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).

If you thought Comcast's rollout of Science HD, Disney HD and ABC Family HD was all over, think again. We just received word from the City of Brotherly Love that the aforementioned trio is heading to Philadelphia's lineup in mid-May. Of course, you're probably still keeping busy with the five newcomers that landed earlier this week, but come May 15th, you'll have to whittle out even more time for three more. Not a bad problem to have, huh?

[Thanks, J]

With Comcast doling out the HD love elsewhere in the Northeast, it's about time the city of brotherly love got a dose of its own medicine. According to a fresh message delivered to a subscriber shacked up in the outskirts of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the aforementioned carrier will be adding five new high-def channels on April 4th. Included in the bunch are CNN HD (217), AMC HD (238), TLC HD (225), History Channel HD (217) and Animal Planet HD (230). Surely you can hang on just 2.5 more weeks, right?

[Thanks, EPaps]

Barely a month after we heard that the WWE was pouring $20 million into upgrades for an HD production facility, Philadelphia's KYW-TV just may have 'em one-upped. The all new 120,000-square foot building reportedly houses two full television studios, "each with its own control room to allow for simultaneous broadcasts, a state-of-the-art master control room" and operations center. Both CBS 3 and The CW Philly 57 call the place home, and it's said that the "news operation is completely tapeless and high-definition both in-studio and in the field." Talk about getting with the times.