Verizon Extends Media Manager Service and Remote DVR Management by Mobile to More Customers

In a posting on a Verizon blog, Monday, the company's SVP of media relations, Eric Rabe, revealed that it will later this week announce that it is opening up--at no extra charge--its Media Manager service to any FiOS TV and Internet customer who also has a DVR. The service was previously available only to subscribers to the company's Home Media multi-room DVR service who were also subscribers to its Internet service. It allows FiOS TV customers to use their TV to view personal photos, play music and stream videos from a PC, and also lets them use their TV to search and watch online videos from Blip.tv, Dailymotion and Veoh.

Rabe also said that Verizon will announce this week that all FiOS TV DVR users will be able to use Internet-enabled mobile phones to manage their DVR's remotely--a service that was also previously available only to Home Media DVR subscribers. The service--a Web-based version of which has been available to all FiOS TV DVR customers for some time now--allows users to, among other things, review, change, or add recording requests; delete recorded programs; browse and search linear-TV and VOD listings; and set parental controls.

According to Verizon, in addition to allowing customers to access content stored on their PC, Media Manager can find content on flash drive- or SD memory card-equipped connected mobile phones, digital cameras and portable media players, if those devices are connected to a computer's USB port. The service can be activated by FiOS TV DVR and Internet subscribers by signing into their Verizon.net account and then downloading Media Manager software to their computer and following activation instructions. Once it is activated, subscribers select a "Media Manager" option on the FiOS TV Interactive Media Guide in order to use it.

In other Verizon FiOS TV news: The company announced Monday that it has expanded the service's VOD line-up via new deals with Rainbow Media-owned AMC, HSN, Disney Family Movies, 20th Century Fox, Univision, Cinetic Film Buff, American Pop Classics and the Dew Tour. According to the company, AMC's new FiOS TV VOD offerings include "The Prisoner" and "Mad Men"; HSN's include home shopping content in such categories as beauty, fashion and jewelry, health and wellness, and electronics; Disney Family Movies' include classic and contemporary movies as well as animated shorts, all of which are refreshed weekly (note: the subscription-based service is priced at $5.99 per month); American Pop Classics' include previews and clips, as well as full-length feature films from the 1940's through the 1970's (note: the service offers several free movies each month); Cinetic Film Buff's include independent films in HD and SD; 20th Century Fox's include new-release HD titles (it already offers a range of SD titles on FiOS TV); Univision's include programs (such as sports, family and lifestyle programming, series and dramas, movies, reality TV shows and news) from its three linear networks, Univision, TeleFutura and Galavision; and the Dew Tour's include SD and HD coverage of skateboarding, BMX and freestyle motocross (note: Verizon says that new content will be added over the course of the five-month tour, which ends in October). Verizon claims that FiOS TV's VOD service now offers over 15,000 titles per month, 70% of which are free and 1,400 of which are in HD.