* FiOS TV turned on in Richmond
Verizon said it has begun delivering FiOS TV in Richmond, Va. FiOS TV is available now to more than 15,000 households in spot areas in the market, with coverage of another 20,000 homes passed due by the end of the year. Separately, Verizon Wireless introduced EV-DO service in Duluth, Minn., Superior, Wis., and Sebring, Fla.
* Thomson milestones: 3M set-tops and 10M cable modems shipped
Thomson has delivered its 3-millionth digital cable TV set-top box and 10-millionth cable modem. Thomson customers include UPC, TV Cabo, E-Vision and Kabel Deutschland in EMEA, Net Servicos in Latin America, StarHub and Dalian Cable TV in Asia, as well as Comcast and Cogeco in North America. The company cited statistics that the worldwide market for cable modems, advanced gateways and set-top boxes is expected to grow by 20% in 2007 as cable operators, responding to competitive pressure, roll out PVRs and high-definition capabilities.
* Downloadable programs getting to be big business
Online sales of TV shows, movies and other prerecorded video will become a billion-dollar business in 2007, which will grow to $5.9 billion by 2010, according to a new report issued by Strategy Analytics. The company believes growth will be spurred by broadband growth and consumer demand, compounded by a growing number of distributors and payment models. Apple’s iTunes is only the beginning, with others including Wal-Mart, Time Warner, and NetFlix to enter the market in the near future.
* Pulse-LINK signs A2E as design center partner
Pulse-LINK is partnering with A2E Technologies in advance of its impending Q1 rollout of an ultra wideband (UWB) chipset. Pulse-LINK’s CWave products are designed to enable whole-home connectivity of HDTV and multimedia content. A2E Technologies is a design center that will provide product and technical development support to Pulse-LINK customers implementing the CWave chipset into consumer products.