Verizon Redefines Customers' TV Viewing Experience in Pittsburgh; New FiOS Quantum TV Service Provides More DVR Choices, Storage and Control

PITTSBURGH – For FiOS TV customers in the Pittsburgh area, their TV viewing experience will never be the same as Verizon introduces FiOS Quantum TV, which provides more choices and control, including the ability to record up to 12 shows at once; pause and rewind live TV on any TV in the home; and store up to 200 hours of HD programs.

This advanced TV-entertainment experience, which was launched in the area today, is enabled by enhanced DVR control and storage and builds upon Verizon’s successful Quantum Internet service. With FiOS Quantum TV, Pittsburgh area customers following the Penguins’ upcoming hockey playoff run and quest for the Stanley Cup can record and watch

every playoff game or they can record dozens of episodes of their favorite TV shows – all in high definition, giving them more control and more storage to enjoy their content in ways they never could before.

“There’s a saying that innovation is anything but business as usual, and at Verizon, we’ve taken that spirit of innovation to a whole new level with the introduction of FiOS Quantum TV in Pittsburgh,” said Tim Smith, Verizon region president for consumer and mass business operations for Pennsylvania/Delaware. “Just as Verizon raised the bar for Internet speeds with its FiOS Quantum Internet service, Verizon once again is raising the bar for TV service, with FiOS Quantum TV.”

Pittsburgh is one of the first markets where Verizon is bringing FiOS Quantum TV to its customers. The new service was launched last week in North Texas and Harrisburg, Pa., and will roll out in phases over the next few months in other markets where FiOS TV is offered.

In 2007, Verizon launched Fios in Pittsburgh, and the service is available to nearly 500,000 households and business across nearly 90 communities. In the city of Pittsburgh, Verizon has continued to expand the availability of FiOS TV and is on track to bring FiOS to all 88 city neighborhoods by the fall of 2015. 

FiOS Quantum TV features two advanced tiers of DVR service, known as Premium and Enhanced. The Premium Service allows customers to record up to 12 shows at the same time and store up to 200 hours of HD programming, with two terabytes of storage space. This is a major increase over the current DVR service, which allows customers to simultaneously record two shows and store up to 50 hours of HD programming. With the Enhanced Service, customers can record up to six shows simultaneously and store up to 100 hours of HD programming with one terabyte of storage space.

Both tiers of service will allow customers to control live TV in any room and start watching a show in one room, pause, move to another room and continue watching exactly where they left off, which ensures they never miss a second of the program they are watching.

Growth Pains of Traditional DVR Gave Birth to FiOS Quantum TV Service

“By listening to our customers, we’re doing for TV what we did for the Internet with the launch of FiOS Quantum service,” said Bob Mudge, president of the consumer and mass business unit of Verizon. “We’re delivering the best, most satisfying TV experience to customers with features and functionality they want such as more choice, storage and control.

“Expanded storage space means FiOS Quantum TV customers can store full seasons of shows they want to watch and binge on,” said Mudge. “More storage, more recording capabilities and more in-home viewing control enhance the TV viewing experience.”

Currently, more than one-third of all TV viewed is recorded content, and adoption of DVR capabilities has grown roughly 60 percent over the past five years. Simultaneous-recording conflicts have also grown as a major source of frustration among viewers of all ages.

According to the latest Verizon FiOS Innovation Index survey 78 percent of respondents nationwide want more DVR storage capacity to record and save more TV programs and movies.  Survey responses also revealed that 63 percent want more tuners so everyone can watch and record live TV when they want; 63 percent want to watch DVR-recorded programs on every TV in the house; and 57 percent want to pause, rewind and fast forward live TV programs on every TV in the house.

“FiOS Quantum TV delivers more control, storage and entertainment in a powerful way for people, and will transform the TV viewing experience,” Mudge added.

Smaller, Sleeker Equipment Delivers More Functionality

FiOS Quantum TV customers will use a next-generation set-top box known as a Video Media Server, which is smaller than the existing set-top box and acts as the brains of the FiOS Quantum TV setup.

Each Media Server, connected to one TV, serves as the hub for up to five TVs in a home.  Each of four additional TVs can be connected to a Media Client, a compact companion device that communicates with the Media Server. The Premium Service, using two Video Media Servers, can connect up to 10 TVs and is ideal for the viewing needs of a household with six or more TVs.

While many existing customers’ FiOS broadband home routers are compatible with FiOS Quantum TV, certain routers must be replaced. If needed, the required FiOS broadband home router will be supplied at no additional charge to existing FiOS TV customers who are using a Verizon-provided router and who upgrade to FiOS Quantum TV service.

FiOS Quantum TV Pricing

As with current FiOS TV set-top box equipment, the FiOS Quantum TV equipment will be rented and not purchased by customers.

A new FiOS Quantum TV customer with five TVs who orders the Enhanced Service would pay $10 more per month than the charge for standard FiOS TV using a traditional multi-room DVR;  a new customer with five TVs who orders the Premium Service would pay $20 more per month.

To learn more about FiOS Quantum TV, visit https://www.verizon.com/home/mlp/fios-dvr/. As the service rolls out to more markets, customers will be able to order by using the existing FiOS TV interactive media guide on their TV.

Current FiOS TV customers who want to upgrade to FiOS Quantum TV and self-install the new equipment will incur a one-time, $24.99 upgrade fee, plus tax. While the upgrading is quick and easy, existing and new FiOS TV customers can elect to have a Verizon technician install the service.

FiOS Quantum Internet, which delivers the nation’s fastest, most consistent and reliable Internet service at speeds as high as 500/100 megabits per second, was launched in 2012. At the end of 2013, nearly one-half of all FiOS Internet customers subscribed to a FiOS Quantum speed of 50/25 Mbps or faster, and Verizon had 6.1 million FiOS Internet and 5.3 million FiOS TV subscribers.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America’s most reliable wireless network, with nearly 103 million retail connections nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America’s most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries. A Dow 30 company with more than $120 billion in 2013 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of 176,800. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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