CED articles from June 2003

CED archives from June 2003

Feeling greedy. (in perspective).
June 1, 2003... I'm not Gordon Gekko and I don't play him on TV, but growth, like greed, is good. The growth I'm referring to is the attendance at last month's Cable-Tec Expo in Philadelphia. According to SCTE officials, the 2003 confab welcomed about...

Time Warner Cable tests 'Xtreme' Road Runner tier. (Up front: latest news and insight).
June 1, 2003... Time Warner Cable is testing a faster cable modem service tier in three markets in the hopes that a fringe group of power users will upgrade to the higher level of service. TWC began testing the new, faster tier, dubbed "Road Runner...

Hughes, Net2Phone to take VoIP into orbit. (Up front: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Hughes Network Systems has integrated Net2Phone Inc.'s IP telephony capabilities with the DirecWay broadband satellite service, a move that could give DBS giant DirecTV a much sought-after triple play of services. On the technical front,...

FCC extends digital box deadline. (Up front: latest news and insight).
June 1, 2003... The Federal Communications Commission has extended a deadline that would ban cable operators from deploying digital set-tops with integrated encryption and conditional access technologies. Casting aside an original deadline of January 2005,...

In Demand is making plans to launch up to three linear high-definition television channels. (Up front: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... In Demand is making plans to launch up to three linear high-definition television channels, marking a move that could take direct aim at Mark Cuban's HDNet. The first of those charmers, to be named INHD, is slated to bow September 1 and...

Motorola launches HD-DVR combo. (Up front: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Motorola Broadband has formally unveiled its DCT-6000 set-top series, offering what it calls the first digital box to integrate both high-definition television and digital video recording capabilities. The official, bowing of the DCT-6000...

Cox rolls out DVRs in Northern Va. (Up front: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Cox Communications has launched a new digital video recorder service in its Northern Virginia systems with Scientific-Atlanta's Explorer 8000. Cox is offering the service for $9.99 per month, plus a monthly lease fee of $9.99 for the integrated...

Ops put the kibosh on cable signal thieves. (Up front: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The Broadband & Internet Security Task Force has honored two Time Warner Cable employees for their efforts in combating signal theft. The winners of the organization's third annual Broadband Security Case Study Competition were Austin...

OCAP test environment created. (Up front: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Strategy & Technology Ltd. and UniSoft Corp. have inked a nonexclusive deal with CableLabs to create a test environment for the OCAP (Open Cable Application Platform) middleware specification for OpenCable-based "host" devices. S&T said it...

Lemur automates DOCSIS upgrades. (Up front: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Lemur Networks hopes to take the migraines out of DOCSIS migrations with a new platform that tracks and upgrades cable modem software in real time. Lemur said its i-Fabric Firmware Manager enables cable operators to remotely upgrade...

SCTE releases election results. (Up front: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers, citing a 30 percent increase in voters thanks to a new online voting option, announced the winners of its 2003 board of directors election. The newly-elected members are: Region 1...

DOCSIS shipments dip in first quarter of 2003. (Up front: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Worldwide DOCSIS modem shipments dropped 2.4 percent to 2.91 million units in the first quarter of 2003 versus the previous period, Kinetic Strategies Inc. reported. Shipments in North America dropped 4.3 percent versus the fourth quarter,...

Forecast sees steady DBS growth through 2007. (Up front: latest news and insight).(Direct broadcast satellite service)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Satellite television service growth won't happen as quickly as first predicted, but it looks like it won't flatten out, either. Direct broadcast satellite service (DBS) will continue its steady subscriber growth to serve 27.1 million U.S....

CTAM: HD awareness jumps, but adoption still a question. (Up front: latest news and insight).(Cable and Telecommunications Association for Marketing)(high definition television)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Total awareness of high-definition television by adults has surged to 80 percent, but 23 percent of consumers aren't completely sold on whether to shell out the cash for the necessary equipment. Those results come from the Cable &...

NCTI offers broadband business degree. (Up front: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Targeting customer management and support personnel, NCTI has launched an associate's degree of general studies, broadband business management. The two-year degree applies to call center representatives, general managers and administrative...

GCI gears up for VoIP. (Up front: latest news and insight).(GCI Communication Corp.)(Arris Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Arris said it scored a five-year, $25 million deal to provide primary-line broadband telephony equipment to Alaska-based MSO GCI Communications. Under terms of the agreement, Arris will provide GCI with as many as 18 DOCSIS 1.1-qualified...

TI shifts broadband into high gear. (Up front: latest news and insight).(Texas Instruments acceleration software for cable modems)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The conclusion of certification wave 25 at CableLabs ended with more than its sundry DOCSIS approvals. It also marked a wave teeming with modems that can put the broadband pedal to the metal, thanks to some proprietary software from Texas...

Artel puts cable first in new VOD transport line. (Up front: latest news and insight).(Artel Video Systems Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Artel Video Systems hopes to rise above an increasingly crowded market of video-on-demand transport vendors with a Line of gear built from the ground up to support cable networks... and cable networks only. Like others in this extremely...

'Pointed' optimism: matched by a rise in attendance, Expo 2003 featured a quiver-full of weapons that cable will aim at its DBS and DSL competitors.
June 1, 2003... With its advanced architecture mostly built-out, cable operators are now in search of the applications and services to layer on top of it. And the sooner the better, considering the fact that DBS is perpetually creating new products and...

Getting in the game: a new crop of VOD players want to crack cable's starting lineup, but will there be enough business out there to sustain them?
June 1, 2003... Cable's VOD gridiron is still dominated by three players, but a new, hungry group of VOD server and software vendors are quickly moving in, hoping to play alongside the incumbents or create some playing time of their own. This new breed of...

Exposing the spatial re-use myth: Resilient Packet Ring vs. Ethernet-over-Sonet. (Fiberline: fiber optic technology).
June 1, 2003... This article compares two ring-based topologies for data transmission: Resilient Packet Ring (RPR) technology, an off-shoot of Cisco-propietary DPT (Dynamic Packet Transport); and Ethernet-over-Sonet/SDH (EoS), a standards-based approach of...

Evaluating networked home strategies: which one will drive subscriber gains? (Networking: advanced networking technology).
June 1, 2003... This summer, DBS providers will deploy new products that will deliver video signals over existing networks in the home to multiple TV sets. At the same time, established set-top vendors have begun touting MPEG distribution in the home as a...

Preparing for the 'new reality': cable-ready digital TVs are coming. Are you prepared? (Networking: advanced networking technology).
June 1, 2003... The cable and consumer electronics industries' intention to create a more user-friendly environment for the consumer is about to take an important next step. The recently-inked initiative, called the Plug-and-Play agreement, created a...

Can TOD make everyone happy? Television on Demand offers consumer value, MSO control. (Broad band: business and news perspective).
June 1, 2003... How many times have you heard or uttered, "150 channels and nothing to watch"? With its old-fashioned, time-based linear programming schedule, appointment television limits the programming choices of viewers, who are forced to watch their...

HDTV and more. (Ciciora's corner).
June 1, 2003... The hot topic in cable at the NCTA (National Cable and Telecommunications Association) appears to be HDTV. HDTV is very good for cable. It appeals to the high-end subscriber who has the interest in video and the money to pay for it. There is an...

Figure-8 drop cable.(from Corning Cable Systems)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... HICKORY, N.C. -- Corning Cable Systems has announced its SST Figure-8 Drop Cable, a craft-friendly cable designed for subscriber drop and node feeder applications. The cable, which extends Corning's line of optical drop cables, typically spans...

Connector adapter system.(from Revotech Industries International)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... LOS ANGELES -- Revotech Industries International has introduced its RJAX line of adapters, which enhances the connectivity of coaxial cables. RJAX's patented design employs an RJ style connector for linking coaxial cable to devices such as TVs,...

Multichannel 8-VSB demodulator. (Headend).(from Tandberg Television)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... ORLANDO, Fla. -- Tandberg Television has Launched a multichannel 8-VSB demodulator for cable headends. The TT6330 MediaLink is a compact system designed to take off-air 8-VSB digital television (DTV) signals and demodulate them into individual...

Replacement boards for S-A amps.(from CableServ Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... PHILADELPHIA -- CableServ has unveiled its 625 MHz and 750 MHz replacement boards for the Scientific-Atlanta LEII and System II amplifiers. The replacement boards allow cable operators to redeploy 550 MHz equipment as fully two-way active 5 to...

Digital remotes.(Contec Corp.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... SCHENECTADY, N.Y. -- Contec Corp. has unveiled its new Synergy line of universal remote controls that support the Explorer 8000 digital set-top application from Scientific-Atlanta. In addition to supporting the DVR/PIP capabilities of today's...

Alert system.(from Howard Cable)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... PESHTIGO, Wis. -- Howard Cable has introduced its Guardian II in-line warning device, which alerts homeowners of pending emergencies, whether the television set is on or off. Warning systems include NOAH (weather), Civil Defense (local or...

Signal analyzer.(from Trilithic Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Trilithic Inc. has introduced the 860 DSPi signal analyzer, which is optimized for digital installation. The unit can quickly perform all forward/reverse QAM, QPSK and analog tests automatically, displaying test results...

The National Show 2003 booth guide June 9-11, 2003: McCormick Hall South, Chicago Ill.
June 1, 2003... 8x8 Inc. 1352 A & E Television Networks 1914 ABC Cable Networks Group 848 ABC Family/ABC Cable Networks Group 848 Air Force Recruiting 1340 Allot...

This is a test ... (capital currents).(emergency broadcast messages)
June 1, 2003... Analog cable systems have traditionally delivered emergency messages by force-tuning the set-top box to one channel that carries the alert message. If you didn't have a set-top box to receive the out-of-band message to change channels, you...

Cashing in: cable considers how to reap the financial benefits of a fast-moving home networking market.
June 1, 2003... Home is where the network is, or should be--according to a growing legion of cable operators and an emerging group of home networking proponents and related companies, whose mission is to explore the revenue potential, cost implications and...

802.11-over-coax: a cable paradox: a collision of the wired and wireless worlds might produce harmonization, rather than annihilation, for the multi-screen DVR.
June 1, 2003... Anyone who's up on their Star Treknology realizes that big trouble can brew when matter and anti-matter clash. It usually involves the eradication of the other, the end of the universe, or perhaps something even nastier, if that's possible. ...

Hostile environs! New and improved powerline networking technology could boost consumer adoption and chase away a batch of technical gremlins.(HomePlug Powerline Alliance)
June 1, 2003... It takes a bold competitor to step into the ring with one of broadband's fastest-growing and most hyped technologies--wireless networking--but that's exactly what the proponents of powerline networking are doing. Establishing networks...

50 and beyond: C-COR 1953-2003: vision becomes reality.(C-COR Electronics)(Company Profile)
June 1, 2003... In the Beginning In 1953, an innovative trio of entrepreneurs strung a bundle of wire across neighborhood roofs and treetops to bring TV programs to the signal-starved residents of State College, Pa. With that bold stroke, the 50-year...

North American VOD deployments.(video on demand)(Directory)
June 1, 2003... Service operator Market Launch date Adelphia Bethel Park, Pa. April 2002 Cleveland, Euclid, Sept. 2001 Willowick, Ohio All West Kamas, Utah ...