FiOS TV has gone live in Texas with a huge selection of digital channels and VOD at very competitive prices. Verizon plans to expand service into Florida, California, and Virginia later this year. FiOS TV uses Verizon’s fat pipe fiber optics to provide IPTV via a set-top box.

Verizon says: FiOS TV subscribers will enjoy 100 percent digital programming, as well as access to a large selection of video-on-demand content. Expanded Basic delivers more than 180 video and music channels for $39.95 a month. This tier includes access to 600 on-demand titles now, with 1,800 by year end. This service requires a standard-definition set-top box or a high-definition set-top box for HD channels. Verizon offers three set-top boxes: standard definition for $3.95 per month; high definition, which includes HD channels, for $9.95 per month; and a digital video recorder set-top box with HD channels for $12.95 per month.

Diego’s Moxi Media Center, a dual tuner HD DVR, has integrated its existing Telephone functionality into UniTV’s cable services platform. Meaning you’ll be able to access your cable provider’s VoIP services, such as callerID and voicemail, directly through your set-top box.

Moxi says: �Interoperability with UniTV allows deployment of Moxi Telephone on a much wider scale,� said Bert Kolde, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Digeo, Inc. �Now operators can provide Moxi Telephone over both VoIP and traditional voice networks, allowing them to offer attractive bundling packages and potentially increase average revenue per user.�

In other Moxi news, Diego filled both their CEO and COO positions with seasoned Sony executives last month. Here’s to hoping these guys can speed up cable provider adoption of the Moxi platform.

Verizon’s FiOS TV has only been approved in a handful of jurisdictions, but that hasn’t stopped them from moving forward with content deals. Today Verizon inked a major agreement with Disney.

Verizon definitely needed ESPN to compete with traditional cable providers and satellite TV… And now they can - ssuming they get cleared to provide television service in more regions. Oh how I dream of the day that I can dump Comcast.

Verizon says: Under the agreement, Verizon will carry 12 television services on Verizon FiOS TV’s expanded basic, including ABC Family, ABC News Now, Disney Channel, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPNU, ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD, Toon Disney and SOAPnet. Verizon will also be granted retransmission consent of ABC’s owned and operated television stations as part of the agreement.

In a strange turn of events, Tivo is no longer accepting orders for DVR units via phone or web. Unconfirmed posts suggest the company they outsource sales duties to has folded. Upon calling 1-877-BUY-TIVO a recording informed me, We are currently experiencing technical difficulties. Please visit our website. However, potential web customers are being directed to Order at Best Buy and informed that we are temporarily unable to offer gift subscriptions. Furthermore Tivo no longer has an outlet to sell Tivo-branded accessories, such as replacement remotes, and is unable to fulfill TivoRewards.

A year after announcing a partnership with Netflix, Tivo quietly updated their online account management tool this week allowing us to Enable Video Downloads.

Tivo says: Use this setting to enable a DVR to download TV shows, movies, and other video content from the TiVo service over your broadband Internet connection. Specific program offerings will vary from time to time and may not be available to all subscribers. You can turn this setting on or off at any time without charge. Changes to this setting take up to 24 hours to take effect. Your TiVo DVR must be connected to the Internet via broadband in order to download video.