Verizon Launches Interactive TV Traffic Widget with Live Camera Views of Major New York City Roads

Verizon FiOS TV has launched an interactive TV widget that is designed to give its customers in the New York City Metro area (i.e. New York City, Long Island, the northern suburbs and northern New Jersey) a closer view of that city's current traffic conditions. The widget, which is called "NYC 311" and which Verizon says was developed in partnership with New York City itself, provides viewers with live camera views of conditions on major roads in all five of the city's boroughs: viewers first use a menu to select the borough whose traffic conditions they are interested in viewing; and then refine their selection by using their remote's arrow and "OK" keys to choose between quadrants superimposed on the map of that borough, and to then select the specific camera from that quadrant whose live feed they wish to view. The app also allows them to save specific camera views to "favorites."

According to Verizon, the application will shortly be expanded to provide additional informational services for New York City.

In other Verizon news: The company last week announced that the FiOS TV VOD library now offers 18,000 titles per month, which it claims is twice the amount of VOD content offered by the US's largest cable provider, Comcast (note: Comcast disputes Verizon's claim; its response--via the pages of Multichannel News--can be seen here; Verizon's response to Comcast's response, can be seen here). The company also says that, in recent months, it has added around 1,000 new HD titles to FiOS TV's VOD line-up, providing subscribers with over 2,400 HD programs per month. Recent additions to its VOD service, according to the company, include HD programming from HBO, Cinemax, Starz and The Movie Channel; an additional 140 hours of movies-on-demand from Encore; programming from MavTV, a channel that targets a male demographic with programs on wrestling, fishing, roller derby and gaming; and two services from Sony--Minisodes, which offers condensed versions of previously broadcast full-length TV shows, and Crackle, which offers broadcast TV shows and original series.

Verizon also says that FiOS TV VOD will shortly add programming from BBC America; HD programming from IFC, WE TV and AMC; and a new TV channel called Halogen that targets "socially conscious individuals with empowering entertainment."