Services: New TV Options for Living Rooms and Cell Phones
Emerging services deliver TV programming either in streams (much like live TV) or as downloads on request.
| AT&T U-verse TV | Live programming | Set-top | San Antonio, TX | AT&T's offering will feature more than 200 digital channels, plus on-screen Caller ID and the ability to record four different programs simultaneously. Pricing and future availability were unavailable at press time. |
| Verizon FiOS TV | Live programming | Set-top | Boston; Dallas; New York; Southern California; Tampa, FL; Washington, DC | Base package provides 180 channels of digital TV, including 22 HD and 47 music channels, for around $35 a month. Add monthly fees for the set-top box as follows: $3.95 for standard definition, $9.95 for high definition, and $12.95 for HD DVR. |
| Akimbo | Download | Set-top or Windows Media Center PC | Nationwide | Akimbo has an easy TiVo-like interface and lots of mainstream content, including programs like Fawlty Towers and National Geographic specials. Besides the $70 set-top box and $10 monthly fee, most shows require an additional on-demand charge between 50 cents and $4. |
| Dave TV | Streaming and download | Set-top or PC | Nationwide | Much of Dave TV is free (that is, ad-supported) and downloadable to portable devices as well as to your PC or set-top box ($100 to $200). But the content is weird and hard to find, and on-demand programs cost from 50 cents to $25 apiece. |
| ITVN | Streaming | Set-top | Nationwide | If you love obscure sports, old B-movies, and adult fare, ITVN might be for you. The service costs $5 a month, plus $100 for the set-top box. Lacrosse TV and XTV Network (adult) cost an additional $10 and $30, respectively. |
| MobiTV | Streaming | Phone | U.S., UK, Canada | For $10 a month, MobiTV streams live and packaged content from 30-plus channels, from CNN to ESPN to Toonworld, to your phone. Alltel, Cingular, Sprint, and some regional carriers offer the service; you'll need a phone capable of displaying high-quality video. |
| Verizon Vcast | Live programming and download | Phone | 181 U.S. metro areas | Service beams music, video, and 3D games to your Verizon cell phone for $15 a month (plus on-demand fees). |
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