CED articles from October 2003

CED archives from October 2003

Plugging some unintended consequences.(in perspective)
October 1, 2003... After some foot-dragging, the Federal Communications Commission gave its blessing to an amended version of the "Plug-and-Play" agreement for set-top-free digital TVs first proposed last year by influential cable and consumer electronics...

FCC A-OK with 'Plug-and-Play'.(Upfront: latest news and insight)(digital television)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... The Federal Communications Commission last month unanimously voted in favor of adopting "Plug-and Play" (P&P), a proposal from the cable and consumer electronics industries that sets a technical baseline for set-top-free digital TV sets. ...

Exavio enters the VOD fray.(Upfront: latest news and insight)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... The video-on-demand sector may be teeming with competition these days, but that hasn't stopped Exavio Inc. from putting its hat in the ring. Exavio, founded in March 2002, has emerged from stealth mode to unveil an IP-based on-demand...

Cedar Point passes PacketCable 1.0.(Upfront: latest news and insight)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... CableLabs, upon further testing following the end of certification wave 26, has awarded PacketCable 1.0 qualification to the call management Server (CMS) function of Cedar Point Communications' flagship SAFARI [C.sup.3] Media Switching System....

The Cable Center forms industry 'think tank'.(Upfront: latest news and insight)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... The Cable Center has created the "Vendor and Operator Executive Advisory Forum," a group that aims to promote industry innovation by opening up the lines of communication between operators and vendors. YAS Broadband Ventures CEO Rouzbeh...

Cablevision bows HDVOD service.(Upfront: latest news and insight)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Cablevision Systems Corp. this summer became the first cable MSO to launch a high-definition video-on-demand (HDVOD) tier, offering a stable of theatrical films and IMAX titles to its base of digital cable subs. Cablevision's HDVOD titles...

End of line for Com21.(Upfront: latest news and insight)(Com21 Inc. sells off to Arris Interaction, CastleNet Technology, HS Data Solutions and GoBack TV.com)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Com21 Inc.'s plan to emerge from bankruptcy with a new focus on digital video products came to a screeching halt last month when creditors opposed the idea. Com21 has instead initiated the complete shutdown of operations and a liquidation of...

Adelphia gets some high-speed help.(Upfront: latest news and insight)(Adelphia Communications)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... SupportSoft Inc. said Adelphia Communications will use its software to provide automated customer support for the MSO's 900,000 broadband customers, and, in turn, reduce costly truck rolls and calls to technical support. SupportSoft's...

Movielink peps up downloads.(Movies In Minutes)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Movielink is attempting to remove one of its critical shortcomings--long download times with the launch of a new software version that enables users to start watching titles in between two to ten minutes after initiating the download. With the...

Motive gets down to business.(Upfront: latest news and insight)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Software company Motive Communications has launched its Business Class Manager, a software infrastructure designed to help service providers deliver enhanced business-class services to small and medium business (SMB) customers. The new...

Charter tests videophone.(Upfront: latest news and insight)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Charter Communications Inc. is testing Viseon Inc.'s VisiFone personal broadband videophone. The phone is a self-contained system that does not require a PC or external equipment and operates on any broadband connection or home or office...

Volo calls up VoIP plan.(Upfront: latest news and insight)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Taking a page from Vonage and other "hosted" providers of IP voice services, Volo Communications has taken the wraps off a version of its service in Florida. Volo, a subsidiary of CLEC Caerus Inc., has launched a trial of the service,...

Microsoft adds MPEG encoding.(Upfront: latest news and insight)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... MainConcept said its MPEG, encoding technology will populate Microsoft TV's recently launched "Foundation Edition" software platform for digital cable set-tops. Microsoft's platform will use the MPEG gear at the server level, to convert...

Michigan muni teams with Vonage.(Upfront: latest news and insight)(Vonage Inc. signs deals with Coldwater Board of Public Utilities, Armstrong Cable Services, Advanced Cable Communications)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Vonage has secured its latest "private label" IP telephony deal, this time signing on the Coldwater Board of Public Utilities, an incorporated municipality located in southwest Michigan. CBPU, which offers cable services to "several...

WorldGate sheds assets, focuses on videophone.(Upfront: latest news and insight)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... WorldGate Communications Inc, is making an about-face. selling off much of its interactive TV business to interactive programming guide consortium TVGateway LLC as it dives down a new path as a videophone technology provider. The...

Cable gets game: broadband could give cable a big edge in shaping how consumers play games--and play each other--via PCs, TVs and consoles.
October 1, 2003... PC and console gaming, once considered a childish pursuit, has grown into a mature and thriving business segment, and there's no doubt that broadband will play a key role in defining its future, But what specific role the cable industry...

Profitably deploying multiservice transport and access solutions: series three.
October 1, 2003... The ability to deliver multiple services over cable networks enables operators to create multiple revenue streams from existing infrastructure investments. MSOs therefore reap tremendous rewards from building flexible and scalable...

Training the troops: PCs, the Internet and DVDs and replacing traditional brick and mortar in the ongoing education of cable's finest.(digital video disks)
October 1, 2003... Training employees--from new hires to top management--isn't what it used to be. In fact, virtual classrooms steaming media, WebEx communications services, DVDs and a host of learning-friendly methodologies and technologies are moving the...

Getting on a roll-out: the advanced services deployment handbook.(Illustration)
October 1, 2003... CABLE MODEMS Highest Highest Euro DOCSIS DOCSIS cert. ...

Jack-of-all-trades or master of one? Should broadband techs wear multiple hats, or find one that fits best?(Networking: advanced networking technology)
October 1, 2003... With the launch of advanced services such as telephony, video-on-demand and high-speed data, the role of field personnel within today's hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) network has greatly changed in scope. Or has it? is it better to populate your...

Making VoIP live up to the PSTN: the importance of routing optimization in high availability.(Networking: advanced networking technology)(voice over internet protocol)(Public Switched Telephone Network)
October 1, 2003... As MSOs move to deploy PSTN-equivalent voice services over IP, network and service availability become important issues to consider. Service availability in the case of voice is dependent upon two primary metrics: 1. Calls dropped (or...

F-connector cross-reference chart.(cable statistics)(Illustration)
October 1, 2003... F-CONNECTOR CROSS-REFERENCE CHART DIGICON CONNECTORS Series: Series: T Digicon Tyne II Compression * Compression...

Making room for HDTV: spotlight turns on bandwidth management as MSOs go high-def.(Networking: advanced networking technology)(high definition television)(manager of search operations)
October 1, 2003... High-definition television (HDTV) services are quickly elbowing their way into a marquee position in cable operators' service offerings, but offering crystalline picture quality can come at a steep price. That's because huge chunks of system...

A heavenly collision: when the HD and VOD worlds come together, will operators be ready?(Broadband: business and news perspective)(high definition)(video on demand)
October 1, 2003... If fever there were a case for the whole being greater than the sum of the parts, it would be video-on demand (VOD) services with high-definition (HD) content. HD VOD offers cable's highest spending subscribers the plethora of premium content...

Moore shock.(Ciciora's corner)
October 1, 2003... No, not "more" shock, but "Moore" shock, as in Gordon Moore's Law. The last column was about "future shock." so you might think that this one is about "more" shock. Close. but not quite As I'm sure you remember. Gordon Moore one of the...

Optical power meter.(New products: product reviews)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Kingfisher International has introduced the KI 3600 General Purpose Handheld Fiber Optic Power Meter, which measures absolute and relative light levels in multimode and singlemode optical communication systems. It is...

VOD delivery.(New products: product reviews; video on demand)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- Harmonic Inc. has introduced the third-generation Narrowcast Services Gateway (NSG) smart edge devices, a video-on-demand (VOD) delivery solution. The company's new NSG 9000 series enable cable operators of all sizes to...

Optical testing platform.(Fiber Optics; Model 500 Optical Multitester)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... HICKORY, N,C. -- Corning Cable Systems has unveiled the new Model 500 Optical Multitester, an optical testing platform. The unit features test and measurement options including Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR), connector inspection,...

FCC sees the light on IM.(capital currents; instant messaging)
October 1, 2003... The FCC has finally, seen the light mad lifted the prohibition against innovation by AOL ha its Instant Messaging (AIM) service. AOL will now be allowed to provide video instead of just text AIM. The FCCs justification far this change in policy...