Motorola is going to supply two new green HD DVR set-tops to Verizon that consume as much as one-third less energy and that don’t use several environmentally dicey heavy metals.

Verizon is planning to deploy the boxes later this year in a pilot program and intends to begin spreading them throughout its footprint starting in 2011.

The new Motorola QIP set-tops use environmentally preferred materials, and they do not contain lead, cadmium, mercury or other substances of concern. Packaging for the new set-tops will be 100 percent recyclable and made from 75 percent recycled cardboard.

"The new green Motorola set-tops are an outgrowth of Verizon's efforts to create our own industry-leading energy-efficiency standards and to grow our business responsibly," said James Gowen, chief sustainability officer for Verizon. "These set-tops will provide a better viewing and multimedia experience for our customers, while helping them lower their energy consumption and utility bills."

The two new models, the Motorola QIP7232 and Motorola QIP7100, will also be souped-up for improved performance.

The QIP7100 will have a faster processor and more memory.

Verizon is now claiming nearly 2.9 million FiOS customers.