CED articles from June 2002

CED archives from June 2002

How to alienate a good customer. (in perspective).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... A friend of mine told me the other day that he found one of those cable company doorhangers on his house--you know, the bright pieces of paper that your marketing department uses to tell consumers that you've just launched a new service, and...

Microsoft TV unveils `thin-client' IPG. (Upfront: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Shifting its focus from thick- to thin-client boxes, Microsoft Corp.'s interactive television division has released a new interactive program guide that targets widely-deployed Motorola Broadband-built DCT-1000 and DCT-2000 series digital...

SCTE honors safe systems. (Upfront: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The SCTE is honoring 100 cable systems for their commitment to safety in the workplace. The award is based on a company's OSHA-recordable incident rate. All of the awards were doled out between three of the country's largest MSOs: Charter...

Charter could exit CableLabs. (Upfront: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2002... Charter Communications Inc. could decide to pick up its toys and go home after the MSO pulled the trigger on a clause that would enable it to withdraw its CableLabs membership in about three years. A CableLabs official confirmed in May that...

Can interactive services be the life preserver digital needs? (Upfront: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Can interactive services be the life preserver digital needs? Susquehanna Communications (SusCom) thinks so, following a launch of Scientific Atlanta's Classic Games platform in York and Williamsport, Pa. and Brunswick, Maine. There, SusCom's...

Top-10 MSOs pledge support to Powell's plan. (Upfront: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The National Cable & Telecommunications Association said the industry's 10 largest MSOs have pledged their "strong and enthusiastic" support for a voluntary digital television plan drawn up earlier this year by Federal Communications Commission...

ICTV's last stand: HeadendWare. (Upfront: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... ICTV Inc. awakened from its public slumber in late April with the commercial launch of HeadendWare, a software platform designed to deliver iTV services and applications originally tagged for advanced digital set-tops--such as the DCT-5000--to...

AT&T trials SVOD. (Upfront: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... AT&T Broadband joined the subscription video-on-demand bandwagon in May by launching a six-month trial in Los Angeles. The MSO is offering SVOD content from Showtime and Starz! in Westchester and Culver City, Calif. AT&T Broadband launched...

Next Level raises stakes with ADSL+ platform. (Upfront: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2002... Next Level Communications has launched a new ADSL video platform designed to help telcos compete with cable operators via a bundle of voice, data and advanced video services such as video-on-demand. Dubbed ADSL "plus," the new platform...

Vulcan Machines puts the pinch on Java set-top chips. (Upfront: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... U.K.-based start-up Vulcan Machines has released the Moon2, a hard-wired processor with Java Virtual Machine (JVM) technology for advanced digital set-tops and mobile phones. Vulcan Machines claims its hardware approach to the JVM provides...

ChanneLogics manages bandwidth business wins. (Upfront: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Tele-Media Corp. of Delaware and Denver-based over-builder WideOpenWest have inked deals to deploy ChanneLogics' traffic planning and bandwidth management system across their respective high-speed data networks. In addition to HSD, WOW plans to...

Charter pulls VOD trump card in case Diva falters. (Upfront: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... If troubled video-on-demand vendor Diva Systems can't pull itself from the financial brink or find a willing suitor, Charter Communications appears to be well-prepared to live life without what used to be its exclusive VOD vendor. In May,...

Pace and Ucentric make an entertaining duo. (Upfront: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Pace Micro Technology and Ucentric Systems have teamed to combine their respective hardware and software to deliver digital entertainment applications via wireline and wireless home networks. Pace will integrate its digital home gateway...

iSurfTV hangs ten in Mexico. (Upfront: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... iSurfTV, an upstart interactive program guide developer, has notched its first trial with Mexico-based MSO Tele Cable de Morelos, S.A. de C.V., whose parent company, United Latin America Inc., is wholly-owned by UnitedGlobalCom Inc. Tele...

Intertainer too woo indie filmmakers. (Upfront: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Intertainer has launched Film Marketplace, a video-on-demand channel that aims to goose the independent filmmaking marketplace. Intertainer said it will offer the service via its intertainer.tv Web site, and allow filmmakers to submit...

Toshiba takes domestic DOCSIS lead in Q1. (Upfront: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Toshiba America Information Systems Inc. shipped 430,000 DOCSIS cable modems in North America during the first quarter of 2002, supplanting Motorola Broadband for the first time as the top mover of the equipment in the region, reported research...

T-minus now for Altrio. (Upfront: latest news and insight). (Altrio Communications' services).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Cable television customers in Pasadena, Calif. now have a choice in service providers, with the April launch of voice/video/data services from overbuilder Altrio Communications. Altrio offers traditional television, video-on-demand, and...

Cox checks in with Com21. (Upfront: latest news and insight). (Cox Communications to use DOXport 1100 cable modems).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Cox Communications is deploying Com21's DOXport 1110 cable modems across its U.S. Hospitality Network. The DOXport 1110 features DOXdiscovery, an interface tool that enables the cable modem to provide diagnostic information via the local Web...

TollBridge, Arris cross the VoIP gap together. (Upfront: latest news and insight). (TollBridge Technologies, cable IP telephony).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Hoping to bridge the cable IP telephony gap together, Arris and TollBridge Technologies have inked a re-seller deal under which Arris will market TollBridge's TB300 gateway to operators worldwide. Arris will also integrate the product into...

Jedai gets `bizy'. (Upfront: latest news and insight). (Jedai Broadband Networks launches FrontRunner 3200 intelligent edge access switch router).(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... Getting enterprise customers on-net with optical Ethernet access solutions is a goal network operators may be closer to meeting with the release of a new access switch router from start-up Jedai Broadband Networks. Following extensive lab and...

Putting interactive television squarely in its sites, Liberty Media Corp. (Upfront: latest news and insight).(forms interactive television division)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Putting interactive television squarely in its sites, Liberty Media Corp. has formed a new iTV division and has taken control of two leading companies in that sector. Leading the new unit as president and CEO is former Gemstar-TV Guide...

BSI software maps out network architectures. (Upfront: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Cable operators are being bombarded with choices for billing companies, operational support systems and workforce management software, but Broadband Services Inc. thinks it's carved a new software niche with Map Vantage, an intelligent mapping,...

New trade group aims to boost idle iTV sector. (Up front: latest news and insight).(Interactive Television Alliance)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The Interactive Television Alliance made its grand entrance at last month's National. Cable show in New Orleans, but now the race is on to cull support from iTV vendors and network operators. Claiming to be independent, the iTV Alliance's...

MSOs back Syndeo's big `C' round. (Upfront: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Softswitch vendor Syndeo Corp. said it raised $75 million in C-round funding, led by the venture arms of several large MSOs, including Comcast Corp., AOL Time Warner, Cox Communications, Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications. Other...

Spotlight on telephony powering: home-based batteries or network-powering are the most viable back-up methods for primary-line cable voice services, but as VoIP enters the fold, some operators may take a third option--nothing at all. (Powering Up).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... To stun or perhaps dethrone a champion, a challenger has to be at least as good or better than the titleholder. In the world of telephony, that means cable operators must attack with a primary-line service that's competitive or better than...

Balancing the economics of standby power. (Powering Up).(cable television)
June 1, 2002... THE CABLE INDUSTRY'S MARCH TO TRIPLE-PLAY services is not only demanding more complex, sophisticated networks, but spiking a surge in standby power to generate the reliability, efficiency and cost savings now deemed crucial to new-era networks...

Come October, will the FCC go easy? For operators of headends serving fewer than 10,000 subs, October 1st means new Emergency Alert System equipment is mandated to be up and running. With that date fast approaching, operators are still weighing their options, and EAS vendors are lying in wait.(United States. Federal Communications Commission)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... We've all heard it at some time while watching TV or listening to the radio... the strange, robotic, repeating digital pulse tone, followed by our friendly neighborhood announcer quelling our irrational fears by repeating the mantra, "This is...

Connecting America: HD, VOD and iTV took center stage at May's smaller National Cable Show.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... By CED staff Although attendance was down about 30 percent versus last year, the people who did make the pilgrimage to New Orleans for the 2002 National Show were drawn to a spate of newly-minted advanced boxes and media centers. Top...

Dynamic duo: RPR and MPLS; creating an efficient network and crafting new services. (Fiberline: fiber optic technology).
June 1, 2002... Traditional cable networks were designed for one-way video traffic flowing from the headend to residential subscribers. With the advent of broadband access to the Internet, this has changed. Cable networks have evolved in the past few years...

To stream, or not to stream? How operators can make IP streaming over broadband a viable business. (Networking: advanced networking technology).
June 1, 2002... Some people will say that they have no use for Internet Protocol (IP) streaming (also commonly referred to as streaming media) because broadcast technologies can do everything they need. Plus, who's to argue with providers that have been...

Harnessing digital services: key technological tools for creating the digital tier. (Networking: advanced networking technology).
June 1, 2002... Driven by the need to compete with terrestrial and satellite broadcasters, cable operators are interested in moving beyond the creation of a customized and optimized digital program tier toward new digital services such as "enhanced" television...

More power to the bottom line; next-generation services require high-amperage power protection. (Networking: advanced networking technology).
June 1, 2002... Cable television has changed. No longer just a medium for delivering television signals, it has evolved to deliver the most advanced multimedia services in communications. Multiple system operators (MSOs) are building and rebuilding their...

Enhancing cable VoIP scalability: DOCSIS 2.0 tackles symmetric bandwidth services. (Networking: advanced networking technology).(voice over Internet Protocol)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2002... To further enhance their service offerings, cable television system operators plan to deliver voice-over-cable and other new symmetric services on their asymmetric networks. Though some already offer circuit switch-based telephony, most look to...

One of the good guys ... cable guy David Fellows brings `law and order' to AT&T Broadband. (Broadband: business and news perspective).(Interview)
June 1, 2002... AT&T Broadband made a lot of news last year. Unfortunately, much of it was not the kind of news shareholders wanted to read. But on the flip side, AT&T CEO Michael Armstrong tapped three key "cable guys" to step in and run the Broadband...

HDTV confusion. (Ciciora's corner).(high definition television)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... High Definition Television (HDTV) was the start of it all We were promised twice the vertical resolution. twice the horizontal resolution, a wide screen and CD-quality sound. It's been downhill from there Now the biggest threat to HDTV or...

Mediacom beams VOD to Mobile, Ala. (Business Briefs).(video on demand)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... MIDDLETOWN, N.Y.--Mediacom Communications Corp. and Concurrent Computer Corp. have successfully deployed video-on-demand over Motorola's National Authorization Service (NAS). The integration of Concurrent's MediaHawk VOD System into Mediacom's...

Blonder Tongue, Lindsay team on tap. (Business Briefs).(Blonder Tongue Laboratories, Lindsay Electronics collaborate on development of new addressable tap)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... NEW ORLEANS--Blonder Tongue Laboratories Inc. and Lindsay Electronics. are collaborating on the development of a new addressable tap for the cable television industry. The new Addressable MultiPort Tap (AMT) will combine Lindsay's LGT Multi-Tap...

ADMC unveils disaster recovery service. (Business Briefs).(AT and T Digital Media Centers, for network broadcasting during disasters)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... NEW ORLEANS--AT&T Digital Media Centers (ADMC) has launched a recovery service designed to keep networks on-the-air when natural or other disasters affect their origination and distribution facilities. ADMC will offer several levels of...

Jones debuts safety education course. (Business Briefs).(Jones Knowledge Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... NEW ORLEANS--Jones Knowledge Inc. has introduced a new telecommunications safety training course as part of its suite of learning products. The series includes "Customer Service Through Troubleshooting," "Installer Training" and "Technical...

Cable Center goes the distance. (Business Briefs).(Cable Center, Cable Satellite Public Affairs Network, University of Denver use network for distance learning program)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... SAN DIEGO, Calif.--The Cable Center and its partners C-SPAN and the University of Denver are using Path 1 Network Technologies Inc.'s Cx1000 series IP video network gateways for their Global Distance Learning Program. The new network links The...

Monitoring system. (New products: product reviews).(TestQuest Pro test automation system)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... NEW ORLEANS--TestQuest Inc. has introduced its automated network monitoring solution for multiple system operators (MSOs). The company's flagship product is the TestQuest Pro test automation system. The TestQuest Pro monitoring system is a...

Digital upconvertor. (New products: product reviews).(Pico Macom Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... SAN FERNANDO, Calif.--Pico Macom Inc. has introduced its new rackmount, digital upconvertor-the PDT550. Designed specifically for the cable TV and the private cable industry, the unit will take the QAM IF output of a cable modem termination...

High-speed coaxial cable. (Cables).(Helix/HiTemp Cable Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... FRANKLIN, Mass.--Helix/HiTemp Cables Inc. (A Draka USA Company) has introduced a new high-speed, low-loss, 50-ohm RF coaxial cable for use in digital TV, broadband, wireless communications systems and related applications. Draka DBC Broadband...

Programmable-gain upstream amplifier. (New products: product reviews).(Maxim Integrated Products Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... SUNNYVALE, Calif.--Maxim Integrated Products has introduced the MAX3503 programmable-gain cable upstream amplifier IC designed for cable modem and cable TV set-top box applications. The MAX3503 operates from a single 3.3V power-supply voltage....

Broadcast digital television processor. (New products: product reviews).(Wegener Corp.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... NEW ORLEANS--Wegener has introduced its DTV700 processor, which gives cable operators the ability to "economically" process terrestrial digital television signals (HDTV) for carriage to cable subscribers, according to the company. The processor...

Line extender power pack. (New products: product reviews).(Scientific-Atlanta Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... ATLANTA--Scientific-Atlanta has introduced a new GainMaker field installable external power supply kit to enable cable operators to power the GainMaker Line Extender locally with 90-260 VAC input. Operators can take control over plant powering...

Network management software. (New products: product reviews).(Stargus Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... NEW ORLEANS--Stargus Inc. has introduced CableEdge, intelligent network management and planning software designed for DOCSIS infrastructure and IP services. The CableEdge family of products includes the patent-pending CableEdge data collection...

Double conversion UPS. (New products: product reviews).(Alpha Technologies Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... BELLINGHAM, Wash.--Alpha Technologies has introduced a new family of double conversion UPS systems, the Pinnacle Series, which provides clean, reliable power to protect headend equipment, networking gear, telecommunications systems, medical...

Digital ad insertion control system. (New products: product reviews).(Motorola Inc. Broadband Communications Sector)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... NEW ORLEANS--Motorola Inc. Broadband Communications Sector has released the DigiCipher Event Manager (DEM), a new control system that allows programmers to interface automation systems with uplink transmission equipment to relay ad insertion...

Enhanced innerduct product. (New products: product reviews).(TVC Communications)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... ANNVILLE, Pa.--TVC Communications has announced a new product enhancement to its patented geo-textile innerduct, MaxCell. This multi-chambered flexible innerduct is now offered with uniquely color-coded pull tapes in each chamber. The...

Traffic management software. (New products: product reviews).
June 1, 2002... ATLANTA, Ga.--ChanneLogics has released version 1.3 of the CableLogics suite of products. The latest version includes an enhanced graphical user interface, clustered reporting for support of tiering, additional forecasting and trending reports,...

Channel patch-in network for cable TV. (New products: product reviews).
June 1, 2002... EAST SYRACUSE, N.Y.--Communications & Energy Corporation Inc. has introduced Network CPNA- (Channel #), which inserts in the cable to delete a channel and to allow insertion of different programming on the same channel. CPNA consists of a...

Scalable node. (New products: product reviews).(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... DULUTH, Ga.--ARRIS Group Inc. has introduced a new member in the Laser Link family, the Laser Link IPerion Optical Node, a fiber deep, high-performance node designed for networks which support IP applications including tiered data services and...

Self-service platform. (New products: product reviews).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... COLOGNE, Germany--Sigma Systems has launched the Self-Service Manager, which allows cable subscribers to manage their own residential and commercial data services in real-time through an intuitive Web interface. The Self-Service Manager...

Multichannel audio decoder. (New products: product reviews).(Dolby Laboratories Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... SAN FRANCISCO--Dolby Laboratories has introduced its DP564 Multichannel Audio Decoder, a reference decoder for applications ranging from digital TV broadcast to postproduction and DVD authoring. The unit decodes and monitors Dolby Digital,...

2002 Cable-Tec Expo: Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, June 4-7, 2002.
June 1, 2002... A Novo Broadband Inc. 2056 Aastra Digital Video 936 AC Data Systems 8044 ACI Communications, Inc. Booth #2084 Phone: 253-854-9802...

PSIP issues. (capital currents).(Program and System Information Protocol)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... NOW that cable MSOs are getting serious about carrying digital TV broadcast stations, we need to examine some of the disagreements between broadcasters, TV set manufacturers and cable operators over the carriage of PSIP. PSIP (Program and...

Walking the walk. (point of entry).(cable television and internet service provider services regulations)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... I THINK COMCAST CORP. President Brian Roberts had it right in late April when he told a Senate subcommittee hearing that he would not agree to a condition that would require Comcast to provide access to rival ISPs as part of its merger with...

Hitchin' a ride: despite a recent ruling that doesn't require cable to carry unaffiliated ISPs on its broadband freeways, a growing number of ISPs are merging on via cable trials and deployments.(internet service providers)
June 1, 2002... After spending the early years cruising along high-speed thoroughfares devoid of unaffiliated ISPs, several of the nation's largest cable operators are starting to build the onramps necessary to share the road. In turn, many of those ISPs,...

Navigating the protocols: while parallel networks, tunneling and NAT have been largely discarded as viable options for multiple ISP deployments over cable lines, even the more popular approaches have their own set of pros and cons.(Network Address Translation, internet service provider)
June 1, 2002... Despite cable operators' early technical trials and commercial deployments of multiple ISP (MISP) services, the protocols and methods employed to deliver them aren't necessarily as solid as concrete. Offering MISP via a cable network...

Will new service adds ever be Automatic? Though not the magic bullet providers had originally hoped for, automated service and self-installation processes are helping trim provisioning costs and streamline network efficiencies. (Auto provisioning).
June 1, 2002... A couple of years ago, when OSS software vendors optimistically began promising "auto-installation" and "flow-through provisioning," service providers got pretty excited. They thought their magic bullet was on the way. Soon their complex back...

Wheels within wheels: operations support systems create order from chaos for better returns, revenue and cost savings.
June 1, 2002... The OSS (Operations Support System) is not your father's billing system anymore--and those who get clear about the new era of OSS and its true costs and eventual paybacks will likely perspire less during the migration to new services and the...

The life and times of broadband: from inception to concept and from deployment to retirement, new services and offerings follow a distinct lifecycle.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... While we were growing up, one of the popular high school sayings was "first you live; then you die." We must have thought it was cool. Or perhaps it was when we first realized that everything has a lifecycle--a distinct series of steps and...

MK Battery's life-cycle series: part 3: system reliability.(broadband batteries)
June 1, 2002... Longer Life Means Greater Reliability System reliability is your top concern. With dish networks aggressively operating in your area, you can't afford a single outage. Unhappy customers mean lost customers. But the four-year batteries you...

DOCSIS 2.0: more throughput for all.(data traffic over cable television)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2002... Traffic projection The data traffic running over today's able TV networks is relatively minuscule in comparison to what it will be in the next five years. As cable providers migrate more services to the IP domain and deploy new services...