So, I was turning the channels on my FIOS when I got to a test pattern on channel 1003. The old name of the station had been replaced with a new one: NBCOL3D

As I suspected and hoped, it looks like the 2012 London Olympics WILL be broadcast for free to FIOS customers. While there hasn’t been any official announcement by Verizon yet, this is a clear signal (no pun intended) that they’ve switched the channel over to Panasonic’s feed.

If you don’t have FIOS yet, you have until Friday 7/27 to get it to watch the Olympics. Click through this referral URL and you’ll get a $50 bonus in addition to whatever introductory pricing they’ll offer you.

If you’re wondering what my setup is, I have an HDMI cable going from my Tivo to my PS3 3D Display. When the test pattern gets replaced with a real signal, it’ll probably be in side-by-side format (which the US Open was in), in which case I’ll switch to that mode of 3D.

Even though there’ll be a 24 hour delay, just being able to view the Olympics in 3D without paying for the higher tier of service (which ESPN 3D requires) is a big, big bonus.