchers in Massachusetts, that huge limitation could soon be a thing of the past. A new system, dubbed FLARE (Fluorescence-Assisted Resection and Exploration), involves a near-infrared (NIR) imaging system, a video monitor, and a computer. These tools are used to see special chemical dies (christened NIR fluorophores) that are crafted to "target specific structures such as cancer cells when injected into patients." When these dyes are exposed to NIR light, the cancer cells light up, giving doctors an easy look at what they have left to remove. The team is gearing up to showcase the technology at the American Chemical Society national meeting in Philadelphia -- here's hoping it can be put to good use in the very near future.
Charter gifts Westport, Massachusetts with 16 HD channels
Charter has done its fair share of work to earn a less than stellar reputation as a cable company, but it's looking to help customers out (and, you know, compete) in the Westport, Massachusetts region by setting up a mobile office and adding a whopping 16 HD channels to the lineup. According to Thomas P. Cohan, the company's director of government relations, the company is "working on identifying the equipment and staffing it will need to establish a consistent, part-time, local presence to handle walk-in customer service issues," and it's utilizing a makeshift office 'til then. There's no mention of what high-def stations are being added, but with 16 of them on the way, surely there's one or two in there you'll dig.[Thanks, Nick]
Verizon's FiOS TV expansions: August 9, 2008
Coming off a somewhat busy week last week, it seems that Verizon's worker bees are still out in full force (begrudgingly or otherwise) in order to keep those FiOS TV installations going at a rapid pace. Up first, we're seeing the fiber-based programming service head to even more apartments in Northern Virginia, this time to Archstone Apartments in 14 NoVA communities. Next, we're seeing that yet another locale in Washington state (Brier) has awarded Verizon with a video franchise, while four more Massachusetts towns (Northborough, Stoughton, Stow and Sutton) now have the ability to order FiOS TV. We'll see you next week -- here's to hoping your neck of the woods gets covered within the next seven days.Read - Virginia expansionRead - Washington expansionRead - Massachusetts expansion
Comcast adds 3 HD stations in Cape Cod / Plymouth, Massachusetts
Comcast's obsession with adding these three HD channels seems to be over, but that doesn't mean it's not slotting 'em in at a slower pace. A little while after gifting Boston with its so-called favorite trio, summer dwellers in Cape Cod / Plymouth, Massachusetts can now check out Disney Channel HD (783), ABC Family HD (784) and Science HD (785) whenever the gorgeous weather influences you lucky souls to come inside. So yeah, you'll be dusting off the remote and checking things out in October, right?[Thanks, Chris]
High-def news comes to Boston's WHDH-TV
As the race to 200 HD news stations in America continues, Boston's own WHDH-TV is bringing us one closer. After nearly being no-hit last night in their own ballpark, Bean Town residents can actually flip on the evening news without worry of having to relive any embarrassing history. Based on the before and after shots in the read link, we'd say the local NBC affiliate did an outstanding job at renovating the studio. For locals who have tuned in already, how is the broadcast quality? Good enough to make you start watching on a regular basis?[Thanks, James]
Verizon's FiOS TV expansions: July 19, 2008
You probably realized that our weekly FiOS TV expansion post was nowhere to be found last week. Just an FYI: that's a direct result of Verizon not announcing a single new locale for its service. Apparently it was shoring 'em up, though, as this week a whole slew of neighborhoods are getting service. We've got eight more communities in New Jersey, yet another Bay State region, Hampton, Virginia and the very first community in Washington state to land a FiOS TV video franchise. If you're near any of these places, check out the links below for all the details. We'll see you next week -- here's to hoping your neck of the woods gets covered within the next seven days.Read - Washington State expansionRead - Hampton, Virginia expansionRead - New Jersey expansionRead - Massachusetts expansion
Turbine is seeking new headquarters and additional developer talent
Turbine Entertainment, the creators of MMO titles Asheron's Call, Dungons and Dragons Online and Lord of the Rings Online landed $40 million dollars in investment a few months ago. Speculation has run rampant on what console MMOG the company is developing, but now we know where some of that 40 million is being spent. The Boston Globe is reporting potential tax breaks for video-game development studios based in Massachusetts and spoke with Turbine chief financial officer, Peter Faubert regarding the proposed legislation. Game development is booming in Massachusetts and it turns out Turbine is looking for a new headquarters in the Boston area since they have outgrown their studios in Westwood. Faubert goes on to say that Turbine plans to add an additional 100 staff to Turbine's burgeoning ranks by the end of 2009. Many employment opportunities are available on the official Turbine INC. website, but any indication on the specifics regarding a new project is cleverly kept covert.
RCN & Comcast dropping analog cable en Mass.
New England cable customers better get used to the digital cable box, as both RCN and Comcast made moves in the last week to shrink analog lineups with an eye towards eliminating them entirely in the future, making room for more HD. Comcast says its HD stations in Western Massachusetts will go from 30 to 50 by the end of the year, plus more VOD options, while analog customers can expect to have their channels halved within the next two years. Meanwhile RCN kicked off project Analog Crush on July 4 to go all digital, planning to double its current 40 HD channels and increase to more than 100. Dedham is first on the chopping block, while other Boston-area residences will go digital throughout the rest of the year. Got a TV still connected to analog? Check out the links below to find out when you'll be moving to digital or losing service entirely.Read - RCNRead - Comcast
Verizon's FiOS TV expansions: July 5, 2008
Being a holiday week here in the USA, we didn't expect too many Verizon installers to be on the clock. Even still, Verizon announced that FiOS TV would be headed to three new locales this week. Two of the three are in New York (Rockville Centre and Northport on Long Island) while the other is in the Bay State (Stoughton). Given that Verizon just boosted the high-definition lineup of its fiber-based programming service, we'd say you folks in these locations have even more reason to be excited. For more details on each announcement, venture on into the links below. We'll see you next week -- here's to hoping your neck of the woods gets covered within the next seven days. Read - New York expansionRead - Massachusetts expansion
Verizon's FiOS TV expansions: June 28, 2008
Another week of expansions are in the books, and it looks like just two new locales got the good word this week from Verizon. A meager 347 households in Poquoson, Virginia are one step closer to having access to FiOS TV (service will be turned on this summer), but Verizon did note that it will "make the service available to all households in Poquoson within three years." Further north, we see the town of Stow, Massachusetts approve a video license for the carrier, though it wasn't stated when residents there would be able to order and enjoy any of that fiber-based programming. We'll see you next week -- here's to hoping your neck of the woods gets covered within the next seven days.Read - Poquoson, Virginia expansionRead - Stow, Massachusetts expansion
Verizon's FiOS TV expansions: June 21, 2008
Verizon's simply expanding too quickly for us to dedicate an entire post to each and every new locale, so from here on out, we'll be rounding these up weekly for those who care to take a peek. This week, the operator stretched its fiber-based TV services to Amherst, Hamburg and Lawrence, New York, six more communities in New Jersey and two more towns (Ashland and Plymouth) in Massachusetts. Furthermore, service is finally available to order in North Andover, MA, and if you're looking for more detail on those Garden State areas, we're talking parts of Bayonne, Perth Amboy, Plainfield, Loch Arbour and Lakewood. For more dirt on each, dive into the read links below. We'll see you next week -- here's to hoping your neck of the woods gets covered within the next seven days.Read - New York expansionRead - New Jersey expansionRead - Massachusetts expansion
Comcast delivers 5 new HD channels to Boston
It's about time, wouldn't you agree? Comcast last bolstered Boston's HD lineup in February when it added SciFi HD and Animal Planet HD, but shortly after Beantown claimed its 17th NBA Championship, the carrier has decided to sneak five more into the EPG. As of now, you'll find Disney HD (824), Family Channel HD (826), Science HD (857), AMC HD (859) and TLC HD (867). Not like you'll be able to watch any of 'em until the week-long party subsides, but hey, at least you've got something fresh waiting upon your return.[Thanks, Chad]
Beacon Power hopes to juggle electricity more efficiently
Bay State startup Beacon Power isn't just another wind / solar / hydroelectric outfit. Oh no, this firm is more concerned with reducing the emissions from the energy plants we already have in place. Put simply, the company's 2,800-pound flywheels are used to store and output energy when needed, a service Beacon's CEO is dubbing "frequency regulation." Essentially, said devices will "match power supply to the grid with power demand from the grid," which curbs energy waste and keeps loads in perfect balance. As it stands, the only disclosed expansion plans include more of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, but if it can rope in enough customers, we reckon the sky's the limit. Video after the jump.[Thanks, John]
RCN going all digital in Boston, Massachusetts
RCN already pulled the trigger and shot down any remaining analog stations in Chicago earlier this year, and now the time has come for the same merciless execution to hit Boston. Starting next month, the cable company will be nixing analog channels in order to "make room for more digital channels." Notably, RCN will be offering up converter boxes gratis for those currently without ($2.95 per month for additional ones), although it's estimated that 80% of the carrier's Bay State subscribers are already well equipped for the digital shift. Mum's the word on when this change will enable it to toss in a few more high-def offerings, but here's to hoping it's sooner rather than later.
Cox bringing handful of new HD channels to Rhode Island
Hot enough for you, New England? If you've been scrounging for any reason whatsoever to remain indoors, take a listen at this. The latest Cox New England newsletter has informed its recipients that USA HD, Bravo HD, SciFi HD and AMC HD are on the way (along with one other), and our tipster in Rhode Island was able to confirm. Additionally, CNBC HD was mentioned in the pamphlet, so we'd cautiously assume that it too will surface in the near future. Sadly, no launch dates were given for any of the stations.[Thanks, Allan]Update: RI can expect these on June 18th; CT / MA will have them June 25th. Thanks everyone!
