While we've certainly seen more extravagant uses of walls as art canvases, we have all ideas this will be plenty radical in downtown Syracuse, New York. Syracuse University is aiming to add permanent (but not, you know) imagery to a number of walls by "projecting artwork onto some of its most visible areas." The institution is currently asking the Syracuse Industrial Development Agency "for permission to install projector equipment on one of its buildings," and if its wish is granted, the Urban Video Project will be well on its way to becoming a reality. Keep an eye out (not like it'll be hard to miss) for the installation to go live this October.

[Via AboutProjectors]

The NY Public Service Commission decided to approve Verizon's petition for a Certificate of Confirmation yesterday, removing the final hurdle to FiOS eventually becoming available in all five boroughs. Details from the PSC's release (warning: PDF link) indicate the franchise agreement is for 12 years, and grants Verizon waivers on a few usual requirements intended to give it time to build up service in the city. It could take up to six years to reach fiber to the entire city, and has also been granted 180 extra days to add public, educational and government channels. No word on exactly when New Yorkers expect that all digital, uncompressed competition for their local cable company (Verizon's PR indicates only "in the coming weeks"), but with the last hurdle out of the way it should be sooner rather than later.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Read - Verizon press release
Read - State of New York Public service Commission Approval

Next time you take a stroll through Times Square, look up, as Toshiba's posted a brand new high definition display at the top of One Times Square Building. The 51.2-foot by 52.5-foot consists of 1280x1248 LEDs controlled by Toshiba's Technovirtual pixel-sharing technology to create "virtual pixels". Whether or not we can figure out how that works, the LEDs display over one billion colors and help cut power consumption, so the display isn't just better looking than the one it replaces but also more energy efficient. We've seen LEDs in other video boards before, but Toshiba claims it's the first to offer modular HDTV screens to the outdoor rental market, and starting today they've got the best product placement possible.

We've never been ones to count our chickens before they hatch, but there's a very, very interesting tidbit snuck into the New York Public Service Commission's July 16th meeting agenda. The very last bullet points on the very last page of the notice reads as shown above, which leads us to believe that the carrier may receive the approval it needs in order to string FiOS TV to the entire Empire State, New York City included. Cross your fingers -- we have all ideas that Verizon will be trumpeting its success the moment this goes down (should it go down, of course). Our biggest fear? That everyone breaks for an extended lunch just after Page 10. [Warning: PDF read link]

[Thanks, Vin P]

It has been a few months since the Brooklyn / Queens areas of New York had any high-def news pointed at 'em, but Time Warner Cable has quietly announced a few newcomers in the midst of shuffling its lineup around. Beginning on July 23rd, HD Theater will be shifting from slot 718 to 767 (so don't freak out), while Biography HD will launch on 763. Furthermore, Starz HD, Starz Comedy HD, Starz Edge HD and Starz Kids & Family HD will get lit on slots 676, 681, 677 and 678, respectively. For the latest list of local chances, tap the read link and input your zip code. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]

[Thanks, Vin]

Although Binghamton, New York is far from being as blessed as Manhattan in the HD department right now (at least on Time Warner Cable), the carrier is doing everything it can to bring equality to the high-def landscape in the Empire State. Shortly after Disney HD, ABC Family HD and Toon Disney HD surfaced on the EPG, two more channels -- Planet Green HD (830) and Travel Channel HD (837) -- have emerged. As expected, these two are also being delivered via switched digital video (SDV), so you CableCARD users will just have to hang tight for now. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]

[Thanks, Armando]

While Time Warner Cable has been boosting HD lineups in overcrowded areas of New York and New Jersey for a few months now, folks in the less traveled portions of NY have gone without. Granted, it's no onslaught of 50, but we have received word that Disney HD, ABC Family HD and Toon Disney HD have just landed on EPGs in Jamestown, Binghampton, Corning and Elmira, NY (along with surrounding areas). So, we can expect the other 47 soon, right TWC? [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]

[Thanks, Greg]

Possibly in response to competition from Verizon's FiOS or just as part of its general expansion plans, RCN put ten new stations in its NYC lineup today. Starting with the usual HD VOD expansion, the new channels are Discovery Channel-HD, Animal Planet-HD, The Learning Channel-HD, HGTV-HD, The Science Channel-HD, Lifetime Movie Networks-HD, Food Network-HD, Travel Channel-HD, VERSUS/Golf-HD and NFL Network-HD. RCN's New York City service covers parts of Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn. Sounds to us like its time to invite Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz over to watch some TV.

DISH Network just keeps on cranking down the list of its 22 markets slated for an HD upgrade in the summer/fall, with four going on line today: Albany - Shenectady - Troy, NY; Chattanooga, TN; Lansing, MI; and Syracuse NY. Hope the recent thunderstorms didn't knock anyone's power out, because now you've got one more reason to stay inside. As usual, we don't know what city will be next, but we expect more markets to be added soon.

Let's face it: particularly in the Empire State, Cablevision simply has to elevate its game. With DirecTV and DISH Network offering a multitude of high-def options and Time Warner Cable dishing out a slew of its own, Cablevision has been properly left in the dust. Now, however, the carrier is deciding to do something about it by adding 15 new high-definition channels to its lineup. As of now, we know that Nickelodeon HD, AMC HD, Animal Planet HD, WEtv HD, Weather Channel HD, FX HD, Hallmark Movie Channel HD, FOX News HD and Travel Channel HD will be added, but the rest of the gang remains a mystery. Don't sweat it, though -- select subscribers will see the entire lot as early as July 28th, while the entire service area will be good to go by August 1st.

[Thanks, Tom]

The downturn in the housing market is producing some interesting cross-marketing promotions. Well-heeled jet-setters moving into NYC's SoHo Renwick luxury condos when it opens in 2009 will be greeted by Bang & Olufsen gear, including a BeoVision 8 32-inch LCD TV, BeoSound 4 audio player and a BeoLab 4000 speaker. For sure, luxury space comes at a premium price in SoHo, so we can understand the desire of residents to own a compact system. And with the Renwick's all-glass exterior, the super-bright output of an LCD display also makes sense. Top it all off with B&O's famous design, and you've got a system that's a good fit for the target demographic. Sure, it's not the most bang-for-your-buck setup, but we don't really expect that Renwick residents will be counting pennies anyways -- prices for the units start at $975,000 for a one-bedroom unit. For that price, couldn't they toss in a larger 1080p set?

Something actually launching on the very day it was supposed to? Say it ain't so! According to the New York Post, Time Warner Cable actually is rolling out its Start Over feature -- which gives users a chance to "restart a show they may have missed from the beginning with the press of a button" -- in areas of New York / New Jersey on July 1st. Reportedly, it'll hit HD subscribers first in Staten Island, with other systems to follow shortly. It should be noted, however, that the feature will only be offered "up to one minute before the program is over, and as part of an agreement between Time Warner and broadcasters, unlike a DVR, viewers cannot fast forward through commercials." Give it a go here in a few hours and let us know how it turns out. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]

Verizon's simply expanding too quickly for us to dedicate an entire post to each and every new locale, so from here on out, we'll be rounding these up weekly for those who care to take a peek. This week, the operator stretched its fiber-based TV services to Amherst, Hamburg and Lawrence, New York, six more communities in New Jersey and two more towns (Ashland and Plymouth) in Massachusetts. Furthermore, service is finally available to order in North Andover, MA, and if you're looking for more detail on those Garden State areas, we're talking parts of Bayonne, Perth Amboy, Plainfield, Loch Arbour and Lakewood. For more dirt on each, dive into the read links below. We'll see you next week -- here's to hoping your neck of the woods gets covered within the next seven days.

Read - New York expansion
Read - New Jersey expansion
Read - Massachusetts expansion

It hasn't been long since Rochester received a few new HD networks from Time Warner Cable, but as the SDV (switched digital video) rollout continues in the Empire State, it seems that it -- along with Albany -- is getting yet another helping. Rochester was just treated to Disney HD, Toon Disney HD and ABC Family HD, while Albany picked up Disney HD, Showtime West HD, Sho2 HD and TMC HD. Curiously enough, folks in New York's capital city are currently not seeing ABC Family HD in their EPG despite the addition of Disney HD. Regardless, new high-def is new high-def, right? [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]

[Thanks, Mark]

Residents of Babylon, Roslyn and Manorhaven can all thank their lucky stars, as Verizon has just selected you all to keep the FiOS TV expansion alive and cranking in New York. All three locales approved agreements giving the carrier the right to offer its fiber-based TV service, with just a final thumbs-up to be given by the New York State Public Service Commission. As is customary with these type announcements, Verizon isn't serving up an estimated launch time frame, but it ought not be too long now.