GigaOM reports that Verizon has unleashed an iPad app that will allow FiOS subscribers to watch live TV on their tablet devices. Verizon is set to launch this new app early next year, assuming all content partners fall in line. This comes shortly after the announcement that Verizon will broadcast the first NFL game on 3D TV.
There is one major limitation to this new service, though. The software for the iPad is based on the same stuff you find in the set-top boxes connected to the TV’s for the FiOS service. This allows the iPad to authenticate with Verizon and give subscribers access to the service just as it would work for a television. The bad news is that this works by limiting the subscribers range to their local wireless network within their own home. Yes, you read that right, you can watch TV on your iPad as long as you stay in the house.
Verizon CIO Shaygan Kheradpir calls Verizon’s service “cloud TV” and says all the technical work necessary to make this work has already been completed. The last piece of the puzzle is getting content partners comfortable with having their stuff on a device that is not a television.
Time Warner, who has been at the fore-front of services like this in the past, helped develop the application and is one of the content partners. In a demo, Kheradpir showed off live video from CNN on the iPad. While Time Warner is on board, Verizon will wait until other partners are on board before launch.
Verizon had another trick up its sleeve in a video-on-demand service which will allow subscribers to buy and rent videos and watch them across multiple devices and platforms. The service lets users buy content via their set-top box or Verizon.com, which they can download and watch on up to 5 different devices. The service is expected to launch with Droid X, Droid 2, Windows Mobile 6.5 devices, and Blackberry Storm support.
With this new service comes an update of its media manager service. Users get 70GB of cloud storage to keep these purchases and rentals. As the user adds more services, they can increase their storage. This cloud storage is the key to the services.
via Verizon to Put Live TV on the iPad