“Consumers in Allentown now have a better alternative for TV,” said Mary Yarbrough, vice president of marketing and sales operations for Verizon’s Mid-Atlantic region. “Our advanced fiber-optic network was built for HD and super-fast, two-way Internet speeds, giving consumers a choice that is truly different from their current cable TV providers.”

Verizon is initially offering its award-winning FiOS TV service to more than 3,100 households in parts of Allentown, bringing consumers here a wide array of programming, 128 high-definition channels, and more video on demand and faster Internet speeds than old-fashioned cable TV.

Where FiOS TV is available, consumers now can bundle FiOS TV service, FiOS Internet Service and the Verizon Freedom Essentials unlimited calling plan, for as little as $79.99 a month* for the first six months. Consumers also can combine Verizon Wireless service, Freedom Essentials, FiOS TV and FiOS Internet services into money-saving quad-play bundles that cable companies can’t offer.

Verizon’s FiOS TV was ranked highest in the East Region in the J.D. Power and Associates “2009 Residential Television Service Provider Satisfaction Survey” for the second consecutive year. In the television study, FiOS outperformed all competitors measured in overall satisfaction and three factors: performance and reliability, cost of service, and offers and promotions. Verizon’s consumer broadband services also outperform all their competitors when it comes to overall customers satisfaction in the East, according to the J.D. Power and Associates “2009 Internet Service Provider Residential Customer Satisfaction Study” released October 28.

Users can now enjoy iTunes Extras and iTunes LP in stunning fullscreen with their Apple TV, as well as listen to Genius Mixes and Internet radio through their home theater system. The new Apple TV software is available immediately free of charge to existing Apple TV owners, and Apple TV with 160GB capacity is available for just $229.

“The new software for Apple TV features a simpler and faster interface that gives you instant access to your favorite content,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of Internet Services. “HD movies and HD TV shows from iTunes have been a huge hit with Apple TV customers, and with Apple TV 3.0 they get great new features including iTunes Extras, Genius Mixes and Internet radio.”

The redesigned main menu on Apple TV gives instant access to users’ favorite content. Recently rented or purchased movies, as well as other content including TV shows, music, podcasts, photos and YouTube, are accessible directly from the new main menu. The new software also allows Apple TV users to enjoy stunning fullscreen iTunes Extras and iTunes LP, including great new movie titles such as “Star Trek” or classics like “The Wizard of Oz” and albums such as Taylor Swift’s “Fearless (Platinum Edition)” and Jack Johnson’s “En Concert.” iTunes Extras gives movie fans great additional content such as deleted scenes, interviews and interactive galleries. iTunes LP is the next evolution of the music album, delivering a rich, immersive experience for select albums on the iTunes Store by combining beautiful design with expanded visual features like live performance videos, lyrics, artwork, liner notes, interviews, photos, album credits and more.

Now Apple TV users can enjoy Genius Mixes through their home theater system and listen to up to 12 endless mixes of songs that go great together, automatically generated from their iTunes library. Customers can also enjoy Internet radio, allowing them to browse and listen to thousands of Internet radio stations, as well as tag favorite stations to listen to later. Apple TV’s support of HD photos is enhanced with iPhoto Events, which simplifies finding users’ favorite photos on Apple TV, as well as iPhoto Faces, which gives access to photos organized by people identified in iPhoto.

Apple TV users have direct access to a catalog of over 8,000 Hollywood films on iTunes including over 2,000 in stunning HD video available for rent or purchase. Users can also choose from a selection of 11 million songs, 10,000 music videos and over 50,000 TV episodes to purchase directly from their Apple TV or browse and enjoy the iTunes Store podcast directory of over 175,000 free video and audio podcasts. Purchases downloaded to Apple TV are automatically synced back to iTunes on the user’s computer for enjoyment on their Mac or PC or all current generation iPods or iPhones. iPod touch or iPhone users can download the free Remote app from the App Store to control their Apple TV with a simple tap or flick of the finger.

The new Apple TV software is available as a free automatic download to all Apple TV customers. The 160GB Apple TV is available from the Apple Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $229 (US). Apple TV requires an 802.11b/g/n wireless network or 10/100 Base-T Ethernet networking, a broadband Internet connection and a high definition widescreen TV. Video availability varies by country.

Apple TV easily connects to a broad range of widescreen TVs and home theater systems and comes standard with HDMI, component video, analog and optical audio ports. Using high-speed Wi-Fi, Apple TV automatically plays users’ iTunes content without setup or management.

Movie rentals work on iPod classic, iPod nano with video, iPod touch, iPhone, iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

Comcast hasn’t released any details about the project, said to be near the top of the MSO’s priority list. But sources familiar with Excalibur say its aim is to develop a “services overlay” that would put all IP services, including video, into a common provisioning and management system. Sources also say Excalibur will use a form of digital rights management (DRM) for security.

However, a Comcast official said it’s more appropriate to call the work a “natural extension of the work we’re doing” with IP.  Comcast has been using IP for years to deliver voice, Internet access, and even some video applications, the official added.

Comcast is expected to use Excalibur to help it pursue an IPTV strategy that includes personalized, unicast video services – although older, QAM-based video will still factor in for years to come. But the broader vision has Excalibur factoring in with Comcast’s “TV Everywhere” ambitions, which involve delivering IPTV to PCs, smartphones, and myriad other video displays that speak IP.

Industry sources say about 100 employees are involved with Excalibur, with Comcast Interactive Capital president and founding partner Sam Schwartz running point on the project.

Click here to read the full story at lightreading.com.

Quattro Wireless (www.quattrowireless.com), the leading premier global mobile ad network, today announced it is celebrating the company’s third birthday with the release of the first Mobile R.O.I. Report for Brands: Results and Objectives Indexes for Mobile Advertising. The report shows that mobile advertising, once thought of as the medium of mobile personalization advertisers – such as ringtones – has become an effective strategy for brand and premium direct response marketers. Industries that want to reach a broad audience, such as CPGs, Autos, Finance, and Entertainment, are embracing the medium by integrating mobile into their marketing mix and developing innovative and engaging creative, thus driving more consumers to click, respond and buy.

The findings also make it clear – by illustrating that animated ads are twice as effective as text ads, and that expanding ads also drive higher click-throughs – that those marketers and agencies that provide an engaging experience and take advantage of consumer behavior will make the most of their mobile investments. The executive summary of the report can be downloaded at http://quattro.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/10/q2-2009-mobile-roi-report-for-brands.html

As the largest and fastest-growing premium global mobile ad network, Quattro Wireless analyzes more than 10 billion mobile actions each month – ad requests, served impressions, and user actions such as page views, clicks and video plays – to target and optimize ad campaigns and provide insights to marketers and publishers on consumer behavior. In this new report, Quattro has analyzed its over 4 billion ads sold and served per month during Q2 2009 to produce valuable insights for the industry. This data can be used to benchmark campaigns and understand trends in the usage of mobile devices in a rapidly changing market.

Andy Miller, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Quattro Wireless, said, “The entire team at Quattro Wireless is proud of becoming the leading premium global mobile ad network in just three short years. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of Quattro employees, we have built a sustainable business and successful partnerships with many of the world’s largest marketers, agencies and publishers. Today, we are excited to release our first Mobile R.O.I. Report for Brands, which continues to demonstrate our ability to deliver value to our clients and to promote the mobile channel as a critical component of driving ROI for all marketers.”

In addition to bringing new publishers and advertisers into the mobile marketing space, Quattro Wireless has been recognized by its peers and the business community with multiple awards and honors. In 2009, these included: CEO Andy Miller named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2009 in the Emerging Company category in New England; selection as a Northeast 100 Top Private Company by AlwaysOn Media; and selection by the Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange as a finalist for the Mobile 2009 category in the 14th Annual MITX Interactive Awards, for its campaign for the Concha y Toro Xplorador brand of wine.

“We congratulate Quattro Wireless on celebrating three successful years in mobile advertising,” said Phuc Truong, Managing Director of the U.S. for Mobext, a Quattro Wireless client. “Quattro has set a high standard for service and delivering results with their focus on premium inventory and innovation. Given the team’s track record, I am not surprised. They have been a terrific partner to us and our clients.”

“Quattro has been an essential partner in driving mobile advertising success for BrandinHand and our clients for the past three years,” said John Hadl, Founder and CEO of BrandinHand, a Quattro Wireless client. “They have reached this milestone as a leader in the industry because they always go above and beyond to ensure that our campaigns make the most impact on our target audiences. We applaud their release of the first Mobile R.O.I. Report for Brands as part of their ongoing efforts to provide actionable insights that help us better understand the mobile landscape, and we look forward to working with them long into the future.”

Quattro Wireless is the leading global mobile advertising company, empowering advertisers and publishers to reach and engage their target audiences across mobile web, application and video platforms with unrivaled precision, transparency and ROI. Employing Q Elevation dynamic targeting technology to optimize every impression, the company’s ad serving, tracking and analytics platform and global network of sites and applications (many exclusive) deliver superior results. Leading companies including P&G, Ford, NetFlix, Time Inc., Visa, Disney and the NFL partner with Quattro Wireless because the company has turned the art of engaging and converting mobile audiences into a repeatable science.

All Go Forward! partners have access to Digital Channel — a digital marketing solution that makes delivering online content and e-marketing programs simple, consistent and cost-effective. The tool helps to ensure that partners can easily integrate relevant SEN Group content into their own Web sites to provide timely and accurate information about solutions to their customers. It enables partners to run pre-created email marketing campaigns that are automatically co-branded and provides ready-made PDF brochures customized for each partner. With turn-key marketing programs, partners can quickly execute campaigns, allowing them to focus on core business needs, such as supporting customers.

According to ITSMA, Gold Award winners have demonstrated standout performance in improving services marketing as measured by innovation, execution and business results. SEN Group’s advancements to Go Forward! shows innovation in improving relations and communication with its partners and demonstrates the company’s commitment to its partner program.

“Each year, we receive a wide array of impressive submissions for the MEA program, and this year was no exception,” said Dave Munn, President and Chief Executive Officer, ITSMA. “SEN Group’s digital advancements to its Go Forward! program demonstrated true innovation and sound execution with impressive results, making it a standout initiative from the group.”

“We are honored to be recognized by ITSMA for Marketing Excellence,” said Adrian Honey, director of Global Indirect Channel Marketing at SEN Group. “Our partners comprise a crucial element of our business and we value those relationships, and this is why we are committed to the constant improvement and continued investment in the Go Forward! program, particularly with enhancements that help our partners generate more business and improve our mutual success with trusted partners.”

The Marketing Excellence Award program is based on a comprehensive and strategic approach to marketing, recognizing that business success today requires marketers to move beyond the traditional realm of communications into such areas as developing new solutions, increasing sales effectiveness, and managing the customer experience. An international panel of marketing executives and experts selected the winners, which were announced at a special awards ceremony during ITSMA’s 2009 Annual Marketing Conference on October 27 at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel. More information can be found at: http://www.itsma.com/events/marketing-returns/