CED articles from November 2003

CED archives from November 2003

Size matters.(telecommunications equipment)
November 1, 2003... If I had closed my eyes I might have guessed that I was at a cable convention. During the breakout panel sessions, I was hearing statements like: "If we don't do it (offer the Triple Play of voice, video and data), someone else will come in and...

MSOs rev up for broadband battle: industry analyst says tactic 'misses the mark'.(Multisystem Operator )
November 1, 2003... Rather than match recent price cuts by DSL providers, several major U.S. MSOs have opted instead to boost their download speed caps. If it's a race to 5 Mbps, consider RCN Corp. the winner. The over-builder has launched MegaModem Mach 5, a...

SCTE launches 'Standards Alert'.(Upfront: latest news and insight)(Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers has launched a "Standards Alert" e-mail list to keep members up to speed on proposed and approved standards documents, with topics ranging from DOCSIS, IPCablecom and digital program insertion....

Disney rolls out 'MovieBeam'.
November 1, 2003... The Mouse is taking direct aim at movie lovers. The Walt Disney Company has launched MovieBeam, a movie rental service that uses datacasting and a separate set-top box to deliver content to subscribers. Disney launched the service...

TWC, S-A team on transport luau.(Time Warner Cable)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Time Warner Cable's Oceanic division will interconnect services for its video and high-speed data subs in Oahu, Maui and Hawaii after deploying Scientific-Atlanta's Prisma DT digital. transport system. The companies said they are currently...

Movidis resuscitates Diva VOD software.(Video On Demand)
November 1, 2003... What little remained of down-and-out video on demand pioneer Diva Systems Corp. will live no in the VOD system portfolio of Movidis Inc. Movidis has coupled the VOD business management software it acquired from the bankrupt company with its...

SeaChange, Nielsen to measure VOD viewing.(Upfront: latest news and insight)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... SeaChange International said it will add audience measurement tools to its video-on-demand (VOD) service via a partnership with Nielsen Media Research. The ability to measure VOD viewership will enable cable operators to provide audited...

IE puts 'triple play' OSS in play.(Upfront: latest news and insight)(Interactive Enterprise introduced Open Conexon a broadband software platform)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... OSS firm Interactive Enterprise has launched "Open Conexon," a broadband software platform designed for the provisioning and service activation of voice, video and data services. The system gives MSOs control of their back office...

Cable-vendor forum to pursue GIS cable standards.(Geographic Information Systems)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... A group of vendors and MSOs has created a forum that will promote the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for broadband engineering and operations, and develop baseline standards for the technology itself. The Broadband GIS...

Arris offers CMTS upgrade path.(Cable Modem Termination Systems)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Arris. following a similar move by Cisco Systems earlier this year, said it will give operators the ability to upgrade installed Cadant C4 cable modem termination systems to DOCSIS 2.0-based technology. The upgrades will center on a new...

SureWest to aim IP video at Roseville.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Local authorities have given SureWest Communications the green light to Launch IP-based digital television services in Roseville, Calif., in late 2003 or early 2004. The Roseville City Council unanimously approved a franchise deal on Oct....

TWC opens IPG door for Gemstar-TV Guide.(Time Warner Cable)(Internet Press Guild )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Gemstar TV Guide has inked a "long-term" deal to license and distribute its interactive program guide technology to Time Warner Cable, at last giving the IPG giant an entree into one of the nation's largest MSOs. The agreement gives TWC a...

BigBand, Internet Photonics team on video transport.(Upfront: latest news and insight)(cable-based system)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... BigBand Networks and Internet Photonics have completed interoperability testing for a combined, cable-based system capable of delivering video-on-demand and standard- and high-definition television content via Ethernet. The combo marries...

Movielink links up with Road Runner.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Internet based movie rental service Movielink LLC secured its first cable deal this summer, hooking up with Time Warner Cable's Road Runner division. Under the multi-year deal, the companies will create a co-branded movie download service for...

Looking for big money, cable is ... Getting down to business.
November 1, 2003... Cable's great commercial market awakening is underway. From tall, shiny buildings to remote rural offices, the industry's marquee players and many of their little system brothers are seeing the revenue wisdom of providing business-class service...

Unlocking the promise of VoIP: cable operators can now turn to a growing group of 'turnkey' partners that are willing to shoulder much of the capital and operational burden of IP telephony.
November 1, 2003... For cable operators, IP telephony has quickly evolved into a build or buy decision. The largest MSOs, with their deeper pockets and the operational wherewithal to offer VoIP front scratch, are the most likely candidates for the "build"...

Where would you file this book? The telco giants claim they're ready to spin fiber once again. Recent evidence suggests that they're serious this time and ready to put aside the posturing of the past.
November 1, 2003... The Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs) are preparing to launch a major optical network initiative to compete head-on with MSOs for voice, video and data subscribers by bringing fiber to the doorsteps of homes and businesses. This...

Pedal to the metal: Adelphia's new engineering team is hitting on all cylinders with network rebuilds, upgrades and advanced service deployments.(Interview)
November 1, 2003... As Adelphia climbs out from the dark depths of bankruptcy, the MSO literally has had to jump-start an engineering engine that has stood cold and idle for more than a year. Though Adelphia has to he extremely judicious with capital...

Taking fiber to the max: wavelength division multiplexing technology enhances the bandwidth and revenue potential of existing fiber.
November 1, 2003... Cable TV multiple system operators (MSOs) have invested billions of dollars in building and upgrading their hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) networks in order to increase bandwidth for new service offerings such as high speed Interact, video-on-demand...

Videophones coming of age: the technology could give cable ops a key HSD differentiator.(cable operators)(Home Satellite Dish )
November 1, 2003... Thanks to cheaper equipment and the widespread availability of broadband, videophones are no longer just for corporate boardrooms and the well-to do. In fact, they are drawing ever so close to the consumer mainstream. Even influential...

Broadband IP enters the fray: new video distribution method set to compete with cable, satellite.
November 1, 2003... The majority of today's broadcast signals reach the home via satellite, cable or terrestrial networks. While these three methods remain the most wide]y used, a fourth--Broadband IP--is emerging as a new means of distributing video to the home....

Get in the game: MSOs can win with existing next-generation backbone networks.(Multiple System Operators)
November 1, 2003... Even when times are tough and disposable income is in short supply, people still like to have fun. They want to be entertained. They want to play. That explains why the entertainment industry as a whole continues to outpace the rest of the...

Keeping the community in CATV.(Community Antenna Television)
November 1, 2003... This is going back a ways, but some of you will remember when the term "CATV" meant Community Antenna Television, rather than cable TV, or cable telecommunications. Back in the day (as they say here in Philly) when CATV was the only means of...

Automating the support call: by extending automated service to the phone, providers can save millions.
November 1, 2003... Communications providers have invested billions of dollars in sophisticated electronic service technologies to cut the cost of customer care and improve the support experience for their customers. Although these e service solutions have...

Gigabit Ethernet transport.(New products: product reviews)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... ELKRIDGE, Md. -- Optinel Systems has released the PLEXiS 10 Gbps Gigabit Ethernet Transport Platform, which provides up to 10 Gbps of capacity per wavelength, making it suited for the delivery of advanced services such as video-on-demand,...

Fiber cable blowing machine.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... TREVOSE, Pa. -- General Machine Products Company Inc. (GMP) and CBS Products Ltd. have announced a partnership that adds the "Breeze" micro fiber cable blowing machine to GMP's line of fiber optic cable placing equipment and accessories. The...

DFB laser diode modules.(Diffusion Brazing)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- California Eastern Laboratories (CEL) has announced the availability of two new 10 mW DFB Laser Diode Modules from NEC. Developed for cable TV and metro transmission systems, the new modules (series NX8563LA) feature an...

Advanced video coding.(capital currents)
November 1, 2003... It's been about eight years since the United States adopted MPEG-2 as the video coding standard for digital television. But now a better algorithm has come along-actually, two better algorithms. Let's look at how these new technologies might...

Reaching the OSS pinnacle.(operations support system )
November 1, 2003... Cable operators, thanks to the competitive efforts of the DBS and DSL service providers, are getting hit on all fronts. No longer can operators put all of their attention toward the addition of new services or the enhancement of existing ones,...