CED articles from April 2005

CED archives from April 2005

The best of both worlds.(in perspective)(cable television broadcasting industry migrates to all-digital environment )
April 1, 2005... Since late 2003, the $50 digital brick and cable's eventual migration to an all-digital environment has been all the rage. Starting with Charter's digital simulcast deployment in Long Beach, many other operators will soon follow suit in many...

Digital simulcast entering the next phase.(upfront: LATEST NEWS AND INSIGHT)(forecasts of cable television broadcasting )
April 1, 2005... The idea behind cable's migration to an all-digital platform took center stage in late 2003... and hasn't come off it since. A panel of experts from both cable operators and vendors gathered last month to discuss the next steps of the...

Terayon bows digital transition gear.(upfront: LATEST NEWS AND INSIGHT)(Terayon Communication Systems Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Terayon Communication Systems Inc. has introduced a new video decoding platform designed to help MSOs more rapidly migrate from analog to digital. The CP 7600G, a digital-to-analog multichannel integrated edge decoder, enables operators to...

Hybrid tech fuels Cox's VoIP plans.(upfront: LATEST NEWS AND INSIGHT)
April 1, 2005... Cox Communications is using a "hybrid" switch from Nortel Networks to migrate its existing circuit-switched telephony markets to a platform based on IP technology. Nortel's hybrid switch, perhaps best described as the "Prius" of the VoIP...

Ops opting for multi-room Moxi.(upfront: LATEST NEWS AND INSIGHT)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... BendBroadband and Sunflower Broadband have become the first cable operators to commercially deploy Digeo's multi-room digital video recorder (DVR) platform. The platform is based on the primary Moxi Media Center and the "Moxi Mate," a...

FCC hits telco for VoIP blocking.(upfront: LATEST NEWS AND INSIGHT)
April 1, 2005... The Federal Communications Commission has slapped the hand of a North Carolina-based telco for engaging in VoIP blocking, a practice that can prevent customers of Vonage and other broadband-enabled voice services from accessing service. ...

CableMatrix, Xinnia pair on PCMM.(upfront: LATEST NEWS AND INSIGHT)(PacketCable Multimedia)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... CableMatrix and Xinnia Technology have cobbled together an integrated platform based on PacketCable Multimedia (PCMM), an emerging CableLabs spec that enables cable operators to inject QoS into a swath of IP-based applications. The...

Hargray gets the message.(upfront: LATEST NEWS AND INSIGHT)(Hargray Communications deploys ID application from Integra5 Communications)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Hargray Communications, an independent telco based in Hilton Head, S.C., has deployed a TV-based carter ID application from Integra5 Communications. Hargray is offering Integra5's "UniTV Visual Telephony" platform to its digital cable and...

Conditional access key to Comcast-Motorola deal.(upfront: LATEST NEWS AND INSIGHT)
April 1, 2005... There may be a $1 billion price tag affixed to an expanded set-top agreement between Comcast Cable and Motorola Inc., but the more significant piece of the deal gives Comcast unprecedented access to Motorola's precious conditional access (CA)...

Arroyo gains funding, loses CEO.(upfront: LATEST NEWS AND INSIGHT)(chief executive officer)(Kim Kelly)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... While video server startup Arroyo Video Solutions Inc. appears to have its financial house in order, the company was last seen searching for a new CEO. Arroyo, which is making waves in cable circles as a top contender in the next-gen video...

EGT doses the loop.(upfront: LATEST NEWS AND INSIGHT)(upgrades software)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Encoding startup EGT Inc. believes its software-upgradeable approach to encoding will help operators save precious bandwidth as they embark on digital simulcast deployments and launch bandwidth-eating services like high-definition television....

IMAKE targets VOD content.(upfront: LATEST NEWS AND INSIGHT)(IMAKE Software and Services Inc.)(video-on-demand )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... IMAKE Software & Services Inc. has expanded its software portfolio with a platform that encodes content for video-on-demand (VOD). The platform, dubbed OpenVision Content Creator, is aimed at content suppliers that must encode and prepare...

Arcwave taps new CEO.(upfront: LATEST NEWS AND INSIGHT)(appointment of Bill Sickler )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Arcwave, a maker of wireless DOCSIS extension gear, has hired Bill Sickler to president and CEO. Sickler, who has held the CEO position with companies such as Caspian Networks, Arzoon, Reactive Network Solutions and Gadzoox Networks,...

Driving DOCSIS 3.0: channel bonding will help MSOs compete with fast, fiber-fed services on raw speed, but some key decisions must be made before cable can step on the gas.(multiple service operator, Cable Television Laboratories Inc.)(Cover Story)
April 1, 2005... Driven by telco competitors' recent revival of fiber-to-the-home-based services, cable operators are looking to a new technology option that could turn their single-lane cable modem services into multi-lane, super data highways. All it...

Interactive harmony? OCAP and the applications that will support it are still in synch-up mode.(OpenCable Application Platform middleware usage and evaluation)
April 1, 2005... Penn & Teller. Starsky & Hutch. Batman & Robin. Like any dynamic duo, one member is not considered whole without the other. OCAP (OpenCable Application Platform) middleware isn't going to make you laugh (much), solve crimes, or put The Joker...

Knights of the technology roundtable: some of cable's top CTOs rendezvous to give the lowdown on digital simulcast, VOD, DVRs, VoIP and iT+V.(INDEPTH)(video on demand, digital video recorders, voice over internet protocol, interactive television)(Panel Discussion)
April 1, 2005... Because they are crossing swords with multiple enemies on multiple fronts, cable operators can no longer afford to concentrate on just one new service at a time, but must be able to launch and support many as they act on their own and react to...

Powerful stuff? Despite obstacles, BPL hopes to produce electrifying results.(Networking: ADVANCED NETWORKING TECHNOLOGY)(brodband power line services in broadcasting industry)
April 1, 2005... Broadband Power Line (BPL), a technology that could eventually bring triple play services to any device within reach of a standard electrical socket, is seeping into the commercial and residential markets, and into the psyche of potential...

Happiness is convergence: improving the consumer experience through packet transport.(Broadband: BUSINESS AND NEWS PERSPECTIVE)(Internet Protocol networks' usage to meet consumer demands)
April 1, 2005... With converging IP networks altering the world of service providers and consumers alike, cable operators are grappling with the complexities of launching and sustaining profitable new services. What's more, the latest consumer demands on...

Choices.(Ciciora's corner)(cable)
April 1, 2005... Tryg Myhren was chairman of American Television and Communications (ATC) when I joined in 1982 as VP of R&D. I clearly remember Tryg saying that if there was one word to describe cable, it would have to be "choice." That has become a...

2005 NCTA--the National Show: April 3-5, 2005.
April 1, 2005... COMPANY BOOTH 3PV--Third Party Verification Inc. 5447 8x8 Inc. 5286 A&E 817 Accenture ...

VoIP monitoring software.(new products: PRODUCT REVIEWS)(by Superconnect )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... HOUSTON -- Superconnect has released VoIP Aware, a Web-based monitoring application for ensuring the quality and performance of a VoIP (Voice-over-IP) system. Superconnect's real-time technology allows VoIP system operators to know about...

Edge decoder.(new products: PRODUCT REVIEWS)(VCom Inc. introduces CableVista I edge decoder)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... SASKATOON, Saskatchewan, Canada -- VCom Inc. has introduced its CableVista I edge decoder, targeted at all-digital simulcast networks. The new decoder helps service providers speed up the development of an all-digital network by allowing them...

FTTP connectivity.(new products: PRODUCT REVIEWS)(fiber-to-the-premises )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... MARLBORO, Mass. -- Fiber Optic Network Solutions (FONS) Corp. has introduced its Pathways solution, a line of passive optical network (PON) components and connectivity products that enable customers to implement reliable fiber-to-the-premises...

Portable fusion splicer.(FIBER OPTICS)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... FRAKLIN, Tenn. -- AFL Telecommunications has introduced SpliceMate, a small and portable fusion splicer, utilizing Fujikura's Profile Alignment System (PAS) technology. The splicer has a dual-camera inspection system, ensuring reliable splice...

Yakety yak, yakety yak.(capital currents)(Federal Communications Commission's regulations on airline passengers)
April 1, 2005... The FCC has three proceedings underway that will let airline passengers gab on their phones throughout the flight, not just before the plane takes off and after it lands. Just yesterday I was on a flight and the lady behind me was shouting into...