Rumor confirmed: FiOS TV to add 27 new HD channels in July
By Ben Drawbaugh 
posted Jun 4th 2008 12:21PM
posted Jun 4th 2008 12:21PM
Although rumors from well respected forum posters give us a good reason to get excited, there's nothing quite like getting confirmation from the source. The linked PDF is the FiOS lineup that will be effective next month in Portland and includes 27 new HD channels not currently available to FiOS customers. As you might expect, Verizon had to really shuffle up the lineup -- posted after the jump -- to add this many channels, which now includes just about every HD channel anyone would want; like eight premium movie channels and all the latest cable channels like Sci Fi HD and CNN HD. These new channels will really help propel FiOS from last to first in regards to HD quantity, by over doubling the number of HD channels offered. Unfortunately, there's no word on when the rest of the FiOS customers will have access to these channels, but if you live in a FiOS area, and the analog channels are already gone, there's a good chance they'll come sooner, rather than later. [Warning: PDF read link][Via TampaHDTV.com]
- USA – 550
- TBS – 552
- ESPNews – 572
- Big Ten Network – 585
- Versus/ Golf – 590
- Outdoor – 591
- CNN – 600
- CNBC – 602
- MSNBC – 603
- The Weather Channel – 619
- Science – 622
- Smithsonian – 625
- History – 628
- Animal Planet – 630
- TLC – 639
- Lifetime West – 640
- Lifetime Movie Network West – 642
- Sci-Fi – 680
- MOJO – 682
- Bravo – 685
- Starz Kids and Family – 841
- Starz Comedy – 842
- Starz Edge – 843
- Showtime West – 866
- Showtime 2 – 867
- HBO West – 901
- Cinemax West – 921
I was under the impression that FiOS' national channel lineup is identical throughout the country...
Yes (with exception to the local channels) but with the new channel roll out it wont be the case until all FiOS TV areas are updated.
I for one am looking forward to when Portland (actually the west suburbs of Portland) get this. Rumor is July 9 for Portland but we won't be the first. Indiana FiOS customers are schedule for the near end of June.
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r20584501-New-Channel-Realignment
From the article "... which now includes just about every HD channel anyone would want...).
Not really. Where is Speed channel (you know Formula 1, Moto GP, and just about all the other top racing formats)? How about FX? I'm sure others can be added to this list.
Still glad that they are finally catching up and can't wait for the new lineup to hit the Philly area.
F1 in HD? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
Over Bernie Ecclestone's dead body!
And, Still no FX-HD!
WHAT THE F&*K!!!!!!1!!!!!!!!!1!!!!!!!!!!!1!!!!!!1!!!!!!!11111111111111111one
Epic, epic f*cking fail. Epic....
Be happy you even have FiOS and you're not stuck with a lame-ass company like CableVision.
Agreed... No FX HD seems like a major oversight.
And they promised 30 new HD channels beginning in Spring. Spring is over in about 2 weeks. July is clearly summer time in the Northern Hemisphere.
Couple positives/negatives:
+ Looks like FiOS customers will be getting Starz Kids & Family, Starz Comedy, Starz Edge, and Showtime 2
- Adding HBO West in HD instead of HBO 2 or HBO Comedy (seriously why waste the bandwidth on 3-hour delayed programming? I have two Tivo Series 3's, so this seems like kind of a waste to me.)
Neutrals:
MOJO HD, TBS HD, and SciFi HD. Don't get me wrong, I am glad I will be getting these channels for either the first time ever (in the case of MOJO) or for the first time in HD. But in the last 18 months I got some/all of the following only in standard definition: the MLB playoffs, the NHL playoffs, and Battlestar Galactica. So I would just call this a sour grapes neutral.
Comments:
Outdoor Channel (did this channel used to be the Outdoor Life Network -- OLN?) and Golf Channel are part of the Sports Package. Hi-Def's 500 and 501 are Versus/Golf and Outdoor Channel, respectively.
That's actually quite a big bump in channels... not bad. Can't wait for this to hit Portland soon! =)
FiOS won't even be close to first in content. They're also missing MGM HD, Hallmark Movies, Fox News, F/X, Speed, Fox Business News, all the Voom channels, Tennis HD, etc. Those are the useful ones. They're missing the placeholder channels like World Fishing Network, MTV, Cartoon Network, etc. They may be going from last to ahead of Comcast, but they're not even close to Dish (let alone DirecTV) in number of channels. 50 HD channels was a lot at the beginning of 2007. That's still bottom of the barrel for a multichannel provider in 2008.
Fox News & Fox Business News in HD? Why? What a waste of bandwidth. Who wants to waste an HD channel slot on that right wing propaganda? Does anyone really need to see Bill O's liver spots in HD?
FiOS isn't actually available in Portland, OR proper yet, at least not to anyone I know in the city itself. You can get it in the suburbs outside Portland though. I had to do a quick visit to Verizon's site to double check this when I read this post. I'd love to see Comcast have to compete with FiOS in the city...their service needs a good kick in the @ss.
I think I picked a great time to switch. Between this and Comcast's bandwidth tests, I think a lot of high end customers will switch (and others just get screwed).
Its about damn time! I have FiOS and still have to go to a friends house to see BSG in HiDef! I was seriously thinking about switching to DirectHD, but this could sway me from doing so. It's not like FiOS doesn't have the bandwidth so I don't know whats taking them so long to get these channels!
I can't wait till FiOS comes to Seattle's suburbs!