CED articles from October 2001

CED archives from October 2001

Nowhere to go but up. (in perspective).(response to terrorism)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... I've tried, but I just can't do it. It's been more than a week since terror struck inside America's borders, yet I can't think of any other subject that demands more attention. By the time you read this, the events of Sept. 11 will have been...

Cable theft or just fraud? (letters).
October 1, 2001... Dear Editor: Regarding "Signal Theft" in the August 2001 issue of CED: As someone who has worked in broadband for over 10 years, and who worked on one of the first all-digital full service systems in the U.S; as someone who created...

DOCSIS 2.0 to bolster upstream, mitigate noise. (Up front: latest news and news insight).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Aiming to bolster cable return paths to 30 megabits per second in order to accommodate advanced applications like peer-to-peer and video conferencing, CableLabs said last month that it is creating a new version of the Data-Over-Cable Service...

Changes for CED. (Up front: latest news and news insight).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Magazine masthead watchers will notice that CED magazine has reorganized its editorial staff. Under the restructuring, Jeff Baumgartner returns to CED from Multichannel News, where he was broadband editor. As CED's new assistant editor,...

Jedai sheds light on new architecture. (Up front: latest news and news insight).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Following its formal, introduction at this year's Cable-Tec Expo, Jedai Broadband Networks Inc. took another step last month with the unveiling of its business-class architecture. Targeting mid-sized businesses and high-margin data, video...

AOL-TW targets TV-on-demand. (Up front: latest news and news insight).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... AOL Time Warner Inc.'s newly minted interactive-video division bolted from the blocks with the goal of raising the bar on the on-demand concept. Blending a wide array of content with technical know-how, the division plans to hasten the...

SofaWare touts home net safety. (Up front: latest news and news insight).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... SofaWare Technologies has launched Safe@Home, a consumer-targeted security management system the company will market to cable operators and Internet service providers. Safe@Home--which employs firewall technology, scans for e-mail viruses...

Studios loosen grip on VOD titles. (Up front: latest news and news insight).(motion picture studios, video on demand)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Showing signs that Hollywood is becoming a bit more comfortable with the digital domain, five major studios have teamed on a new on-demand movie distribution service that relies heavily on broadband connections. Those...

Intel gets to the AnyPoint. (Up front: latest news and news insight).(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
October 1, 2001... Intel Corp. has unveiled a line of "AnyPoint Wireless II" home networking products, opting as expected to use the 802.11b protocol. Intel's first version of the product used the slower HomeRF1.0 platform. 802.11b transfers data at speeds...

A Novo gears for set-top repairs. (Up front: latest news and news insight).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... A Novo Broadband Inc. forked over about $8 million plus assumed debt to acquire Broadband Services Inc.'s equipment repair division, giving A Novo repair access to analog and digital set-tops built by Motorola Broadband Communications Sector...

CacheVision emerges, ReplayTV reset. (Up front: latest news and news insight).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... CacheVision Inc. finally opened its kimono this summer to reveal a three-pronged personal video recording strategy with components ranging from software, storage modules and stand-alone and sidecar boxes. CacheVision, the product of a 50-50...

Nagel lends Palm a hand. (Up front: latest news and news insight).(David Nagel )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Former AT&T Corp. executive David Nagel has joined Palm Inc. as president and CEO of the company's newly-formed operating system division. Nagel, who has been a Palm board member since February 2000, most recently was chief technology...

Metabyte cashes in on Canal+, S-A. (Up front: latest news and news insight).(Metabyte Networks Inc.,)(Canal+ Technologies, Scientific-Atlanta Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Metabyte Networks Inc. said it raised $10 million in series B financing led by Canal+ Technologies and Scientific-Atlanta Inc. In turn, Canal+ said it would marry Metabyte's "MbTV" personalization technology with its MediaHighway...

Cracks form in Riverstone-Tellabs relationship. (Up front: latest news and news insight).(Riverstone Networks Inc. )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... A once promising relationship has made an ugly turn for the litigious. In dueling lawsuits, Riverstone Networks Inc. last month said it had filed a complaint against Tellabs Inc., claiming that Tellabs failed to fulfill obligations...

Conditional access and ITV software vendor Canal+ Technologies Inc. has elevated David Moss to chief executive officer, claiming the move confirms its commitment to the U.S. market. (Up front: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Conditional access and ITV software vendor Canal+ Technologies Inc. has elevated David Moss to chief executive officer, claiming the move confirms its commitment to the U.S. market. Moss joined the company last year as its senior vice president...

Pace picks Equator silicon for gateways. (Up front: latest news and insight).(Pace Micro Technology P.L.C.,)(Equator Technologies Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Pace Micro Technology plc said it has selected Equator Technologies Inc.'s "MAP-CA" chip for the set-top maker's forthcoming home gateways. Pace added that it would use the programmable silicon to foster advanced multimedia functions such...

Charter puts multiple ISPs on the agenda. (Up front: latest news and insight).(Charter Communications Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Charter Communications Inc. is preparing to become the next MSO to join the few, the proud, the testers of multiple ISP access. A Charter spokesman said the MSO is preparing a multiple ISP trial this fall, perhaps as early as October, in a...

Arris to resell Ceon provisioning suite. (Up front: latest news and insight).(Arris Group Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Arris Group Inc. has agreed to resell Ceon Corp.'s "It's On" software application suite, which provisions broadband service elements such as order management and activation. Arris said it will add Ceon's software to its "Cornerstone Cable...

Microsoft, Chyron forge iTV player. (Up front: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Expanding on a previous relationship, Microsoft Corp. and Chyron Corp. have launched the "Metaplayer," a software-based tool designed to help broadcasters and cable operators manage and deliver ATVEF-based triggers for iTV applications running...

Sweet digital returns. (Up front: latest news and insight).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Arris Group Inc. said Insight Communications Co. Inc. will be the first cable operator to deploy its new 2.5 Gigahertz digital return transmitter, a technology designed to lower costs by minimizing the number of active elements on a cable...

Piece by piece: bandwidth efficiency is the name of the game as operators gear up for multiple services. (Cover Story).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The doom and gloom surrounding the telecommunications industry hasn't done much to curb Internet users' insatiable appetite for bandwidth. In fact, it's increasing. According to Webnoize, the digital entertainment analysis firm, peer-to-peer...

Playing the Bandwidth Modeling game: CableLabs' Bandwidth Modeling & Management Forum brings key players together to stag ahead of the bandwidth capacity contest.
October 1, 2001... Video games drive some people absolutely insane, yours truly included. A game like Tetris--where one tries to make a solid foundation by filling in the gaps with descending geometric shapes--is considered downright infantile by many video game...

ASPS: Outsourcing cable's future.
October 1, 2001... Occasionally, going it alone in the cable business isn't all it's cracked up to be. Starting large projects from scratch can potentially tax a company's workforce as well as its financial coffers. When it comes to tracking system rebuilds...

Merging circuits and packets on one network: RPR combines resiliency of Sonet with price tag of Ethernet. (Fiberline: fiber optic technology).
October 1, 2001... Move over Sonet. Make way Ethernet. A new technology is raising the eyebrows of carriers and service providers alike that are looking for a packet-oriented, multi-service fiber optic network optimized for regional networks (LANs, MANs or WANs)....

Getting ready for DOCSIS 1.1: How to develop a plausible transition plan. (Networking: advance networking technology).
October 1, 2001... Just as the air turns cooler, the potential to add new features to existing high-speed Internet services is getting much, much warmer. As early as this November, CableLabs is expected to release positive certification results for cable modem...

NLOS eyes the brass ring: non-line-of-sight technology offers better coverage, capacity. (Networking: advanced networking technology.
October 1, 2001... Heads up, cable TV and DSL high-speed operators! Non-line-of-sight (NLOS) fixed broadband vendors are eyeing your business. Unless, of course, you're interested in buying some equipment from them. Then they'd be more than happy to help you out....

Adding HDTV not that tough: with a small investment, operators can add one or more services. (Broadband: business and news perspective).
October 1, 2001... Roughly 200 TV stations, which reach approximately 65 percent of TV households, currently broadcast digital signals--a mix of high-definition (HD) and standard-definition (SD) content. Cable programmers such as HBO and Showtime offer multiple...

Growing the digital universe: vendors, operators get serious about digital ad insertion.
October 1, 2001... The methodical rollout of tiered digital networks and the technology driving new digital services deeper and wider into consumers' homes is opening a new era of digitally inserted commercials and branding opportunities for service providers....

HDTV = home destroying TV. (Ciciora's Corner).(Column)
October 1, 2001... Have a comment? Contact Walt by e-mail: Walt@Ciciora.com. I am writing this during the week of the terrible tragedy in New York City and Washington D.C., so I find myself a bit more reflective than usual. Fortunately, all of my relatives...

Getting down to new business: how to turn digital ad insertion challenges into opportunities. (Broadband: business and news perspective).
October 1, 2001... Local advertising has come a great distance since the days of tape decks, dubbing processes and unreliable insertions. Over the past 10 years, digital ad insertion technology has eased operations via automation, delivered high quality video and...

Cable modem business services: why guaranteed bandwidth won't be enough. (Broadband: business and news perspective).
October 1, 2001... A tremendous opportunity exists for cable service providers to be successful and highly profitable in the enterprise (business) market. For the first time, the DOCSIS 1.1 cable modem standard provides a mechanism to guarantee bandwidth quality....

Artel, Harmonic partner.(Artel Video Systems Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... MARLBOROUGH, Mass.--Artel Video Systems Inc. and Harmonic Inc. have entered into a partnership to develop and market integrated solutions for digital television operators. Customers of Artel and Harmonic can benefit by leveraging their...

Terayon takes #2 slot in CMTS market.(Dell'Oro Group report)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... SANTA CLARA, Calif.--Terayon Communication Systems Inc. has been named the world's number-two supplier of transmit ports for cable access concentrators--also known as cable modem termination systems (CMTS)--according to the latest market...

AM to acquire SRS/EDJ.(AM Communications Inc.,)(SRS Communications Corp., EDJ Communications Inc.,)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... QUAKERTOWN, Pa.--AM Communications Inc. has entered into a stock purchase agreement to acquire all of the outstanding capital stock of SRS Communications Corp. and EDJ Communications Inc., both located in West Hartford, Conn. These...

CableDirect picks Convergys' billing package.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... CINCINNATI, Ohio--Convergys Corp. has signed a seven-year contract to provide its ICOMS convergent voice, video and data billing and customer care package to CableDirect in a service bureau environment. CableDirect is a Missouri-based...

Fiber optic workstation.(unveiled by)(Chariot Manufacturing Company Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... OLDSMAR, Fla.--Chariot Mfg. Co. Inc. has introduced its fiber optic workstation 14, a lightweight, molded fiberglass unibody trailer (pkg. wt. 1,500 pound average) over a heavy-duty tubular steel frame with a Tortex independent suspension and...

Handheld MPEG test solution. (Test Equipment).(from Tektronix Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... BEAVERTON, Ore.--Tektronix Inc. has introduced a new handheld MPEG test tool that provides a portable first line of defense in analyzing MPEG-2 transport stream formats. The new Tektronix AD920 is a handheld, battery-powered MPEG transport...

Buried line tapes.
October 1, 2001... HOUSTON, Texas--VIP Division has announced the availability of both Detectable and Non-Detectable Buried Line Tapes, which are produced in three-inch by 1,000-foot rolls, imprinted with black legends on brilliant orange APWA color-coded...

Printer for iTV.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
October 1, 2001... LEXINGTON, Ky.--Lexmark International Inc. has announced a printer for both computer and interactive TV users. Combining Lexmark's photo-quality output and ease-of-use features with new design, the Lexmark i3 color printer offers consumers a...

MPEG-2 encoding.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... EINDHOVEN, The Netherlands--Philips Digital Networks has introduced StatCast PRO. In conjunction with the latest Philips GoldLine PRO encoders for ultra-low bit-rate encoding, the new StatCast PRO statistical encoding system provides a...

MDS/MMDS diplexer.
October 1, 2001... EAST SYRACUSE, N.Y.--Microwave Filter Co. has introduced its Model 14135 MDS/MMDS diplexer, which combines MMDS transmit and MDS receive frequencies on a single line, while providing mutual isolation for MDS from MMDS transmit and cellphone...

Fiber optic snake.
October 1, 2001... WORCESTER, Mass.--Telecast Fiber Systems has introduced the Python Plus4, a format-independent digital distribution unit that transports four channels of serial digital video on a single optical fiber. The compact system is capable of handling...

Streaming video encoder/server.
October 1, 2001... NEWPORT, R.I.--LiveWave has announced the availability of its turnkey CC-100-LE system, which facilitates the origination and delivery of interactive streaming video over IP. The package includes all the server/encoder hardware and LiveWave's...

Home powerline neworking product.
October 1, 2001... SALT LAKE CITY, Utah--Phonex Broadband Corp. is shipping evaluation kits of its NeverWire 14 high-speed home powerline networking product to an allocated number of strategic accounts. This month, the company expects volume shipments will be...

Optical power meter.
October 1, 2001... WALTHAM, Mass.--Extech Instruments Corp. has introduced its Micro OWL Optical Power Meter, Model MO500, which measures +5 to 65 dBm with +/-0.15 dB accuracy and 0.01 dB resolution. The user-friendly interface with alphanumeric membrane keypad...

Encoder software.
October 1, 2001... CLEARWATER, Fla.--Vela is now shipping version 2.3 of its Argus Spectrum encoder software. With this new software, Argus Spectrum extends the functionality of the widely established Argus encoder, adding support for the simultaneous, real-time...

LC connector.
October 1, 2001... HICKORY, N.C.--Corning Cable Systems has announced its new UniCam LC multimode and singlemode connector. The UniCam LC connector uses technology which requires no epoxy or polishing. The small-form-factor connector is suited for higher...

Amplifier family.
October 1, 2001... UPPER SADDLE RIVER, N.J.--Ikusi Telecommunications has introduced a family of 2-GHz, two-way broadband amplifiers equipped to carry both digital broadcast satellite (DBS or L-Band) and cable television signals. Ikusi Telecommunications'...

Fiber optic test kits.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
October 1, 2001... MEDFORD, Mass.--Fotec has introduced new "Smart" Fiber Optic Test Kits that can cut fiber optic network testing time in half by automated dual wavelength testing, says the company. The DT300 and DT3000 series kits are available for both...

Enforcement of FCC roles. (capital currents).
October 1, 2001... The FCC has an Enforcement Bureau that inspects radio and TV stations and cable systems to see if they comply with the FCC's rules. If not, the inspectors issue a Notice of Violation that could eventually lead to a fine (called a "monetary...

DOCSIS 1.1 sounds all-aboard signal; advanced spec is a passport to IP services.
October 1, 2001... The much anticipated inaugural run of DOCSIS (Data-Over-Cable Service Interface Specification) 1.1 is about to leave the station, and with it comes a whole new generation of tiered services, revenues and consumers that are expected to climb...

Cable modem deployment update.
October 1, 2001... CABLE MODEM DEPLOYMENT UPDATE Cable MSO/system HP Vendor ISP 21st Century Chicago, Ill. N/D 3Com N/D AT&T Broadband & Internet Services Adrian (Liberty), ...

DSL service providers.
October 1, 2001... Provider: AT&T Web site: www.att.com AT&T rolled out a retail DSL service, covering 1,200 PoPs in 39 U.S. states, by late 2000. It is also providing DSL lines wholesale to ISPs in Boston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia,...

Cable modem vendors.
October 1, 2001... CABLE MODEM VENDORS Company name Model DOCSIS 1.0 CableLabs compliant? 1.0 certified? Accton PCI ...

CMTS equipment.
October 1, 2001... CMTS EQUIPMENT Company Model DOCSIS 1.0 DOCSIS 1.0 compliant? qualified? ADC Cuda 12000 Yes Yes www.adc.com Advent...

DSL modem vendors.(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2001... DSL MODEM VENDORS Company name Model Price name ADC MM100L $249 www.adc.com MM100F $349 MM200L ...