Everyone looking into Verizon bundles is likely seeing a few news items mixed in with their results today.  There’s a more product oriented story floating around focused on Verizon FiOS.  However, there’s another story about Verizon’s beloved advertising symbol, “Test Man”.

First, Connected Planet reports Verizon FiOS is increasing the size of its On Demand library to “about 24,000″ titles.  Apparently, there will be 15,000 additional free titles and almost 4,000 will be available in HD.  Plans were also announced to try and sign several more content providers to the ever expanding On Demand library in the coming months.

Then, TV Week posted a story about what ever happened to “Test Man”.  For years, Verizon bundles and cell service were synonymous with, “Can you hear me now?”  Everyone immediately recognized the jacketed, bespectacled “network guy” as the symbol of Verizon’s sturdy, reliable service.   But, as the TV Week article points out, he seems to have been replaced by lightning bolts and radio wave towers.

Well, Verizon has come out and said he didn’t get the axe.  According to TV Week, “Test Man” is still under contract, but he’s all but served his purpose.  Verizon is thought to be reliable and “Can you hear me now?” was a big part of that campaign.  Now, Verizon is all about speed and the lightning does a good job capturing that image.

A recent article from TV Week brought a home a realization, an epiphany, if you will.  The article discusses how the different channels airing the March Madness games are all but sold out of ad space.  March Madness is upon us.  College basketball team will soon be all over your TV.  so you’ve got to ask yourself, is your TV ready for March Madness?

Sure, the physical representation of your TV is in question.  Is your screen large enough to truly enjoy each and every game you can possibly catch over the next month?  Size does matter, but so does quality and that’s where we switch from your actual television to your provider.  Are you setup to catch every game?  Does your provider offer all the channels?  Do you currently subscribe to all those channels?  You better get on the ball.

According to TV Week, Mach Madness college basketball games will be shown on CBS, TBS, TNT, and TruTV.  TruTV?  Yes, college hoops will be shown on the network formerly known as Court TV.   It seems like the majority of those channels would be included in your basic cable channel lineup.  However, your digital switchover box may not tune into every channel.    That may be an error or a glitch in the box, but it  could also be your subscription, or lack thereof.  Either way, it makes sense to call up your provider to make sure you can access all the games no matter the channel.

For that matter, it may be a good time to make the jump from over the air digital signals to subscription based programming.  Depending on you area, you’ll have to decide which product is best for you:  cable TV providers, satellite TV providers or telco based products like AT&T U-Verse or Verizon FiOS.  Whatever you choose, do it soon.  Tipoff is just around the corner.

In an effort to break into one of the fastest growing entertainment sectors in recent history, Amazon has launched its own online video service.  It’s an obvious attempt to try and capture some of the revenue and traffic associated with a service that has been largely dominated by Netflix at this point, but competition seems to bring about the best in innovation.

A letter addressed to customers has been posted on Amazon.  The letter, from Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos,  says Amazon Prime members will have unlimited access to the 5,000 movies and TV shows in the Amazon library.  Amazon Prime membership currently requires a $79 annual fee and allows members to use “free” 2 day shipping on most Amazon products.  The letter also states that Amazon’s online video service will not be an additional fee, so if you’re an Amazon Prime member check it out.

Of course, there are a couple of side notes.  First, if you’re not an Amazon Prime member you can always join.  Second, you’ll need the technology.

In order to stream video through Amazon Prime, you’ll need a high speed Internet connection and a compatible viewing device.  you can see the rather exhaustive list of acceptable devices over at Amazon’s video page.

I heard from a friend, who heard from a friend . . .

Anders Bylund, over at The Motley Fool investing news site, cited Zatz Not Funny as the source for this story picked up from the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).  Apparently, Verizon Director of Consumer Product Development Joe Ambeault told Zatz Not Funny that the future of Verizon TV is the Internet, and only the Internet.  That’s right, Verizon will be IPTV all the time and that could mean cutting the cable TV cord for consumers coast to coast.

For consumers, the move to Verizon IPTV would be relatively painless.  The story claims the majority of the heavy lifting will be on Verizon’s end, so consumers won’t have to make a ton of technology upgrades.  Another plus for consumers would be choice, an option not many have had in the realm of cable TV providers.  If the speculation is correct, an Internet based Verizon TV service could launch coast to coast without the restraints of physical cables and connections.  Your Verizon TV service could technically be piped into your house over your Comcast cable TV or Time Warner Cable high speed Internet connections.

That also means that satellite TV companies like DIRECTV and DISH Network wouldn’t be th only national pay TV players anymore.  I said it yesterday and I’ll say it again today.  These are interesting itmes we live in and we are seeing the future of TV evolve right before our eyes.

The pucks dropped throughout the country last week.  Did you watch your favorite hockey team on opening night?  You could and you don’t even have to leave the house!  With NHL® CENTER ICE® you can watch your favorite team no matter where you live.

So what is NHL® CENTER ICE®?

NHL® CENTER ICE® is the digital sports package from iN Demand that allows you to watch up to 40 “out of area” hockey games per week.  Is it for everyone?  No.  CENTER ICE® is really only for the serious hockey fans.  If you’re content to watch your hometown team, you probably don’t need CENTER ICE®.

However, if you no longer live near your favorite hockey team or if you just can’t get enough ice time CENTER ICE® is just the ticket.  You get access to over 40 games per week with replay games (in case you missed one) and simultaneous viewing with the mosaic channel.

So you may ask yourself, “How do I get NHL® CENTER ICE®?”

Good question.  NHL® CENTER ICE® is available through most cable TV providers, so simply call your local cable TV company and ask for NHL® CENTER ICE®.  Before you know it, you’ll be yelling at refs and banging on the glass all from the comfort of your own living room.

Have you found yourself asking, “Can I get AT&T U-verse in my area?”  If you have, then you probably also asked, “Are customers satisfied with AT&T U-verse?”  Well, the short answer appears to be “yes”.

Accodring to the J.D. Power and Associates’ 2010 Residential Television Service Satisfaction Study^SM, AT&T U-verse was awarded the highest customer satisfaction rating in 3 of 4 survey markets.  Verizon FiOS won the award in the Eastern survey market.

The survey also points out another interesting fact.  The fiber optic, satellite and cable TV providers are not immune to the recent economic woes.  The survey reports a notable decline in satisfaction with the cost of service over last year.  According to the J.D. Power and Associates’ press release, “Customer satisfaction with the cost of television service averages 541 on a 1,000-point scale in 2010, down 14 points from 555 in 2009. Customers of traditional cable providers are particularly dissatisfied with their cost of service. Satisfaction with fairness of prices paid among cable customers is 22 percent lower than among customers of telephone company providers (such as AT&T and Verizon) and 18 percent lower than among customers of satellite providers (such as DIRECTV and DISH).”

See for yourself.  You can compare plans, prices and providers y entering your address in the “Savings Widget” at the top of the page.

In today’s edition of “Get to Know Your Service Providers”, we’ll discuss Charter Communications, Inc.   Charter is currently the  fourth largest cable service provider in the country, providing phone, TV, Internet and bundles to over 5 million customers in 27 states.  Through its Charter Telephone® service, Charter is also the tenth largest landline provider in the country.

You’re in good hands if Charter high speed Internet is what you’re after.  On its website, Charter claims Internet connection speeds up to 20 mbps nationwide with up to 60 mbps in select markets through its Charter High-Speed® Internet Ultra.

Charter cable TV packages come with a variety of options and features, like:  HD channels, thousands of On Demand titles, premium channels and sports packages.

To see if you can Charter phone, TV, Internet in your area just enter your address in the “Savings Widget” at the top of the page.  You can compare plans and prices and sign up online free of charge.

In an attempt to keep you, the consumer, informed of service provider capabilities, Allconnect will be publishing periodic service provider “reviews”.  It’s not an attempt to sway your buying power toward one provider over another.  It’s simply our way of letting you know what’s available in your area.

Going alphabetically, we’ll start by looking at AT&T U-verse® and AT&T bundles.

The latest in a long line of innovation, AT&T U-verse® is AT&T’s latest bundle and its direct answer to the cable bundle.  Marketed as the “evolution of TV”, AT&T U-verse® operates like a traditional phone, TV, Internet bundle by offering a combined solution with advanced digital TV, high speed Internet, and digital phone service.   However, AT&T U-verse® relies on its sophisticated home network to deliver the different services throughout your home.

Using a blend of fiber optics and AT&T’s advanced digital network, AT&T U-verse® actually delivers your phone and television over the Internet.  Officially called Internet Protocol Television, IPTV allows you to accept standard and hi-def broadcasts over your existing phone line.  Similarly, your digital phone service uses Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP.  However, AT&T U-verse® differs from many VoIP services by allowing you to use your existing phones and phone number.   Like its high speed Internet, the entire system operates from a central router that delivers the signal throughout your home.

You can find out if AT&T U-verse® is available in your area by entering your address in the “Savings Widget” at the op of the page.

Who offers the best home TV service?  The debate has lingered on for years.  So which product is truly better in the ongoing battle of cable TV vs satellite TV and fiber optic TV?  There are certainly a lot of opinions, but what about the facts?

ChangeWave Research, an independent research firm specializing in consumer spending behavior, recently surveyed over 5000 television service customers to gain insight into customer loyalty in the TV marketplace.  It may shock you to learn that, of those surveyed, fiber optic TV customers appear to be most satisfied with their TV service.  A whopping 44% claimed to be “very satisfied” with their TV service providers, compared to 27% of satellite customers and only 14% cable TV subscribers.

Verizon topped the actual provider ratings for overall satisfaction, with Brighthouse and AT&T U-verse coming in 2nd and 3rd.  DIRECTV placed 4th in overall satisfaction.

When speaking about provider ratings, the ChangeWave report states, “Importantly, when we break out the results by type of provider a clear trend emerges. Fiber-Optic customers exhibit the lowest churn rate (only 6% say they’ll switch), considerably better than their Satellite (10%) and Cable counterparts (12%).”

It would appear that fiber optic TV, like Verizon FiOS, is the clear leader when it comes to TV service.  However, fiber optic TV still suffers a serious availability issue.  Products like Verizon FiOS simply don’t have the coverage area available to satellite TV providers or even cable TV companies.  Fiber optic TV may appear to be a superior product with better customer service, but it simply isn’t available everywhere.  That lack of coverage area may very well turn out to be the Achilles heal of fiber optic TV.

Still, cable TV and satellite TV appear to have the most visible battle.  Fiber optic TV is all but left out of the picture when cable and satellite battle for consumer dollars.  So which is better, cable TV or satellite TV?

Well, the answer is ultimately up to you.  They carry roughly the same programming with comparable pricing and features.  The nonsense about weather messing up the satellite signal has been all but put to rest, for the most part.  Yes, crazy storms can interfere with your satellite TV, but those same storms can also knock out your cable TV.   In the end, the debate over which is better, cable TV or satellite TV, is best left up to your personal preference.

Who has the channel line up and hardware you most prefer?  Who can best meet your budget requirements?  Which service is ultimately right for you and your household?