Verizon Gets CableCards
by Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, 5/19/2008
New York— Verizon Communications’ FiOS TV will join the CableCard set-top club on July 1.
That’s when the telco will be required by the Federal Communications Commission to deploy advanced set-top boxes — those with HDTV and digital video recording features — with separable security components. “We have a separable CableCard-based solution and we’re on track to meet the FCC requirement,” Verizon media relations director Bobbi Henson said.
Unlike many cable operators, Verizon is still allowed to use standard-def set-tops with integrated security features until December 2009.
Motorola, Verizon’s set-top supplier, worked up two new set-tops that fit the bill: The QIP7100 HD and the QIP7216 HD DVR. Based on the company’s DCX cable set-top design, the units provide more processing power than the previous models and support MPEG-4 video, said Evan Groat, Motorola’s director of product management for hybrid set-top boxes.
