Probably hoping to avoid our prediction of possibly getting old over time, Comcast is introducing a new wrinkle for the 2009 Holiday spectacular on its $22 million 2,000 sq ft high-definition video wall -- 3D. It's the first time this has played on the wall, with a 19 minute video (embedded after the break) complete with scenes of rural PA and downtown Philadelphia. Stop by the Comcast Center between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. to grab some complementary 3D specs and check it out.

The only thing we love more than analysts and surveys is content providers bickering over each other's ridiculous PR claims and none are as fun as when Comcast is involved. Avid readers are all too familiar with Comcast's strategy to give up on the linear channel race and instead focus on VOD "options" no matter how silly it makes them look to those in the know. What really makes this particular situation interesting is that Comcast doesn't appreciate it when another provider, like Verizon FiOS, gets in on the action when it recently claimed it offered 3 times as many VOD offerings a month as the nation's largest provider. Comcast claims this is just not true and there are actually at least 17,000 VOD titles available in most markets. If that is news to you, then you aren't the only one as Verizon blasts back with "I'm surprised that Comcast wouldn't talk about these numbers in their PR and advertising. We make sure to let our customers know when we're adding more to their service." Too true, Verizon, too true. Honestly we couldn't care less about VOD because we're in the small group of CableCARD users, but there's no way we could turn away from a train wreck like this.

What's up with Philadelphia and all these HD displays? Not only is the City of Brotherly Love home to a gigantic 27- x 87- display at the Comcast Center, but it's about to be home to a swank 16- x 26-foot Daktronics HD LED video projection screen. Said display will be arriving at the Piazza At Schmidt's, a multi-use venue in the Northern Liberties neighborhood. The grand opening is scheduled for May 15th - 16th, 2009, and it will supposedly host up musical artists, street fairs and all manners of other performances. So here's the heads-up you needed to block out that weekend and check it out, cool?

[Thanks, RSR]

RCN's Analog Crush initiative has been steamrolling for a few months now, and according to the cable carrier, the elimination of old school analog is all but complete in its major markets. By the end of January, RCN anticipates 100% digital penetration in the Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and Chicago markets, which will free up spectrum in order to get more HD (and SD, and international) programming onto the EPG. In fact, the company is hoping to surpass 100 high-definition channels by March, which makes us wonder why every other cable company out there isn't on this very same warpath.

[Image courtesy of TJooning]

While citizens in the Philly suburbs of Willow Grove / Montgomery and Bucks Counties received these three last month, Comcast decided to wait awhile before bestowing them upon the residents of Philadelphia proper. As of now, USA HD, Discovery HD and SciFi HD have all been added, and if you're parked in the City of Brotherly Love, you can find 'em on slots 222, 224 and 226, respectively. The full release is after the break.

Ha, wow. This stuff is too rich to make up. We already knew that Comcast was blowing smoke by claiming that it had more HD material (than Verizon) that mere mortals actually cared about, but this is just incredible. A new report straight from Philadelphia makes clear that a practically imminent vote to give Verizon a 15-year lease to wire the city up for FiOS TV has been abruptly halted, and Comcast is largely to thank. Purportedly, lobbyists for the carrier swarmed the council chambers yesterday and managed to convince them to take another month or so to reconsider. Among the issues brought up were that another carrier wouldn't necessarily lead to lower prices and that Verizon would likely wire up higher income neighborhoods first / only. Thanks Comcast -- we bet even Adam Smith would agree that no competition is better than competition you find unfavorable.

[Via DSLReports]

Philadelphia residents, NBC 10 loves you. We mean, it really digs you. So much, in fact, that it has taken to heart all those surely kind letters you've sent in over the past few months regarding high-def news. Starting tonight, The City of Brotherly Love has another place to turn for high-definition newscasts, and that place is NBC 10. Reportedly, the station has been constructing an HD studio for months, and it has just now taken the wraps off of everything. Enjoy, Philly, and let us know if you're pleased in comments below.

And by "exchange words," we mean "get seriously agitated and spout off at one another." As Verizon comes down the home stretch on a deal that would give it a 15-year agreement to offer programming services in the City of Brotherly Love, rival Comcast is quaking in its boots. After proclaiming that a huge chunk of Verizon's HD options were just "program fillers on blow-drying hair, kissing, grilling a hamburger, folding a pillowcase, chopping garlic, and other mundane topics," Verizon hit back by insinuating that Comcast was just "desperate." In a fit of stupidity, Comcast produced figures showing that it had a total of 1,304 HD choices in the area compared to Verizon's 1,057; what it failed to mention was the 37 versus 104 (respectively) number that describes the huge gap in linear HD channels between the two carriers. Oh Comcast, when will you ever stop making yourself look silly?

[Via BroadbandReports]

After a light week a week ago, Verizon has taken it pretty easy the past seven days too with just a handful of new FiOS TV expansions. Kicking things off are video franchise approvals in Danvers, Massachusetts and Lackawanna / Atlantic Beach, New York. Next, we're reassured that everyone's working as hard as possible to bring the fiber-based programming service to the City of Brotherly Love. Keep at it, folks -- we'll see you here next week. Same time (roughly), same place (definitely).

Read - Massachusetts expansion
Read - New York expansion
Read - Philadelphia expansion

Verizon's not slacking off as the run-up to the holiday season continues -- probably because folks are apt to have all sorts of free TV watching time here in the next month or so -- so we'll get right down to the releases. Up first are the towns of Middleton, Massachusetts, and the corporately-stacked Wilmington, Delaware, which have just granted the company a video license. Next, we head to the Pacific Northwest to see that Camas, Washington and Gresham, Oregon have agreed to do the same. Finally, we're told that Philadelphia-area residents are being treated to 30 new channels (17 of which are in high-def). That's it for this week -- we'll see you back again in seven days for (hopefully) even more.

Read - Philadelphia channels
Read - Washington expansion
Read - Massachusetts expansion
Read - Oregon expansion
Read - Delaware expansion

It's been a slow week for FiOS TV expansions, but we suppose the hard-working individuals responsible for 233,000 new net customers in Q3 deserve a little rest and relaxation before getting back to the grind. Up first we have the Tampa Bay, Florida area getting gifted with a new wave of interactive features on their DVRs. Next, we see three more Trump (yes, that Trump) Properties receiving FiOS TV and high-speed internet services, and if you're curious as to which ones we're referring to, they are: Trump Parc, Trump Parc East and 610 Park Avenue. Lastly, we're notified that Verizon and the City of Brotherly Love (or Philadelphia, if you prefer) are working together to grant the carrier a cable franchise; if passed, Verizon would work to deploy its fiber-based network throughout the region over seven years. That's it for this week, so we'll see you back again in seven days for (hopefully) even more.

Read - Tampa Bay
Read - Trump Properties
Read - Philadelphia

Shortly after hearing that Comcast SportsNet would be broadcasting an awful lot of Washington Capitals in HD this upcoming season, along comes this. Philadelphia residents should be in high-def heaven for the foreseeable future, being that Comcast SportsNet has just vowed to deliver "all Flyers, Sixers and Phillies games -- home and away, regular season and playoff -- in high-definition for the first time." Fans will also be treated to high-def versions of pre- and post-game shows, and if you're interested in some exact figures, you'll see 64 Flyers and 69 Sixers games, all in high definition, beginning with the Saturday, October 11 Flyers vs. New York Rangers tilt and the Wednesday, October 29 Sixers vs. Toronto Raptors matchup.

[Via HDSportsGuide, thanks Todd]
[Image courtesy of TheLineupCard]

There are a few must-do things when you wind up in the City of Brotherly Love: see the Liberty Bell, check out Independence Hall, scarf down an authentic cheesesteak and... peek the HD Video Wall at the Comcast Center? Shortly after wowing locals and making customers suddenly aware of where their money was going, the official visitor site for the Great Philadelphia area is now pushing the wall as a can't-miss tourist attraction. Comical though that may be, we can't say that it's really that absurd -- after all, who wouldn't want to see 2,000 square-feet of beautiful LED action when waltzing through a city on vacation? On that note, have any of you actually stopped and checked it out?

[Via Gadling]

Just in case Jacksonville and Chicago aren't on your upcoming itinerary, aloft is hoping that you'll be spending at least a night near PHL. Beginning this week, aloft is accepting reservations for its Philadelphia-based hotel, which is scheduled to open wide for guests on September 8th. Per usual, each room will see a 42-inch flat-panel HDTV with a connectivity panel for connecting up cellphones, DAPs, laptops, etc., but we haven't got the nerve to actually phone 'em up and hesitantly inquire about nightly rates.

Eagles fans, we can't guarantee you'll return to the top of the NFC East this season, but we can say you'll enjoy an Eagles Television Network lineup produced entirely in HD. Owner Jeffrey Lurie's film production experience (and we're sure an overpriced stadium beer or two) is apparently to thank for the transition, facilitated by some forward thinking during a recent master control upgrade, and new cameras from Panasonic. Unfortunately, the monitors in the stadium will still be standard def only, with no chance of an upgrade before 2009 at the earliest, but with Philly's history, odds are we can expect them before another sports championship in the city (though the Flyers may have something to say about that).