CT's Pipeline articles from May 2002

CT's Pipeline archives from May 2002

Cracking Cable Modem Hacking.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2002... In last month's Pipeline, we reported that Matthew Hallacy, a 21-year-old network programmer and a cable modem sub, posted a "hacking" ruse on the Web that involved modifying a configuration file to control settings on a DOCSIS modem. A savvy...

S-A Wraps Up Integration On Digital Box.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2002... A PVR box is a complex piece of equipment in and of itself, but when you mix PVR capabilities into a digital set-top box the complexities of integration become exponential. Last week Scientific-Atlanta (http://www.sciatl.com) announced it...

ITV Standards Forum at National Show.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2002... The proprietary nature of operators' environments results in many nasty entry barriers for interactive TV vendors, which has resulted in slow ITV rollouts, exorbitant, time-consuming integration processes and wobbly economics. To help with...

Defining Broadband.(broadband providers should give consumers more information on minimum level of service)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2002... These days, you hear the word "broadband" almost as often as you hear about "thinking outside the box." Broadband is used so often that its actual definition has become fuzzy. The FCC (http://www.fcc.com) defines it as a 200 kbps, always-on...

Touch the Technology.
May 7, 2002... Attend SCTE's Cable-Tec Expo, June 4-7 in San Antonio, and you'll benefit from hands-on demonstrations of the hardware, applications and services available to support your operation from your favorite vendors, including 54 new exhibitors. Plus,...

High-Def Hot at National Show.
May 14, 2002... Attendance was noticeably down at last week's NCTA (www.ncta.com) Cable 2002 in New Orleans, but despite that, it was impossible to ignore the infectious enthusiasm booming from the engineering sessions and the show floor. As you'd expect,...

How to Avoid Tomorrow's Operational Woes.(telecommunications)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 14, 2002... You understand the benefits of operational support systems (OSS), but you also know that they sure don't come cheap. OSS offers you a solid way to provision multiple advanced services, but you need real-world data before the people who approve...

Survival Tips for Engineering Managers.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2002... Do you know the career agenda of every person you manage? Do you worry that as soon as you train your technical crew, they'll leave for more verdant meadows? Do you find yourself making time to fix problems because you didn't have time to train...

What the Heck Is Broadband Anyway?(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 14, 2002... Broadband is used so often that its actual definition has become fuzzy. The FCC (http://www.fcc.gov) defines it as a 200 kbps, always-on connection. But recently, Intertainer (http://www.intertainer.com) CEO Jonathan Taplin asked regulators to...

CEO/Industry Leaders at Expo.
May 14, 2002... A panel of CEOs and industry leaders will share their thoughts on the industry's biggest challenges and opportunities at SCTE's Annual Engineering Conference on Wed., June 5, during Cable-Tec Expo, set for June 4-7 in San Antonio. The panel,...

Engineers Wrangle Bandwidth Management, DOCSIS at Cable 2002.(Brief Article)
May 21, 2002... Forecasting bandwidth consumption and maximizing network yields is a tricky job that involves complex measurement and modeling techniques. To help ops with those tasks, engineering experts at NCTA's (http://www.ncta.com) Cable 2002 earlier this...

Smaller Ops Not Out of Digital Loop.(Brief Article)
May 21, 2002... Small cable operators don't have to eat the digital dust of DBS, even if they don't have $12K a mile to run cable to rebuild plant. That's because there are digital service solutions out there that are targeting the smaller MSO that don't have...

Keep Your Tech Crew Grounded on Grounding.(Brief Article)
May 21, 2002... If you've been around broadband engineering for a while, you've probably heard some crazy/scary stories about grounding and bonding -- like the one where someone grounded to a sub's metal fence, and the dog got a nasty shock during a...

Quick! Define Broadband.(Brief Article)
May 21, 2002... Broadband is used so often that its definition has become blurry. The FCC (http://www.fcc.gov) defines it as a 200 kbps, always-on connection. But recently, Intertainer (http://www.intertainer.com) CEO Jonathan Taplin asked regulators to set...

Last Chance to Save $100 on Expo.(Brief Article)
May 21, 2002... Cable-Tec Expo is just around the corner -- June 4-7 in San Antonio. But you still have time to preregister online at http://expo.scte.org, and save $100 through this Friday (May 24). After this deadline, you can register on-site starting June...

ITV Proponents Eyeball Standards, Stare Down Middleware.(interactive television)(Brief Article)
May 28, 2002... Cable operators continue to show interest in deploying interactive options to subs' TV sets, but past forays in years past into ITV la-la land have made them gun-shy. Two of the plethora of questions revolving around ITV include standardization...

Exploring Caller ID Over Cable.(Brief Article)
May 28, 2002... While large scale deployments of cable telephony may be taking a backseat to other service offerings this year, vendors are still revving up integrated voice and video options such as Intergra5's (http://www.integra5.com) on-screen caller ID...

How to Migrate to a Single IP network -- At Your Own Pace.(Brief Article)
May 28, 2002... One of the major challenges today's broadband engineering community is grappling with involves cost-effectively migrating multiple systems onto a single, converged network. To help smooth the technical complexities of such a task, Cisco...

Why Do We Want to Define Broadband?(Brief Article)
May 28, 2002... Broadband is used so often that its definition has become vague. The FCC (http://www.fcc.gov) defines it as a 200 kbps, always-on connection. But recently, Intertainer (http://www.intertainer.com) CEO Jonathan Taplin asked regulators to set the...

There's No Substitute For Being There.
May 28, 2002... Attend SCTE's Cable-Tec Expo, June 4-7 in San Antonio, and you'll discover the hardware and services you need to keep your operations profitable. Plus, hear from industry leaders, network with colleagues, earn certification, stroll the River...