IPTV

Comcast Corp. has announced plans to acquire Plaxo, a move that will help power the cable giant’s SmartZone site. Adding Plaxo will give Comcast’s triple-play subscribers a central location from which to send and receive e-mails and instant messages, and check voice mail online. The value and terms of the deal were not disclosed. Buying Plaxo, which already worked with ...

EchoStar Technologies LLC a subsidiary of EchoStar Corp., today introduced the CableLabs-certified DOCSIS 2.0 SlingModem, which combines cable modem functionality with the place-shifting video viewing capabilities of the Slingbox. The move marked EchoStar’s entry into the cable industry. Earlier this year, EchoStar spun-off from DISH Network Corp., retaining its set-top box business and certain infrastructure assets. EchoStar bought Sling Media last ...

Three independent Wisconsin telcos have partnered to provide shared headend services so they can avoid the capital expense of buying pricey equipment and less expensively roll out IPTV services. The venture, MidWest Video Solutions LLC, was formed by Midwest Telnet, based in Westby; Tri-County Telcom, based in Strum; and Wisconsin Independent Network, based in Eau Claire. Avoiding large capital expenditures ...

While telcos generally are thought to know precious little beyond who their residential customers call, operators are learning more as they deploy content services to a wider audience. And companies powering development of access devices, lacking even basic customer calling info, are taking more aggressive and extreme measures to find out what consumers really want. A case in point is ...

Verizon Communications Inc. has offered a glimpse into the post-launch life of the multi-room digital video recorder (DVR) service that it offers with its FiOS, video-driven triple-play package. Introduced last August, Multi-Room DVR lets FiOS subscribers watch a recorded show in one room while someone else uses the same DVR in another room, without each having to have its own ...