CED articles from January 2006

CED archives from January 2006

What sayeth you, crystal ball?(in perspective)
January 1, 2006... It's always fun to start the New Year with some predictions. If I hit the mark on any of them, I can boldly proclaim myself a Broadband Nostradamus. If I whiff on most of them, I can just sweep them under the carpet until someone calls me out...

Cable loads up on 'DCAS'.(upfront: LATEST NEWS AND INSIGHT)
January 1, 2006... As expected, the U.S. cable industry formally submitted a proposal last month to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that aims to use a downloadable conditional access system (DCAS) in two-way, set-top-free digital televisions. ...

Clarification.(Correction Notice)
January 1, 2006... In last month's issue, CED reported in the "Barriers to entry" story (see p. 42) that a major MSO was trialing Widevine Technology's Mensor technology. The trial, referenced was actually with Widevine's Cypher downloadable conditional access...

Cisco nabs S-A for $6.9 billion.(upfront: LATEST NEWS AND INSIGHT)
January 1, 2006... In a case of a big fish being swallowed by an even bigger fish, Cisco Systems Corp. struck a $6.9 billion deal to acquire Scientific-Atlanta, the second-largest supplier of digital cable set-tops in the United States. In addition to...

Jones snaps up NCTI.(upfront: LATEST NEWS AND INSIGHT)(Jones International Academy)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Jones International Academy has sealed a deal to acquire rival cable education services outfit NCTI for an undisclosed amount. Under the acquisition agreement, NCTI will operate as a subsidiary of JIA, with Tom Brooksher remaining as NCTI's...

Adelphia simulcasts with RGB.(upfront: LATEST NEWS AND INSIGHT)(RGB Networks )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Adelphia Communications said it will use gear from RGB Networks to power the MSO's rollout of digital simulcast, a technique that, at least in the long-term, will help the operator reclaim valuable analog spectrum. Under the deal, Adelphia...

Microsoft to build in CableCARD support.(upfront: LATEST NEWS AND INSIGHT)
January 1, 2006... Although the future of separable cable security appears to be heading in the direction of downloadable conditional access (see story, p. 6), Microsoft Corp. is charging ahead with plans to market Windows Media Center-based PCs that support...

Look ma, no cartridge! Why a novel cable-video game venture was zapped out of existence.(memory lane)
January 1, 2006... In the video game "Space Armada," created by Mattel Corp., the idea was to defend the earth against an alien invasion by destroying swarming bands of agile warriors. The aliens were little more than colored shapes against a dark background, and...

Armed for the future-today: led by the trio of Brock, O'Carroll and Lee, Rogers has an arsenal of weapons to attack and fend off the competition on all fronts.(MEN OF THE YEAR)
January 1, 2006... When heading onto the business battlefield, it's always prudent to arrive with the right weapon with which to smite your enemy. In the business of cable, which is doing battle with enemies on the ground (the telcos) and in the air (DBS),...

Coming soon: video-on-demand: high costs, lack of integration expertise keep VOD out of reach for many small cable operators.
January 1, 2006... For most of the country's smaller, independent cable operators, the video-on-demand (VOD) vision has evolved into a "must-have" service for the rural, smaller markets, but with a "not yet" reality. The reality is that all of the necessary...

Taking coax [networking] to the max: a field test report executive summary.(Networking: ADVANCED NETWORKING TECHNOLOGY)
January 1, 2006... The Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) performed field trials in 246 homes across the U.S. and successfully validated that the technology, for its initial specification, meets and exceeds the MoCA requirements for multimedia home networking....

Virtual reality: CED's Cable Television & Broadband Expo highlighted emerging broadband technologies, commercial services, IPTV, VOD, enhanced television and more.(Broadband: BUSINESS AND NEWS PERSPECTIVE)
January 1, 2006... Hundreds gathered on the Web last month to attend CED's second annual Cable Television & Broadband Expo, a "virtual" trade show. The show took place entirely on the Internet, covering a wide range of technology and trends through eight...

Local matters.(In the loop)
January 1, 2006... That old saying. "All politics is local continues to ring true as witnessed in last November's off-year elections, and is sure to be reinforced as we move to the potentially momentous Congressional election of 2006. In fact, many things and the...

View from the top: Gareth (Gary) McIntosh of Bresnan Communications.(Broadband: BUSINESS AND NEWS PERSPECTIVE)(Interview)
January 1, 2006... Welcome to the latest edition of "View from the top," a series of interviews with the top minds of the broadband industry. In this month's installment, sponsored by C-COR, CED Editor Jeff Baumgartner caught up with Bresnan Communications...

Fiber cable management.(new products)
January 1, 2006... MINNEAPOLIS--ADC has introduced the RiserGuide on-demand cable management system, part of its FiberGuide product family. The new system is comprised of a variety of components, built upon ADC's Snap-Fit platform, providing flexible, optimized...

Fiber cables.(new products)
January 1, 2006... CLAREMONT, N.C.--Draka Comteq has announced a new family of cables optimized for the more frequent mid-entry and handling of today's distribution network. EZ Prep Loose Tube and EZ Span ADSS (All-Dielectric Self-Support) cables can provide time...

Inline splice connector.(new products)
January 1, 2006... HAYWARD, Calif.--Valdor Fiber Optics Inc. has completed the development of a singlemode application for the field installable Inline Splice Connector line. The company now offers a complete solution for both multimode and singlemode splice...

Ethernet managed media converter.(EtherWAN Systems introduce media converter)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... PLACENTIA, Calif.--EtherWAN Systems has announced a new managed Ethernet media converter, the EL150. The new media converter is a two-port Ethernet switch with one 10/100T/TX port and one 100FX port converting copper to fiber optics. The EL150...

VoIP E911--what a mess!(capital currents)
January 1, 2006... Two years ago, in my December 2003 CED column (http://www.cedmagazine.com/ced/2003/1203/12cc.htm), I wrote about the problems of integrating voice-over-IP (VoIP) services into the country's E911 network. It was not until early 2005 that it...

Remembering Roger.(Roger Brown)(Editorial)
January 1, 2006... As I wrote in my commentary in the November issue of CED, Roger Brown was many things to many people. The incredible outpouring of support for his family only amplified what I thought I already knew. People from all parts of the industry,...

A heartfelt thanks.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... For so many of us, the loss of Roger is not only painful, but still very much unbelievable. Each day, we pick up the pieces and continue forward as best we can. The loss is felt not only by us, his family, but also by his cable family of...

Roger, that.(Roger Brown)
January 1, 2006... On my first trip to Denver in 1987, I had the pleasure of meeting Roger Brown, the managing editor of CED magazine, a worthy gent and valuable colleague even then. On my last trip to Denver, we buried Roger Brown well before his time, losing...

Trading in terabytes.
January 1, 2006... Roger and I spoke often, but we never spoke of specific stories. Roger was the publisher and knew his job was not to second-guess the reporters on staff. We spoke of industry trends, editorial calendars, who were the real movers in the industry...

A tribute to 'Mr. CED'.
January 1, 2006... when I arrived as associate publisher of CED, 1988, little did any of us realize that Roger Brown would go on to be nicknamed "Mr. CED,"--a title he accepted with great reluctance, but earned with great respect. If you didn't know Roger...

The family pillar.
January 1, 2006... Well, you know how bad I am at storytelling. What I can offer is basically what I wrote to him in a card the other day. You know all those big industry reception rooms we "do" a half dozen times a year or more, where the predictable "when did...

History in the writing.
January 1, 2006... I found Rogerto be a well-informed columnist, a trusted journalist, and I was glad to count him among my friends. He spent a lot of time and energy doing due diligence on the news, and in trying to get it right. On a personal note, I found...

Making his mark: with Roger Brown at the helm, CED changed and adapted at the speed of technology.
January 1, 2006... When Voltaire talked of cultivating one's garden very well in "Candide," the interpretation was that the proper course of action for humankind is to perform practical, useful work. Roger, in my mind, did this very well. He had a sterling...

The changing face of Roger Brown.
January 1, 2006... The 1995 Roger. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Circa 1996. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Roger's first "In Perspective" pose in 1987 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Circa 1989. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Circa 1998. [ILLUSTRATION...

Roger, the early years: Roger knew he could write about anything and was glad to have a chance to learn about new things.
January 1, 2006... One wonders, thinking back to the day in 1986 when Roger Brown showed up to apply for work at Cable Vision Magazine's Denver office, whether he had even the slightest inkling of what he was getting into. If he did, it was far from obvious....

The lighter shade of Brown: Roger's sense of humor set him apart.
January 1, 2006... Roger really defined CED. I've written articles for that magazine on and off for nearly a quarter century, starting in 1982. But its identity was Roger's doing. The magazine was as welcome in my inbox as was Roger's smiling face on its...

'See you when we get there': Rog was notably accessible, even when he was crazy busy.
January 1, 2006... When I think of Roger, I think of his graciousness, his friendliness to everyone-and his dry wit. I loved his sense of humor-and yet, I can't remember a "story" to demonstrate it. He had such respect for his team--and I always remember how...

Once a Herb ... always a Herb.
January 1, 2006... I don't know how long I had been working with Roger at CED before I heard about the "Herbs." I remember Roger giving me the abridged version of the genesis of the unique group which consisted of a tight-knit group of college buddies who began...

About melanoma.
January 1, 2006... The measure of a person is reflected by what others say about them. Roger was and always will be a great friend to all of us and our CATV "family." He combined the best of qualities without any of the darkness sometimes associated with human...