CED articles from July 2004

CED archives from July 2004

The 'Wow' factor.(in perspective)
July 1, 2004... A mostly overlooked study released last month reveals that cable systems have a lot of work to do to please their customers. Indeed, cable operators can take no pride in this year's American Customer Satisfaction Index rankings especially when...

BigBand snaps up ADC IP unit.(Upfront: latest news and insight)(BigBand Networks Inc.)(ADC Telecommunications Inc)
July 1, 2004... Looking for convergence through acquisition, BigBand Networks Inc. is acquiring the IP cable business unit of ADC Telecommunications Inc. for an undisclosed price. The acquisition will give BigBand the coveted triple play-adding ADC's Cuda...

Comcast: you have video mail.(Upfront: latest news and insight)(Comcast Cable Communications)(video mail service testing)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Comcast Cable has been quietly beta testing a video mail service that uses high-speed connections and traditional Web cams. Under the beta program, Comcast's Basic Video Mail is free to all of the MSO's high-speed data customers. Basic...

Comcast, Microsoft complete iTV software deal.(Upfront: latest news and insight)(Comcast Cable Communications)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Comcast Cable added more formalities to its relationship with Microsoft TV, agreeing to license Microsoft's Foundation Edition 1.7 set-top software platform for possible rollouts to as many as 5 million cable subscribers. Financial terms...

Bresnan calls on Net2Phone for VoIP.(Upfront: latest news and insight)(Bresnan Communications)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Bresnan Communications said it will dial into the IP telephony game via a technology and service partnership with Net2Phone. Under the letter of intent, Bresnan will tap Net2Phone's hosted PacketCable-based platform to deliver IP telephony...

Arcwave Inc. has fused a few cable-specific features to its wireless line extension technology.(Upfront: latest news and insight)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Arcwave Inc. has fused a few cable-specific features to its wireless line extension technology. The company's new ARCXtend AX-1255-SM Strand Mount Network Hub is designed to give operators the ability to extend high-speed DOCSIS channels...

RGB pitch: brainy video networks.(Upfront: latest news and insight)(RGB Productions Inc)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... RGB Networks emerged from stealth mode recently to reveal a plan to build what it believes to be the first family of "intelligent" video processors for cable and broadband network operators. Working alongside Gigabit Ethernet networks, the...

Rogers uncorks 'Ultra-Lite'.(Upfront: latest news and insight)(Rogers Cable Inc)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Aiming to convert dial-up users to the broadband side of the Internet spectrum, Canadian MSO Rogers Cable Inc. has launched a new "Ultra-Lite" cable modem service in Ontario and New Brunswick, The product, which sells for $19.95 per month,...

Passport gets Motorola validation.(Upfront: latest news and insight)(digital video recording navigation software)(Motorola Broadband Communications Sector)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Passport Echo, Pioneer Digital Technologies' digital video recording (DVR) navigation software, has obtained validation from Motorola Broadband's Horizon Program. The validation is for use on Motorola's DCT digital cable set-top box...

Time Warner takes 6 Mbps for a spin.(Upfront: latest news and insight)(Time Warner Cable)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Time Warner Cable has confirmed that the MSO is testing a premium Road Runner cable modem service tier in multiple cities. The MSO is presently trialing the beefier tier (6 Mbps downstream/512 kbps upstream) in four markets: Rochester,...

C-COR scoops up Alopa and Stargus.(Upfront: latest news and insight)(C-COR.net Corp)(Alopa Networks Inc)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... C-COR.net Corp. rooted itself firmly into the OSS software arena following a $15 million deal to acquire closely held Alopa Networks Inc. Alopa, founded in 1999 builds backoffice software for broadband service activation, management and...

Master and commander.(memory lane)
July 1, 2004... In the late 1950s, when the U.S. was transfixed by the Space Age, a common way to make a new product appealing was to give it a name that had to do with space exploration. Thus, a washing machine was christened "Starmatic," even though it was...

Ramping up interactivity: legacy boxes could gain entrance to the OCAP highway, but some still question whether the entire cable industry will go down that road.(Ramping Up)(opencable application platform)
July 1, 2004... Cable is building its future advanced interactive (derision highway with OpenCable Application Platform (OCAP) supports, but there is a group of industry players who want to give existing legacy set top boxes a software OnRamp to go along for...

2004 Pacesetter Awards: inaugural class recognized for achievements in telephony, high-speed data, digital video, video-on-demand and commercial cable services.
July 1, 2004... CED proudly presents its inaugural class of Pacesetter Award winners. The awards recognize a select group of individuals in the industry who have taken a leading position or have taken innovative "first steps" with a particular advanced cable...

Taking the path to convergence: the advantages of a unified optical architecture.(Fiberline: fiber optic technology)
July 1, 2004... To ensure future profitability, cable TV operators are looking to deliver new revenue-generating services while lowering capital and operational expenses. Today, however, many operators are running disparate networks that can be costly to...

DOCSIS: the next generation: CableLabs says version 3.0 will top 200 Mbps down/100 Mbps up.(Networking: advanced networking technology)
July 1, 2004... New York Although operators are still in the early stages of deploying equipment based on the up-stream-dilating DOCSIS 2.0 specification, the people at CableLabs are already tinkering away on a new version that will blow today's cable modem...

2004 Expo hot inside and out: bandwidth conservation, bustling floor activity highlight annual confab.(Networking: advanced networking technology)
July 1, 2004... The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers' (SCTE) Cable-Tec Expo in Orlando, Fla. was a lot like the weather there-aside from the threat of a few technical thunderstorms looming for the industry, attendees came away with a mostly sunny...

Dialing out, powering up: for VoIP, batteries are the early leader in power backup strategies.(Broadband: business and news perspective)
July 1, 2004... IP telephony may b3 the new kid on cable's block, but the industry is still faced with some of the same questions that confronted it back when a few MSOs used traditional constant bit rate (CBR) technology for their early voice deployments. ...

The next big leap.(In the loop)
July 1, 2004... Evidence mounts everyday that we are raising a nation of media-savvy kids. By the time they are in pre-school they're quite familiar with the operation of a computer, accessing the Internet. and finding their favorite program on the cable...

Taming the beast: how electrical surge protection limits and diverts damaging energy.(Broadband: business and news perspective)
July 1, 2004... Last month, the first article of this two-part series discussed the physical characteristics of an electrical surge and how it travels from its source to ground. This article looks at the means of limiting and diverting the energy in a surge to...

Chiddix in charge: cable vet takes helm of OpenTV just as iTV rejoins MSO agendas.(Broadband: business and news perspective)(Jim Chiddix)(Interview)
July 1, 2004... As the new CEO of OpenTV, Jim Chiddix certainly gives the set-top software mainstay a healthy dose of credibility in the cable operator realm. After all, cable engineers tend to listen to someone who was the long-time Chief Technology Officer...

Transport products for business services.(New products: product reviews)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... ELKRIDGE, Md. -- Optinel Systems is raising the curtain on its PLEXiS BxE line of business services products. Currently in field trials with MSOs, Optinel's PLEXiS BxE gives service providers the ability to offer high bandwith, direct-connect...

Lithium-ion battery.(New products: product reviews)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- Alpha Technologies has added another member to its AlphaCell battery family. The new AlphaCell 430Li, based on Lithium ion technology is designed specifically for broadband communications networks. The 430Li's power...

Fusion splicer.(Fiber Optics)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... HICKORY, N.C. -- Corning Cable Systems has unveiled its OptiSptice Premier (iLID) Fusion Splicer, which features low field splice loss, according to the company. The splicer includes an integrated, full-feature PC, which has a 6.4-inch...

Television spectrum erosion.(capital currents)
July 1, 2004... In ancient times, the FCC gave the TV broadcasters an enormous amount of spectrum. Over the years, the FCC has been taking it back, piece by piece. The latest FCC proposal would take away unoccupied TV channels and give them to low-power...