EVERETT — Have you ever gotten to work only to realize you’d forgotten to set up recording for your favorite TV show?
If you have Verizon FiOS television service, you’re covered. Simply log on to Verizon’s Web site, where you can access your digital video recorder and program your show.
That’s one of the new enhancements to its FiOS service that Verizon revealed Monday. The company introduced its television service in Snohomish and north King counties last September. But Verizon is continuing to improve the service with new features, including interactive widgets, advanced search functions and Web-based interaction.
To compete with major cable companies, Verizon has invested billions of dollars in its fiber-to-home national network. The company provides at least 100 high-definition channels to each service area along with high-speed Internet and digital telephone service. Verizon’s FiOS TV has about 2.2 million subscribers nationally.
The company is improving its FiOS service at a time when Americans are opting for entertainment at home rather than a night on the town.
“People are tending to spend more on home entertainment,” said Jon Davies, a Verizon spokesman.
FiOS’ new features will make it easier for customers to get more out of their service. For example, Verizon’s widgets allow consumers to monitor a variety of media while watching television. The daily news widget streams local news headlines in a box at the top of the screen. Click a button to scroll through a story. The traffic, sports and weather widgets work in the same manner.
Can’t make it to a Wednesday night gathering to watch “Lost” with your friends? You can still catch your friends weighing in on the show through FiOS’ Twitter widget, which streams tweets about a program while you watch it.
“It will be edited for explicit content,” said Eric Rabe, Verizon’s senior media relations vice president.
FiOS also offers Facebook and fantasy football widgets, which lets you monitor your Facebook page or fantasy football team while watching television.
An improved search function will let consumers sort through movie and TV offerings by different categories like drama, comedy, romance. Love Brad Pitt? Search for every program that’s available — movies on TV, on-demand movies, television program about the actor.
“We put a lot of time and effort into figuring out how the search function should work,” Rabe said.
Verizon’s FiOS also is able to pull videos and pictures from your computer and let you watch or sift through them on your television.
Verizon offers its FiOS service in high-population areas of Snohomish County, such as Everett, Edmonds, Lynnwood and Mukilteo.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
