Long awaited update: 26 new HD channels coming to FiOS in July

I'm pretty busy, so I'll have to keep this short... but it looks like good times are coming. FiOS subscribers have had no new word on when to expect new HD channels since we were told "Spring 2008" about 9 months ago. Rumor has it that we (well most of us...) will be watching 48 new SD channels and 26 new HD channels before the end of July. Here's a list of what we can expect on the HD side:

1. Animal Planet HD
2. TBS HD
3. ESPNews HD
4. Big Ten Network HD
5. The History Channel HD
6. MOJO HD
7. CNN HD
8. The Learning Channel HD
9. Showtime Too HD East
10. Cinemax West HD
11. The Science Channel HD
12. Showtime HD West
13. HBO West HD
14. The Weather Channel HD
15. Starz Edge HD
16. USA HD
17. Versus / Golf HD
18. Starz Comedy HD
19. Bravo HD
20. CNBC HD
21. Starz Kids and Family HD
22. Outdoor Channel HD
23. SCI FI HD
24. Lifetime HD East
25. Smithsonian HD
26. Pay Per View HD (Events)

Head over to Engadget HD for more details. I apologize for the quick post, but it looks like the end to our HD drought is in sight!

Poll Results: What is a reasonable price for HD VOD movies?

Our results from the most recent poll are in. The response wasn't huge, but one thing is clear: Verizon needs to lower the prices for HD VOD movies. As further proof that my gripes about the per-movie price weren't crazy, it seems that 100% of respondents agreed with me that a reasonable price is somewhat lower than $5.99:

$2.99 - 2 (33%)

$3.99 - 3 (50%)

$4.99 - 1 (16%)

I could see paying $6-a-pop if you could store the movie on your DVR and watch it over again later. But, as it stands, I can't justify the price. Big V needs to realize... Times are tight, and I've gotta pay for gas and stockpiled rice.

FiOS rate hikes on the way

The economy is slowing down, and your expenses are going up. With growing prices for gas and groceries, at least you don't have to worry about paying more for your FiOS, right? Wrong. Verizon has definite plans for rate hikes in the second quarter of 2008. No specifics on what the new rates will be, but here's a rundown of the average uppage from last time:

Verizon just increased the price of the primary FiOS TV programming package for new subscribers, as of Jan. 20. The 200-channel FiOS TV Premier package now costs $47.99 per month for new customers, compared with $42.99 for customers who signed up last year.

And a year before that, it upped the rates for the Premier package from $39.95 to $42.99 for new customers as of Jan. 8, 2007.

So you'd best start pinching your pennies if you want to keep that HBO package. And it might be worth putting a few pennies away just in case that MLB Extra Innings package ever becomes available this season.

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Will Kern over at 15 Meanings has a post up where he vents about his troubles with the FiOS HD DVR. I can definitely feel his pain... if a DVR glitch had kept me from seeing Neil Diamond week on American Idol, I'd be livid. But Will is definitely not alone.

I've seen some degree of flakiness from my DVR, especially in the series management. About half way into the John Adams series on HBO, my box decided that the future episodes were not part of the same series and did not schedule them for recording. I noticed in time and set the DVR to record the second half as it's own series. In my series manager, John Adams was listed twice. Weird, eh? I know a number of my neighbors have had even more serious issues, too.

There are definitely some annoyances with the DVR... but is it worth going the Tivo/cable card route? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.