CED articles from October 2004

CED archives from October 2004

The IP invasion.(in perspective)(Internet Protocol)
October 1, 2004... IP is seeping into the consumer sphere so steadily and stealthily it could complete its invasion before the homeowner realizes the technology has taken over. When it comes to IP, the technology has managed to commandeer every power outlet in my...

MSOs growing keen to turnkey VoIP.(up front: latest news and insight)(Multiple System Operator)
October 1, 2004... A handful of operators took the wraps off their VoIP plans this summer, with many signing on partners rather than building the service from scratch. Mediacom Communications Corp. joined the VoIP chorus by striking a deal with Sprint Corp....

WiMax on Speakeasy's agenda.(up front: latest news and insight)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Seattle-based DSL provider Speakeasy has put WiMax firmly in its planning crosshairs following an investment from the Intel Communications Fund, a big backer of the technology. Speakeasy did not disclose the amount of the investment. ...

Time Warner overlays S-A boxes on Motorola system.(up front: latest news and insight)
October 1, 2004... Following a successful trial, Time Warner Cable has deployed "overlay" technology from Scientific Atlanta in Houston that will enable the MSO to offer S-A digital boxes with on-board DVR and HDTV capabilities. The prime significance of the...

C-COR adds Optinel to IP quiver.(up front: latest news and insight)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Continuing the hunt to expand its cable products portfolio, C-COR Inc. has acquired Elkridge, Md.-based optical Ethernet transport provider Optinel Systems Inc. for $9.5 million, plus assumption of certain liabilities. The agreement calls...

Voxpath links IP with the PBX.(up front: latest news and insight)
October 1, 2004... While most of the cable VoIP talk has been linked to residential applications, VoxPath believes cable operators can go after the lucrative small- and medium-sized business market with a platform that enables them to layer on PBX services. ...

Cisco puts up $200m for P-Cube.(up front: latest news and insight)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Cisco Systems set its sights firmly on the bandwidth control sector this summer by agreeing to pay $200 million in cash and stock for closely held P-Cube Inc. Cisco said the acquisition will give it the ability to control and manage...

Huguez sees Starz!(up front: latest news and insight)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Edward Huguez has left the top spot at video server vendor Midstream Technologies to become executive vice president of sales for Starz Encore Group LLC. Huguez, most recently the CEO and chairman of Midstream and a former executive at...

Amino unveils IP-centric DVR.(up front: latest news and insight)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Amino Communications has taken the wraps off a new IP-based digital set-top with on-board digital video recording capabilities. The device, dubbed the AmiNET500, comes equipped with an 80-gigabyte hard drive and Java-based DVR application...

LaJoie to chair Expo '05.(up front: latest news and insight)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) has tapped Mike LaJoie as the program chair for Cable-Tec Expo 2005, set to run June 14-17 in San Antonio. LaJoie, the executive vice president and chief technology officer for Time...

24 show up for 'groundbreaking' OCAP interop.(up front: latest news and insight)(OpenCable Application Platform)
October 1, 2004... A mix of 24 vendors and operators participated (see table) this summer in an interoperability event for OCAP (OpenCable Application Platform), a CableLabs-specified middleware for OpenCable hosts and a likely candidate for the forthcoming...

Brown elevated to CableLabs CTO.(up front: latest news and insight)(Chief technology officers)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... CableLabs has promoted Ralph Brown to chief technology officer. Brown will also continue to serve the Louisville, Colo.-based cable R&D house as senior vice president of broadband access. Brown succeeds Dr. David Reed, who was named chief...

TVN plants Widevine encryption.(up front: latest news and insight)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... On-demand content aggregator TVN Entertainment will use Widevine Technologies' Cypher Suite software to ensure secure transport of its VOD assets. Cypher Suite offers transport providers persistent encryption of media as it transmits from...

Texas MSO clips wires in DOCSIS 2.0 deployment.(up front: latest news and insight)(Sterling Cable)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Sterling Cable of San Angelo, Texas is one of the first MSOs to put DOCSIS 2.0 over the air, opting for a fixed wireless transmission scheme instead of standard hybrid fiber/coax. Sterling, which already operates a Multichannel Multipoint...

Telco video: can they do it this time?(fine lines)
October 1, 2004... Ten-and-a-half years ago, the topic of telco-supplied video was salacious enough to serve as a cover story for this magazine. Back then, each of the "big-six" telephone companies carried active video projects. A lot was going on. Then...

The OSS consolidation game: who's eating and who's being eaten?(cable TV operations support systems)(Cover Story)
October 1, 2004... In the crowded and competitive cable TV operations support systems (OSS) market, it's a game of eat or be eaten-and there has been a lot of feasting lately. In rapid succession, three OSS providers have been gobbled up by other players,...

Sizing up the fiber smorgasbord: when it comes to fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) architectures, the telcos and other broadband operators now have a bountiful menu of options from which to choose. But those choices--some passive, others active--have their own advantages and shortcomings.
October 1, 2004... The number of telcos and broadband operators deploying or testing fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) networks is growing by the month. They may be uniform in the sense that the aim is to pull fiber to the customer home, but how they are going about...

Cable modems.(In Depth)(Illustration)
October 1, 2004... CABLE MODEMS Company Model Aastra Technologies Ltd. HM200c HMC204C Accton PCI SMC8001 SMC8002CM Advent Networks...

Cable modem plus residential gateway.(In Depth)(Illustration)
October 1, 2004... CABLE MODEM PLUS RESIDENTIAL GATEWAY Highest DOCSIS Company Model cert. level achieved Ambit Microsystems 60740EUW-U10C007 - ...

Multimedia terminal adapters and embedded MTAs.(In Depth)(Illustration)
October 1, 2004... MULTIMEDIA TERMINAL ADAPTERS AND EMBEDDED MTAs Highestlevel of DOCSISCompany Model cert. achieved Ambit Microsystems ...

Cable modem termination systems.(In depth)(Illustration)
October 1, 2004... CABLE MODEM TERMINATION SYSTEMS This device manages access network resources for high-speed data and PacketCable services Highest DOCSIS ...

Packetcable network components.(In Depth)(Illustration)
October 1, 2004... PACKETCABLE NETWORK COMPONENTS CALL MANAGEMENT SERVERS The CMS manages and maintains call state for VoIP services, and is composed of two elements: a call agent and a gate controller. ...

Wireless DOCSIS extension products.(In Depth)(Data-Over-Cable Service Interface Specification )(Illustration)
October 1, 2004... WIRELESS DOCSIS EXTENSION PRODUCTS DOCSIS Company Model version supported Arcwave ARCXtend AX1255 Network 1.0, 1.1, 2.0 ...

Plug & play-verified manufacturers.(In Depth)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
October 1, 2004... PLUG & PLAY-VERIFIED MANUFACTURERS As of Aug, 24, 2004, more than 60 television models have been approved for the unidirectional version of Plug & Play, an FCC approved standard for set-top-free digital televisions. Models comply with...

North American cable HDTV deployments.(In Depth)(High Definition Television)(Illustration)
October 1, 2004... NORTH AMERICAN CABLE HDTV DEPLOYMENTS MSO/market HD broadcast carriage Adelphia Communications Albany, N.Y PBS Bangor, Maine NBC, PBS Boston, Mass. ...

HD-capable cable set-tops (U.S.).(In Depth)(high Definition)(Illustration)
October 1, 2004... HD-CAPABLE CABLE SET-TOPS (U.S.) Supplier Model Integrated DVR? ADB TBA - TEA - Motorola Broadband...

North American residential cable telephony deployments and trials.(In Depth)(Illustration)
October 1, 2004... NORTH AMERICAN RESIDENTIAL CABLE TELEPHONY DEPLOYMENTS AND TRIALS MSO/market CBR/VoIP Adelphia Communications ****** Markets TBA VoIP Advanced...

The fantastic four: MSOs eye cellular/Wi-Fi as doorway to unified voice.(Networking: advanced networking technology)
October 1, 2004... If the latest buzz around the cable industry is any indication, the familiar cable cliche of the "triple play," could soon be replaced by a new concept--"the quad." Cable operators are now talking about developing technology and...

Intelligent video networking: the role of video processing in next-gen personalized video delivery.(Networking: advanced networking technology)
October 1, 2004... The video service provider market promises to be an increasingly competitive environment. Consumers are reaping the benefits of this competition, taking advantage of the growing number of services and products offered by video service providers...

Interactive TV brings new security problems: protecting against theft and mass distribution of content.(Broadband: business and news perspective)
October 1, 2004... In the past, one of the most serious problems faced by operators, programmers, and content owners was theft of service and its resultant reduction in revenue. In today's digital age, piracy now represents the theft and mass redistribution of...

The failure of magic.(Ciciora's corner)(electronics industry)
October 1, 2004... One of my favorite quotations is from Arthur C. Clarke: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." We have seen a huge amount of advanced technology in our lifetimes. Even relatively young cable technologists have...

New net is high on sports: HDTV in Altitude Sports & Entertainment's future.(Broadband: business and news perspective)(High definition television)(Interview)
October 1, 2004... Denver's Altitude 3porLr & Entertainment is one of the new breed of break away regional sports networks using a core group of owned-and-operated teams as the nucleus for its fledgling network, which launched Sept. 4 as a 24/7 service. In...

Analysis for multi-home data streams.(new products: product reviews)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... GERMANTOWN, Md. -- Acterna has enhanced its DTS 330 digital broadcast test system to support the Multimedia Home Platform (MHP) standard, allowing interactive TV (iTV) service providers to offer interactive services and provide multi media...

TV channel blocker.(new products: product reviews)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... OLD BRIDGE, N.J. -- Blonder Tongue Laboratories Inc. has added a new option to the TV Channel Blocker. The "Parental Controlled TV Channel Blocker" (TVCB-PC) enables parents to control what channels are being viewed in their household, even...

Active splitter.(new products: product reviews)(splitter)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... WARREN, N.J. -- Anadigics Inc. has introduced the APS3602 active splitter for cable television set top box applications. The highly linear APS3602 is offered in a 5 mm by 5 mm surface-mount package, which makes the device suited for use in...

HD video encoding platform.(High Definition)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands -- Tandberg Television has launched a high definition encoding platform for MPEG,-4 part 10 (H.264/AVC) and Windows Media 9 Series Advanced Profile. The solution, which is built on the company's Intelligent...

Emergency Alert inertia.(capital currents)
October 1, 2004... The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is "outdated." At least, that's what FCC Commissioner Adelstein says in his statement on the FCC's new Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) reviewing the EAS. Commissioner Martin says that "we need either to...

2004-2005 fiber topologies comparison: a special pull-out wallchart from CEO magazine.
October 1, 2004... Aurora Networks' Fiber Deep HFC architecture Aurora's Fiber Deep HFC architecture, an evolutionary progression of traditional HFC architectures, cost-effectively provides increased bandwidth for revenue-generating residential and business...