CED articles from September 2005

CED archives from September 2005

Cable wins some, but still loses where it hurts.(in perspective)
September 1, 2005... The just-released results from JD Powers' annual Residential Cable/Satellite TV Satisfaction Study provided a classic case of good news/bad news for the cable industry. On the good side, operators appear to be doing a much better job on...

Time Warner test drives 'Broadband TV'.
September 1, 2005... Time Warner Cable has quietly embarked on a trial in the San Diego area that delivers a raft of channels on the operator's television lineup via IP to the PC. The six-month trial, launched July 8, involves about 9,000 eligible customers...

Cablevision revs up 20-meg trial.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Cablevision Systems Corp. confirmed reports that it is testing a new service tier that caps cable modem download speeds at 20 Mbps, and 2 Mbps in the upstream. Cablevision's flagship tier is capped at 10 Mbps down/1 Mbps up. Cablevision's...

Comcast-Cox J.V. buys MetaTV.(upfront: LATEST NEWS AND INSIGHT)(TV Works)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... After much speculation, TV Works, a joint venture of Comcast Corp. and Cox Communications, reached a deal to acquire interactive television application specialist MetaTV Inc. Financial terms were not disclosed, but Comcast and Cox led a $21...

ERM: a path to server coexistence?(Edge Resource Manager )
September 1, 2005... There's a new technology in town that aims and claims to give operators the virtual, keys to the on-demand future: the ability to mix and match a wide range of server types and brands on the same system. That newcomer, the Edge Resource...

OCAP fees deemed reasonable.(OpenCable Application Platform )
September 1, 2005... Via Licensing Corp. has released lower-than-expected licensing terms for patents linked to the 1.0 versions of OpenCable Application Platform (OCAP) and the Digital Video Broadcasting Multimedia Home Platform (DVB-MHP). OCAP fees will run...

MSOs light up simulcast plans.(Mobile Service Providers )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Adding further proof that digital simulcast is shaping up as the tech story of 2005, several more cable operators revealed details about their plans to duplicate analog channels in the digital tier, and take one step closer to an all (or...

A towering opportunity?
September 1, 2005... There has been a lot of buzz about cable operators adding cellular wireless to their service lineups, but that isn't the only opportunity they have when it comes to connecting to the cellular world. Armed with technology that can field a...

Declaration of in[TER]dependence: emerging services and technologies centerpiece of the 2005 CTAM summit.
September 1, 2005... With subjects ranging from video-on-demand, to digital video recording, IP television and portable and mobile media, showgoers might have believed that they had stumbled into a conference that majors in widgets and technology. But such was...

Network this! (Part II): DPI, simulcast, switched broadcast top apps as cable migrates to IP.(Internet Protocol)
September 1, 2005... Last month's article (see CED August 2005, p. 28) discussed the benefits and the challenges of transporting video/audio payloads over IP networks. IP transport breaks certain assumptions about end-to-end consistency of a video payload, creating...

Mobilizing for mobility: delivering the 'quadruple play' with Fixed Mobile Convergence.(Session Initiation Protocol)
September 1, 2005... Multi-system operators (MSOs) are on the verge of adding mobility to their existing voice, video and data services, delivering the quadruple play to their customers. MSOs need to add these high-value services in a way that allows them to...

Thinking inside the [cable] box: Josh Goldman hopes to bring the 'long tail' to a DVR near you.(Interview)
September 1, 2005... After getting off the ground last year as a service that bypasses the cable operator with an Ethernet-outfitted stand-alone box and content, Akimbo is switching gears a bit with a push service that can place its widening library of content...

The father of invention.(Column)
September 1, 2005... My father passed away recently, leaving a big hole in all the lives he touched. It takes a white, but the great sense of toss begins to be balanced by the measure of the man over his lifetime and his positive impact on others. Looking back over...

Fusion splice protection sleeves.
September 1, 2005... YAPHANK, N.Y. -- Splice Technologies Inc. has introduced its Dual Fiber series fusion splice protectors, providing individual conduits for two fibers in one sleeve. Available in 40 mm and 60 mm long units, with an after-shrink diameter as small...

Remote power control.(new products: PRODUCT REVIEWS)
September 1, 2005... SEATTLE, Wash. -- Omnitronix has released its PowerBoss One (PB1), the first in a new line of power-management products. The PB1 control unit allows the individual power-cycling of eight independent pieces of equipment, such as routers,...

Coax drop trimmer.(new products: PRODUCT REVIEWS)
September 1, 2005... CROMWELL, Conn. -- Ripley Company's Cablematic division has unveiled a new dual drop trimmer (the DDT) for 59, 6 and 11 standard, tri and quad coax cable. The DDT's one-step cable preparation exposes the center conductor by 5/16-inch (7.93 mm)...

Low-noise amplifier.(TRANSMISSION)
September 1, 2005... MIDDLETOWN, Ohio -- NuWaves Engineering has introduced a new amplifier that has been designed not only to deliver a Low noise figure, but also have high gain and a high intercept point across a wide frequency band. These amplifiers can be used...

When a good idea turns bad.(capital currents)
September 1, 2005... Here's a great idea for a new product: a device that monitors all the cable channels and alerts the operator when the captioning is messed up. Or maybe it's a person who does the monitoring. Either way, something like that is going to be needed...