Comcast picks Calaveras to try new technology

By Vanessa Turner
Sunday, May 22, 2005 5:55 PM CDT

Calaveras County Comcast Cable customers will soon be the first group in the country to experience the cable company's new all-digital technology.

Comcast will be contacting its "expanded basic" and "digital service" customers in Wallace, San Andreas, Valley Springs and Mokelumne Hill to schedule a visit to come out and install a new box, which houses the new technology.

Basic cable customers will not be affected.

The new box is about the size of a cigar box and brings new services, which include Comcast On Demand, a video on demand service with a new children's network and improved parental controls, according to Comcast representative Susan Gonzales. Eighty percent of the content is free.

Gonzales is working on getting the word out about the trial. There are 7,100 customers in the county, of which 2,000 will be affected.

But also, Comcast digital customers in Calaveras County that are outside the trial area will be given Comcast On Demand by the end of summer.

"Every customer is getting some new service," Farrell Moseley, Comcast Central Valley manager, said.

Trial implementation is set to begin on or after July 5 and will be complete by fall 2005.

Calaveras County was selected by the company for a test run because of its demographics, according to Moseley.

"Calaveras beat out Half Moon Bay," Moseley said. "Calaveras has a good cross section of the nation. Also, there's a large interest in advanced services."

Moseley also said that Calaveras has strong leadership in its county supervisors and citizens.

Comcast laid the groundwork for carrying the new technology back in 2003 after taking over AT&T's cable operations in 2002. It upgraded the cable system to a larger bandwidth to accommodate the additional services it wanted to bring into the area.

Those services, aside from Comcast on Demand, are high definition television (HDTV) and digital video recording, which will be available for customers in the trial area for $9.95.

What this means for customers in the affected areas, is they need the new technology to continue receiving Comcast Cable, Gonzales said. There's no additional charge but customers need to convert or they will be watching "snow."

"Expanded basic" and "digital service" customers in the affected areas will receive up to three boxes for free. Beyond that, there would be a $1.99 per month charge.

Once the new technology is installed, Comcast will conduct customer surveys to rate their satisfaction. The company will then determine the best way to offer its expanded services to other customers in Calaveras.

A demonstration van will be touring Valley Springs June 2 displaying the Comcast on Demand service.

Has Comcast announced this type of test in any other part of the country?

Why can't Time Warner do this!

Will it be 280 lines of resolution like other Comcast "digital?"

IB

I'm told this is the STB being used in Calaveras County, CA. The Motorola DCT700

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v637/keenanj/DCT700.jpg

Data Sheet----
http://broadband.motorola.com/consumers/products/DCT700/downloads/DCT700.pdf
DCT700.pdf (application/pdf Object)

User Guide----
http://broadband.motorola.com/consumers/products/DCT700/downloads/DCT700_User_Guide.pdf
DCT700_User_Guide.pdf (application/pdf Object)

Comcast laid the groundwork for carrying the new technology back in 2003 after taking over AT&T's cable operations in 2002. It upgraded the cable system to a larger bandwidth to accommodate the additional services it wanted to bring into the area.

I'm sorry, I know this is a bit off-topic, but does this mean that Comcast took over AT&T's service in this county, or did Comcast take over ALL of AT&T's cable operation?!

~Alan

Keenan - thanks for the information on the DCT700. It looks like a great device that will allow cable to reclaim the bandwidth it needs to display many more HD channels.

Allan Gordon - I believe Time Warner and Comcast divided up the AT&T service.

Seems to be a case of a local reporter over-hyping a fairly common cable development: duplicating analog cable channels in the digital format and adding services such as video on demand. Some call it digital simulcast, which fuzzes up the concept IMO. Time Warner in NYC did this several years ago, and other systems have also. Vaguely recall a West Coast Comcast system doing this a while back. At 8-10 channels per 6-MHz slot, normally used for one analog channel, the 'simulcast' conversion doesn't require much bandwidth, although VOD and other services do.

A really remarkable new service, switched broadcasting (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5814105&&#post5814105), which could theoretically deliver all the TV channels in the world, is apparently slated for introduction soon. -- John

From what I read in your references to switched broadcasting is like VOD and will require two way cable communication. The new sets that are cable ready only have one way communication. You will still need a cheap box like the DCT700 to allow a switched network for everyone (also you would need a box such as this for all the analog TVs). Another plus if cable gives everyone a "free" box is they could go to a higher compression technology such as mpeg4.

From what I read in your references to switched broadcasting is like VOD and will require two way cable communication. The new sets that are cable ready only have one way communication. You will still need a cheap box like the DCT700 to allow a switched network for everyone (also you would need a box such as this for all the analog TVs). Another plus if cable gives everyone a "free" box is they could go to a higher compression technology such as mpeg4.
The references on switched broadcasting (SB) point out that it can be used on smaller-capacity cable system (750-MHz etc.). Current cable delivery could continue, so those not wanting to rent a cable box for SB needn't, and analog cable, which really hogs cable bandwidth, could continue, too. Many analog subscribers use a direct set input without an analog cable box. BTW, I'd be surprised if some of the new/upcoming digital cable specifications didn't allow for two-way subscriber/head-end communications via something like a cable-card setup. Notice this small telco system (http://www.tutsys.com/pressroom/pressreleases/showdetail.cfm?id=329) is introducing all-MPEG-4 delivery. -- John

Comcast has announced in my area that they want to go to an all digital system. I believe the primary goal of Comcast nationwide is to eventuly eliminate all analog signals and provide converters to those who have analog sets.

The reason we have Comcast Cable instead of Satellite is because of the simplicity of connecting the analog cable to all of our TV's, VCR's, and the DVD/HDD Recorder in the house (we receive our HD OTA).

If Comcast eliminates analog on their cable system, we will probably leave Comcast (who seems to be constantly raising their prices), and switch to satellite. We may also leave Comcast as our internet provider, and switch to DSL since our internet reliability has been intermittent.

Bottom line: Comcast drops analog. We probably drop Comcast.

The reason we have Comcast Cable instead of Satellite is because of the simplicity of connecting the analog cable to all of our TV's, VCR's, and the DVD/HDD Recorder in the house (we receive our HD OTA).

If Comcast eliminates analog on their cable system, we will probably leave Comcast (who seems to be constantly raising their prices), and switch to satellite. We may also leave Comcast as our internet provider, and switch to DSL since our internet reliability has been intermittent.

Bottom line: Comcast drops analog. We probably drop Comcast.
Comcast is not going to drop analog for a long time, it's roughly 65-70% of their subscriber base. If they do implement all-digital systems, they will most likely provide digital-to-analog converter boxes. There's an FCC mandate that all local channels are to be provided in the clear, so if that means a converter box at every navigation device, or a box that down-converts before the cable comes into your residence, then that's what they'll do.

Besides, if you go satellite, you'll need an STB at every TV, VCR, whatever, anyway since it's 100% digital already. :)

Seems to be a case of a local reporter over-hyping a fairly common cable development: duplicating analog cable channels in the digital format and adding services such as video on demand. Some call it digital simulcast, which fuzzes up the concept IMO. Time Warner in NYC did this several years ago, and other systems have also. Vaguely recall a West Coast Comcast system doing this a while back. At 8-10 channels per 6-MHz slot, normally used for one analog channel, the 'simulcast' conversion doesn't require much bandwidth, although VOD and other services do.

A really remarkable new service, switched broadcasting (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5814105&&#post5814105), which could theoretically deliver all the TV channels in the world, is apparently slated for introduction soon. -- John

Based on the article, all analogs in the "Expanded Basic" tier will be shut off, which is why Comcast said without the new device, the Expanded Basic subs will be watching "snow."

That will free up a lot of bandwidth. The early poster mentioned dropping Comcast if the analogs are shut off. Apparently the basic analogs will not be shut off for a long time, and the convenience of simple VCR hookup will remain, just not for the expanded analog channels. But if you switch to DBS you don't gain any such VCR hookup convenience anyway.

As far as pricing, Comcast is trying to use VOD to justify the higher cost. I don't think it will work too well. But the fact is DBS are on pace with cable in price increase so obviously if Comcast begin to lose subs due to higher cost they can make their pricing competitive. They have already done so for many subs who are defecting from DBS, by giving them $25/month off for 16 months.

The bandwidth saved from shutting off 70 or so expanded basic analog channels will give Comcast a hugh bandwidth boost that can allow them to add many new HDs.

The bandwidth saved from shutting off 70 or so expanded basic analog channels will give Comcast a hugh bandwidth boost that can allow them to add many new HDs.
That's a great move by Comcast if they're dropping that much analog. It sure makes sense, and I wish NYC's Time Warner would do the same. A year or so back they dropped about 10 analogs here and added new HD/VOD etc. Minimal HD though.

Last time I checked about 70% of the analogs here were scrambled, requiring a converter. If the scrambled analog channels were dropped, that would leave ~30 available for direct set hookups and analog requirements. Several years back NYC TWC duplicated all its analog as digital. And since expanded analog basic requires a descrambling converter anyway, there's no logical reason subscribers couldn't use a digital converter instead to view channels beyond analog-only. Result: lots of freed-up bandwidth for new HD and other services. -- John

Allan Gordon - I believe Time Warner and Comcast divided up the AT&T service.

Yeah, after I asked that question, I looked up some more information regarding AT&T's service.

The reason I asked was that several years ago, some people were laying down cable across the highway from me, and they hit a water line causing us to lose our water service. Though the man in charge came and spoke to us informing us of what happened, and when they got the water back up, he came back to flush rocks out... but not all of the rocks got out and it caused some of our indoor faucets to get messed up, which was aggravating, not only because of the fact that the faucets got messed up, but because even after they were finished laying the cable, we still couldn't receive the service, even though the cable was layed just across the street.

I spoke to the guy when he was over here and found out that he was laying cable for AT&T Digital Cable, and I remember when they had an advertisement in the paper advertising their digital cable service... then next thing I knew, MediaCom was the local provider for the area. I guess Comcast and Time Warner didn't care enough about servicing the area, and so MediaCom came in...

~Alan

Based on the article, all analogs in the "Expanded Basic" tier will be shut off, which is why Comcast said without the new device, the Expanded Basic subs will be watching "snow."

The bandwidth saved from shutting off 70 or so expanded basic analog channels will give Comcast a hugh bandwidth boost that can allow them to add many new HDs.

I think this is impressive. Three boxes for free will get most subscribers taken care of, and $1.99 fee for any additional boxes is certainly reasonable.

I'm on satellite, but all of the cable subscribers I know doesn't want to switch to satellite because of either LIL (of which Dish Network offers some, but not all), and the $4.99 fee per box. These same people would hold off on digital cable until they had no choice, and then they'd probably switch to satellite... but with three free boxes, and $1.99 fee for each additional box, cable could easily get rid of the analog channels...

~Alan

That's a great move by Comcast if they're dropping that much analog. It sure makes sense, and I wish NYC's Time Warner would do the same. A year or so back they dropped about 10 analogs here and added new HD/VOD etc. Minimal HD though.

Last time I checked about 70% of the analogs here were scrambled, requiring a converter. If the scrambled analog channels were dropped, that would leave ~30 available for direct set hookups and analog requirements. Several years back NYC TWC duplicated all its analog as digital. And since expanded analog basic requires a descrambling converter anyway, there's no logical reason subscribers couldn't use a digital converter instead to view channels beyond analog-only. Result: lots of freed-up bandwidth for new HD and other services. -- John

Thanks for the link on the "switched broadcasting". I hope the combination of the analog shut off and this new technology will solve the bandwidth issue for cable for a long time to come. It also means cable does not have to go MEPG4 or something similar like DBS is doing. By continue to use MPEGII our firewire recording capability will be safe.

Along the lines of Comcast going to VOD instead of linear programming - from an interview with Shirley Brady Comcast's VP of video on demand programming investments. (A result of this policy will be that all the current cable ready TVs with one way cable cards will become obsolete and require a cable box).

Full interview can be found at:

http://cableworld.com/cgi/cw/show_mag.cgi?pub=cw&mon=062005&file=comcasts.htm



Brady: So in your view the smart digital network today is thinking VOD first, and not as an afterthought or as a grudging adjunct to its real dream of launching a linear channel?

Strauss: Yes. That's phenomenally expensive and the economics of launching and creating a linear channel today are more challenged than at any other time. If you believe that the future of television is going to be on demand, for a significantly lower investment you have this opportunity today to reach millions of digital subscribers on a platform that's quickly approaching a point where there's going to be more people watching on demand, and the ratings for on demand will be higher than some cable networks. So we're starting to see more of a migration where programmers are seeing on demand not as this place where you go if you can't get a linear deal, but as actually a place where you want to be. A lot of our enthusiasm about on demand, and about programming for on demand, isn't so much that there's bandwidth constraints on launching more linear channels, it's because we actually know and believe that on demand's a better viewing experience and platform, especially for new forms of content. So that's why we're putting so much effort and investment into on demand. There's nothing that ever really precludes an on-demand service from evolving into a linear channel. If you look at the bigger picture, at some point it's all just going to merge anyway. There's really nothing that will one day from a viewer's point of view they're thinking that they're watching a linear channel, but it very well might be a video-on-demand stream assigned a channel number. What's the difference? Ultimately, there's going to be that kind of merging. The opportunity now is to really embrace the on-demand platform and take advantage of it, especially now while it's still relatively young.

While I still don't believe VOD will make Comcast more competitive (DBS can do VOD also), I was surprised how much time we spend on watching free VOD programming, and we don't even have HD VOD yet.

While I still don't believe VOD will make Comcast more competitive (DBS can do VOD also), I was surprised how much time we spend on watching free VOD programming, and we don't even have HD VOD yet.
Well that's the wrench in this VOD machine that Comcast is creating, it cost money to view this material and I'm unconvinced that it's going to be the big thing that Comcast is banking on. Unless the cost is far lower than it is currently, IIRC, the cost for a HD-VOD movie is about $5-6, and I just don't see that flying.

I think a monthly rate would be more comfortable for most people than individual pricing per program.

But if what the Comcast rep talks about above is just a replacement for standard linear channels, at no additional cost, then it might just work. I often wonder in cable execs are really attuned to how aggravated people are with the high cost of their cable bills already...

Time Warner Advances Simulcasting
7/7/2005 5:20:00 PM

Time Warner Cable said Thursday that its system in Raleigh, N.C., is the first to digitally simulcast its analog-channel lineup throughout its full service area.

The MSO added that it expects to complete its digital-simulcast rollout in one-half of its 31 divisions by year-end.

The digital-simulcast networks are delivered to the same channel number as the analog networks but converted into a digital format, improving their image, sound and recordability, Time Warner said.

“Our simulcast project provides consumers with the best of both worlds -- 100% digital, which means crystal-clear picture and sound, as well as continued delivery of our analog service to those customers who prefer not to use a cable set-top box,” Time Warner Raleigh division president Tom Adams said in a prepared statement.

The MSO’s senior vice president of strategy and development, Kevin Leddy, added, “We have begun to aggressively deliver the digital simulcast of our analog channels, negating any perceived advantage of satellite-delivered video service.”

The reason we have Comcast Cable instead of Satellite is because of the simplicity of connecting the analog cable to all of our TV's, VCR's, and the DVD/HDD Recorder in the house (we receive our HD OTA).

If Comcast eliminates analog on their cable system, we will probably leave Comcast (who seems to be constantly raising their prices), and switch to satellite. We may also leave Comcast as our internet provider, and switch to DSL since our internet reliability has been intermittent.

Bottom line: Comcast drops analog. We probably drop Comcast.

I find it funny that people say that if there cable company drops analog and requires a cable box on every tv they will switch to SAT. Won't you still need a box for every tv? Unless you have a "magic box" on you other tv's I dont' see what the difference is if you are willing to spend the money for additional boxes satelitte. Sooner or later you going to have to put a box on all you analog tv's anywayif you want them to work for even OTA TV. In NYC we can't get anything above broadcast basic without a cablebox so I don't see what the big deal is.

While I still don't believe VOD will make Comcast more competitive (DBS can do VOD also), I was surprised how much time we spend on watching free VOD programming, and we don't even have HD VOD yet.

We also watch a great deal of free VOD. Although we have limited HD-VOD, we've never tried it as we have enough live HD without paying a per-use charge for it.

Rich N.

Um, this whole PR stunt doesn't make much sense. This box has no HiDef video outputs, so how can it provide more HD? Also it has no digital audio out. The spec sheets says it does AC3 for 5.1 DD, well you can't get it to your receiver. You only get stereo audio out, which gets surround encoded, but it's still not discrete 5.1.

What VOD is free???

In NYC we can't get anything above broadcast basic without a cablebox so I don't see what the big deal is.
I hear it is like that in many major cities, but not everyone lives in a major city, therefore, they are used to not having an STB.

This plan allows people the choice temporarily, anyway. So, it's no issue, yet.

Um, this whole PR stunt doesn't make much sense. This box has no HiDef video outputs, so how can it provide more HD? Also it has no digital audio out. The spec sheets says it does AC3 for 5.1 DD, well you can't get it to your receiver. You only get stereo audio out, which gets surround encoded, but it's still not discrete 5.1.

The point was this "new technology" frees up 70 analog channels, meaning cable can add 700 more SD digital channels, or 150 more new HD channels, much like what D* and E* plan to do by migrating to MPEG4, only at a much lower cost.

Another benefit of cable migrating to 100% digital is people will no longer complain about the snowy pictures.

Comcast Gets Assertive Over Set-Tops
MSO Works With Suppliers to Drive Development of New Digital Boxes
BY MATT STUMP 7/25/2005


Led by deals with Motorola Inc. and Pace Micro Technologies plc, Comcast Corp. is taking a much greater role in set-top design and development as it uses its status as the No. 1 MSO to speed up development work with vendors.

“We have a family of set-top boxes where we influence the design and feature set much more heavily than in the past,” said Comcast senior vice president of digital television Mark Hess. “We're now working with chip and set-top companies to lay out functional requirements, technology, software, et cetera.”

In March, Comcast signed a wide-ranging deal with Motorola, valued at $1 billion, that covered both set-top co-development efforts and co-licensing agreements for MediaCipher. The latter gives Comcast greater control over the licensing and costs associated with MediaCipher conditional-access technology.
PACE LICENSE

In May, Comcast signed a three-year pact with Pace valued at $375 million to $550 million. The agreement superseded an earlier deal between the companies and covers the purchase of set-tops, including Pace's Tahoe HD digital video recorder. Comcast also gained the right to sublicense Pace's EngineWare software and specified designs for the North American cable market.

“We're creating a family of products,” Pace Americas president Michael Pulli said. “We will put the EngineWare software across all our products.”

Although there is no “new” deal between Comcast and S-A, its other set-top supplier, the vendor reports increased activity with Comcast on a number of fronts.

The company will double, if not triple, its Comcast business once the Adelphia Communications Corp. transaction with Time Warner Cable is complete.

“We're working more closely [with Comcast] than we ever had,” said S-A engineering director Burchall Cooper.

S-A has six different working groups devoted to Comcast, he said, covering set-top design, downloadable conditional access, next-generation video on demand and Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification signaling gateway development.

Hess said Comcast is working on reference designs for three levels of set-tops for all its set-top vendors.

The development includes work on an entry level device that does VOD, the Open Cable Applications Platform and has a DOCSIS digital set-top gateway modem, Hess said. The second set-top would do all the above functions, plus add HD and digital video recorder capabilities.

The third box is a media-center device. While somewhat less defined, Hess said, “we need the lowest cost, highest functionality DVR box,” he said.

On the low end, Hess said, “We have a low-cost DCT 700 that's an OK bridge for now. But eventually we would like more processing and memory and have DOCSIS.”

CHIPS UP TO TASK

The good news, Hess said, is that current chips on the market can handle most of what Comcast wants to achieve. It can typically take upwards of 12 to 18 months to design a chip from scratch, an eternity in the media business.

Although Motorola and Pace have grabbed the headlines, Hess said Comcast will grow its S-A footprint with the Adelphia deal. “They are pretty good at building DVR boxes,” he said. “We're making sure everyone understands we want to have openness in the market.”

Cooper said S-A is involved with multiple initiatives with Comcast, including the residential set-tops specifications laid out by Hess.

Downloadable conditional access is another S-A working group, Cooper said. S-A had been working on downloadable security even before the cable industry got an extension on two-way CableCard deployment from the Federal Communications Commission in February. The delay was designed to allow cable and its vendors to pursue downloadable security schemes.

“We're probably the lead vendor with Comcast defining that architecture,” Cooper said.

“Another initiative is advanced DSG deployment,” Cooper said. S-A has had its DSG interoperability verified at Comcast labs and plans to do a trial with the MSO using advanced DSG on a DVR, he said.

S-A WORK IN SYNC

Cooper said S-A's own set-top development work lines up fairly closely with what Comcast is trying to achieve. The company is working on next generation DVRs that would include advance codecs, such as H. 264 and VC-1, plus DOCSIS 2.0 and downloadable conditional access.

Pace also has been pulled closer to the Comcast orbit. “We're creating a family of products,” covering both standard definition and HDTV versions of set-tops, said Pace president Mike Pulli.

The Comcast deal is a three-year extension of a Pace deal signed years earlier, and covers the company's Tahoe HD DVR.

The deal also covers Pace's licensing software, EngineWare. “We writing software that works across boxes and different vendor implementations for VOD, etc.,” Pulli said. “It will ease porting of applications.”

In the past, Pulli said, the biggest fear an MSO had was that it had to take whatever set-top a vendor provided. To Pulli, innovation was left in the hands of Motorola and S-A.

He points to direct-broadcast satellite provider EchoStar Communications Corp., which does its own set-top development and has been able to get to market quicker with newer products.

“They control what they put in the field,” he said. Comcast is getting closer to that model with the work it has undertaken, Pulli added.

TALKING TO TV MAKERS

Comcast also is reaching out to the traditional TV manufacturer crowd for set-top development or inclusion of traditional set-top capabilities in future two-way TV sets. Several companies, including Panasonic Corp. of North America, LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics have signed a two-way cable host licensing agreement with Cable Television Laboratories Inc.

Hess sees those companies developing TVs that might include a DVR or even a DVD burner, to start. Over time, integration efforts could include other devices those companies make, such as cameras and camcorders.

The new deals haven't had much effect on other MSOs, executives say. “I don't think what Comcast has done impacts Cox any differently than how [Tele-Communications Inc.] used to do in the old days,” said Dallas Clement, senior vice president of strategy and development at Cox Communications Inc.

Set-top design has evolved where it's a more open structure and more development environment, he said. “The choices we make today aren't party of a closed ecosystem.”

Cox also is large enough to hold some sway with set-top vendors. “We tend to be an objective third party that hopefully brings new thinking and independent thinking” to set-top design and applications, Clement said.

Other Comcast service areas are also transitioning to all digital.

Other Comcast service areas are also transitioning to all digital.
They are, but first they must complete the Digital Simulcast, before they can go All Digital. In this area, it will be any day now, I have read on AVS.

Ken, do you have any idea when all (or even any other) Comcast areas will go All Digital (except Ltd. Basic)?

The SF Bay Area is currently converting everything to 256 QAM and once that is done I imagine they will simulcast the analog channels until such time there is no more. I don't believe we will have a system without some analog until the shutdown date or Comcast deploys DAC boxes for their analog TV only customers.

The SF Bay Area is currently converting everything to 256 QAM and once that is done I imagine they will simulcast the analog channels until such time there is no more. I don't believe we will have a system without some analog until the shutdown date or Comcast deploys DAC boxes for their analog TV only customers.
Specifically, I have heard that Ltd. Basic (Locals) will be in available in Analog until the shutdown date and then they will provide DACs.

But, I was inquiring about other areas removing Std. service from Analog, like in the CA area mentioned in the article, causing many people to need a Digital STB, rather than no STB.

Article about the digital tech Comcast rolled out in Calaveras County, CA.

From The Calaveras Enterprise (www.calaverasenterprise.com/articles/2005/08/29/news/news01.txt)

Comcast digital box draws rave reviews

By Vanessa Turner
Monday, August 29, 2005 10:50 AM CDT

Michael "Gino" Giovacchini of La Contenta was about to cancel his Comcast cable television service until he experienced the company's new digital box.

"I can't believe the clarity I have now," Giovacchini said. "It's like a person with the beginnings of glaucoma having the eyes of a teenager again. I don't need my reading glasses to watch TV."

Nearly complete with installing its new technology in parts of Calaveras County, the early response has been positive for Comcast and many of its customers.

Back in May, Comcast announced the selection of Calaveras as a trial area to launch its new all-digital technology.

So far, expanded basic and digital service customers in San Andreas and parts of Valley Springs have received a new box with the new technology. Mokelumne Hill, Wallace and the rest of Valley Springs are due for installation by the second week of September.

Out of 7,100 Comcast customers in the county, 2,000 are affected. Basic cable customers are not affected.

"We're extremely pleased," Susan Gonzales, a Comcast representative said. "Customers are very happy with the new service, particularly video on demand. … Less than five people have opted not to take the new digital box."

Comcast on Demand offers viewers 1,900 hours of programming, 80 percent of which is free. It also features PBS Sprout, a children's network, which allows parents to turn on "Bob the Builder," or "Barney and Friends" at any time of the day.

That's something customers were very excited about during a June preview of the service at the Valley Oaks Shopping Center in Valley Springs.

"It's entertainment on their terms," Gonzales said.

Dating on demand, cooking shows and newly released movies are also available on video on demand.

Other new services are high definition television (HDTV) and digital video recording (DVR), which is available for customers in the trial area for $9.95.

The video on demand also has Giovacchini hooked.

"I haven't spent any money at the video stores in two weeks," he said. "I can watch a movie, put it on hold, fast forward and reverse. That's one of the nice things about the package n I can put it on hold and I can watch tonight at 10 p.m.

"You couldn't take it away."

Once all the new technology is installed, Comcast will conduct customer surveys to rate their satisfaction. The company will then determine the best way to offer its expanded services to other customers in Calaveras. All digital customers in the county that were outside the trial area will get video on demand.

Also, once all the trial areas are up and running, the HDTV service will be turned on, Gonzales said.

Good article on the digital transition:

http://www.bigbandnet.com/documents/digital_simulcast.pdf

Any other cable systems converting to digital only?

Another excellent article:

http://www.bigbandnet.com/news/inTheNews/2005/news_030105b.php

From DigitalTelevision.com

Final Thought
Three Long Years: Laws Can Be Changed
By Mark Schubin
Feb 23, 2006, 15:41

Both houses of Congress have approved an analog-TV broadcast-cutoff date of February 18, 2009. As this is being written, TV-unrelated provisions of the legislation have kept it from leaving Capitol Hill, but the date isn’t expected to change—at least not yet. A law passed in 1997 called for analog cutoff on December 31, 2006. Laws can be changed.

Even if the new date becomes law, it will not affect television broadcast station equipment purchases or installation. All U.S. TV stations were required to transmit digitally by May 1, 2003; none are yet required to transmit HDTV, 5.1-channel audio or multicasting. Nevertheless, the new date could affect the viability of TV broadcasting.

Estimates of U.S. television households relying exclusively on off-air reception today range roughly from 12% to 22%. Satellite-subscriber growth should continually reduce those figures as should new telephone company-provided TV services. And the so-called “tuner mandate” will ensure that ever more households have off-air access to digital-TV broadcasts by 2009. So broadcast-TV audience loss at analog cutoff would seem insignificant—until closer examination.

Consider the mandated digital-reception circuitry in TVs. Since July 1 of last year, 100% of new TVs 36-inch or larger built in or imported to the U.S. were to include it. But a survey of newspaper ads the first week of this year found only 69% of listed models in that size range had digital-reception circuitry. There doesn’t seem to be any penalty for manufacturers or importers violating the mandate.

Digital reception, of course, can provide near-perfect pictures and sounds—or nothing. Viewers of even digital-reception-equipped TVs currently relying on mediocre analog reception may find they need improved antenna systems when analog-TV signals disappear.

That applies only to the small percentage of viewers relying exclusively on off-air reception—or does it? A very large percentage of satellite viewers also receive broadcast-TV programming off-air, and even those receiving local broadcasts via satellite might not get all digital stations. DirecTV recently began offering digital broadcasts from the New York market; they offer just four digital stations where 21 are currently on the air.

Then there’s cable. Last month, the newspaper for a town on the edge of the Birmingham, AL television market reported on the local cable operator’s heroic efforts to get the signals of a nearby Mississippi station so subscribers could watch an Alabama football game carried by a no-longer-receivable Birmingham station that had gone all digital. According to Demopolis CATV owner Lynn Goldman, “The digital channels won’t reach as far.”

Perhaps that was a case of (analog) VHF versus (digital) UHF or of the station’s power level not yet being maximized. Aside from cable systems’ reception, however, there’s another cable-related issue.

The original 2005 analog cutoff legislation included provisions allowing all cable operators to carry both analog and digital versions of digital broadcasts and smaller cable systems (with capacities of 550 MHz or less) to carry just analog versions (though they were to be permitted to carry digital, too). Approved conversions from digital to analog were permitted “at any location, from the cable head-end to the customer premises, inclusive.” That would seem to include cable-operator-provided set-top boxes.

Those analog conversion and analog carriage provisions were removed from the final bill, still awaiting approval as this is being written. According to at least some cable operators, that means they will not be permitted to offer analog versions of digital broadcasts after the analog cutoff date.

If their interpretation of the legislation is correct and the removed language is taken as a guide, then only owners of digital cable-ready TVs or adapters would be able to watch digital broadcasts via cable. That would probably leave a majority of any broadcaster’s audience without access to station programming after analog cutoff.

Of course, that interpretation of the legislation may well prove to be wrong, and some legislators have already promised to fix the problem (if it exists) with a new law. It’s also possible that the legislation currently stuck in Congress will not be approved or that, after it becomes law, it will be changed, just as the 1997 law was.

It’s possible that digital-TV reception equipment will become so inexpensive and so good over the next three years and that digital cable-readiness will become so widespread that broadcasters will have nothing to fear by 2009. All those things are possible.

Thanks for that article, it also confirms what I thought was the case about analog stations stations on cable after the cutoff.

Thanks for that article, it also confirms what I thought was the case about analog stations stations on cable after the cutoff.

Thank Congress. In the same bill that set a Date Certain for analog NTSC to go away, it forced cable companies to retransmit digital OTA as digital (basically prohibiting retransmission of digital as analog). And, as I stated in the subject title, proof has come to town.
Until earlier today, we had a grand total of *one* STB in the entire house, despite six TVs (and one PC) being connected to Comcast cable TV (and the one STB was, in fact, analog, as that single TV is the only non-cable-ready TV in the entire house; the other five TVs, and the PC, are all *analog cable-ready*). So what does Comcast do? They replace Ye Moldie Oldie analog STB with a brand new Motorola DCT-2500 at no charge, and with no warning, either.
This makes it plain that analog cable in the United States has, at most, three years left to live. (The only cable company to ditch analog STBs on even a *regional* basis is Paul Allen-owned Charter; no cable company, other than Comcast, has made plans to do so on a *national* basis prior to that noted ban on analog retransmission of digital OTA by cable companies.)
I have to hand it to Brian Roberts (Comcast's CEO, and the man who indeed said that Comcast would completely ditch analog nationally *three years ago*). He's absolutely, positively, DEAD SERIOUS. (As I stated earlier, there was NO WARNING AT ALL. No mailers. No door hangers. And I don't live in a *test area* in one of Comcast's clusters. (Comcast charges almost the same amount for basic analog or digital STBs; in fact, they charge *less* per month for digital as opposed to analog STBs.))

What VOD is free???

Actually, over half of Comcast's non-pay (non-premium) VOD is free, including quite a lot of HD VOD. Here in PG County alone, I have my choice of *five* different HD VOD movies, all free, until May 26th. (No, I am NOT kidding, so get your jaw off the danged floor!)

From DigitalTelevision.com

Final Thought
Three Long Years: Laws Can Be Changed
By Mark Schubin
Feb 23, 2006, 15:41

Both houses of Congress have approved an analog-TV broadcast-cutoff date of February 18, 2009. As this is being written, TV-unrelated provisions of the legislation have kept it from leaving Capitol Hill, but the date isn’t expected to change—at least not yet. A law passed in 1997 called for analog cutoff on December 31, 2006. Laws can be changed.

Even if the new date becomes law, it will not affect television broadcast station equipment purchases or installation. All U.S. TV stations were required to transmit digitally by May 1, 2003; none are yet required to transmit HDTV, 5.1-channel audio or multicasting. Nevertheless, the new date could affect the viability of TV broadcasting.

Estimates of U.S. television households relying exclusively on off-air reception today range roughly from 12% to 22%. Satellite-subscriber growth should continually reduce those figures as should new telephone company-provided TV services. And the so-called “tuner mandate” will ensure that ever more households have off-air access to digital-TV broadcasts by 2009. So broadcast-TV audience loss at analog cutoff would seem insignificant—until closer examination.

Consider the mandated digital-reception circuitry in TVs. Since July 1 of last year, 100% of new TVs 36-inch or larger built in or imported to the U.S. were to include it. But a survey of newspaper ads the first week of this year found only 69% of listed models in that size range had digital-reception circuitry. There doesn’t seem to be any penalty for manufacturers or importers violating the mandate.

Digital reception, of course, can provide near-perfect pictures and sounds—or nothing. Viewers of even digital-reception-equipped TVs currently relying on mediocre analog reception may find they need improved antenna systems when analog-TV signals disappear.

That applies only to the small percentage of viewers relying exclusively on off-air reception—or does it? A very large percentage of satellite viewers also receive broadcast-TV programming off-air, and even those receiving local broadcasts via satellite might not get all digital stations. DirecTV recently began offering digital broadcasts from the New York market; they offer just four digital stations where 21 are currently on the air.

Then there’s cable. Last month, the newspaper for a town on the edge of the Birmingham, AL television market reported on the local cable operator’s heroic efforts to get the signals of a nearby Mississippi station so subscribers could watch an Alabama football game carried by a no-longer-receivable Birmingham station that had gone all digital. According to Demopolis CATV owner Lynn Goldman, “The digital channels won’t reach as far.”

Perhaps that was a case of (analog) VHF versus (digital) UHF or of the station’s power level not yet being maximized. Aside from cable systems’ reception, however, there’s another cable-related issue.

The original 2005 analog cutoff legislation included provisions allowing all cable operators to carry both analog and digital versions of digital broadcasts and smaller cable systems (with capacities of 550 MHz or less) to carry just analog versions (though they were to be permitted to carry digital, too). Approved conversions from digital to analog were permitted “at any location, from the cable head-end to the customer premises, inclusive.” That would seem to include cable-operator-provided set-top boxes.

Those analog conversion and analog carriage provisions were removed from the final bill, still awaiting approval as this is being written. According to at least some cable operators, that means they will not be permitted to offer analog versions of digital broadcasts after the analog cutoff date.

If their interpretation of the legislation is correct and the removed language is taken as a guide, then only owners of digital cable-ready TVs or adapters would be able to watch digital broadcasts via cable. That would probably leave a majority of any broadcaster’s audience without access to station programming after analog cutoff.

Of course, that interpretation of the legislation may well prove to be wrong, and some legislators have already promised to fix the problem (if it exists) with a new law. It’s also possible that the legislation currently stuck in Congress will not be approved or that, after it becomes law, it will be changed, just as the 1997 law was.

It’s possible that digital-TV reception equipment will become so inexpensive and so good over the next three years and that digital cable-readiness will become so widespread that broadcasters will have nothing to fear by 2009. All those things are possible.

The skinny of the current law (according to both the NCTA and the NAB) is that the conversion *must* take place at the STB, if it can't take place within the TV. So STBs such as Motorola's DCT-711 (for all-digital systems) and DCT-2500 (the latest model of the basic DCT-2xxx cable/VOD box) would be permissible. (Either is connectible to analog TVs via RF.) Digital-to-analog conversion *at the headend* would be banned. (Seriously, how many cable providers of any size do this with anything other than satellite signals?) So, at least for cable customers, this is largely a non-issue.

From an article in Cableworld:

http://www.cableworld.com/cgi/cw/show_mag.cgi?pub=cw&mon=041706&file=manydevices.htm

April 17, 2006

Many Devices, No Boundaries, One Provider

Comcast CTO David Fellows talks about how cable will integrate data, voice and video within the home and on the road.

When will you finally go completely digital? Will it happen in the next five years?

Fellows: I'm going to give you three answers to that because I'm famous for saying that all-digital is not no analog. That means that with digital simulcast, every channel in our system is available in a digital format. It's just that about 80 of them are also available in analog formats. So already, all of this IP innovation is possible in the systems where we are simulcast. The fact that we've got analog there means we clog up or waste some bandwidth, but we do that to be friendly to analog TV sets. The second answer for all-digital is that we'll probably take off everything about the same time the must-carrys go off the air--so in the 2009-ish time frame. But even there, we will leave a set of analog channels on--I'm just guessing for another five years or so. That's so basic-only subscribers or third or fourth TVs in the home can tune a set of 20 or 30 channels. I think that's in place for another decade. And I think for another five years, 60 or so [analog] channels are in place.

What's the benefit of eventually going all-digital? Will it enable more services or just free up bandwidth on the system?

Fellows: Well, the answer is yes to both of those. Every time I take back one analog channel, I can either put three high-definition channels or 12 standard channels. With switched broadcast, I can at least double the number of channels I could put into those slots. Or it's another 100 or so high-speed data subscribers or another 200 telephone calls. So if I take back 10 channels, I could launch 60 high-definition channels using switched high-definition broadcast. Or I could go from an 8 megabit per second bit rate to a 16 or 20 megabit per second high-speed data bit rate. So the answer is a little bit of all of those. Our high-speed data will continue to get faster--especially if high-definition channels continue to multiply. And also the number of things that are available truly on demand--roughly 5,000 hours of 6,000 things we have out there today--will double up into the 10,000-hour range.

The possibilities seem endless. But does Comcast have a sense of which services consumers really want and how those tastes will evolve in the next five years?

Fellows: The evolution of customers' tastes and desires...I think we've got a pretty good handle on. We just issued a press release on a study we did on children and video-on-demand programming. In a sense, it's things that we didn't think about--like peer-to-peer protocols--that have the most profound change on our systems. But even there, we know about peer-to-peer and how that will evolve from the music world into the video world. Our voice people have done studies on portals. And our GuideWorks division does focus groups all the time. In fact, they've got a built-in focus room--with the one-way mirrors and cameras and everything--built into their facility out in Radner, Pa. And we run people through there every day studying how they interact with our cable system. Evolutionary--I think we have a very good handle on. Occasionally, something comes out of left field that no one thought about, [like] when they unleashed this IP technology, and that's when my job gets interesting, and you've got to react and study this new thing.

Do next-generation architectures help you innovate more quickly?

Fellows: That's the promise of an all-IP system. When you're using all open protocols, you sort of harness an entire world's worth of innovators because they speak your IP language. When they innovate, the innovations can be used on your system. For example, the new Google Earth map on your computer. That's authored in a new language that's a combination of Java and XML--and if your set-top boxes speak that language, then the application automatically runs. And again, this OCAP middleware that we're trying to get in our set-top boxes happens to speak Java as a programming language. So the reason to go IP is to harness this innovation and then, with that, comes the speed to market. You aren't trying to say, "Well, that's a cool idea. Let me author that in Scientific-Atlanta language or Motorola language or yet another language." Everyone is speaking the same language.

With such ambitious plans, will Comcast need to spend more or less proportionately to meet these challenges?

Fellows: The spending levels will be about the same whether we're spending it on boxes in the home or software in the network or getting bigger pipes. Those go through phases. But with any one thing that you look at, the spending is big at the start and goes down over time. Now Comcast got in trouble, frankly, by saying, "For the current services that we launch, the budget's going to go from 4 and a half billion to 3 and a half billion to 2 and half billion to 1 and a half billion because the upgrades have been done and the fiber has been laid." But then we said, "Oh, by the way. We're now going to launch telephony. Here's some new spending, so the budget's going to remain flat." Wall Street said, "Wait a minute. You said the budget's going down." And we said, "No. For stuff that we're already doing, the budget is going down. We're doing some new things." And Wall Street said, "Ah, you lied to us." And we said, "OK, our budget's going to stay flat." And they said, "Well how can you introduce new things if you're budget stays flat?" Well, that's because the old spending's going down and that leaves room for new spending. So I think that our pipes are laid. Your front lawn has already been dug up, and our fiber is in the ground. As we go to all-digital--as we take back those analog channels--it's a virtual tripling of the capacity. Two-thirds of our bandwidth is now tied up in analog. Over time, we will take that capacity back and launch new high-definition, launch new switched services, launch new on-demand services, launch higher speed or video telephony on top of telephony. But again we've got money and bandwidth in the bank, and I feel pretty good about our ability to compete and to innovate and to react to customer demands.

From an article in Cableworld:

http://www.cableworld.com/cgi/cw/show_mag.cgi?pub=cw&mon=041706&file=manydevices.htm

April 17, 2006

Many Devices, No Boundaries, One Provider

Comcast CTO David Fellows talks about how cable will integrate data, voice and video within the home and on the road.

When will you finally go completely digital? Will it happen in the next five years?

Fellows: I'm going to give you three answers to that because I'm famous for saying that all-digital is not no analog. That means that with digital simulcast, every channel in our system is available in a digital format. It's just that about 80 of them are also available in analog formats. So already, all of this IP innovation is possible in the systems where we are simulcast. The fact that we've got analog there means we clog up or waste some bandwidth, but we do that to be friendly to analog TV sets. The second answer for all-digital is that we'll probably take off everything about the same time the must-carrys go off the air--so in the 2009-ish time frame. But even there, we will leave a set of analog channels on--I'm just guessing for another five years or so. That's so basic-only subscribers or third or fourth TVs in the home can tune a set of 20 or 30 channels. I think that's in place for another decade. And I think for another five years, 60 or so [analog] channels are in place.

According to his math, he must think this is the Spring of '04. ;)

Engineers can't do math without a calculator!

April 17, 2006

COMCAST PRESIDENT SEES MAJOR CHANGES FOR VIDEO, DATA, COMMERCIAL SERVICES

Comcast Cable president Steve Burke boldly predicts that eventually everything will be on demand.

What will your business look like five years out?

Steve Burke: Our video business is going to be a little bit bigger. Our high-speed data business is going to be a lot bigger. Our telephone business is going to be quite a bit bigger. And we're going to be a much more significant player in commercial and in wireless.

What's on the wireless menu?

SB: Wireless is going to be a big part of our future. The most exciting concept related to wireless is integrating it with our other products, so you create something completely new and different for the consumer. Streaming video is going to be a very big part of our business five years from now--on the television, on the computer, on your wireless phone.

Sounds like a lot of work on the licensing front with programmers.
"We're in the seventh or eighth inning in terms of fully building out what the VOD platform can do, and once that happens, it's going to make our video product clearly superior to everyone else's," says Comcast's Steve Burke.

SB: Yes. The job of head of programming is going to change more over the next five years than it has changed in the last 20.

How will you defend against competitors?

SB: We will take advantage of our platform and what the platform can do to differentiate it. And we will look for ways to create products that are converged products--things that you can only do when you get all three products [video, voice and data] from a cable company.

Comcast has bet much of its future on VOD.

SB: We're in the seventh or eighth inning in terms of fully building out what the VOD platform can do, and once that happens, it's going to make our video product clearly superior to everyone else's.

Do we ever get to a point in which literally everything is on demand?

SB: I think eventually you do. Eventually you get everything you want whenever you want it.

Of all these new services, which one is going to be the big revenue driver?

SB: It's hard to imagine anything in terms of revenue growth being a greater opportunity than telephony. But in second place, I would list Internet content, commercial and ad sales.

Interesting that you said "Internet content" instead of just Internet access.

SB: A lot of consumer attention and eyeballs have moved to the Internet, and there still is a lot of money to be made with great Internet content. Since we have so many connections into people's homes, there ought to be a way for us to be in the pole position.

Comcast by the Numbers

HOMES PASSED: 41,600,000
BASIC VIDEO CUSTOMERS: 21,449,000
DIGITAL CUSTOMERS: 9,789,000
HSI CUSTOMERS: 8,520,000
TELEPHONY CUSTOMERS: 1,321,000
AVERAGE REVENUE PER USER: $84.12/MO.
(NUMBERS AS OF JAN. 1, 2006)

http://www.cableworld.com/cgi/cw/show_mag.cgi?pub=cw&mon=041706&file=cablewillthrive.htm

From the Q1 Earnings Conference
The full transcript can be found at:

http://mediastockblog.com/article/9665

Comcast Corporation Q1 2006 Earnings Conference Call Transcript (CMCSA)

Related Stocks: CMCSA

Comcast Corporation (CMCSA)
Q1 2006 Earnings Conference Call
April 27, 2006, 8:30 a.m. EST

Steve Burke

I think it is great that there are multiple technical approaches to bandwidth management, all of which lead to ways that you can be more efficient with what we’ve already built. There is substantial bandwidth reclamation opportunity. So for those people who are constantly worried are we headed into some sort of rebuild cycle or something like that, something like switch video comes along as well as digital simulcast as well as better compression, it is all good news. They are all compatible with each other; we will be trialing a bunch.

We’ve chosen, I think we’re very comfortable, to lead with the digital simulcast, our enhanced basic customers then get the On Demand platform. A lot of what is happening in On Demand is a form of switched video. Others call it IP TV. There’s a lot of buzzwords going along, they’re not all the same.

The key for us to the consumer, who I don’t think cares how we do it, is to make sure that we have the most offerings in high def, the most On Demand, and a great and reliable experience. And I think we will be using some of all the techniques, all of which look very promising.

From the Q1 Earnings Conference
The full transcript can be found at:

http://mediastockblog.com/article/9665

Comcast Corporation Q1 2006 Earnings Conference Call Transcript (CMCSA)

Related Stocks: CMCSA

Comcast Corporation (CMCSA)
Q1 2006 Earnings Conference Call
April 27, 2006, 8:30 a.m. EST

Steve Burke

I think it is great that there are multiple technical approaches to bandwidth management, all of which lead to ways that you can be more efficient with what we’ve already built. There is substantial bandwidth reclamation opportunity. So for those people who are constantly worried are we headed into some sort of rebuild cycle or something like that, something like switch video comes along as well as digital simulcast as well as better compression, it is all good news. They are all compatible with each other; we will be trialing a bunch.

We’ve chosen, I think we’re very comfortable, to lead with the digital simulcast, our enhanced basic customers then get the On Demand platform. A lot of what is happening in On Demand is a form of switched video. Others call it IP TV. There’s a lot of buzzwords going along, they’re not all the same.

The key for us to the consumer, who I don’t think cares how we do it, is to make sure that we have the most offerings in high def, the most On Demand, and a great and reliable experience. And I think we will be using some of all the techniques, all of which look very promising.

Well, they certainly don't have "the most offerings in high def". Comcast's local HD advantage is now going away. They are missing the HDNETs and ESPN2HD. No Voom (AKAIK only Dish has them), no NGHD (I'm not sure if any major provider has it yet). Nice to see that the boss is aware about our desires for more HD though. Watch what happens the next few years as FiOS makes inroads. FiOS even has WealthTVHD (but no INHDs).

Rich N.

Good FAQ on ADS - “All Digital Simulcast” or “Analog-Digital Simulcast”

http://www.dslreports.com/speak/print/default;15922767

Comcast Seeks Set-Top Waiver from FCC
By Matt Stump 4/27/2006 5:24:00 PM

Comcast Corp. asked the Federal Communications Commission for permission to continue deploying low-cost digital set-tops after the July 1, 2007, deadline that calls for all new boxes to have separate conditional-access security, such as CableCARD software.

The waiver request, the MSO said, will allow it to offer more subscribers family and ethnic programming tiers. It would also provide a low-cost way for consumers with analog-TV sets to continue receiving cable service after all TV stations begin broadcasting in digital in February 2009.

Comcast said it was seeking waivers on three set-tops: Motorola Inc.’s “DCT-700,” Scientific Atlanta Inc.’s “Explorer 940” and Pace Micro Technology plc’s “Chicago” series.

Under FCC rules, all set-tops deployed after July 1, 2007, must have removable conditional-access features, which the commission hopes will foster a more competitive set-top market and widen choices consumers have for purchasing digital-cable-ready TVs at retail stores.

But when the agency adopted those rules, it said it would consider waiver requests for low-end boxes, Comcast said, adding that such low-end boxes will make it easier and more cost-effective for consumers to buy family or ethnic programming tiers, receive digital-quality pictures, widen parental-control features and increase access to video-on-demand.

Comcast said it has purchased 1 million DCT-700 set-tops and plans to buy another 1 million-1.5 million this year. The operator also plans to buy SA Explorer 940s and Chicago set-tops when they are available.

Those low-cost set-tops cost less than $100. To make such boxes compliant with the new FCC rules would require CableCARD-technology integration that would add $50 in costs to each set-top -- costs that would be borne by subscribers, Comcast said.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6328785.html?display=Breaking+News

From the Q1 Earnings Conference
Comcast Corporation CEO Steve Burke

I think it is great that there are multiple technical approaches to bandwidth management, all of which lead to ways that you can be more efficient with what we’ve already built.... something like switch video comes along as well as digital simulcast as well as better compression, it is all good news. They are all compatible with each other; we will be trialing a bunch.

...we’re very comfortable, to lead with the digital simulcast, our enhanced basic customers then get the On Demand platform. A lot of what is happening in On Demand is a form of switched video. Others call it IP TV. There’s a lot of buzzwords going along, they’re not all the same.

Curious use of the 'buzzwords' IMO. On Demand, AIUI, is a a form of switched video only is the sense subscribers 'switch' in a headend/hub hard-drive stored program when making a selection. Switched video selects 'live' programs, not something stored on a hard drive. IP TV, or IPTV (Internet Protocol) uses switched packets to deliver video data, one of three switched broadcasting/video (http://www.ct-magazine.com/archives/ct/1105/1105_buildingaswitched.htm) methods. So-called digital simulcasting, or duplicating analog bands with digital versions, seems to have various techniques, but logically requires more overall bandwidth for the digital channel versions if the analog is retained. -- John

http://www.tvtechnology.com/features/news/2006.05.10-n_cable_touts.shtml

Cable Touts Diverse Offerings

Cross-platform, digital switching emerge as key factors at NCTA confab

by Gary Arlen

ATLANTA

Befitting the resurgence of digital convergence, last month's National Cable & Telecommunications Association annual convention served up a Southern smorgasbord of video/data/voice "triple play" developments and cross-platform program distribution. Motorola's "Follow-Me" and Cisco/Scientific-Atlanta's "Connected Life" motifs accelerated expectations that viewers will soon be transporting content around the house and on the road.

Four sessions on videogames plus an expanded gaming exhibition pavilion underscored the belief that games are converging into the broadband entertainment mix. In addition, several more networks--including Scripps Networks and A&E--launched high-definition channels at the convention.

PROTECTING TURF

The "network PVR" got plenty of attention, thanks to a Cablevision Systems' announcement that it will soon introduce the service. Switched digital video and the role of home network gateways were under scrutiny at several sessions. And as always, the parade of hopeful new program networks marched along--although many now seem resigned to reside solely on the digital "on demand" platforms that cable operators are building.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin made a fly-by appearance, primarily to meet with cable executives and tour the exhibit area. At a news conference (his only public presentation) following his floor walk, Martin focused on the topic that seemed to spur his one-day cable show visit: indecency. He advocated "additional tiering options" as being valuable for families, and acknowledged that "putting more control in hands of the consumers is always better than having government control."

Martin singled out the emergence of Internet protocol video as a process that will generate "greater competition," an allusion to the nascent telephone company video ventures.

Attendance of 15,500 at the convention--down about nine percent from last year's 17,000--reflected industry consolidation plus the timing during spring break, which distracted some potential attendees for family matters.

The changing architecture of the cable TV industry was apparent throughout the show, but rarely as strongly as during an early morning, standing-room only session featuring the CTOs of four cable giants: Comcast, Time-Warner Cable, Cox Communications and Roger Cable Communications.

Time Warner Cable Chief Technology Officer Mike LaJoie focused on the move toward digital switching, which he says can trigger "50 percent savings" in operating costs. "It happens pretty easily," he continued, noting that the switching for broadcast digital is "not that hard."

"Switching is the ultimate answer," LaJoie said, as he forecast that it would be almost universal within less than 10 years. "The notion of channelized video is going to go away over time. Most people will be looking for particular kinds of programming, and that programming might come from a downlink from a broadcaster."

Chris Bowick, senior vice president of engineering for Cox added his voice to the chorus of voices extolling the value of digital video switching, which he called cable's "next big priority." He said that Cox will roll out switched digital transmission this year in two markets, which have not yet been named.

GUSHING ABOUT HD

As cable operators wrangle with how to supply set-top DVRs and/or networked DVR service, the chief geeks agreed that the recording capability is widely embraced. Comcast Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer David Fellows said that, where it is offered, 35 percent of set-top boxes installed include HD and DVR functions.

Regarding Time Warner Cable's HD lineup, Lajoie said "as more good HD programs become available, we're going to put [them] on. There's nothing in our way to offer more HD programming other than the normal incremental investment."

At the CTO panel, and throughout most of the NCTA sessions, cable executives used every opportunity to bash telephone company efforts to establish video services.

"The reason Verizon talks about fiber is that's all they have to talk about," LaJoie said. "The reason DBS talk about HD is that's all they have."

As the self-appreciation grew, the technologists further praised their existing and upgraded hybrid fiber-coax (HFC) networks. They agreed that the facilities can do almost anything that telcos promise to offer via all-fiber IPTV facilities.

Mark Coblitz, senior vice president of strategic planning for Comcast promised that his company will "eventually extend the IP base that we already have." He said Comcast can deliver a "multicast" service which would deliver all programs constantly, making signals available--but not to all subscribers all the time.

HARDWARE & SERVICES

Meanwhile, the NCTA's exhibit halls filled with technology providers, with many focused on the special needs of bandwidth management (such as BigBand Networks), security (such as NDS and its Secure Video Processing subsidiary) and billing.

Cisco's acquisition of Scientific-Atlanta allowed the two companies to cross-demonstrate their capabilities--many of them built around what Cisco CEO John Chambers, in his appearance on a keynote panel, called the "connected home." The package also showcased devices and data/video convergence from home networking giant Linksys, which Cisco acquired several years earlier.

Motorola, which had already aggregated wired and wireless technologies, demonstrated seamless handoffs among devices, using a new cable modem which recognizes the presence of a mobile phone. The set-up allows users to transition from a mobile connection to their wired line when they enter their homes. Motorola, which expanded its all-digital cable STB line-up, introduced a standard-definition, dual tuner DVR (DCT3080) and a slim STB with built-in Follow Med capabilities (DCC100).

Cablevision's plan to develop a networked DVR generated extensive buzz but left many questioning the industry's ability to scale similar projects. Arroyo Video Solutions will support the initial trial; its "Vault" server will be used to store up to 2,500 hours of content and stream up to 3,000 simultaneous programs. Some suppliers have questioned whether this approach will work if many viewers store and playback the same show from the same headend at different times.

Stations Oppose HDTV Downconversion

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 5/26/2006 11:46:00 AM

Affiliates of the Big Four networks don't want cable systems to be allowed to convert their HDTV signals to standard definition signals.

A Senate bill rewriting communications law would allow cable systems, through 2014, to convert digital signals to analog for their analog customers and HDTV to DTV for their digital subs.

In a letter to Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) Friday, the stations called for changes to the bill.

Stations are fine with the first part of that equation because, they say, it "protects against the disenfranchisement of viewers whith analog receivers."

Downconverting HD to DTV is, by contrast, consumer unfriendly, they argue, becuase "it condones viewer disenfranchisement from HDTV services."

Allowing cable to "degrade" HDTV, they argue, would disenfranchise viewers who have bought HDTV sets to be able to watch the Super Bowl, Nascar or other programs in high-def.

Besides, they say, cable would have the incentive to favor its own HDTV programming, which it could supply without degradation while converting the services of the networks or stations.

The affiliate groups want the chairman to either drop both conversion provisions and deal with the issue in a bill next session, or drop the HDTV conversion provision only.

They said their focus on conversion should not indicate they don't have other issues with the bill. They do, including its permitting unlicensed wireless devices to operate in broadcast spectrum and "broad" exceptions to the broadcast flag content protection technology that the bill would also approve.

The following is part a an e-mail I received from the CTO of Comcast:

I am a bit confused by your statement to CableWorld:

"I'm going to give you three answers to that because I'm famous for saying that all-digital is not no analog. That means that with digital simulcast, every channel in our system is available in a digital format.

It's just that about 80 of them are also available in analog formats. So already, all of this IP innovation is possible in the systems where we are simulcast. The fact that we've got analog there means we clog up or waste some bandwidth, but we do that to be friendly to analog TV sets.

The second answer for all-digital is that we'll probably take off everything about the same time the must-carrys go off the air--so in the 2009-ish time frame. But even there, we will leave a set of analog channels on--I'm just guessing for another five years or so. That's so basic-only subscribers or third or fourth TVs in the home can tune a set of 20 or 30 channels. I think that's in place for another decade. And I think for another five years, 60 or so [analog] channels are in place."

Does the new digital transition legislation require cable companies not to transmit analog signals after the 2009 date (but allow you to provide a box to convert the digital signal to analog)?
The legislation will require us to carry the digital signals but is silent on the analog signals. Of course, with all digital signals you either need a set-top (and you get all our services) or a digital TV with a CableCARD (and you can tune encrypted channels, but you don’t get two-way services such as video on demand).

In the above statement
you appear to say Comcast will remove all analog by 2009 but in the following sentence it appears you are saying a contradictory statement and five years from now brings us to 2011.

I agree it is confusing - so it must have been a misquote :)
I suspect that we will keep 20 to 40 analog channels on after 2009 -the objective will be to keep enough analog channels on so that the TV in the kitchen (where you watch the news) still is okay on analog. This would save us about 20 million set-tops, so it might be worth "wasting" some bandwidth on analog.

In the article, he says a Basic tier with 20-30 channels will be in place for about a decade, which is 2016.

That's a lot of bandwidth being wasted, 120-180Mhz, especially on 550Mhz systems which are already bandwidth strapped and which Comcast has stated they're not going to upgrade to higher capacity.

If Comcast goes to say 20 to 30 analog channels from 75 that allows over 100 HD additional channels. If they used switched technology with mpeg-4 (or better) for half of this reclaimed spectrum they could have over several hundred HD channels. However they saying goes "when I see it I will believe it".

There was another article about Comcast, which I read here, that said it would 20-40 analog channels until at least 2011. So, who knows what it will really be.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=680934

As a side note, I love how they throw out years with out specific quarters, at least. I mean if they are throwing out 2011, there must be a time in that year that is significant, maybe not. :)

I've heard less analog channels, and sooner, but that was from more technical sources, as opposed to C-level executives.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6337395.html

Britt, Roberts: Not Quite All-Digital Yet
By Mike Farrell 5/23/2006 6:37:00 PM

The CEOs of the two top cable operators reiterated their commitments to technological innovation and to recapturing bandwidth through digitizing their networks at an industry conference Tuesday, but both stopped short of stating that their plants would go all-digital anytime soon.

Speaking at Cable Television Laboratories Inc.’s Financial Analyst Conference in New York Tuesday, Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt said that while his company is moving forward on digital-simulcast and switched-video initiatives, the rollout will be predicated on customer needs.

He added that the plan is to offer switched video -- which would free up a huge portion of Time Warner Cable’s network for new services -- where it is needed over the next three years. But he said that because of the prevalence of analog-television sets in customer homes, it would not be prudent to force all customers to have digital set-top boxes anytime soon.

Britt said the beauty of cable’s hybrid-fiber coaxial network architecture is that it allows for both analog and digital signals to be transmitted and received. With just a handful of the 30 million television sets in Time Warner Cable households capable of accepting all-digital signals, he said the incentive to convert to an all-digital network isn’t there yet.

“They’re not going to all of a sudden become digital,” Britt said of those analog sets. “That in itself is a very long time frame.”

Britt was enthusiastic about the prospects for switched video. While he would not commit to how much that initiative would cost -- Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. cable analyst Ray Katz estimated about $20-$30 per basic subscriber -- Britt said that in Columbia, S.C., the cable operator rolled out switched digital, digital simulcast and “Start Over” for about $16 per home passed. Start Over allows subscribers to jump to the beginning of any show they turn to, in progress, from 60 networks.

Britt also touted the importance of commercial phone services, reiterating that the market for phone service to small and midsized businesses dwarfs the residential market.

“I think what we all are concluding is that we need to get into this business more heavily because it does look like a huge market,” Britt said.

Comcast Corp. chairman and CEO Brian Roberts also backed off on an all-digital initiative at the nation’s largest cable operator, adding that digital simulcast -- currently available in about 80% of Comcast’s markets -- may be the more prudent way to go.

Asked if Comcast would ever get rid of the analog tier altogether or if in the future, the cable operator would always have some form of an analog tier, Roberts said that internally, company executives have debated that 20-40 analog channels would remain until at least 2011.

“It would be better if we don’t have to make the hard decisions like that,” Roberts said. “Let the consumer drive it. If we have to make a big bet and we get it wrong … ouch.”

Top Cable Chiefs Talk Tech Plans

In another CableLabs-related development last month, the heads of Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Cable spelled out their somewhat divergent visions for recapturing analog bandwidth through the digitization of their company's cable systems.

Making separate appearances at the CableLabs annual briefing for financial analysts in New York, Comcast Chairman & CEO Brian Roberts and Time Warner Cable Chairman & CEO Glenn Britt both stressed the importance of introducing two-way digital TV sets and set-top boxes equipped with OpenCable Application Platform (OCAP) middleware this year. But they differed over the need to roll out switched digital video quickly to boost cable bandwidth.

Appearing before analysts first, Britt said Time Warner intends to roll out switched digital video service in all of its cable systems within three years. He contended that this strategy will give North America's second largest MSO enough bandwidth to launch more high-definition TV (HDTV) channels to compete against DirecTV and EchoStar.

"We're going to carry all the high-def channels we can get our hands on," Britt said. "We'll be fully competitive with satellite."

So far, Time Warner has introduced switched digital in at least three markets, including Austin, TX and Columbia, S.C. Plans call for adding another four to six markets later this year. But Britt wouldn't say which markets would come next.

"We're putting in where we need it most," he said. In Columbia, he noted, Time Warner spent $10 million, or $16 per home passed, to roll out switched digital, digital simulcasting and its new "Start Over" time-shifting service at the same time.

Unlike Time Warner, Roberts said Comcast sees digital simulcasting as the best way to boost system capacity for such new digital video services as HDTV, even though it burns up more bandwidth in the short run. He noted that the continent's largest MSO has already launched digital simulcasting in 80% of its markets.

"We didn't think switched digital was here now ready for us," Roberts said. "So, while we were developing switched digital, we went to digital simulcasts" to reclaim analog spectrum for HD services.

While they don't see eye-to-eye on switched digital, Roberts and Britt agreed that the cable industry must finally move ahead with its oft-delayed rollout of OpenCable TV sets and set-top boxes. The two MSO heads termed OCAP implementation critical to rolling out new cable services and applications across the U.S. faster and more efficiently.

In fact, Britt likened OCAP's import to that of Microsoft's Windows operating system. Like Windows, he said, OCAP is a standardized software layer that will enable developers to write programs just once to run the same application on every cable system.

"It should open up this network to all [sorts of] different things," he said. He said Time Warner remains "on schedule" to introduce OCAP in five markets by year's end.

Roberts concurred that OCAP's pending launch is key to the industry's success. He argued that MSOs need "an open architecture" to create "a national footprint" and "open up innovation" in the equipment business. With Comcast aiming to introduce OCAP in four markets by year's end, he predicted that the industry will see "serious OCAP rollouts certainly within two years," if not one.

"We've been talking about this for too long and we don't have it in place," he said. "That is going to change."

Despite this progress, Britt and Roberts also agreed that the cable industry probably won't upgrade to all-digital networks for at least several more years. With just a "handful" of the 30 million TV sets in Time Warner households able to receive all-digital signals, Britt argued, it wouldn't make sense to force customers to take all-digital set-tops right now.

"If we could wave a magic wand and instantly make everything digital, obviously that's a great technical solution," he said. But, he noted, that's not going to happen.

Roberts confided that Comcast officials have held internal debates over whether 20 channels or 40 channels will remain on the analog tier until at least 2011. He indicated that the MSO will likely keep some level of analog service for customers who won't switch to digital.

"It would be better if we don't have to make hard decisions like that," he said. "It would be better to let consumers decide. If we have to make a big bet and we get it wrong, ouch!"


http://www.cabledatacomnews.com/jun06/jun06-3.html

Cable operators find it tough to swallow HDTV
Updated 6/5/2006 6:48 AM ET
By David Lieberman, USA TODAY
NEW YORK — After years of dithering and infighting by government officials and corporate executives, the high-definition TV revolution is finally here.

This year, for the first time, consumers will buy more HDTV sets than traditional ones. Morgan Stanley estimates that nearly 26% of households will enjoy HD's gee-whiz video and theater sound by year's end and that 67.6% will in 2010, thanks to prices falling from today's $1,000 and up.

That's good news for the TV industry, right?

Maybe not for cable operators.

Their wires are so packed with TV channels and new services — including video on demand (VOD), broadband Internet and phone — that many are scrambling to find bandwidth for the coming wave of HD channels. "Cable operators need massive capacity for HDTV, and have to move quickly," says Sanford C. Bernstein's Craig Moffett. "HDTV is hot."

Executives say they're on the case. But their favorite plans to fix their bandwidth problem will, at least in the short-term, create hassles for millions of subscribers — especially those who hate the idea of hooking their TVs to a set-top box.

For example, one solution could strip dozens of channels from customers with cable-ready TVs — forcing them to pay an extra $10 or more a month for a digital box and service just to keep the channels they get now without them.

The other leading remedy would hobble new HDTV sets designed with a slot to work with a slick, credit card-size CableCard instead of a box.

In addition to being an inconvenience and expense, either change would represent yet another setback for the decade-old federal effort to force the industry to free consumers from cable boxes.

But operators seem willing to take the heat. They fear that if they fail to heed warnings such as Moffett's, they'll lose many of their 65 million subscribers who are hot for HD to satellite and phone company rivals that already are able to offer lots of HDTV channels and plan many more.

"We think it is a good differentiator for us," says Carl Vogel, vice chairman of satellite provider EchoStar and former CEO of cable operator Charter Communications. "Our vision is to be the best video provider that we can be."

To build on that advantage, DirecTV and EchoStar are preparing to launch additional satellites and use other means to offer at least 150 national HD channels, as well as each market's local stations.

"Satellite's going to be constrained not so much by how many channels they can carry than by how many they can get," says Bob Scherman, Satellite Business News editor and publisher.

Meanwhile, phone company Verizon is building state-of-the-art, fiber-optic networks that it says can handle 210 HD services plus all the conventional TV channels.

No analog baggage

These newer rivals for cable have always been digital, transmitting all their programming in bits and bytes, so neither of them has to worry about serving "satellite-ready" or "phone-ready" TV sets. Their customers are used to needing a box or receiver to convert the signals into the images of, say, Katie Couric or Taylor Hicks on the analog sets that still dominate living rooms, bedrooms and kitchens.

More important, being all-digital makes more efficient use of their capacity: About 10 standard digital channels fit into the bandwidth required for one analog channel.

By contrast, cable's roots are analog, and they typically still offer analog transmissions of 70 or more of the most popular channels that the majority of their customers watch on "cable-ready" analog TV sets — without a box. Providing those analog signals eats up about two-thirds of a typical system's bandwidth, even after the industry spent $100 billion over a decade to string fatter lines to handle interactive services.

Thanks to that analog legacy, most cable operators have room to add only about a dozen HD channels — roughly half what DirecTV and EchoStar already offer.

It's a competitive gap likely to widen. Satellite companies "will likely have a two-to-three-year lead over cable during which they'll be able to offer a materially higher number of HD channels," Morgan Stanley's Richard Bilotti writes.

The imbalance hasn't hurt cable so far. Their local operations can more easily tailor lineups to offer HD feeds from the markets' popular ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and PBS stations than coast-to-coast satellite broadcasters. And there isn't much national HD programming yet.

About 30 of the 500-plus national pay-TV networks offer HD, a short list dominated by premium sports, movie and porn channels.

Some cable operators, trying to come up with a solution to their bandwidth pinch, have asked other networks "to please wait on launching new (HD channels) until 2007," Pali Capital's Richard Greenfield writes.

Up to now — for their own reasons — programmers have been content to leave HD on "pause."

"Going HD is an expensive proposition for content companies, and a lot of programmers are waiting for enough viewers to jump in" by buying HD sets, says Bill Goodwyn, president of affiliate sales and marketing at Discovery Networks U.S.

But that wait seems to be over. In the past few months, HGTV, the Food Network, National Geographic and A&E unveiled HD plans.

"We're seeing a tipping point," says Gwynne McConkey, Lifetime's senior vice president for operations, information systems and technology. "We expect to have an (HD) announcement this year."

Whether smaller channels get in on the HD party is in doubt, however. They fear that cable's bandwidth problem could cause giants such as Comcast and Time Warner to save their precious few HD slots for networks they own.

"The haves will get richer, and the have-nots will get poorer," says Tracy Dolgin, CEO of the New York Yankees' Yes Network, which is distributed in HD. "The Sewing Channel isn't going to get an HD channel. It just isn't going to happen."

Cable's bandwidth Band-Aids

Cable operators looking to accommodate more HD channels have come up with two basic strategies:

•Drop analog channels (and the idea of "cable-ready" TVs). "The first thing we'll do when we start putting on more HDTV pictures is to take one analog channel off the system," says Comcast Chief Technology Officer David Fellows. "In its place, we can put three HDTV pictures."

The beauty of that solution: It's simple and cheap, and CableCards would still work.

It's also risky.

By cutting analog service, operators force customers to buy digital service and a box to keep watching favorite shows they used to get on their cable-ready TVs. Because the customer now has to get a box anyway, they might consider switching to satellite or phone video that has more HD channels.

To try to avert that, "We may choose to ... keep 20 or 30 channels in analog," Fellows says. "That way, the TV set in your kitchen will still be cable-ready."

•Keep analog service (and make current CableCards obsolete). Time Warner, Cox and other operators prefer a solution, called "switched digital," that lets them offer more HD without hassling analog customers. It would, though, create problems for folks with digital TVs and other devices designed to work with CableCards, not a box.

Operators now send all channels through their fat fiber-optic trunk lines and also through the slimmer coaxial cables running through neighborhoods and into homes. The cable-ready TV tuner, cable box or CableCard blocks everything except the channel selected.

With switched digital, operators would send all channels through their trunk lines. The system then would pass the analog channels through the neighborhood lines but send a digital channel only when a viewer selects it on a set-top box.

Instead of also pushing 300 or so digital channels through the coaxial lines, they would be handling only the 60 or so a neighborhood is likely to be watching at any one time. That would free capacity for HD transmissions.

"We're effectively making digital broadcasting the same as video on demand," says Seth Kenvin of BigBand Networks, a major service provider. "The subscriber doesn't know what's going on."

Time Warner has deployed switched digital in three cities and plans to bring it to all its systems. Cox and Cablevision also are drawing up deployment plans.

"If you're not switching, you're going to run out of spectrum," says Time Warner Cable Chief Technology Officer Mike LaJoie. "Once I have the switching fabric in place, I can add as many channels as I want and never overload."

The system also has appeal for investors who fear the cost of solutions requiring set-top boxes on every analog TV, which operators might have to offer free.

"Going all-digital would cost $100 per subscriber. Switched digital would cost about $5 per subscriber," Moffett says.

Makes CableCards obsolete

The good news for operators and investors is bad news for subscribers who bought TVs and digital video recorders that unscramble digital signals with a CableCard — effectively, a set-top box on a card.

The Federal Communications Commission prodded the cable industry to support the cards as a first step to fulfill a 1996 congressional mandate to free consumers from having to get a box to watch or record TV shows. But the cards now in use in about 400 products introduced since July 2004 — including lots of HDTVs — only receive signals and can't send a message to a switched system telling it to pass through a particular channel to the neighborhood.

CableCard users in San Diego found out what that meant last year when Time Warner deployed a switched-digital system. They lost East Coast versions of several premium channels. A company letter also warned owners of HD sets that they might not be able to get HD channels being added. As compensation, the company said it would give them a digital set-top box free for a year.

That's a step backward, TV and DVR makers say.

"We see switched digital as another way cable is trying to undermine the CableCard and discourage its use," says Consumer Electronics Association spokesman Jeffrey Joseph. Although more than a million CableCard-ready digital TVs have been sold, he says, operators' half-hearted support has meant that only about 150,000 CableCards are in use.

An FCC spokeswoman declined to comment on the matter, citing proceedings in progress on new CableCard standards that would support interactive TV and switched digital.



Find this article at:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/2006-06-04-cable-hdtv_x.htm

Comcast and the other cable guys all talk like they want to be out of the cable box rental business, but somehow the day never comes. They were mandated in the 1990s to move toward open architectures and a free market for set top boxes. But just as CableCard 2.0 becomes a possibility, they ask FCC for a delay so they can work on DCAS. And they've asked that basic digital STBs be exempted from the security requirements that would promote an open market.

This is a world of $20 DVD players. I can't believe a basic digital STB is much more complex than a basic DVD player. I don't know what Comcast pays Motorola for these things, but I would guess that 2 years of rental fees @ $5/mo. is more than sufficient payback, especially for the little DCT700. And lots of people keep their cable boxes for 10 years or more. In other words, I think they make a lot of return on rentals, and are dedicated to preventing customers from owning their own equipment, despite their statements to the contrary.

I would like to see competition and innovative products in set top boxes sold directly to the customer. Networked boxes acting as media servers; upgradeable hard drives; all-in-one receiver/stb units; full variety of outputs including digital audio and (trouble-free) HDMI; etc. But I think we will need an FCC more interested in competition and value to the consumer than "indecency."

Great article.

Two mistakes I saw, though.

First, he says HDTVs are '$1000 and up'; I have read that one before, (and before that I used to read $1500 and up). Of course, they start at a lower price, last I heard was $600, and I looked them up at a major store, and indeed that is what it is; he should have looked that up.

Second, he says moving all Analog channels to Digital require a box and Digital service for about $10; I have never read that pertaining to any area. He sounds like he is assuming the typical base Digital service w/box for $10 (like Comcast's Digital Classic). But, you don't need the 'Digital service' per se, you can rent the box for about $5, and get the Digital versions of the Basic and/or Expanded channels one gets now.

Great article.


Second, he says moving all Analog channels to Digital require a box and Digital service for about $10; I have never read that pertaining to any area. He sounds like he is assuming the typical base Digital service w/box for $10 (like Comcast's Digital Classic). But, you don't need the 'Digital service' per se, you can rent the box for about $5, and get the Digital versions of the Basic and/or Expanded channels one gets now.

Don't you think those little DCT700 boxes could be produced and retailed for $20 each? I think most cable customers would be OK with the following: by 2009, you have to buy one of these for each analog TV; OR rent one for $5/mo or whatever, to continue receiving Expanded cable. That would be enough time for most people. Heck, Comcast should just start giving them away - the incremental revenue from On Demand, PPV, and upgrades to Digital tiers would probably pay for all of them. I'm sure some folks without a composite input on their TV and who don't know what an RF modulator is would drop cable, but how many are there and what kind of revenue do they produce anyway?

FCC to Study DTV’s Analog Impact
By Ted Hearn 6/5/2006 5:31:00 PM

The Federal Communications Commission is planning to examine the obligations of cable operators to ensure that consumers with analog-TV sets can view digital signals of local TV stations, an agency source said Monday.

FCC chairman Kevin Martin is trying to round up support to launch a rulemaking that would establish federal policy well before TV stations must cease analog transmission Feb. 17, 2009, the source said.

Martin is hoping to launch the rulemaking at the FCC’s June 15 public meeting and at the same the commission adopts rules that would allow digital-TV stations to demand cable carriage of every free programming services they transmit. FCC rules currently require carriage of just one signal per TV station.

Broadcasters' transition to digital could prove costly to cable operators, depending on the substance of the FCC’s rules.

When TV stations transmit only in digital signals, cable consumers with analog equipment won’t be able to view them. The National Cable & Telecommunications Association wants cable operators that carry local broadcasters in digital to have the right to offer the same signal in analog from the headend.

If the FCC were to outlaw headend downconversion, analog-cable subscribers would need to lease converter boxes for each analog receiver they want to use to watch television. Another option is to purchase digital cable-compatible TV sets with CableCARD interfaces.

Cable operators banned from downconverting at the headend would need to expand their capital budgets to warehouse millions of converter boxes not just for analog-only homes, but also for digital homes that have analog-TV sets not attached to digital set-tops.

According to NCTA figures, 54% of cable subscribers -- 35 million homes -- do not have any digital equipment.

Since 1992, federal law that has required that local TV signals “shall be viewable via cable on all television receivers of a subscriber that are connected to a cable system by a cable operator or for which a cable operator provides a connection.”

In April, Martin went public with his interest in deciding how analog-cable subscribers would be served digital-TV signals by their cable companies.

“I think ‘viewable’ is the key term [in the law]. I think Congress passed a law and said cable operators have to make sure that the broadcast signals that they are carrying are viewable by everyone that they are serving,” Martin said.

In the end, Martin indicated that the FCC might leave it to cable operators to decide how to comply with the law.

“I think what we will say is that it has to be viewable, because that’s what I think the statutes say,” he added.

For a while, the National Association of Broadcasters insisted that no downconversion occur at the headend, even if cable were simultaneously transmitting a digital signal.

In recent days, the NAB has softened its position.

“Congress should protect against the disenfranchisement of analog-only viewers by creating the necessary guidelines to allow downconversion for the consumer in an analog household,” NAB president David Rehr said in a May 26 letter to Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska).

In the same letter, Rehr said cable should not be allowed to downconvert HD digital signals to standard-definition because “consumers have invested hard-earned dollars in digital and high-definition sets.”

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6341224.html?display=Breaking+News

The information below is from Comcast's 2005 10K which they file with the SEC:


"Tier Buy Through. The Communications Act generally requires cable operators to allow subscribers to purchase premium or pay-per-view services without the necessity of subscribing to any tier of service, other than limited basic service tier. The applicability of this rule in certain situations remains unclear, and adverse decisions by the FCC on this issue could affect our pricing and packaging of services."

Some people are denied certain digital services without expanded basic. From my interpretation of this it appears illegal ( I am not a lawyer but Comcast appears worried).

The whole report is interesting reading:

http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/irol/11/118591/reports/10k_2005.pdf

The benefit of Comcast for me, is the ability to connect to multiple sets around the house without using a STB at each location. When the day comes that analog stops coming down the pipe, I will be reevaluating our options. Satellite will be in the running.

The information below is from Comcast's 2005 10K which they file with the SEC:


"Tier Buy Through. The Communications Act generally requires cable operators to allow subscribers to purchase premium or pay-per-view services without the necessity of subscribing to any tier of service, other than limited basic service tier. The applicability of this rule in certain situations remains unclear, and adverse decisions by the FCC on this issue could affect our pricing and packaging of services."

Some people are denied certain digital services without expanded basic. From my interpretation of this it appears illegal ( I am not a lawyer but Comcast appears worried).

The whole report is interesting reading:

http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/irol/11/118591/reports/10k_2005.pdf

They cannot deny Digital a la carte channels (including multi-plexed) or PPV to those who only subscribe to Ltd. Basic, unless they have effective competition or get a waiver. But, they can deny Digital tiers.

http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:QeytADUb0MAJ:www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/cablechannels.pdf+Tier+Buy+Through+Prohibition&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2

Look at Page 2.

Okay, I read that info, and I've read it elsewhere before. Does that mean that Comcast can deny giving me Limited Basic and just Digital Classic? So I understand, Digital Classic is considered a "tier", but if Comcast in my area is subject to "effective competition" they don't have to offer it without Expanded Basic being purchased as well.

What are the terms for "effective competition"? Wouldn't satellite create the situation for "effective competition" everywhere Comcast is at?

Likewise, if I understand correctly, I can have just Limited Basic and add HBO since HBO would be considered a per-channel, or multiplexed service.

Okay, I read that info, and I've read it elsewhere before. Does that mean that Comcast can deny giving me Limited Basic and just Digital Classic?

So I understand, Digital Classic is considered a "tier", but if Comcast in my area is subject to "effective competition" they don't have to offer it without Expanded Basic being purchased as well.

What are the terms for "effective competition"? Wouldn't satellite create the situation for "effective competition" everywhere Comcast is at?.

Likewise, if I understand correctly, I can have just Limited Basic and add HBO since HBO would be considered a per-channel, or multiplexed service.

You are misunderstanding this to some extent.

'Tier buy-through prohibition' means they can't make you buy through a 'tier' to get to 'multi-plexed a la carte' or 'PPV'.

'Effective competition' waivers alllow them to nullify the 'Tier buy through prohibition', so they can make any pre-requisites they want for 'a la carte multiplexed services' and 'PPV'.

Since Digital Classic is a 'tier', lack of 'effective competition' is irrelevant; they can make people in every area buy-through one 'tier' to get another 'tier' .

So, they don't have to offer Digital Classic with just Ltd. Basic anywhere, but they have chosen to in some areas, obviously for competitive reasons. The irony is that your area has chosen to allow this, as per their pamphlet, but won't honor it, yet.

Re: Premium movie channels; Since each is considered a 'multiplexed a la carte service', it can be bought with just Ltd. Basic, unless they get a 'tier-buy through prohibition' waiver due to 'effective competition'.
(I mentioned this the other thread where we discussed dropping Expd. service, but you must have missed it.) :)

'Effective competition' is determined on a per market basis. But, I don't recall what constitutes a market, maybe it is a DMA?

It is a bit complicated as to what constitutes 'effective competition'. I glanced over the rules, and there is no simple answer. Although, I have heard usually that the competition having 15% market share usually ends up being the determining factor.

http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:qs5cTM2AxdwJ:https://www.natoa.org/public/articles/Action_Alert_-_Effective_Competition_Web_Info.pdf+effective+competition+ca ble&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=3

So, they don't have to offer Digital Classic with just Ltd. Basic anywhere, but they have chosen to in some areas, obviously for competitive reasons. The irony is that your area has chosen to allow this, as per their pamphlet, but won't honor it, yet.







(I mentioned this the other thread where we discussed dropping Expd. service, but you must have missed it.) :)
No, I read it, I'm just trying get all my "facts" straight so when I go back to the Comcast office(they still have not called me like they said they would-surprise, surprise.. :rolleyes: ) I'll at least look like I know what I'm talking about. :p

Regarding Limited plus Classic only, I believe they will allow that, the issue was that I also had the DVR which put the kabash on it, they say Expanded also is required for that, although it does not say as such anywhere in their handouts. I'm probably grasping as straws by trying to use that exclusion as it appears I can do what I want with just a digital STB...? IOW, it's a requirement known only to them as I have not seen any documentation in any handout or flyer.

What it boils down to for me, is that Comcast has insisted that I have Standard plus Classic to get the DVR and I'm trying to figure out if there is anyway around that, especially since I know it is allowed in other Comcast areas.

No, I read it, I'm just trying get all my "facts" straight so when I go back to the Comcast office(they still have not called me like they said they would-surprise, surprise.. :rolleyes: ) I'll at least look like I know what I'm talking about. :p.

I was referring to having mentioned Ltd. Basic and a Premium being allowed, which is not an issue for you now.

Regarding Limited plus Classic only, I believe they will allow that, the issue was that I also had the DVR which put the kabash on it, they say Expanded also is required for that, although it does not say as such anywhere in their handouts. I'm probably grasping as straws by trying to use that exclusion as it appears I can do what I want with just a digital STB...? IOW, it's a requirement known only to them as I have not seen any documentation in any handout or flyer.

What it boils down to for me, is that Comcast has insisted that I have Standard plus Classic to get the DVR and I'm trying to figure out if there is anyway around that, especially since I know it is allowed in other Comcast areas.
Yes, AFAIK, they can make any pre-requisite they want for a DVR, but maybe they have to follow 'tier buy through prohibition', anyway; but, even so, it wouldn't apply to Expanded service, and they aren't going to require a premium channel for a DVR. ;)

The pre-requisite for a DVR should be in writing in the pamphlet. You surely had DVRs in your area before the latest pamphlet was printed. In lieu of that, the website would have to suffice, and it says just 'Digital Cable', so again, it is in your favor. I don't know how they can deny the reqs. listed on their site. :confused:

I don't know how either, but one way or the other, I'll leave the office with what I want or some sort of documentation explaining why I can't. Is a verbal, "no you can't" acceptable in this situation? Does this DVR issue need to be in a notice type form, like the price sheets? I'm guessing not...

This whole thing is just annoying as in Boston you can get the DVR with just Limited Basic, no other programming required.

I don't know how either, but one way or the other, I'll leave the office with what I want or some sort of documentation explaining why I can't. Is a verbal, "no you can't" acceptable in this situation? Does this DVR issue need to be in a notice type form, like the price sheets? I'm guessing not....
No, a verbal 'no' is not acceptable. I remember reading that the FCC mandates that all channels, services, prices, and policies be put in writing, mailed to customers annually, and available to the public by request. If they make any interim changes, they apparently don't have to mail them out, but should have an updated printed paper available.

This whole thing is just annoying as in Boston you can get the DVR with just Limited Basic, no other programming required.
I entered a Boston zip code, and again, it says 'Digital Cable'. So, either this was a mistake of the part of a CSR, or the office in general is not following the reqs., probably the former. I do know Boston, like many markets in the NE US, allow Digital Classic with Ltd. Basic, and the DVR with just those services. It is odd that they are allowing this same combo in your area, but trying to deny the same when adding a DVR.

Grass Valley Spins New Silicon

While a lot of customers are gobbling up HDTV sets like kids at an ice cream truck, the larger size of the HD streams is putting a strain on service providers.

One way of easing the strain that HD channels and movies put on systems is by using MPEG-4 advanced video coding (AVC). Under ideal conditions, MPEG-4 yields a 50 percent improvement in bit rate compression over MPEG-2.

MPEG-4 AVC's history dates back to 2000 when MPEG-4 was adopted by the International Standards Organization. MPEG-4 AVC came about through the combined efforts of the International Telecommunications Union and ISO/MPEG, which formed a joint video team. The result was the creation of ISO/MPEG MPEG-4 part 10 and H.264 in ITU in 2003.

Telcos such as Verizon are banking on MPEG-4 to deliver HD video over ADSL 2 Plus because they have no other choice when using twisted copper pair, while satellite providers such as DirecTV are also making the switch to MPEG-4, even though it means replacing set-top boxes that are already deployed.

Cable operators are seemingly hampered by the more than 40 million MPEG-2 legacy set-top boxes in the United States, but Comcast CEO Brian Roberts said in last week's CableLabs analyst conference that those boxes could end up being deployed in other rooms around homes in conjunction with MPEG-4 enabled boxes in living rooms. While cable may be out of the starting blocks a little late when it comes to MPEG-4 AVC, Roberts said he "absolutely" believes cable will benefit from MPEG-4 AVC for delivering HD channels and movies.

Grass Valley develops new silicon

With the improved efficiencies of MPEG-4 AVC in mind, Grass Valley and Thompson engineers set out more than three years ago to develop an advanced digital video signal processing chip, which is called the Advanced Compression Processor.

"MPEG-4 has great promise with the up to 50 percent gain compared to MPEG-2," said Jean Macher, Grass Valley's director of marketing, video solutions. "However, what we see today with the first implementations in the current encoders is that you don't reach that. Even though we can probably optimize with the current technology, there is a limit of what you can do with DSP (digital signal processing)-based encoders, which is what is available today.

"We decided a while back to go the silicon way with an ASIC that would really be able to do 50 percent better than MPEG-2."

Currently, most manufacturers use multiple DSP chips, but when more processors are involved, they need more cycles to communicate with each other instead of working on the content.

"The horsepower that you need for HD is much more than SD, especially with MPEG-4," Macher said. "The approach we're taking today is that we ship encoders with HD MPEG-4 that have DSP-based boards. When our ASIC is ready, we can just replace the DSP board with our ASIC board, and then they'll get a significant improvement on the bit rate efficiencies."

Macher said the typical bandwidth rate today for MPEG-4 in SD (standard definition) is in the 1.5 Mbps to 2 Mbps range, and for HD it's more in the 9 to 10 Mbps range.

"If you do stat-muxing, you can lower that, of course, and the more programs you have, the more you can lower the average bit rates," Macher said. "At NAB (the National Association of Broadcasters Convention), we were showing a stat mux of five HD streams together, and the average per encoder was in the 6-7 Mbps area. At NAB, that was stat mux with the DSP design in our encoder, but we can simulate the exact same encoding with the ASIC, and we'll be able to reach HD in the 5 Mbps range. Depending on the content, we might go lower than that."

The ASIC chip will be available in manufacturing quantities in September, and the first Grass Valley ViBE HD MPEG-4 encoders will be delivered early next year. Grass Valley anticipates IPTV providers will use the encoders for SD and HD signals over their networks.

"The obvious and biggest potential, short term, for MPEG-4 is the telcos," Macher said. "They don't have the legacy MPEG-2 set-top boxes out there. Not only that, but for the telcos who have a small last mile, when the pipe is ADSL, it makes a lot of sense for them to make it as efficient as possible with the new codecs.

"Most of the telcos we've been talking to want to go to MPEG-4, but they've been struggling because the delivery of the first deployable IP set-top boxes for MPEG-4 have been delayed over and over, but it looks like by summer they should have set-top boxes for deployment."

http://www.ct-magazine.com/news/060506.html

Interesting article on "The Interactive Cable Ready Standard":

http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/articles/2006/05/eds_view_the_in.php

Ed's view - The Interactive "Cable Ready" Standard
By Ed Milbourn on May 1, 2006 Digg ArticleDigg Add to NewsvineNewsvine Add to Del.icio.usDel.icio.us Save ArticleSave Email ArticleEmail Print ArticlePrint


This is an interview with Brian Smith on the status of the Cable/CE negotiations to establish a fully open interactive digital Cable Ready standard


Brian Smith is both a good friend and a former business colleague of mine at RCA/Thomson. Brian presently is VP of Technology Policy and Standards for Philips N.A. and, of special significance to us, is the Chairman of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) Video Division Board of Directors. The CEA Video Board addresses many CE common issues, chief among them being that of representing the CE industry in the ongoing "Interactive Cable Ready" standard negotiations. The objective of this standard is to ultimately replace the unidirectional CableCARD cable interface with a system that downloads a plethora of interactive services for digital Cable subscribers.

But developing this standard, based on Cable's OCAP (Open Cable Applications Protocol) system, is proving to be one of the most daunting tasks, both technically and commercially, to have been tackled by both industries. Brian took time from his busy schedule to give us a comprehensive update relative to several salient aspects of the negotiations:


ED: Generally, what is the present state of the negotiations?

BKS: Slow going. There are fundamental business issues on each side which conflict with each other and have not yet yielded to mutually satisfactory compromises even after almost 2 ½ years. Furthermore, the landscape continues to change over time with Cable planning new technologies/services (e.g. switched digital) which were not anticipated at the beginning and further complicate things.

ED: What are the major commercial and technical issues being addressed?

BKS: Cable's fundamental business position is that their service is the entire collection of individual services, presented in the way they want them presented with little or no room for CE products to provide any value-added or differentiation. In effect, Cable wants a set-top box buried within the TV.

CE mfrs. need the freedom to innovate and differentiate their products in order to compete with each other in the retail environment. This includes wanting a uniformity of user operation whether the viewer is watching cable, terrestrial broadcast or any other internal source. It is confusing to the consumer to have to "switch gears" in how the product remote control buttons, menus and other functions operate when they are "watching cable". Furthermore there is a history (including current unidirectional plug & play), where CE products can enhance/differentiate while viewing cable content.

OCAP was designed for use in a dedicated set-top box not having any other functionality but accessing cable services. It has a number of technical resource management systems that want to take total control of the device. Obviously in a multifunction product which may be used for viewing other content, modifications to the way OCAP operates are necessary. A joint technical team is working on some modifications. A major part of the discussions is how far those modifications should go.

Testing is a very large and complicated issue. OCAP is a middleware software specification, but it is not a uniform piece of software code. There can be many OCAP implementations all based on the same written specification. The applications that cable downloads onto the OCAP middleware can be likened to PC applications running on Windows. The combination of many platforms, many different OCAP implementations, many differently configured Cable head-ends and a variety of applications, would make testing everything against everything mathematically daunting. Cable does not want to unduly delay commercial introduction of new applications to enable extended testing, but CE mfrs are concerned about product robustness - which can be summed up as "TVs should not crash". Finding a middleground is a tough task.

Related to the testing issue is "common reliance". The CE side believes that whatever technologies Cable wants CE to use in cable-ready devices, they should use for themselves in their leased products. Whether it is CableCARDS, OCAP or anything else, if Cable must also rely upon it, then any technical issues will be quickly resolved. So far, Cable has not even implemented CableCARD for its own use and has consistently requested implementation delays from the FCC.

There are also Content Protection issues. Although CE is friendly towards the normal array of protections as covered in the unidirectional agreement and embodied in FCC regulations, cable's content providers want to go further. They would like to have the option to totally shut off selected product outputs, selectively reduce the resolution of hi-def content, and phase out analog interfaces. The CE community is concerned about consumers becoming totally confused, disenchanted and - even worse - believing the products are suddenly "broken" if a content provider shuts-off an interface.

Licensing issues also abound. In order to use cable's conditional access system, several licenses are needed from CableLabs, the cable industry consortium, and potentially from some third parties. Cable's proposed licenses for devices that are fully interactive with cable systems go far beyond simple licensing of the technology and its intellectual property (with appropriate rules to protect concerns over theft of service and copyright issues). CableLabs has drafted these licenses to compel product conformance to the business and future marketing objectives of cable operators, as well - something that many in the CE and IT industry have said is beyond the permissible scope of present FCC regulations. These regulations protect a consumer's right to attach a lawful competitive device to a network, so long as the device does not harm the network or contribute to theft of service, and limit the imposition of other licensing constraints on the device provider.

Technological evolution is another sticky area. At some point in the future, Cable will want to introduce new services which may not be able to operate on older products because they lack a certain new technology. Yet consumers will buy a fully-featured integrated bi-directional cable ready TV specifically because they want the full array of services and which they expect to operate for many, many years. How can Cable continue to evolve their services without angering consumers whose TVs are only a couple of years old? The trick for us is to protect consumers' expectations to enjoy the services they anticipated when they bought their TV, even if they may need some ancillary devices down the road.

ED: What, if any, are the "deal breakers" as seen by each side?

BKS: Cable does not want their services "disaggregated," i.e. allowing the CE device to become, in their view, a filter for the way they present and market services to the consumer. For example, they do not want their UI to be modified by the CE products, and they want everything on the UI to be available for the consumer to order and pay for. Cable wants copy protection and output control flexibility that they say is necessary for them to compete with other service providers.

CE and IT manufacturers believe that customers should have a choice in the blend of capabilities that they pay for in their products. They don't think that the combination of OCAP middleware and future cable conditional access software should totally control the TV and its access to other services/peripheral devices, or the home network. They don't think CableLabs should be able to unilaterally establish or change the specifications for what constitutes an Integrated cable ready receiver or the test process for approving them. CE wants all downloaded Cable applications to be thoroughly tested on CE devices for robustness.


ED: Are others besides Cable and CE involved? Do they have a vote?


BKS: Following completion of the unidirectional P&P process, when the groups embarked on this next phase, the FCC asked us to include input from other affected industries. There have been a variety of meetings on content protection with the MPAA, individual studios, TV networks, broadcasters, etc. These have included other MPVDs (e.g. satellite and telcos) and programming networks, which are also affected by the FCC "encoding" rules that protect consumers from excessive application of copy protection, selectable output control, and "downres" technologies, as well as Cable's existing hardware suppliers, component makers, etc. Under the FCC guidelines, the official "deal" is between CE and Cable, so these other groups do not get a vote in any proposed bilateral "framework" proposal for new regulations - - however when the agreement is put into the FCC open process, then everyone gets an opportunity to comment on it and the FCC may elect to modify it.

It should also be mentioned, that the CE group consists not only of typical CE companies, but there are also important members of the PC community as well.


ED: Is there any thought is making the negotiated version of OCAP (or whatever it is now called) an "open" ANSI standard?


BKS: We expect that whatever the final jointly agreed specification is, it will go through an ANSI open standards organization such as CEA or SCTE. From the CE perspective, we are on record with the FCC as wanting to see the regulations reference very specific versions ("snapshots") of such standards. If there is still disagreement on certain elements of those specific standards, the FCC could elect (and did in the uni-agreement) to specify in the regulations certain changes to the written specs.


ED: Is there really any commercial advantage for CE to embrace OCAP? (i.e. can CE in general make any money on it from the standpoint of a standard retail marketing model?)

BKS: Consumers seem to like the services they get from Cable. Many dislike having a separate set-top box in order to get them. This is now becoming even more the case when many TVs don't have "tops" to put STBs on! Multiple remotes, "dueling" volume controls, hugely different UI schemes, and other user control confusion are tremendously frustrating to consumers. Consumers embraced the very limited degree of cable compatibility that was achieved in the analog world, which allowed them to tune all unscrambled channels with their TV and VCR remote controls. We believe there is still great potential for unidirectional "CableCARD" products that first came to market in 2004, and allow consumers to do the same for scrambled digital channels, as well. Over 2 million have entered consumer homes in under 2 years but we are still struggling with CableCARD support issues in the field. If these can be resolved, and CableCARD installations become just as routine as set-top boxes, I believe that the consumer preference for well-integrated solutions will become apparent. This is both the promise and the challenge of taking the next step, and building highly reliable products that integrate the OCAP software. If we can, I think consumers and retailers will love them. We want to keep giving consumers a choice in what they buy, and in how it works.


ED: Concerning the present state of the negotiations, when do you anticipate an agreement (if any).

BKS: I don't know. There are still many issues unresolved (as described above), however the groups continue to meet to try to work through them.

Here is what we jointly told the FCC in a March 31 written status report that we filed in FCC Docket No. 97-80:

"The parties continue to meet with and work with each other, and both sides share the belief that this process is valuable and necessary for the successful design and deployment of integrated Digital Cable Ready products. Since the date of the last status reports, the parties' joint engineering team has continued its work and has made significant progress in how to define how resources in interactive Digital Cable Ready Products (IDCPs) using the OpenCable Application Platform (OCAP) can be shared between cable applications and other applications of the IDCP, in particular how to avoid conflicts in the use of resources within IDCPs by cable applications and other applications. There remain technical issues to resolve, and consideration of all solutions by the larger group. There is also an expectation that a joint team will address defining a workable conformance testing program for interactive products and software applications designed to run on them, based upon the framework previously described in earlier status reports. Other issues that the parties have agreed to discuss include possible updates to future unidirectional products, and means of conveying firmware updates to bi-directional products."

Well, they certainly don't have "the most offerings in high def". Comcast's local HD advantage is now going away. They are missing the HDNETs and ESPN2HD. No Voom (AKAIK only Dish has them), no NGHD (I'm not sure if any major provider has it yet). Nice to see that the boss is aware about our desires for more HD though. Watch what happens the next few years as FiOS makes inroads. FiOS even has WealthTVHD (but no INHDs).

Rich N.

Comcast has added ESPN2HD as of today (9 June) in some markets, and it *will* be rolled out in all markets this year. No cable company carries *any* of the VoomHD channels anywhere (neither do any of the telcos, including Verizon), which seriously surprises me (especially in the case of HDNews, and considering NBCU has *not* done a HD news play itself). While TWC *does* carry the HDnets, do they carry the INHDs? I don't know of any major cable company that carries both the HDnets *and* INHD, so there may be some sort of *exclusivity deal* going on.

Time-Warner Cable carries both the INHDs and the HDNets, and there may be other cablecos that do as well. Comcast, being the largest video provider, does not carry HDNet. The second, third and fourth largest providers(DirecTV-Dish-TWC) all carry the HDNets.

The information below is from Comcast's 2005 10K which they file with the SEC:


"Tier Buy Through. The Communications Act generally requires cable operators to allow subscribers to purchase premium or pay-per-view services without the necessity of subscribing to any tier of service, other than limited basic service tier. The applicability of this rule in certain situations remains unclear, and adverse decisions by the FCC on this issue could affect our pricing and packaging of services."

Some people are denied certain digital services without expanded basic. From my interpretation of this it appears illegal ( I am not a lawyer but Comcast appears worried).

The whole report is interesting reading:

http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/irol/11/118591/reports/10k_2005.pdf

NOT IN BOSTON!

Extended basic is not required to obtain ANY digital service. Hd locals are considered part of limited basic (and Comcast in Boston carries ALL the LOCAL HD channels)

All non premium HD channels are considered part of Digital Classic which runs a mere $7.95 over limited basic.
One can get an HD box,limited basic and digital classic for around $30-32 a month.
This includes TNT-HD,ESPN-HD,home Celtic games from FSN ,Discovery HD theatre, Universal HD,and Mojo.

http://www.multichannel.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleid=CA6342684

No Analog Viewer Left Behind?
By Ted Hearn 6/12/2006


The Federal Communications Commission is planning to examine the obligations of cable operators to ensure that consumers with analog-TV sets can view digital signals of local TV stations, an agency source said last Monday.

FCC chairman Kevin Martin is trying to round up support to launch a rulemaking that would establish federal policy well before TV stations must cease analog transmission on Feb. 17, 2009, the source said.

Martin is hoping to launch the rulemaking at the FCC’s June 21 public meeting — and at the same the commission adopts rules that would allow digital-TV stations to demand cable carriage of every free programming service they transmit. FCC rules currently require carriage of just one signal per TV station.
COST IMPACT ON CABLE

Broadcasters’ transition to digital could prove costly to cable operators, depending on the substance of the FCC’s rules.

When TV stations transmit only digital signals, cable consumers with analog equipment won’t be able to view them. The National Cable & Telecommunications Association wants cable operators that carry local broadcasters in digital to have the right to offer the same signal in analog from the headend.

If the FCC were to outlaw headend downconversion, analog-cable subscribers would need to lease converter boxes for each analog receiver they want to use to watch television. Another option would be to purchase digital cable-compatible TV sets with CableCard interfaces.

Cable operators banned from downconverting signals at the headend would need to expand their capital budgets to warehouse millions of converter boxes not just for analog-only homes, but also for digital homes that have analog-TV sets not attached to digital set-tops.

According to NCTA figures, 54% of cable subscribers — 35 million homes — do not have any digital equipment.

Since 1992, federal law has required that local TV signals “shall be viewable via cable on all television receivers of a subscriber that are connected to a cable system by a cable operator or for which a cable operator provides a connection.”

In April, Martin went public with his interest in deciding how analog-cable subscribers would be served digital-TV signals by their cable companies.

“I think 'viewable’ is the key term [in the law]. I think Congress passed a law and said cable operators have to make sure that the broadcast signals that they are carrying are viewable by everyone that they are serving,” Martin said.

In the end, Martin indicated that the FCC might leave it to cable operators to decide how to comply with the law.

“I think what we will say is that it has to be viewable, because that’s what I think the statutes say,” he added.
NAB EASES STANCE

For a while, the National Association of Broadcasters insisted that no downconversion occur at the headend, even if cable were simultaneously transmitting a digital signal.

In recent days, the NAB has softened its position.

“Congress should protect against the disenfranchisement of analog-only viewers by creating the necessary guidelines to allow downconversion for the consumer in an analog household,” NAB president David Rehr said in a May 26 letter to Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska).

In the same letter, Rehr said cable should not be allowed to downconvert HD digital signals to standard-definition because “consumers have invested hard-earned dollars in digital and high-definition sets.”

Comcast Seeks Set-Top Waiver from FCC
By Matt Stump 4/27/2006 5:24:00 PM

Comcast Corp. asked the Federal Communications Commission for permission to continue deploying low-cost digital set-tops after the July 1, 2007, deadline that calls for all new boxes to have separate conditional-access security, such as CableCARD software.

The waiver request, the MSO said, will allow it to offer more subscribers family and ethnic programming tiers. It would also provide a low-cost way for consumers with analog-TV sets to continue receiving cable service after all TV stations begin broadcasting in digital in February 2009.

Comcast said it was seeking waivers on three set-tops: Motorola Inc.’s “DCT-700,” Scientific Atlanta Inc.’s “Explorer 940” and Pace Micro Technology plc’s “Chicago” series.

Under FCC rules, all set-tops deployed after July 1, 2007, must have removable conditional-access features, which the commission hopes will foster a more competitive set-top market and widen choices consumers have for purchasing digital-cable-ready TVs at retail stores.

But when the agency adopted those rules, it said it would consider waiver requests for low-end boxes, Comcast said, adding that such low-end boxes will make it easier and more cost-effective for consumers to buy family or ethnic programming tiers, receive digital-quality pictures, widen parental-control features and increase access to video-on-demand.

Comcast said it has purchased 1 million DCT-700 set-tops and plans to buy another 1 million-1.5 million this year. The operator also plans to buy SA Explorer 940s and Chicago set-tops when they are available.

Those low-cost set-tops cost less than $100. To make such boxes compliant with the new FCC rules would require CableCARD-technology integration that would add $50 in costs to each set-top -- costs that would be borne by subscribers, Comcast said.

http://www.multichannel.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleid=CA6328785

Those low-cost set-tops cost less than $100. To make such boxes compliant with the new FCC rules would require CableCARD-technology integration that would add $50 in costs to each set-top -- costs that would be borne by subscribers, Comcast said.
Really, I thought they would take a decrease in profits. :D ;)

Comcast Eyes 100 Hours of HD VOD

Comcast has a proven record when it comes to serving up VOD offerings in its systems. Last year, the biggest cable operator in the country had 1.4 million VOD views, which was a dramatic increase over the 567 million views in 2004, and it was one of the first cable operators to launch the service back in 2001.

Now Comcast is taking a bead on increasing its HD VOD offerings. At last month's Cablelabs' analyst briefing, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts said his company hopes to have 100 hours of HD VOD programming available in some markets by the end of this year. Mark Hess, Comcast's senior vice president of digital TV, said Comcast currently has 10-15 HD VOD movies in the markets that offer the service, so one of the immediate thrusts in reaching in the 100-hour mark is finding more HD VOD content.

"I think there will be a lot more content becoming available," Hess said. "I think more and more movies will be coming, which is a logical place to start."

Comcast could encode HD content itself for its on-demand offering by using its Comcast Media Center, but it will probably lean on existing relationships with programmers such as HBO. Hess said the details of finding the content are still a work in progress.

"If you're talking about movies, the content is obviously there in HD form," said Digdia analyst Gary Sasaki. "The problem there is whether or not the studios decide to release it in that form or not. There is some controversy about the copy protection that makes some of the studios nervous about it, but by and large they're releasing it."

When it comes to HD offerings for TV shows, Sasaki said the pickings are slim in regards to what is available in HD form over VOD.

"It's just a matter of trying to work with all of the different content providers and determine what's the best content for the consumer and what's the best mix for us," Hess said.

Ramping up for more HD VOD

When it comes to provisioning the increased amount of HD streams for VOD, Sasaki said for most cable operators it's a matter of allocating existing bandwidth. Depending on how it's compressed, an HD stream takes five to six times more bandwidth than a standard channel. As far as VOD capacity is concerned, most systems have been built for 10 percent utilization rates, but are currently hovering around 5 percent or less.

"If you've built for 10 percent utilization, then you have a lot of headroom at the moment for HD content," Sasaki said. "Those utilization rates are going to go up the more HD content we have. The only thing that will mitigate that issue for HD content is that not a lot of people can necessarily take advantage of the HD content yet. At the moment, the HD impact phenomena isn't as big as it will eventually be, but by the end of this decade, a lot of people will be looking at wide-screen TVs."

Thanks to its $39 billion upgrade, Comcast will be able to shuffle bandwidth around to the places that need it for HD VOD. One key, according to Hess, is fine-tuning a streaming architecture.

"Not to downplay it, but there's no real magic to delivering an HD VOD stream," Hess said. "The bigger challenge is that we architected this for all SD streams. When we first did the VOD architecture, we said, 'let's do 10 percent contention,' but an HD file is much larger. You have to look at how it will be used, and do you need to either catch smaller service groups or do you need to have more bandwidth?"

Comcast will look at how many HD set-top boxes there are on a node, what the usage will be and how it mixes with SD.

"You really have to re-engineer, to a certain extent, the architecture to make sure you have enough capacity," Hess said. "That's the big challenge with HD in terms of streaming it.

"The challenge we're looking at is 15 or so movies fit right within our model. At 10 percent contention, we had more capacity than we needed at the time, but when we go to 100 hours, we might get more HD usage, so we better take a hard look at it."

To start with, Comcast will pick a node that is easily serviceable so there are no contention issues, or it will pick a section of a system and allocate more bandwidth to it.

"We'll pick a market for a more expansive HD offering, gauge the usage, and then move from there," Hess said of the deployment strategy.

http://www.ct-magazine.com/news/062006.html

Comcast Eyes 100 Hours of HD VOD

Comcast will look at how many HD set-top boxes there are on a node, what the usage will be and how it mixes with SD.
Sure a few people still have 5100s and 6200s, but there a bunch of 6412s out there, which could connected for for HD or SD. How can they accurately gauge HD STBs in a Motorola area? Answer is, they can't. ;)

Cable, CE Firms Tangle Over CableCARDs

JUNE 21, 2006

By Alan Breznick

The cable and consumer electronics industries are fighting over whether removable security devices, known as CableCARDs, should be required for all new, digital, cable-ready TV sets and set-top boxes.

Recently Comcast Corp. asked the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) if it would waive its mandatory CableCARD requirement for a for three new, low-cost, digital, cable set-top boxes. But the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and several leading electronics makers are opposed to the idea, saying that making CableCARDs optional would undercut support for the conditional access technology.

For its part, the cable industry argues that not requiring CableCARDs would help advance the nation's transition to digital TV.

CableCARDS were first required by the FCC to make it easier for all consumer electronic manufacturers to sell "plug-and-play" cable-ready equipment at retail stores. The idea was to provide adequate competition against the set-top giants such as Motorola, Scientific-Atlanta, and Pace Micro Technology, which all have agreements that allow MSOs to lease their set-tops to consumers. By separating the conditional access technology from the rest of the set-top, the FCC hoped to allow subscribers to buy any set-top they wanted -- then they would just get a CableCARD module from their MSO, plug it in, and turn on their cable service.

Unfortunately, CableCARDS have not exactly taken off. MSOs have handed out only about 141,000 CableCARDs to digital customers over the past two years. Cable operators complain that the clunky CableCARDS were developed in the late 1990s and carry an estimated price tag of about $75 apiece. That's more than the entire projected expense of the basic all-digital set-tops that MSOs want to install in subscribers’ homes.

“CableCARDS are a very necessary thing, but they’re not a very elegant way to handle things,” says Wayne Davis, former CTO of Charter Communications. “Technology has marched on. It’s not the best technology can offer.”

While cable operators deride CableCARDS as cumbersome, expensive, and obsolete, many consumer electronics players accuse the cable industry of dragging its feet on implementation. They charge that cable operators wish to isolate CableCARD-enabled sets and set-tops as niche, specialty equipment, not gear that fairly competes with MSO-supplied set-tops.

In the latest fight over the security modules, Comcast has asked the FCC to suspend its July 1, 2007, CableCARD deadline for three new low-cost, limited-capability, digital set-tops -- Motorola's DCT-700, S-A's Explorer 940, and Pace's Chicago model. Comcast argues that a permanent waiver would allow it to use the set-tops to offer more family and ethnic programming services to customers and serve analog cable subscribers even after all TV stations start broadcasting in digital less than three years from now.

Not surprisingly, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), American Cable Association (ACA), Motorola, Scientific-Atlanta, and Pace are all lined up squarely behind Comcast's position. But, somewhat surprisingly, so are two big electronics manufacturers. Both Thomson, which used to make CableCARD-enabled digital TV sets, and Panasonic, which still does, have filed comments in support of the waiver request.

In opposing the waiver request, CEA contends that the proposed Comcast move would further dampen the market for CableCARD-enabled competitive gear. CEA also argues that the request is open-ended, suggesting no other deadline for Comcast to meet the requirement.

Sony, Sharp, Hewlett-Packard, and Intel are all in CEA's camp. Besides pushing for greater deployment of CableCARDS, they contend that granting the waiver would just encourage the cable industry to pursue a proprietary version of downloadable conditional access, not one open to competition from other IT developers.

http://www.cabledigitalnews.com/weekly_analysis/062106.html

HD to help cable TV ward off IPTV, say execs

Loring Wirbel
(06/23/2006 10:35 AM EDT)
URL: http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=189600890

DENVER — Cable multisystem operators needn't fear the claims of IPTV dominance by telcos, provided they are aggressive in rolling out their own switched digital video plans, cable executives agreed at panels of the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers here earlier this week.

Richard Green, president and chief executive of cable consortium CableLabs, said he sees only the Verizon FiOS topology as posing a true threat to hybrid fiber-coax architectures.

"HD channels are the ultimate weapon against IPTV, because most of the PON architectures being talked about right now can't handle multiple HD streams," Green said. "Verizon is the toughest competitor because it duplicates the cable plant."

Geraldine Laybourne, chairman and chief executive of Oxygen Media, said that MSOs shouldn't be too quick to dismiss telco architectures based on passive optical networks that shift to fiber closer to the consumer. Each network can develop unique market models based on available bandwidth, she said, and the availability of IP clipcasts and slivercasts may have unpredictable consequences.

Nevertheless, Jerold Kent, chief executive of Suddenlink Communications, wondered why the merged AT&T and SBC had decided to continue with the Project Lightspeed architecture, based on coarser PON concepts than FiOS.

"Why is Lightspeed going ahead if it can't handle HD sources?" Kent asked. "We must be more judicious and careful in our investments in the cable industry, none of us are the size of an AT&T, so none of us can offer something representing the multibillion-dollar investment of Lightspeed and just say 'Oh well' if it doesn't pan out."

Michael Fries, chief technology officer of Liberty Global Inc., and David Woodle, chairman and chief executive of C-Cor Corp., agreed that the trick is to get residential consumers to exchange twisted-pair copper for coaxial cable. Particularly in new residential homes, Woodle said, there is no justification for multiple physical access media when unified physical links will suffice.

David Fellows, retiring chief technology officer at Comcast Cable Communications Inc., said that switched digital video architectures using MPEG-4 compression represents the optimal network to carry as much HD channels as customers might demand, while preparing for a network shift to 100 percent Internet Protocol. In the short term, however, this means a real pain for MSOs of shifting from 64-QAM to 256-QAM modulation.

Excerpt from:

http://hometheater.consumerelectronicsnet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=47346

Panasonic Bows High-End Blu-Ray System

By Glen Dickson, STAFF (Broadcasting & Cable)

...... Panasonic has also worked with cable operators like Comcast to make the high-def experience easier for consumers. At the CES show in January, it showed how OCAP-compliant consumer electronics products, such as HDTV sets or DVDs, can be controlled from the same remote used to direct a cable set-top. Panasonic also recently filed comments with the FCC in support of Comcast's petition for a waiver on the FCC's July 1, 2007, deadline to integrate removable CableCARD conditional access technology in all of its digital set-tops.

Dr. Paul Liao, Chief Technology Officer for Panasonic, says the company is supporting Comcast's position because it would like to see Comcast continue to reclaim analog bandwidth by rolling out more low-cost digital set-tops to enable digital simulcast service. That efforts means more bandwidth for HDTV programming, which in the long run is good for HDTV set-makers like Panasonic, he says.

Cable's Still Sweet on Switched Digital

JUNE 22, 2006

By Alan Breznick

DENVER – Cable-Tec Expo – Sure, IPTV may be getting reams of press. But many top cable engineers here insist that switched digital video will trump IPTV's benefits because it's built to take advantage of cable's hybrid fiber coax (HFC) networks, which have lots of bandwidth to spare compared to older copper-fed access lines.

In several panel discussions and interviews here, cable engineers touted switched digital video as the industry's best way to carve out more bandwidth for new digital services. They especially see switched digital as the way for cable operators to pump up their HDTV offerings.

"I think cable operators are very well positioned," said Tom Buttermore, vice president and general manager of global cable solutions for Nortel Networks. "It boils down to physics. The fat pipe wins."

Switched digital video, as the name implies, refers to a networking scheme that allows cable operators to avoid sending every channel to each consumer's set-top box all the time. They only send down the channels requested, then they switch the streams as the consumer changes channels.

The upshot is that cable operators, who already have a fatter pipe to the home than most telcos, will be able to make more efficient use of last-mile bandwidth. This will allow the cable guys to offer HDTV channels to multiple rooms in a house simultaneously, beef up their video-on-demand offerings and serve up much more Internet bandwidth than their RBOC counterparts.

"It's not a matter of if but when," said Jim Chiddix, chairman and CEO of OpenTV. "Switched digital is really the way cable has to go."

Cable engineers also argued that cable operators could use switched digital technology to target programming and advertising to small demographic groups or even individual households or set-top boxes. They envision the day when MSOs could offer ad-supported switched channels with different ads geared at specific subscribers.

Time Warner Cable is leading the switched digital charge most aggressively. So far, the nation's second largest MSO has rolled out the technology fully in two markets (Columbia, Ga. and Austin, Tex.), switching more than 70 programming networks in each system. Plans call for extending switched digital's reach to several more undisclosed cable systems by the end of this year and most of its other markets in 2007.

Despite "a few hiccups," Time Warner Cable CTO Mike LaJoie said the company is pleased with the results so far. He noted that Time Warner is realizing "about 60% (gains in bandwidth) efficiencies" with the deployments.

"It's going quite well," LaJoie said. "As time goes by, we'll add more channels."

LaJoie's counterparts at Comcast, Cox Communications and Charter Communications also expressed support for switched digital video. But, as they have in the past, they remained cagey about when they will launch the technology across their cable systems because of more pressing corporate priorities.

"We're on board with switched digital video," said David Fellows, executive vice president and CTO of Comcast, which is concentrating first on digital simulcasting rollouts. "But we'll do it in conjunction with the Next Generation Network architecture."

Marwan Fawaz, outgoing CTO of Adelphia Communications and incoming CTO of Charter, offered a similar response. "I give it a qualified yes," he said. "We're in the efficiencies stage."

Among those not as thrilled about switched digital video are the content makers. Here's why: with cable MSOs providing only what the customer requests through the last mile pipe, they'll be able to track exactly what consumers are really watching throughout their entire network.

Content makers are worried this will give cable operators the ability to negotiate lower affiliate fees for less popular channels or drop them from their lineups entirely.

"It probably scares the heck out of some content providers," Buttermore said. "It gives cable operators enormous bargaining power when talking to content providers… They don't need Nielsens anymore."

During one panel, an audience member pointedly asked the switched digital proponents if cable operators viewed programming suppliers such as HBO and CNN as friend or foes. After an awkward silence, LaJoie offered a brief response.

"I wouldn't call it friend or foe," LaJoie said. "The world's changed around all of us."

http://www.cabledatacomnews.com/weekly_analysis/06222006_02.html

Cable CTOs Say OCAP Set-Tops Are Coming

JUNE 23, 2006

By Alan Breznick

DENVER – CableTec Expo – Nearly five years after CableLabs wrote the first technical specifications for digital cable set-top boxes and TV sets that would enable them to run on any cable system, the cable industry is finally ready to start pushing that gear.

Six of the nation's largest MSOs -- Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Charter Communications, Cox Communications, Cablevision Systems, and Advance/Newhouse Communications -- are now upgrading their cable system headends to support digital TV gear equipped with the critical OpenCable Application Platform (OCAP) middleware. They aim to deploy the OCAP software in at least a dozen markets, including such major metro areas as New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Denver, and Indianapolis, by the end of the year.

Critics charge that the MSO deployment plans sound more like token offerings to appease federal regulators, who have been pressing the cable industry to support interoperable equipment that consumers can buy at retail stores. They contend that cable operators have been dragging their feet on the issue for years because they fear competition to their leased set-top business model.

Speaking at the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers' Cable-Tec Expo confab here, two top cable engineers insisted that the industry is now committed to making OCAP work. Despite a load of technical headaches, they said their companies are moving ahead with their rollout schedules.

David Fellows, executive vice president and CTO of Comcast, reiterated that MSO's intention to launch OCAP in an industry-leading four regions by the end of the year, including its Boston, Denver, northern New Jersey, and hometown Philadelphia markets. He said Comcast is working with Panasonic, from which the MSO ordered at least 250,000 OCAP-equipped set-tops with high-definition (HD) and digital video recording (DVR) capabilities earlier this year, on the rollout plans.

Marwan Fawaz, outgoing CTO of Adelphia Communications and incoming CTO of Charter Communications, confirmed Charter's goal to get two markets ready for OCAP gear by year-end. Although he declined to name the markets, he said one launch will occur on a cable system with Motorola plant and electronics equipment and the other on a cable system supported by Scientific-Atlanta gear.

"One manufacturer is more ready than the other," said Fawaz, declining to say which vendor is better prepared. "I lose sleep worrying about it."

At least one top consumer electronics engineer thinks cable operators urgently need OCAP-enabled equipment to compete against DirecTV and EchoStar, as well as such other national players as the big RBOCs.

"Without OCAP, the cable industry would be at a severe competitive disadvantage," said Paul Liao, CTO of Panasonic Corp. of North America. "From a competitive perspective, I don't see how you can't do OCAP as quickly as possible. If you don't have OCAP, it's going to be your competitors who do that."

Some TV programming suppliers say a wholehearted cable commitment to OCAP could make a big difference for them as well. With OCAP-enabled TV sets and set-tops, content suppliers and applications providers can write just one piece of software to run the same fare on most cable systems.

"OCAP does matter to us," said Vincent Roberts, executive vice president of worldwide technology and operations for Disney/ABC Television Group. "We deliver to multiple consumer devices. That's a real challenge for us."

A number of consumer electronics manufacturers want to see OCAP swiftly deployed, too. In fact, three large electronics makers -- Panasonic, LG Electronics, and Samsung Electronics -- have already committed to building the OpenCable two-way digital TV sets that would use the software.

"From Panasonic's perspective, OCAP is an absolutely critical and essential step," Liao says. "There's only one thing that will make it better-- get it deployed."

Ironically, the cable industry is moving to make its digital set-tops more retail-friendly for consumers at the same time that the more retail-oriented satellite TV industry is adopting the traditional cable model of leasing gear to customers.

For example, DirecTV carried out a major shift in its hardware strategy in March, instituting a new leasing program that pays commissions to dealers for renting, not selling, satellite converters to customers. In the past, DirecTV always subsidized the cost of set-top box sales to subscribers.

http://www.cabledatacomnews.com/weekly_analysis/06223006_01.html

We'll see what happens. If I don't like it I'll just drop the cable. Been thinking about doing that anyway as it's just too expensive for what you get. You can watch all the better stuff via Netflix without the commercials and at a more satisfying rate if you don't mind waiting a few years. Over the air broadcasts should give you the basic TV fix you need, and DVDs still work fine.

Cable Pushes for Low-End Box Waivers
By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 7/5/2006 8:57:00 AM

Comcast and others continue to push for a waiver from the FCC's set-top integration ban for its class of low-end boxes.

To encourage a retail market in competition to cable-supplied digital set-tops, the FCC required cable to separate out the security and channel-surfing functions in its boxes starting in July 2007 and provide a separate security device that worked with cable-ready equipment.

Comcast has argued that the mandate to separate out the security function will up the price of the boxes just as the impending switch to digital has increased the need for the boxes, which can convert digital to analog. It has requested the FCC allow it to three integrated boxes with limited features--no HDTV, DVR or Internet functions--past the July 1, 2007, cut-off for integrated boxes.

The boxes allow cable customers with analog sets to access some interactive features including VOD and parental controls.

In comments to the FCC last week, it included supporting materials from various supporters, including the Association for Public Television Stations.

APTS President John Lawson argued, in a letter to Media Bureau Chief Donna Gregg, that an affordable set-top for, say second and third TV's in a home, is important for insuring viewers have access to noncom's multicast services, which are getting cable carriage due to a deal with the cable industry struck last year.

Comcast in its comments also pointed out that the FCC, in defending its policy in court, has pointed out that it will entertain waivers for low-end boxes and even cited Comcast's request.

Among those raising questions about the waiver at the FCC are the Consumer Electronics Association and Microsoft.

Also filing in support of Comcast's petition last week was overbuilder RCN, which also wants a similar waiver for low-end boxes.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6349710.html

High-Definition TV On Its Way

POSTED: 2:32 pm EDT July 6, 2006
UPDATED: 4:39 pm EDT July 6, 2006

Though the sight of Comcast workers going door-to-door handing out free cable boxes may seem out of the ordinary, it's all part of the company's plan to bring high-definition TV to the Valley.

Comcast officials said they plan to bring the all-digital broadcast system to the Steubenville-Weirton area by April 2007.

The FCC mandated that all cable companies broadcast in high-definition television by February 2009. A digital box is required to get the all-digital service, which is why Comcast is trying to provide a digital box to all customers over the next nine months -- before the changeover.

Steubenville city officials have been inquiring about the service for some time, and raised the issue at a council meeting Wednesday.

Comcast officials met to discuss the strategy for the all-digital system on Thursday, said Michael Smith, Comcast Director of Government and Public Affairs for the Tri-State Area.

The new service will include HD channels, improved picture and audio, and a family-friendly programming option, said Doug Sansom, Comcast Senior Vice President of the Three Rivers Region.

Sansom said, "I know that sounds too hard to believe, but there will be no incremental costs. They'll get all the services, the channels, and some other products that have yet to be announced, and it all comes at no additional cost."

But, although the cable box itself will be free, the service rate could increase. Comcast's rates typically go up about 3 percent every year.

"I'm not announcing a rate increase, but I would suspect that 12 months from now, the rate will potentially be a little higher. Our competition's rates go up--everyone's rates go up," Sansom said.

For customers who don't have a digital box when the changeover occurs, Comcast officials said they will most likely lose service until they obtain a new cable box.

http://www.wtov9.com/news/9478242/detail.html

High-Definition TV On Its Way

POSTED: 2:32 pm EDT July 6, 2006
UPDATED: 4:39 pm EDT July 6, 2006

Though the sight of Comcast workers going door-to-door handing out free cable boxes may seem out of the ordinary, it's all part of the company's plan to bring high-definition TV to the Valley.

No, it isn't.

Comcast officials said they plan to bring the all-digital broadcast system to the Steubenville-Weirton area by April 2007.

That is what it is.

The FCC mandated that all cable companies broadcast in high-definition television by February 2009.

No, they didn't. They didn't even mandate that all cable cos. broadcast in Digital by Feb. 09!

A digital box is required to get the all-digital service, which is why Comcast is trying to provide a digital box to all customers over the next nine months -- before the changeover.

For customers who don't have a digital box when the changeover occurs, Comcast officials said they will most likely lose service until they obtain a new cable box.

Either the box is required or it isn't. Maybe they are waffling as to whether they will be All-Digital or All-Digital Simulcast. If they do go All-Digital, I hope other Comcast areas will follow.

With this kind of reporting, that was supposedly researched, what then do we expect from consumers. ;)

I think it remains in the consumers' best interest to enforce the FCCs regulations and get the cable companies out of the STB business once and for all.

That's not a natural part of the monopoly necessitated by laying cable - and it should be kept separate and in the competitive arena.

Motorola puts switched video in focus with Vertasent purchase
By Jeff Baumgartner, CED
September 25, 2006

Motorola Inc. has struck a deal to buy Vertasent LLC, a privately-held maker of an emerging network element called the edge resource manager (ERM).

Motorola said the deal complements its recent acquisition of video server specialist Broadbus Technologies, and prepares Motorola to flesh out its switched digital video technology strategy.

The ERM "fits into the brains of a switching network," noted Mark DePietro, VP of marketing for Motorola's Connected Home Solutions unit.

The ERM will also play a key role in QAM sharing, whereby QAMs are no longer used in "silos" tied to a particular service such as video-on-demand. In the new scenario, a bank of universal edge QAMs will be made to support everything from VOD, to switched broadcast and data applications. In addition to helping to enable QAM sharing, the ERM can also aid operators in the establishment of specific business rules and policies associated with specific services.

Camiant has already thrown its hat into the ERM ring. Several other vendors are said to be following suit, including Tandberg Television and Scientific Atlanta. BigBand Networks already offers the ERM function in its switched broadcast gear.

Vertasent has already been moving forward with integration work of its own, including technical hookups with Harmonic Inc., ARRIS, and servers and VOD systems from Broadbus and Concurrent Computer Corp.

DePietro said Vertasent's ERM has also been made to support two major protocols for switched video - Comcast Corp.'s Next Generation On Demand architecture and the Time Warner Cable Interactive Services Architecture (ISA).

CEA Files 2-Way Cable Proposal

By Greg Tarr -- TWICE, 11/9/2006 1:52:00 PM

Washington — The Consumer Electronics Association this week filed with the Federal Communications Commission what it calls “a consensus proposal” of the CE and IT industries to end the stalemate over bringing full-line plug-and-play competition to digital devices that work on cable systems.

The multipoint proposal, which was backed by 12 companies, addresses some key issues that have kept the consumer electronics and cable television industries at loggerheads for more than two years, including steps to quickly make two-way plug-and-play devices available at retail.

Among the points of the proposal is a call for allowing CE manufacturers to produce non-Open Cable Applications Platform (OCAP) two-way cable products that would make basic services available as well as permit ordering and accessing such two-way content as video-on-demand and pay per view.

OCAP is a middleware program, in effect an operating system, that allows consumers to easily connect OCAP-enabled TVs and other CE devices to a digital cable system to take advantage of two-way cable applications and the advanced functionality of the OCAP systems. Among the benefits are VOD, increased security, easy portability between systems and devices and a variety of interactive services.

The consensus statement said cable companies have shown little interest in adding OCAP middleware in lesser-featured set-top devices, and cable MSO’s Comcast and Charter have sought CableCARD waivers from the FCC for such equipment.

Other points brought out in the proposal included a specific list of technical, licensing and regulatory objectives to resolve outstanding plug-and-play issues that have been under negotiation since early 2003.

In addition, a technical proposal was added to facilitate enhancements to a new generation of CableCARDS.

Companies signing the proposal included Dell, Hitachi, Intel, JVC, Microsoft, Mitsubishi, Philips, Pioneer, Sharp, Sony, Toshiba and TTE.

Those noticeably absent from the list included LG, Panasonic and Samsung, each of which had previously signed OCAP and the CableLabs CableCARD Host Interface Licensing Agreement (CHILA). The latter uses OCAP as its base and defines the interface between a digital cable receiver or set-top box and the CableCARD module distributed by the cable operator, providing a standard platform for two-way interactive devices.

In a statement on the proposal, Sony Electronics executive VP Michael Williams said, “This proposal, if implemented by the FCC, would create a diverse, competitive market for cable plug-and-play products. It also would finally allow CE and IT companies to provide consumers with the benefits of innovation, competitive pricing and product choice as has long been the intent of Congress and the Commission.”

Gary Shapiro, CEA president/CEO, said “today we are offering a solution that would give consumers the widest choices in both equipment and services. We hope this will be a breakthrough toward a win-win plug-and-play environment that meets all consumer needs.”

http://www.twice.com/article/CA6390050.html

November 20, 2006 TV TechCheck

CEA PROPOSES COMPROMISE FOR
BI-DIRECTIONAL DIGITAL CABLE COMPATIBILITY

On November 7, 2006 the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and several individual companies filed a proposal in the FCC's digital cable compatibility proceeding (CS Docket No. 97-80): a "Proposal for Bi-Directional Digital Cable Compatibility and Related Issues."

The stated goal of the filing is to provide a proposal to allow competitive consumer electronics (CE) and IT manufacturers to build devices that, from the consumer perspective, are functionally equivalent to proprietary leased products such as digital cable boxes. The companies claim this proposal would substantially increase consumer choice by quickly and effectively bringing a wide variety of two-way "plug-and-play" devices to market. They pointed out that little progress has been made towards the goals of Section 629 of the Communications Act to enable consumers to have a choice among such devices in a competitive retail market.

This is important because the current uni-directional agreement (also called plug-and-play) only enables some services to a CE device (equipped with a CableCard™). With one-way devices, consumers do not have access to Interactive Program Guides (IPGs), Pay-Per-View (PPV) movies and special events, On Demand Services including Entertainment on Demand (EOD), Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) and, generally, Digital Video Recording (except for some SD content). The filing notes that after more than two years of negotiations among the cable, CE and IT industries a mutual agreement on a bi-directional specification still has not been reached.

Since uni-directional receivers don't allow consumer access to several high value services and features offered by cable systems, cable service providers have not been particularly enthusiastic about promoting these receivers. For example, see Cox Cable's explanation of CableCard at http://www.cox.com/support/hr/cable/plugplay.asp or Comcast's FAQ on HDTV at http://www.comcast.com/Customers/FAQ/FaqCategory.ashx?CatId=130. The overall result in the marketplace has been very slow growth for CableCard deployment. NCTA has statistics on the historical growth of CableCard here http://www.ncta.com/IssueBrief.aspx?contentId=2711&view=4.

One major issue for the bi-directional version of CableCard has been whether or not OpenCable Application Platform (OCAP) (see http://www.opencable.com/ocap/) is required as the minimum capability in such devices or not. OCAP is a middleware specification to support downloadable applications. OCAP essentially defines a set of software interfaces and functions. It contains a security module that is under the control of the cable operator, which in turn controls what any other application can do. There is a version of OCAP that has been standardized by SCTE, but it is many revisions prior to the current version available from CableLabs. The revisions are not being made in the open standards process, but rather periodically the current version is brought to the SCTE CAP Subcommittee for consideration. (The last such submission was approved on October 4, 2005 based on revision 14. Subsequent revisions and bug fixes have not been submitted).

The filing proposes that manufacturers have the option, but not the obligation, to include OCAP in devices that access "basic" interactive services - switched digital, electronic program guide ("EPG"), video-on-demand ("VOD"), and impulse pay-per-view ("PPV") - and must implement OCAP to access "advanced" interactive services - perhaps on-line games, email and "play-along" interaction coordinated with specific video content. The filing includes technical annexes that provide details for how this OCAP-less receiver would operate.

The filing also asserts that the proposal provides a comprehensive solution to address virtually all of the open issues in CS Docket No. 97-80, including common reliance, downloadable security, and home networking.

The filing further asserts that it appears that cable providers do not intend to use the OCAP middleware software in their so-called "low-cost, low capability" boxes and advocates that "retail products should compete on a level playing field with leased products with respect to price, features, and functionality." They also state that the proposal would further the DTV transition by increasing the pool of available cable-ready DTV sets, thus giving consumers an incentive to move from analog to digital, given that each set must also contain DTV reception capability as a regulatory requirement.

On a more technical level, they addressed the new "switched video" technology that is being deployed, where the path used to deliver what appears as a continuing program can be changed without interrupting the consumer experience. It is also used to optimize total cable capacity by shifting the mix of services based on demand/consumption by receivers. Because information about tuning needs to go back to the head end, switched video is bi-directional in nature. Current uni-directional devices can experience service outages when this occurs. CEA et al argue that this undercutting practice be prohibited until the new products in accordance with their proposal become ubiquitous in the marketplace.

They also covered how the standard for out-of-band announcement of services could be used, and perhaps extended to support the OCAP-less receiver. They suggested that SCTE DVS be the open standards forum where such modifications should be discussed.

For content protection, they proposed the use of those output protection systems that have been selected by the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) (see http://www.dlna.org) be added to the approved list of valid content protection systems under the Cable Host Interface Licensing Agreement (CHILA) and the Downloadable Conditional Access Systems (DCAS) licenses.

The processes for certification, testing and "bug fix" were also covered in the filing, which address practical realities in consumer product development and retail issues.

The filing is available on the Internet from the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS)-go to http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/comsrch_v2.cgi and enter 97-80 (this is the docket number of the proceeding) into box 1 ("Proceeding").

Not directly related to Comcast but interesting.

Dec 21, 2006 16:30

Unique Low Cost Set Top Cable Device with Downloadable Security Announced for 2007 Deployment
CLIFTON, Va. --(Business Wire)-- Dec. 21, 2006 A new "open standard" solution to providing cable set-top converters which are both economical and provide a non-integrated downloadable security system has been announced. Full commercial deployment of the new device, which supports both analog and digital signals, is scheduled for 2007.

The announcement follows more than three and one-half years of quiet research and development by a new company, Beyond Broadband Technology, LLC (BBT) formed by three veteran cable television operators. "The primary objective," said Bill Bauer, President and CEO of WinDBreak Cable, of Gering, NE, "was to develop a low cost set top box (LCST) that would allow systems to efficiently migrate from analog to digital transmission." This migration will free up significant bandwidth for cable companies to offer new and improved services to customers, including high definition television programs, and faster broadband Internet connections.

In the process of developing the new devices, BBT designed an entirely new and elegantly simple fully downloadable conditional access solution that provides a high level of signal security, which can now provide a low-cost substitute for expensive CableCARD technology currently in use. The non-integrated downloadable security solution provides the "severable security" called for by the FCC. It will be the first system of its type offered on a fully open standard basis to any consumer electronics or set-top box manufacturer. It can be built directly into consumer electronics equipment as well as set-top devices. The first low-cost device to be marketed will be designed much like a consumer electronics power cord transformer and will mount on the wall or back of the television set, out of view.

Ben Hooks, Chairman of Buford Media Group, LLC, and another of BBT's founders, noted that there were several criteria for the new design. "It had to support existing analog channels, as well as legacy digital deployments, while at the same time allow operators large and small to reclaim bandwidth by providing an end-to-end digital solution to create an economic migration path to all-digital transmission."

Because of the unique, fully scalable design of the BBT conditional access solution, cable operators can choose between local, regional or national control of the LCST. This will allow, even at the system level, full flexibility to deliver programming to customers in a packaged, tiered, or even individual channel format. Headend equipment is modular and allows emergency alert notification across all channels. It supports both MPEG2 and MPEG4 encoding, facilitating an easy migration to more efficient use of cable bandwidth.

Tony Swain, President and CEO of Tele-Media Broadband, the third founder, has been focusing on the contracts to effectuate the new BBT downloadable LCST solution. The first manufacturer to sign on is R.L. Drake, Co., which plans to have prototypes ready for testing before the end of the first quarter of 2007 and manufactured product available, in quantity, by the third quarter. Satellite transport will be provided by Syndetik, which will encode, encrypt and uplink over 200 channels of programming via multiple C-Band satellites.

The initial basic LCST device is designed to work with one-way and two-way cable systems. It does not require a "return path" through the cable system. The retail price for that device will be below $100, and could be significantly less, depending on the volume of the initial orders. Headend equipment will cost less than one-quarter of those currently being installed.

The new BBT solution to a low-cost set-top box with full downloadable security will allow a much faster migration by cable operators from an analog to a digital transmission system at a cost far lower than had been anticipated. It can significantly speed recovery of large amounts of bandwidth currently used for analog transmission and will end questions of whether the cable industry has sufficient bandwidth for future demand. BBT's technical breakthrough will accelerate both the "digital transition" and the rollout of broadband technology nationwide.

Panasonic and Comcast to Join Forces to Test Interactive Digital Cable-Ready Television
Sunday January 7, 7:08 pm ET
Interactive Television to Integrate Open Cable Application Platform (OCAP) and Offer More Choice for Consumers to Enjoy HD, VOD and Other Advanced Home Entertainment Services

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Panasonic, the market leader in plasma TV, and Comcast, the leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services, today announced they will begin joint testing on an interactive digital cable-ready high-definition plasma television based on the Open Cable Application Platform (OCAP) specifications that cable operators have begun to deploy. This joint test, which will begin later this month, builds on the relationship Panasonic and Comcast announced at the 2006 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The companies agreed to jointly develop digital cable set-top boxes and to explore and develop extensions to the OCAP specifications that will enhance and simplify consumers' home entertainment experiences.

Integrating OCAP middleware into a digital cable-ready television will let consumers access current popular digital cable features, such as video on demand and electronic program guides, without a digital set-top box. It also will create new opportunities for the delivery of next generation, two-way interactive digital cable features like voting, e-commerce and gaming with the television.

"This is a major step in the realization of OCAP, and we are very pleased to be partnering with Comcast, the leading cable operator in the US, to test this exciting product," said Dr. Paul Liao, Chief Technology Officer, Panasonic Corporation of North America. "Panasonic is a market leader in flat panel displays, and this is a logical step for us in terms of giving consumers access to an even wider range of high-definition options."

"We are pleased to expand our relationship with a leader like Panasonic to develop the next generation of digital cable-ready televisions," said Mark Coblitz, Senior Vice President, Technology and Policy, Comcast. "The development of OCAP-powered TVs is another example of how Comcast is working with the CE industry to enhance the consumer viewing experience by making it even easier to enjoy new interactive applications combined with the convenience of integrated digital cable services."

Panasonic and Comcast expect testing of the new OCAP-powered TVs to run through 2007, and are targeting initial commercial availability of the first model for early 2008.

"The integration of OCAP technology into High-Definition Plasma televisions is the future of television. It opens the market for new and exciting interactive applications, including on-screen shopping, game play, voting, and many others that are only now being invented by software developers everywhere," said Dr. Liao.

Panasonic and Comcast will demonstrate OCAP-enabled equipment and applications at the Panasonic booth (#9405, Main Hall) in the Las Vegas Convention Center during the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show, January 8-11.

FCC denies Comcast request; "integration ban" coming in July

1/11/2007 12:42:04 PM, by Nate Anderson

The FCC Media Bureau yesterday put the kibosh on Comcast's request to ditch the "integration ban" that goes into effect on July 1, 2007. The FCC decision means that the ban will go forward as scheduled and cable operators will no longer be able to distribute set-top boxes with an integrated security component.

It all sounds pretty arcane, but the integration ban has been the subject of tremendous controversy ever since the FCC proposed it several years ago. Congress directed the FCC to bring a bit of competition to the market for TV "navigation devices" (usually set-top boxes), if possible, and the FCC hit on a plan: require cable operators to offer a separate security module that could be plugged into a set-top box or television from any manufacturer and properly descramble channels. The CableCARD was born.

The consumer electronics industry loved the idea, because it gave them a way to control the television again. Equipment makers could build any box they wanted, secure in the knowledge that a CableCARD would allow full access to any cable company's lineup. But there was still one problem: the cable industry was allowed to market its own boxes, and these were not required to use CableCARD.

The consumer electronics people worried the cable industry would do only the bare minimum to get CableCARD working, and why shouldn't it? There was little incentive for cable to develop and fine-tune a technology that would only benefit its rivals.That's why the FCC also established an "integration ban" for cable companies that would prevent them from integrating both navigation and security functions into a single box. Instead, everyone would have to use CableCARD.

The ruling has garnered nothing but complaints from the cable industry, which argues that forcing it to do things this way will drive up costs, which will then be passed along to customers. One of the major goals of FCC policy has been to develop a robust market for low-end cable boxes for less-affluent consumers to purchase cheaply without being locked into monthly rental fees. Comcast and others complained that the FCC wanted two contradictory things: low-cost boxes and CableCARD in every box.
Downloadable security

But the FCC reiterated its commitment to the July 1 deadline and pointed out that cable companies don't actually need to use a CableCARD at all. CableCARD is just one way of separating the security and navigation functions, but another promising technology called DCAS is on the horizon. DCAS (downloadable content access system) schemes use a security program that each cable operator can download into the set-top box; no physical CableCARD-style device is needed. The advantages are many: lower hardware costs, ability to update security schemes at any time, more flexibility.

Unfortunately, the major cable firms have been unable to get a working DCAS system together in time to meet the July deadline, and they believe that the FCC should waive the ban until such time as DCAS boxes are widely available. The FCC also responded to that objection by pointing out in a separate statement that Beyond Broadband Technology has already developed a working set-top box that uses downloadable security, and the box is cheap. The company has beaten CableLabs (a research company operated by the major cable operators) to market, but its system won't be compatible with the forthcoming CableLabs DCAS implementation. But it's available today, and proves that cable operators who want to use downloadable security can do so in a cost-efficient way.

The FCC ruling has garnered reaction from a whole host of consumer groups that aren't usually associated with cable issues. The head of the Hispanic Federation said in statement that "the FCC mandate to impose a new regressive tax on American consumers who use set-top boxes to access their cable programming will unjustly hurt middle and low income households in Hispanic neighborhoods struggling to bridge the digital divide." She added, "The ban will divert critical resources to the manufacture and deployment of yesterday's technology instead of encouraging companies to invest in new downloadable security that will speed the transition at much lower costs."

The FCC's reaction is simple: downloadable security is here today, and the fact that CableLabs doesn't have its own version working yet is no reason to delay the ban any further.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070111-8599.html

CableLabs sets 'safe harbor' HD-VOD bit rate

Trying to find the balance between efficiency and quality is a key challenge faced by operators as they continue to rollout and expand high-definition VOD services.

Until variable bit rate solutions enter the deployment fold (see: Imagine Communications), operators must leverage a constant bit rate "sweet spot" that doesn't gobble up too much capacity, but still provides enough bits to ensure that the picture still looks good to the discerning eye of the HDTV consumer.

It appears that 15 Mbps is that sweet spot for HD-VOD content (movies, ads, etc.) delivered in a constant bit rate, MPEG-2-based stream, according to the recent release of some new "safe harbor" specs from CableLabs. Applying the safe harbor tag gives VOD content aggregators and operators a bar to meet, but doesn't set that bar in concrete.

In addition to the video content, that safe harbor bit rate must also accommodate the audio component (stereo, Dolby 5.1, etc.).

CableLabs - citing a bevy of authors and contributors* — released the Metadata 2.0 Specifications — Content Encoding Profiles 2.0 Specification on Jan. 5, 2007.

Although expressing concerns and constraints in determining the "optimal" bit rate for a given situation (ie. a show with talking heads, versus a fast-moving sports event), "success has been widely achieved suing the 15 Mbps transport bit rate," the specs explain in regard to the rate for HD-VOD content.

CableLabs adds that other rates are possible, but sets 15 Mbps as the safe harbor for HD-VOD, until improvements in system resource management or encoding (ie. MPEG-4) enter the picture. The safe harbor bit rate for standard-def VOD remained steadfast at 3.75 Mbps.

CableLabs sets 'safe harbor' HD-VOD bit rate


Interesting stuff. If you drill down a ways at the CableLabs site you can find the actual documents. Interesting that they specify a 15mbps rate minimum and that 1080i material should retain a 1080x1920 pixel structure and 720p material should retain a 720x1280 pixel structure. (DirecTV are you paying attention?)

That's encouraging, at least for VOD content, I'd love to see something regarding regular cable feeds, SD and HD.

Comcast is also planning to do this maybe this year:

Cablevision Switches With BigBand
JANUARY 24, 2007

In a clear sign that switched digital broadcast has arrived in the cable business, Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE: CVC - message board) has rolled out the technology in its huge New York area cable system with BigBand Networks Inc.

Cablevision and BigBand unveiled the deployment earlier today, making the MSO the latest big cable operator to make the move to switched digital. Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK), Time Warner Cable Inc. , and Cox Communications Inc. have also begun introducing switched digital commercially in some of their cable systems across the country.

The Cablevision rollout, which covers more than 4 million homes passed in New York City and its immediate suburbs, also marks the first time that a major U.S. cable operator has announced a switched digital deployment in any market with a particular tech vendor. While Time Warner has tested switched broadcast with BigBand in at least two markets and plans to roll out the technology commercially, the MSO has not said who it's working with now.

"This announcement proves the technology has been deployed," says Biren Sood, VP of product marketing and business development for BigBand. "This is a completed deployment."

BigBand officials claim that they are now working with nine of the nation's top 10 MSOs to roll out switched digital, a bandwidth-saving technology that enables cable operators to conserve their precious digital spectrum for dozens of more channels and other services. But Cablevision is the first cable customer to acknowledge that it's using BigBand's switched broadcast solution, which consists of the vendor's management server, Broadband Multimedia-Service Router, and Broadband Multimedia-Service Edge equipment and software.

Similarly, Scientific Atlanta and Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT - message board) executives say they are aiding a number of large MSOs with switched digital deployments. But neither tech giant has been able to announce any sizeable cable customer wins just yet.

Cablevision officials say they will use the recovered digital spectrum to deliver nine new, international, "in-language" packages of channels across their service area, encompassing dozens of new channels. The new premium offerings include packages of Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Korean, Italian, Japanese, Polish, and Portuguese channels for prices ranging for anywhere from $4.95 to $24.95 per month.

The move by Cablevision comes as the MSO faces stiff competition in the New York area from Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ - message board), which has been rolling out its new FiOS TV service there. Although Cablevision officials insist that FiOS hasn't hurt them much yet, they have been busily boosting broadband speeds to the highest in the cable industry and aggressively rolling out VOIP service.

BigBand officials, who have been championing switched broadcast technology for several years, intend to announce more MSO deployments later this year. The latest version of their switched digital technology is the fourth generation since they first unveiled it.

Competitors, however, play down the significance of the Cablevision announcement. They argue that BigBand will have trouble signing up more cable operators because its proprietary technology doesn't offer as much bandwidth efficiency and cost savings as their offerings, which enable cable operators to use new universal edge QAMs to carry voice, video, and data services simultaneously.

The Cablevision move also comes just one day after cable operators and equipment suppliers, alarmed by an explosion in bandwidth use by cable subscribers over the last couple of years, stressed the need to deploy switched broadcast technology. In a seminar sponsored by PK Worldmedia Inc. in Houston Tuesday, cable engineers portrayed switched digital as probably the most promising way to keep their networks from being overwhelmed by soaring subscriber bandwidth consumption. (See Cable Confronts Bandwidth Crunch.)

— Alan Breznick, Site Editor, Cable Digital News

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=115441&site=cdn

Comcast Sets Switched-Video Rollout
By Todd Spangler 1/25/2007 6:40:00 PM


Houston -- Comcast is conducting trials of switched digital video in two markets and expects to deploy services based on the technology in the second half of 2007, vice president of production-platform engineering Rick Rioboli said.

Rioboli, speaking on a panel at the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers’ Conference on Emerging Technologies here Wednesday, said switched digital video will be the key mechanism to let operators deliver more HD channels.

"If a programmer comes to us and says, 'We want you to carry new HD channels' … we’re stuck in that bandwidth problem," he added. The move to switched digital video will mean "we don’t have to plan two or three years in advance which channels we’re going to be dropping to carry HD."

Switched-digital-video systems can deliver channels more efficiently than broadcasting them by sending video streams to a subscriber only when a channel is requested. The assumption is that not every channel in a switched group will be viewed simultaneously.

In an interview, Rioboli said the trials in the first half of the year are intended to make sure that the systems are technically stable and Comcast can effectively manage them.

"We're done with the vendor evaluation and system design," he added. "Now we need to get to the point where we can realistically deploy and manage it."

Rioboli declined to specify the two trial markets. Comcast is a customer of BigBand Networks, a maker of switched-digital-video gear, according to BigBand's regulatory filing last month for its initial public offering.

Cablevision Systems this week became the first major operator to announce services made available through switched digital video with the launch of iO International, a group of nine in-language packages featuring dozens of channels from around the world in Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Hindi and other languages.

Cablevision is using BigBand's equipment to offer iO International to all of its 2.3 million digital-cable subscribers.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6410009.html?display=Breaking+News

Comcast, TWC rolling DSG; Comcast OCAP and switched video to come
By Brian Santo, CED
January 26, 2007

HOUSTON - Comcast Cable has introduced DOCSIS Set-top Gateway (DSG) technology in 10 systems and will spend 2007 implementing it across its entire footprint, according to Richard Rioboli, Comcast's VP of product platform engineering.

Time Warner Cable, meanwhile, will also begin a nationwide rollout of DSG, said Howard Pfeffer, the MSO's group vice president, broadband engineering and technology.

Rioboli and Pfeffer were among the speakers and presenters featured here Wednesday at the SCTE Conference on Emerging Technologies.

Rioboli said Comcast will also lab test OCAP this quarter, and engage in a market test in Q2, with plans to have a few deployments before the end of the year. Comcast has been saying for a year that it had plans to pursue switched digital video technology, and Rioboli confirmed Comcast is conducting trials of SDV in two markets, with an expanded rollout slated for the balance of 2007.

Cablevision Systems Corp. earlier this week announced a switched broadcast deployment that will support a new slate of "in-language" programming services. Time Warner Cable, meanwhile, is considered an early champion of SDV. Following an initial launch in Austin, Texas, in mid-2005, Time Warner has introduced the technology in eight of its 27 divisions, a spokesperson confirmed.

Comcast and TWC are huge and far from monolithic; each has numerous systems that are variously configured. Just like every other provider, they want to introduce new services and applications, but in order for a company to do that on a national basis, it will first have to standardize its configurations, according to Rioboli.

"It may not be sexy, but it's important," he said. Having so many different configurations makes it difficult to do even seemingly simple things, he explained. "You want to introduce a new program guide? First you have to figure out how many configurations you have."

DSG is a signaling platform that uses standard DOCSIS technologies - rather than legacy proprietary signaling methods - to communicate with set-top boxes. Although a DOCSIS connection could conceivably be used for unicasting video, its initial uses are very likely to be as a means for extracting data from set-tops and downloading data to them - program guides, for example. It is also viewed as an enabler for a forthcoming downloadable conditional access system (DCAS).

But Comcast will still need as many different versions of an application as it has set-top boxes. That's where the OpenCable Application Platform (OCAP) comes in. OCAP essentially severs the direct connection between an application and the operating system resident on a set-top box. That would allow an operator to write a single version of an application (a program guide, for example) and be assured it will run on all STBs outfitted with the CableLabs-specified OCAP middleware.

Another potential advantage of DSG is that it can be used to perform an end-around the set-top's conditional access (CA) system. Motorola and Scientific Atlanta incorporate their own CA technologies that are not only proprietary but closed. That means if an operator wants to run an application, it cannot always be sure it'll be able to without first consulting the CA provider.

With a DSG tunnel to the STB, operators could simply avoid the legacy CA system.

Rioboli said that Comcast will spend most of '07 concentrating on rolling out DSG. Comcast previously said it plans to test OCAP in Philadelphia, Denver, and Union, N.J. Comcast has not revealed which of its systems now have DSG, nor which two cities are hosting the SDV tests.

"We're going to take a similar approach - just get DSG out there," Pfeffer said. It's vitally important for cable companies to be able to differentiate themselves, Pfeffer added, "so we have to have a uniform presence across all our platforms."

"Even if you had a killer app, it's hard to deploy," Rioboli said. "And there's no silver bullet for solving that."

http://www.broadband-today.com/article/CA6410543.html?nid=2907

Major Cable Operators Sign Up for OCAP™ Technology Licenses

Louisville, Colorado, January 31, 2007—Major cable operators Comcast and Time Warner Cable have executed required agreements to license essential OpenCable™ Applications Platform (OCAP™) intellectual property and obtain security certificates for OCAP applications.

The agreements include a patent license from Via Licensing for essential patents required to implement OCAP. Via Licensing serves as the OCAP patent pool licensing administrator. See www.vialicensing.com.

“This is an important and explicit endorsement of our OCAP strategy,” said Mark Coblitz, Senior Vice President for Strategic Planning at Comcast. “Executing the proper OCAP agreements is a necessary step in fulfilling legal obligations and signals the next step towards OCAP deployment,” he added.

Separately, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox, and Charter have obtained OCAP code verification signing certificates from CableLabs. The certificates are used to sign and validate interactive OCAP applications running on their cable networks.

OCAP is the middleware specification CableLabs has established to enable application writers to create new interactive services that will run on a broad range of advanced digital set tops and cable-ready TVs. See www.opencable.com.

Founded in 1988 by members of the cable television industry, Cable Television Laboratories is a non-profit research and development consortium that is dedicated to pursuing new cable telecommunications technologies and to helping its cable operator members integrate those advancements into their business objectives. Cable operators from around the world are members. CableLabs maintains web sites at www.cablelabs.com; www.packetcable.com; www.cablemodem.com; www.cablenet.org; and www.opencable.com.

CableLabs®, DOCSIS®, CableHome®, PacketCable™, OpenCable™, OCAP™, CableCARD™, M-Card™, DCAS™, Go2BroadbandSM and CableNET® are marks of Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

http://www.cablelabs.com/news/pr/2007/07_pr_ocap_013107.html

Mar 01, 2007 18:00

CableLabs(R) Announces Initiative to Create Specifications for Receiving Off-Air Digital Broadcasts
LOUISVILLE, Colo. --(Business Wire)-- Mar. 1, 2007 CableLabs, the cable television industry's technology development consortium, announced it is working on an initiative to develop cable interface specifications for receipt of off-air digital broadcast signals.

The interface specifications would enable devices to receive digital off-air television signals and would deliver these digital signals seamlessly through a cable set-top box. This technology would allow consumers to receive broadcast television signals as an integrated viewing experience. The concept combines the over-the-air digital television transmission with the television programming carried by the cable provider.

Founded in 1988 by members of the cable television industry, Cable Television Laboratories is a non-profit research and development consortium that is dedicated to pursuing new cable telecommunications technologies and to helping its cable operator members integrate those advancements into their business objectives. Cable operators from around the world are members.

Cable's Bandwidth Shortage: A Looming Capex Crisis

Evidence continues to mount that operators of cable networks in North America face another phase of significant capital investment to maintain equal competitive footing against large incumbent telcos that are now deploying fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) networks. An internal report created in summer 2006 by CableLabs, the research consortium of the cable industry, advised that cable operators eventually will have to replace their existing (and rebuilt) hybrid fiber-coax (HFC) networks with FTTP. Although cable industry executives have said there's no immediate need to move to FTTP, it's likely that operators serving markets in which telcos are installing fiber will have to start making the transition within the next three years.

News of the still unreleased CableLabs report sent a shiver through the cable industry, because it focused unwanted public attention on the industry's Achilles' heel: After spending more than $100 billion over the past decade to upgrade headends, lines, and other equipment to create greater radio frequency (RF) capacity, cable operators still face a bandwidth shortage. As a result, just as MSO capex budgets had finally begun to edge downward after years of heavy plant expenditures, bandwidth and competitive pressures are prompting cable operators to begin boosting their outlays again.

This situation is somewhat similar to that of a decade ago, when the capacity requirements of more analog channels, new digital video services, and rudimentary high-speed Internet access drove the last wave of cable network upgrades. Today, new bandwidth-hogging applications such as high-definition television (HDTV) programming, Internet video downloads, video-on-demand (VOD) services, time-shifting features, file-sharing applications, real-time gaming, and ever-faster broadband speeds are driving the coming wave of upgrades.

All of these services are conspiring with the already heavy load of analog channels to gobble up the increased capacity of freshly upgraded 750MHz and 860MHz cable systems. Thus, they threaten the ability of MSOs to match the video offerings of ambitious satellite TV providers, such as DirecTV and EchoStar; and the video and broadband offerings of aggressive telco providers, such as AT&T and Verizon.

Cable operators have an array of possible methods at their disposal to cope with the industry's pending capacity crunch. The roster of technological options available to the industry ranges from relatively simple, inexpensive techniques such as node splitting and switched digital video (SDV) to more advanced, costly methods such as 1GHz plant upgrades, virtual channel bonding, and out-of-band spectrum overlays. Several leading MSOs are already beginning to choose one or more of these options as they prepare for the great bandwidth battles to come.

The questions that cable operators face include determining which bandwidth-enhancing solutions to adopt, when to adopt them, and at what price. If an operator makes the correct decisions, it may stave off the pending capacity crunch for a few more years – which could be long enough to convert all subscribers to digital transmission and thereby gain access to virtually unlimited capacity. If an operator chooses wrongly, it faces years of network traffic congestion, bandwidth shortages, and mounting subscriber losses to satellite and telco competitors. Clearly, the stakes are high.

Cable's Bandwidth Shortage: A Looming Capex Crisis provides critical insight and analysis for a range of industry participants, including:

Cable operators facing the prospect of system upgrades to address future bandwidth issues
Telecom operators now competing with cable operators for business and residential customers
Technology suppliers assessing the market opportunity for cable network upgrades
Investors needing a better understanding of the scale of investment that will be required by the cable industry, and the technology suppliers that are best positioned to capitalized on projected capex spending

http://www.lightreading.com/cable/

Cable's Bandwidth Shortage: A Looming Capex Crisis

An internal report created in summer 2006 by CableLabs, the research consortium of the cable industry, advised that cable operators eventually will have to replace their existing (and rebuilt) hybrid fiber-coax (HFC) networks with FTTP.
'FTTP', I know is, 'Fiber To The Premises', so does that mean once it gets to the house/bldg., one can still using existing RG59 or RG6 coaxial through the premises?

'FTTP', I know is, 'Fiber To The Premises', so does that mean once it gets to the house/bldg., one can still using existing RG59 or RG6 coaxial through the premises?
Yes, RG-6.

'FTTP', I know is, 'Fiber To The Premises', so does that mean once it gets to the house/bldg., one can still using existing RG59 or RG6 coaxial through the premises?
RG6 is preferable because of the lower signal loss and better shielding. If you have existing RG59 you can alway try it to see if you can get satisfactory results. I have a mixture in my house with Comcast digital cable and it works.

'FTTP', I know is, 'Fiber To The Premises', so does that mean once it gets to the house/bldg., one can still using existing RG59 or RG6 coaxial through the premises?
The FiOS "ONT" box downconverts the entire TV spectrum, which is carried on fiber via a particular laser "color".

The ONT's TV coax output is the same as a standard cable coax, with a bunch of Analog channels in the lower
channel positions and QAM256 digital channels up through 850 MHz--the same as most cable systems.

So if your RG-59 is good enough for cable, it should still be good enough for FiOS.

========================================
Two different laser colors carry the very high speed, SHARED, two-way data streams on that same fiber.
This very high speed data capability (622 Mbps down, 155 Mbps up) is the biggest difference between
fiber and cable....where under current DOCSIS 1.0/1.1, you SHARE the capacity of a singe QAM-256 carrier
(43 Mbps) with your neighbors and SHARED uplink capacity is limited to 10 Mbps.

FYI: Cable uplink occurs in the frequency band below CH2 (57 MHz).
Although I currently enjoy "up to " 5 Mbps downlink on cable, my uplink is only "up to" 384 kbps (that's 0.384 Mbps).
Hence it takes a while to transmit big files and limits the PQ of video conferencing and SlingBox operations.

DOCSIS 3.0 improvements due out "soon" should significantly improve these numbers.

I'm also looking forward to FiOS....but probably not likely in my AT&T neighborhood.

Thanks for the replies.

We live in a municipality that has had Verizon FIOS approved, but I know condo buildings/houses need board appoval, and will probably done last. I know they talked to a nearby condo board, I don't know about here.

In our high-rise, a Comcast in-house tech claimed they changed all of the wiring going up to the unit through risers to RG6 (possibly QS), and then we have RG59-QS throughout the unit; Comcast HD works fine with plenty of signal and SNR.

Comcast: Digital Set-Tops to Deliver 120 HDTV Channels
The cable operator plans to switch from analog to digital.
By Phillip Swann

Washington, D.C. (April 6, 2007) -- Comcast officials in Chicago say current digital set-tops will be able to deliver 120 High-Definition channels in 2008.

That's according to an article in The Chicago Sun-Times.

The newspaper reports that Comcast is switching all analog cable set-tops to digital boxes by July 1. The move is designed to prepare for the nation's switch to Digital TV on February 17, 2009, the Sun-Times writes.
"Analog TV is going away, and digital TV is coming. People are going to have clearer pictures and better sound. They will have interactive guides, and 40 free channels of Music Choice and a special universal remote control," said Eric Schaefer, Comcast's vice president of sales in the Chicago area.

But Comcast officials also told the newspaper that the digital set-tops will have enough bandwidth for 120 high-def channels, 400 digital channels and 10,000 streams for Video on Demand.

Comcast now carries around 20 high-def channels, but has said it's experimenting with a new technology called Digital Video Switching that could enable it to dramatically expand capacity.

Schaefer added that the new set-tops will enable subscribers to order or cancel channels by using the Internet.

Chicago area customers can upgrade to the digital boxes by either ordering one via the mail or pick up one at Comcast's office.

The company did not reveal plans for the digital upgrade in other cities.

http://www.tvpredictions.com/comcast040607.htm

As is often the case with Swann articles, he gets the facts wrong. Even more annoying, he doesn't link to the original article at his site. The below is the article as it was actually written.

Note the below statement from Swann,

"But Comcast officials also told the newspaper that the digital set-tops will have enough bandwidth for 120 high-def channels, 400 digital channels and 10,000 streams for Video on Demand."

and then the actual statement from the article,

"He said the new digital boxes also will make available huge amounts of extra bandwidth, enough to add 120 high-def channels, 400 digital channels and 10,000 streams of video on demand."

Interesting article though(the original), as I thought Comcast has stated many times in the past that they were going to retain a group of analog channels well past 2009. It appears now that policy has changed. That July 1st date seems rather ambitious as well, that's a lot of truck rolls.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Beam me up! Comcast going all-digital soon
VP promises improved picture, sound

April 6, 2007
BY HOWARD WOLINSKY hwolinsky@suntimes.com
Ready or not, Comcast's Chicago customers on older analog services are going digital by July 1.

Eric Schaefer, Comcast vice president of sales and marketing in Schaumburg, said, "Analog TV is going away, and digital TV is coming. People are going to have clearer pictures and better sound. They will have interactive guides, and 40 free channels of Music Choice and a special universal remote control."

At the customer's choice, the cable giant will either send the customer a new Motorola digital cable box in the mail or the consumer can pick up a device at Comcast's offices.

The change doesn't affect the vast majority of Comcast's 2 million Chicago area customers because they already receive digital services.

Comcast is aiming to prepare its customers for the federally mandated migration from analog to high-definition/digital services by Feb. 17, 2009, Schaefer said.

Initially, Chicago customers with "standard" cable service, including local TV stations plus analog cable -- such as Comedy Central, MTV and ESPN -- will be migrated to the new service.

"We're doing the city first. Then, we'll do the suburbs," Schaefer said.

Consumers with basic cable, with just the local broadcasts, public education and government channels, also will be converted to digital boxes by 2009.

Schaefer said setting up the new cable boxes is simple, just switching three to six wires.

"It can be done in a couple minutes," he said. "They don't even have to set up the clock. The satellite will do that for them."

If consumers find this challenging, they can book a service call.

He said the new boxes will enable these consumers to add services, such as HBO or Showtime, with a phone call or placing an order on the Internet.

"Once these boxes are in the house, people won't have to wait for the cable guy," he said.

He said the new digital boxes also will make available huge amounts of extra bandwidth, enough to add 120 high-def channels, 400 digital channels and 10,000 streams of video on demand.

http://www.suntimes.com/business/330445,CST-FIN-cable06.article
Beam me up! Comcast going all-digital soon :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Business

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

P.S. Not picking on you Paul, it's just that I've learned to always verify something Swann has stated. :)

...
Beam me up! Comcast going all-digital soon
VP promises improved picture, sound

April 6, 2007
BY HOWARD WOLINSKY hwolinsky@suntimes.com
...

The change doesn't affect the vast majority of Comcast's 2 million Chicago area customers because they already receive digital services.
...

Schaefer said setting up the new cable boxes is simple, just switching three to six wires.

"It can be done in a couple minutes," he said. "They don't even have to set up the clock. The satellite will do that for them."

It does not sound like they are addressing the thousands of TV sets in homes without any cable box at all, e.g., 2nd and 3rd TVs, even when the "main" TV might have a digital cable box.

Interesting comment from the cable company about the "satellite" setting up the clock for them.

It does not sound like they are addressing the thousands of TV sets in homes without any cable box at all, e.g., 2nd and 3rd TVs, even when the "main" TV might have a digital cable box.
That article you quoted says all 'Standard' subs will be converted to Digital, and 'Basic' subs by '09. The article references going 'all-Digital' a couple of times, although leaving Basic in Analog, makes it not exactly true, almost. But, the point seems to be that 'Expanded' service in Analog is disappearing, as a Comcast person is quoted as saying. I don't think this is just a case of giving Analog subs one Digital Box and then more in the future; rather any TVs that want more than Basic will need a Box.

That article you quoted says all 'Standard' subs will be converted to Digital, and 'Basic' subs by '09. The article references going 'all-Digital' a couple of times, although leaving Basic in Analog, makes it not exactly true, almost. But, the point seems to be that 'Expanded' service in Analog is disappearing, as a Comcast person is quoted as saying. I don't think this is just a case of giving Analog subs one Digital Box and then more in the future; rather any TVs that want more than Basic will need a Box.
The article is severely lacking in details, note that the word standard is in quotes and is not capitalized as in it being a distinct service package like Standard Cable. It's hard to determine exactly what that VP sales/marketing means.

As Comcast has repeatedly said in the past, that they will retain an analog basic channel group, one would have to assume that a major change in policy would not come from a local VP.

Given all that, I agree that the article "seems' to be very misleading and lacking in details.

Keenan, thanks for the clarification.

The article is severely lacking in details, note that the word standard is in quotes and is not capitalized as in it being a distinct service package like Standard Cable. It's hard to determine exactly what that VP sales/marketing means.

As Comcast has repeatedly said in the past, that they will retain an analog basic channel group, one would have to assume that a major change in policy would not come from a local VP.

Given all that, I agree that the article "seems' to be very misleading and lacking in details.
"standard" cable service is clear, regardless whether they capitalize or not; you are nitpicking. :eek: Later they say, basic cable; that is not capitilized, yet it was clear to you? :rolleyes: :D

It is clear that they say 'Standard' subs will get a Digital Box, and 'Basic' subs will get one by '09. So, it is clear that Basic will be simulcasted in Analog for a while, up to Feb. '09, at most. There is no apparent shift in policy.

It is contradictory to say 'all-Digital' while leaving Basic in Analog. And it doesn't specify secondary TVs. By saying Digital customers aren't affected, they are indeed implying the opposite that Analog will remain for 'Standard' for other TVs. But, from hearing actual users, that 'Expanded' will disappear, it is just a mistake in the article. All TVs w/o a Digital box will need one.

Articles regarding technology being incorrect, incomplete, and misleading are nothing new, unfortuantely. :( I agree, to the uninformed, this article is poor.

"standard" cable service is clear, regardless whether they capitalize or not; you are nitpicking. :eek: Later they say, basic cable; that is not capitilized, yet it was clear to you? :rolleyes: :D


Nothing is ever clear to me, in fact, I have a headache right now.. :p :D


But, to pick another nit,

Initially, Chicago customers with "standard" cable service, including local TV stations plus analog cable -- such as Comedy Central, MTV and ESPN -- will be migrated to the new service.

...indicates to me that those subs with Limited Basic will also be moved over to full digital. That does seem like a change in policy. "Standard" of course being Limited Basic(local TV channels) plus Expanded Basic(analog cable channels).

Nothing is ever clear to me, in fact, I have a headache right now.. :p :D


But, to pick another nit,

Quote:
"Initially, Chicago customers with "standard" cable service, including local TV stations plus analog cable -- such as Comedy Central, MTV and ESPN -- will be migrated to the new service."

...indicates to me that those subs with Limited Basic will also be moved over to full digital. That does seem like a change in policy. "Standard" of course being Limited Basic(local TV channels) plus Expanded Basic(analog cable channels).

Yes, the article refers to them being switched 'by 2009', one can infer Feb. '09.

Comcast has changed the vague wording about its plans, each article I read where they are quoted.
Last I recall, they were going to keep Ltd. Basic and possibly a few other channels in Analog simulcast until at least Feb. '09, probably longer.

I think they will keep Ltd. Basic only, but I am not sure if they will indeed remove it in Feb. '09.

The author might think they have to remove it by then, eventhough they don't.

Yes, the article refers to them being switched 'by 2009', one can infer Feb. '09.

Comcast has changed the vague wording about its plans, each article I read where they are quoted.
Last I recall, they were going to keep Ltd. Basic and possibly a few other channels in Analog simulcast until at least Feb. '09, probably longer.

I think they will keep Ltd. Basic only, but I am not sure if they will indeed remove it in Feb. '09.

The author might think they have to remove it by then, eventhough they don't.
That's what I thought as well, but a few posts in the other thread about this seem to indicate they aren't retaining Limited Basic in analog. I subbed to the Chicago Comcast thread to follow it, should be interesting to see it play out.

Comcast near finish of digital upgrade

By Eric Benderoff
Tribune staff reporter

April 6, 2007

Additional material published April 7, 2007:

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS

A Friday Business section story about Comcast Corp. completing its digital upgrade in Chicago contained incomplete information about the impact of the change on certain analog cable customers. After the digital upgrade, those customers who plug a cable directly into their television and bypass the need for a set-top box can still do so, but they would receive only local broadcast channels. A cable box will be required to receive other cable-only channels. The cable box will be offered free by Comcast for the primary household TV, but boxes for secondary sets require a monthly fee, a Comcast spokesperson said.

Comcast Corp. is in the final stages of a $400 million, four-year upgrade of its digital cable network in the Chicago area, a move that will end the cable company's delivery of analog signals to city customers by July.

After it completes the city work, Comcast will begin suburban upgrades, said Eric Schaefer, vice president of business development. That work should be completed by the end of 2008, he said.

Completion of the upgrade means all Comcast customers that have basic service will need to exchange their analog set-top boxes for digital set-top boxes. The cable company will not charge an additional fee or raise rates for current analog customers, Schaefer said.

"The vast majority of our Chicago customers already have digital service, but for the customers with basic service, they will get a new box," he said.

The rollout to all-digital begins in Chicago next week. Customers in neighborhoods that first undergo the upgrade now are being notified they need a digital box. The boxes can be picked up at a Comcast office or mailed to customers if requested.

Comcast is completing the digital upgrade to coincide with a February 2009 federal deadline that requires all broadcasters to send signals in a digital format.

Ultimately, by removing the larger analog signals from its network, Comcast will free up more space in its cables for the more efficient digital signals. That means it will be able to increase programming choices, Schaefer said.

Comcast will offer two additional high-definition channels in the coming months, he said, increasing the total to 18 HD channels. But, he added, the upgrade creates space for as many as 120 HD channels.

For high-speed Internet customers, the upgrade also should bring faster data speeds.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/technology/chi-0704050706apr06,1,5596774.story?track=rss&ctrack=1&cset=true






chicagotribune.com >> Corrections and clarifications

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS

Published April 7, 2007

* A Friday Business section story about Comcast Corp. completing its digital upgrade in Chicago contained incomplete information about the impact of the change on certain analog cable customers. After the digital upgrade, those customers who plug a cable directly into their television and bypass the need for a set-top box can still do so, but they would receive only local broadcast channels. A cable box will be required to receive other cable-only channels. The cable box will be offered free by Comcast for the primary household TV, but boxes for secondary sets require a monthly fee, a Comcast spokesperson said.

Comcast is completing the digital upgrade to coincide with a February 2009 federal deadline that requires all broadcasters to send signals in a digital format.

... just as I thought - Comcast will use the OTA 2/09 cut off as the excuse to switch customers when cable cut off has nothing to do with OTA cut off and even this reporter doesn't know it.

Reporter Benderoff wrote "coincide", not "because of" or "necessitated by" or "required by" so I think he deserves more credit than you are giving him. The Sun-Times reporter, unlike Benderoff, did imply that the changover was mandated by law.

Set-Top Makers Hit CableCARD Homestretch

Motorola, Scientific Atlanta, Pace Micro Technology Gear Up for July 1
By Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, 4/13/2007 11:30:00 AM

With 11 weeks to go before the Federal Communications Commission’s July 1 ban on set-tops with integrated security, Motorola and Scientific Atlanta said they will ramp up production of CableCARD boxes next month.

SA delivered test units to operators and expects to ramp up production in early May, with units arriving at customers in mid-May. “We feel we have some runway here,” director of product strategy and management Dave Clark said. “We have a margin that lets people finish some of their processes and testing before the changeover.”

At Motorola, commercial shipments of the first CableCARD boxes started this month. John Burke, senior vice president and general manager of digital-video solutions in the company’s Connected Home Solutions unit, said those initially are in small quantities with several-thousand units shipping this week. Full production runs will ramp up in the latter part of May and into June, he added.

“We stand in pretty good shape -- we’ve made a lot of progress,” he said. “Our U.S.-based customers have begun transitioning their orders [to CableCARD models].”

However, to some operators, getting CableCARD boxes as late as June is cutting it close. “Maybe it’s just-in-time delivery, but there’s not a whole lot of margin for error,” Sunflower Broadband general manager Patrick Knorr said. “You have FCC fines hanging over operators’ heads.”

Lawrence, Kan.-based Sunflower, which has 32,000 subscribers, filed a waiver with the FCC last year to use Motorola’s DCT700. The agency has not yet ruled on that request -- or on more than two dozen others -- but in January, it nixed Comcast’s waiver request for three low-end set-tops, including the DCT700.

The FCC ban will require most cable operators after July 1 to deploy only digital-cable boxes with separate security mechanisms, which, for now, means the removable CableCARD devices. Motorola and SA are developing software-downloadable versions of their conditional-access systems, and Cable Television Laboratories is promoting a vendor-independent specification to do the same thing, but these technologies won’t be available until at least 2008.

Motorola’s first CableCARD units out of the chute support HD and digital-video-recording functions. Burke said the strategy was to take the most complex products and “put those at the front end of the development process. We wanted to clear the harder hurdles first.”

In addition, Burke said, Motorola started with the high-end models because the industry was hoping that the FCC would grant waivers for low-end set-tops. But now, “It appears that there isn’t going to be an opportunity for a waiver on the lower-end boxes,” he added.

Motorola will produce a CableCARD-enabled version of the DCT700, its standard-definition box with no DVR features, called the DCH100.

Burke noted, though, that Motorola will continue to manufacture and sell the DCT700 set-tops and other units with embedded security for customers outside of the United States after July 1. And Clark said SA will continue to supply boxes with embedded security for non-U.S. customers or those that have been granted FCC waivers.

Pace Micro Technology, meanwhile, is currently testing three CableCARD-enabled boxes at various customer sites. The secondary set-top supplier will support CableCARD devices from both Motorola and SA, vice president of sales and marketing Tim O’Loughlin said.

“Most of my customers aren’t looking to place early CableCARD orders,” he added. “They seem to want to purchase a handful, and then to wait and ramp up after the July 1 deadline. No one is moving early to CableCARD.”

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6433713.html

The real question is, will you be able to buy these STBs instead of rent them? After all, with CableCARD it should be possible.

I'm not sure you'd want to, the current Moto 6412 runs some $3XX without CC slots at huge lot amounts(non-returned 6412 fee is $475 in the SF bay area). With CC slots I would guess they would be another $100 for about $400-500.

The TiVo S3 can be had for $600, maybe less very soon.

The cable DVR will have two-way comm though, PPV, etc.

Yeah I guess I was mostly talking about the cheapo DCT700's just so you could get digital on all the old TV's. Renting these little STBs for $5-6 a month is a ripoff - hopefully if the MSO's are getting them for around $75 the consumer could get it for less than $100 and it would pay for itself in less than 2 years.

I had heard that those boxes were going for $40 in Canada.

Yeah I guess I was mostly talking about the cheapo DCT700's just so you could get digital on all the old TV's. Renting these little STBs for $5-6 a month is a ripoff - hopefully if the MSO's are getting them for around $75 the consumer could get it for less than $100 and it would pay for itself in less than 2 years.
Good point, in fact I think that is part of the initiative to mandating CC STBs, that third party equipment would be available for purchase by consumers since the encryption is being offloaded to the CC itself and not integrated in the box.

This Spectrum Overlay technology is really fascinating since in theory it can give the cable operators as much bandwidth as FIOS at a fraction of the cost.

Cable seeks tech solutions to expand bandwidth

By Yinka AdegokeTue Apr 17, 2:58 PM ET

U.S. cable television service providers are looking to new technologies to help upgrade their networks, hoping to avoid expensive capital outlays that could spook investors.

As demand grows for bandwidth-hungry services like high-definition television and faster Internet access, the pressure on service providers has helped boost the fortunes of cable technology companies that offer a cheaper solution to building bandwidth without having to lay new cable.

One such supplier is BigBand Networks Inc., which offers a technology called switched digital video, used by operators to gain more bandwidth by only delivering channels to homes when a viewer tunes in to them.

Shares of BigBand, which went public last month, soared more than 30 percent on their Nasdaq debut. Clients include Comcast, Cablevision Systems Corp. and Time Warner Cable Inc., which has a 2.9 percent stake in BigBand.

Another company that has piqued investor interest is Vyyo Inc., whose shares have risen more than 60 percent in the past month. Vyyo attracted an additional $35 million in funding from Goldman Sachs in late March.

"Cable is going to have to invest in some way in all of these different technologies until they make the leap to full fiber," says Cameron Cooke, an analyst at Janco Partners. "I'm thinking about ten years from now you'll start to see cable operators taking cable into the home."

A typical cable system usually operates at 750 to 860 MHz with around 80 channels in analog video, or twice that with digital, as well as video-on-demand, digital phone and high speed Internet.

Analysts say this is adequate for today, but competition is intensifying as rival telephone companies Verizon Communications Inc. and AT&T Inc. invest billions of dollars in laying new fiber optic networks to offer better and faster services.

Satellite TV providers DirecTV Group Inc. and EchoStar Communications Corp. are also aggressively rolling out high-definition TV channels.

"We believe cable will need to manufacture incremental bandwidth over the medium to long term in order to remain competitive," Spencer Wang, an analyst at Bear Stearns, wrote in a research note last week.

"In the short term, the greatest concern is high definition TV, given growing HD TV set penetration and DirecTV's plans to offer over 100 national HD feeds by the end of this year," said Wang.

These competitive forces, coupled with cable's plan to start selling more services to small and medium-sized companies, mean the need for extra bandwidth is imperative.

But investors who had witnessed cable's last spending spree are easily unnerved by the prospect of another major investment. The cable industry collectively spent around $100 billion laying upgraded cable systems during the 1990s, collecting a mountain of debt that they are still paying off.

Reflecting these jitters, when the largest U.S. operator Comcast Corp. forecast higher-than-expected 2007 capital spending in February, it overshadowed record profits and sent the stock down more than 3 percent.

Therefore, the focus this time round is on affordable solutions that are as much about keeping costs down as they are about improving technology.

According to analyst Michael Arden at ABI Research, switched digital deployment could cost an operator as little as $5 to $10 per household, compared to $1,000 if new cable has to be laid.

Vyyo Chief Executive Wayne Davis says his company's technology, called spectrum overlay, helps operators increase the raw bandwidth of their networks by as much as 3 GHz. It could on average cost around $125 per household.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070417/media_nm/cable_technology_dc

April 2, 2007
Cox picks Vyyo for 3 GHz network passives
By CT Staff Report

On Monday, Cox Communications announced it had selected Vyyo to be its supplier of 3GHz taps and passive network elements.

Cox, the fourth largest cable system operator in the United States, will use 3GHz elements from Vyyo within its coaxial network as part of its newbuild architecture and for business services in its existing network. Vyyo has received initial orders for 3GHz passives from multiple Cox systems.

The inclusion of 3GHz passives enables cable system operators to meet current and future bandwidth needs while not impacting current legacy 1GHz networks, and the ability to leverage Vyyo Spectrum Overlay active products in the future to achieve ultrabandwidth of up to approximately 3GHz for fiber-like broadcast or targeted service delivery to residences and businesses.

“The use of 3GHz passive elements in Cox’s network mirrors the forward-thinking approach the cable industry took when it deployed 1GHz taps and passives well before they were required,” said Wayne Davis, CEO of Vyyo. “Further, it will help ensure Cox’s ability to add bandwidth capability as required to maintain its leadership position.”

It’s been a busy timeframe for Vyyo. Last week the company announced it had received a$35 million financing commitment from Goldman Sachs & Co. Also in March, Vyyo announced that former Charter CTO Davis was coming on board as CEO while former Time Warner Cable and OpenTV executive Jim Chiddix was named vice chairman.

http://www.cable360.net/ct/news/thewire/22781.html

Comcast Reveals SDV Test Beds
APRIL 26, 2007

Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) systems serving parts of Denver and New Jersey are the sites the MSO has selected for "early stage trials" of switched digital video (SDV), a technique that promises to boost the efficiency of valuable cable bandwidth.

Comcast Corp. COO and Comcast Cable President Steve Burke mentioned those markets Thursday morning during the MSO's first quarter earnings call with reporters and analysts. (See Data, Voice Growth Drive Comcast in Q1 .)

Speaking in January at the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers Conference on Emerging Technologies, Comcast Vice President of Product Platform Engineering Rick Rioboli disclosed that the MSO was testing SDV in two markets, but did not mention them by name. (See MSOs Switch Digital Gears.)

"We're doing very early stage trials in a couple of markets, Denver and New Jersey, and when I say very early, I'm talking in the lab and with employees," Burke said Thursday, responding to a question from an analyst. "We're committed to switched digital playing a role in our capacity enhancements, but I think it's too early to declare victory or say that the trials are doing well or poorly."

Under the SDV scenario, several networks are moved from the traditional broadcast lineup to a "switched" tier. A switched network remains dormant on the cable system until a subscriber selects it for viewing. Once selected, a stream of that network is sent to the service group. Other customers in that service group can jump onto the same active stream. The concept frees up spectrum because the cable operator would not necessarily have to broadcast every channel on the linear lineup.

In guidance issued in February, Comcast said it had earmarked about $150 million for its 2007 SDV plans. At the time, MSO Executive Vice President and co-CFO John Alchin said the capital set aside for SDV was perhaps enough to cover 30 percent of Comcast's footprint.

As for vendor support for the Comcast SDV trials, BigBand Networks Inc. (Nasdaq: BBND - message board) is among the leading candidates. In announcing that its SDV tech passed more than 5 million homes, BigBand said earlier this month that two top five MSOs in the U.S. had deployed its platform commercially, and another in the top five had "selected" it. (See Mulling a Milestone .)

Although Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE: CVC - message board) is the only "announced" deployment partner of BigBand's, Time Warner Cable Inc. is believed to be the second.

— Jeff Baumgartner, Site Editor, Cable Digital News

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=122733&site=cdn

Cable Commits to OCAP in 2008
Announcement by CableLabs’ Green Comes After Cable Executives’ Trip to Japan, South Korea
By Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, 4/25/2007 12:55:00 PM

The cable industry pledged to three key consumer-electronics partners to have OpenCable Application Platform widely deployed in their systems by the fourth quarter of 2008, roughly two years later than operators originally expected.

Cable Television Laboratories CEO Dick Green said executives from the top U.S. MSOs met with LG Electronics, Panasonic and Samsung Electronics -- the three CE makers that have developed OCAP-enabled TV sets -- in a trip to Asia last week.

The OCAP specification, licensed by CableLabs, provides a standard way for set-tops, TVs and other devices to access interactive cable services like video-on-demand.

The upshot of last week’s meetings was a “mutual commitment on both sides to be sure we have [OCAP] available to consumers in the next 18 months,” Green said, adding, “Some MSOs are a little ahead of that, some are coming along.”

Cable executives who flew to Japan and South Korea on the trip included Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt and Cox Communications president Pat Esser.

Last year was supposed to be the year OCAP took off: At the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2006, cable companies announced a “commitment” to roll out OCAP middleware in headends serving millions of subscribers by the end of the year.

But for now, OCAP is still largely in the testing phase. Comcast, for example, is initiating market trials with OCAP this year. Similarly, Samsung and Cox said in January that they would “accelerate” their OCAP development work for HDTV sets in the operator’s Gainesville, Fla., division.

Time Warner, meanwhile, said digital-cable services in its New York City systems went live on Samsung’s OCAP-compliant HD set-tops in January, and the operator plans to expand OCAP rollouts to other cities this year, including Milwaukee.

Green said the meetings with LG, Panasonic and Samsung demonstrated that “OCAP is alive and well and all of the partners are working on assorted demonstrations.”

Other CE companies, however, have balked at working with cable on OCAP.

The Consumer Electronics Association last November accused cable companies of creating a “stalemate” in getting two-way, cable-ready devices to market.

The trade group, in a letter to the Federal Communications Commission, said it wants to be able to produce CE devices that support “basic” interactive cable services “rather than absorbing all of the cost and uncertainty associated with OCAP.” The CEA’s letter was signed by executives from Sony Electronics, Hitachi, Dell, Intel, Microsoft and other association members.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6436417.html?industryid=47194

Comcast Preps Docsis 3.0 Trials
MAY 01, 2007

Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) is looking to begin Docsis 3.0 trials this year, with deployments possibly following in 2008, according to Tony Werner, the MSO's executive vice president and chief technology officer.

Werner discussed those plans and other elements of Comcast's technology strategy Tuesday during the MSO's analyst and investor day.

Werner did not say where Comcast would trial or deploy the new platform, but did note that those decisions would be based on certain business requirements, and pointed out that 3.0 can be targeted to specific portions the market.

He didn't say as much, but it's expected that Comcast and other MSOs, will apply 3.0 first in markets where telcos, especially Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ - message board), have deployed fiber-to-the-home networks.

Docsis 3.0 is an emerging CableLabs specification that will use channel bonding to produce broadband speeds greater than 100 Mbit/s. It's also designed to support IPv6, IP multicast, and other advanced IP features.

The faster speed isn't the only benefit of Docsis 3.0. According to Werner, 100-Mbit/s cable modem service tiers will provide similar cable modem termination system (CMTS) economics to today's 6-Mbit/s tiers.

Werner spent the bulk of his time Tuesday discussing cable capacity requirements for future services and the "levers" Comcast can pull to ensure it has plenty of bandwidth to throw at them. Some levers he cited included node splits, digital optimization, and switched digital video (SDV).

Node splits, he said, can be used to "surgically" add capacity to service areas, a move usually driven by downstream applications such as high-speed Internet and video-on-demand (VOD).

This year, about 65 percent of Comcast's node splits are of the cheapest "logical" variety, which cost about $3.35 per home passed and enable a tripling of capacity. About 25 percent are "modular" splits ($8 per home passed), and only 10 percent are "physical" node splits, which, at about $26 per home passed, are the most expensive of the lot.

Comcast is also exploring the bandwidth efficiencies afforded by variable bit rate VOD, a technology being championed by companies like Imagine Communications . (See Imagine Connects With SeaChange .)

Another lever in Comcast's arsenal is SDV, a technology the MSO will first test in parts of Denver and New Jersey. (See Comcast Reveals SDV Test Beds .)

Citing Comcast's own research, Werner said that, out of the 200 least-popular cable channels, a maximum of 40 are being watched at any given time. If those viewing patterns hold up, Comcast "can start stacking additional channels almost to infinity" without increasing capacity, Werner said.

By applying "conservative assumptions," Werner estimated that Comcast could free up 78 MHz of spectrum using a mix of SDV, analog-to-digital migration, reclaiming bandwidth from legacy apps, and advanced compression (MPEG-4).

— Jeff Baumgartner, Site Editor, Cable Digital News

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=123046&site=cdn

Although this articled deals with Time-Warner, Comcast has stated they plan on employing the same technology.

Time Warner Boasts of ‘Virtually Unlimited’ HDTV Capacity
Cable Operator to Launched Switched-Digital-Video Technology in One-Half of Systems By Year-End
By Steve Donohue -- Multi[/SIZE]channel News, 6/4/2007 10:41:00 PM

Boasting that it will be able to boost channel capacity to carry more HD networks, Time Warner Cable plans to deploy switched-digital-video technology on one-half of its systems nationwide by the end of 2007, chief financial officer Landel Hobbs said Tuesday.

Hobbs acknowledged that Time Warner’s direct-broadcast satellite rivals such as DirecTV have done an effective job of marketing HDTV offerings. “Shame on us because we haven’t really done a good job of marketing [HDTV],” Hobbs said at a Deutche Bank Securities conference in New York Monday.

But he added that SDV technology -- which allows Time Warner and other cable providers to deliver channels to subscribers based on demand, rather than broadcasting hundreds of channels simultaneously -- will give Time Warner “virtually unlimited” HD capacity.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6449034.html?rssid=196

Comcast Puts SDV Vendors to the Test
JUNE 04, 2007

Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) has picked a handful of suppliers -- including C-COR Corp. (Nasdaq: CCBL - message board), Harmonic Inc. (Nasdaq: HLIT - message board), Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT - message board), and Scientific Atlanta -- to participate in the MSO's early technical trials of switched digital video (SDV), Cable Digital News has learned.

During a quarterly earnings call last month with reporters and analysts, Comcast COO and Comcast Cable President Steve Burke identified Denver and N.J. as the sites for "early stage" tests of SDV, but they did not go into vendor selection. (See Comcast Reveals SDV Test Beds.)

SDV, which promises to increase the efficiency of cable operator bandwidth by switching some channels individually -- rather than broadcasting in bulk -- is a technique already being championed in the U.S. by MSOs such as Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC - message board) and Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE: CVC - message board). (See MSOs Switch Digital Gears.)

According to sources familiar with the trials, Comcast is piloting SA's switched video technology in Cherry Hill, N.J.

In the Mile High City, meanwhile, Comcast is said to be gearing up for something more akin to a multi-vendor trial. Both trials will start with "friendlies" -- likely to be Comcast employees.

In Denver, it's said that the technical trials will be executed on two different portions of the cable network. One piece will use a session resource manager from C-COR, and the other will leverage one from Motorola, which solidified its position in the SDV sector last fall after picking up Vertasent LLC, a closely held startup based in Colmar, Pa. (See Motorola Buys Vertasent.) Both portions of the Denver trial will employ encoders and new edge QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation) technology from Harmonic. A source familiar with the trial added that the Denver trial will use Motorola video servers obtained by Motorola last summer when it purchased of D-RAM specialist Broadbus Technologies. (See Motorola Scoops Up Broadbus.)

Comcast did not comment about the MSO's SDV vendor selection in Denver or N.J.

Still, the outcome of those trials could determine which suppliers will have the inside track at Comcast and could shape how the larger SDV sector shakes out longer-term. Today, BigBand Networks Inc. (Nasdaq: BBND - message board) and Scientific Atlanta/Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO - message board) appear to be at the forefront in both categories, though they will certainly be pressured by competitors such as C-COR, Motorola, and Tandberg Television , which introduced an "open" SDV platform last month in Las Vegas at The Cable Show.

BigBand is notably absent in the Comcast trial so far, but that doesn't necessarily mean it has missed an opportunity to participate, as Comcast says it's open to looking at other technology. (See Tandberg Intros SDV.)

In April, BigBand said its SDV technology had passed more than 5 million homes, and it extended that figure to 6 million at last month's cable conference. Although Cablevision is BigBand's only announced SDV deployment, Time Warner Cable is a firm second, and there is belief that Cox Communications Inc. has also selected BigBand as an SDV partner. (See Mulling a Milestone.)

Charter Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: CHTR - message board) is said to be in the process of selecting SDV vendor partners, and it could kick off switched broadcast trials by the fourth quarter of 2007.

But how much revenue is up for grabs as cable operators make vendor selections and begin to deploy SDV technology in earnest? Some view SDV as a significant, long-term broadband efficiency play, while others believe it will offer operators some incremental aid as they tee up other bandwidth enhancement or expansion strategies.

In late February, company Co-Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer John Alchin said Comcast had set aside $150 million for its 2007 SDV efforts.

Morgan Keegan & Company Inc. estimates SDV systems could cost operators $5 to $20 per home passed, with the consensus value at about $15 per home. "Over several years, the initiative could be worth over $1 billion from multiple MSOs," Morgan Keegan analyst Simon Leopold said in a research note issued just ahead of last month's cable confab.

Despite that some vendors are further ahead than others in both product development and deployments, he suggests it's too early to start assuming which suppliers will end up winning the SDV sweepstakes.

"In a nascent market, what does market share mean?" Leopold asks. "I'm not quite sure it's meaningful until Comcast gets into a full ramp."

— Jeff Baumgartner, Site Editor, Cable Digital News

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=125584&site=cdn

Comcast backs start-up to ramp up Web speeds

By Yinka AdegokeFri Jun 15, 12:29 PM ET

The investment arm of Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq:CMCSA - news), the U.S. No. 1 cable operator, said on Friday it will back a Silicon Valley start-up that develops chips to enable super-fast Internet access and more high-definition channels.

Comcast Interactive Capital said it will join U.S. No. 6 cable operator Advance/Newhouse in a $17 million second-round of funding for BroadLogic Network Technologies. Comcast did not say how much it was investing.

BroadLogic already counts Time Warner Inc. (NYSE:TWX - news), Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:CSCO - news) and Intel Corp. (Nasdaq:INTC - news) among its earlier corporate investors.

The company makes two main types of chip-sets, the TeraPIX video processor and Wideband Receiver, which recover bandwidth for cable operators and enhance their platforms, according to Comcast.

The chips are now sold mainly within cable modems but there are plans to use them more actively across the cable infrastructure, said Comcast Interactive Capital Managing Director Louis Toth.

"Those two chips can significantly increase the bandwidth on cable plants," said Toth.

Cable operators are racing to ramp up capacity to offer subscribers faster Internet speeds and more high-definition channels as stronger competition looms from satellite television and telephone providers that are building or expanding their own advanced video services.

In May, Comcast Chief Executive Brian Roberts demonstrated Internet speeds of up to 100 megabits per second at The Cable Show. Most major U.S. cable operators today typically offer customers speeds around 5 megabits per second.

Cable companies are limited by the existing capacity of their already-laid cables, partly filled by bandwidth-hungry analog channels.

Most cable operators have been buying or investing in technologies to boost capacity, but they are keen not to make major capital expenditure commitments to avoid unnerving investors.

Comcast has backed other companies who develop technology to help improve network capacity, including a stake in RGB Networks. It had invested in Broadbus Technologies, which was sold to Motorola Inc. (NYSE:MOT - news) in September of 2006.

"We're seeing this need for more services in the future and we're laying the groundwork by investing in companies like BroadLogic," said Toth.

"Then we're having them talk to some of the equipment vendors to come up with a new generation of products to improve the capacity of the network," he added.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070615/tc_nm/comcast_broadlogic_dc_1;_ylt=AgRuiHnjx_J95J1GQX2MPWII1vAI

Jun 19, 2007 08:01

BigBand Networks to Demonstrate Advanced Video Services, Unveil New Deployment Milestones at Cable-Tec Expo
Universal Edge QAM, CTO Roundtable to Highlight Company's Demonstrations and Presentations at SCTE Conference
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. --(Business Wire)-- Jun. 19, 2007 BigBand Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:BBND) today announced that it will demonstrate a series of key technologies and present in several technical sessions at SCTE's Cable-Tec EXPO 2007. The company will also provide updates on its groundbreaking commercial deployments of switched digital video and Modular CMTS (M-CMTS). BigBand will be located in Booth 2164 at the conference, which takes place Wednesday, June 20-Friday, June 22, at the Orlando Convention Center.

BigBand experts will present during multiple conference programs, including a lead panel in the Expo's opening session and two subsequent technical sessions. Presentation details, including date and time information, are included below:

-- BigBand chief technology officer and co-founder Ran Oz will join executives from Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Suddenlink to exchange views on the future of cable technology during the CTO panel, scheduled to take place during the opening general session Wednesday, June 20th, from 10:15-11:45 a.m.

-- Howard Abramson, BigBand's director of advanced engineering and development, will provide a roadmap for the evolution to IPTV over DOCSIS(R) 3.0 and M-CMTS in his presentation for the panel entitled, "DOCSIS 3.0 Technologies & Services." The panel is scheduled for Thursday, June 21st at 9:30 a.m., and again at 11:00 a.m.

-- Ron Wolfe, BigBand's senior product marketing manager, will walk through lessons learned from switched digital video deployments during the session, "Installing and Monitoring Switched Digital Video." The panel is scheduled for Thursday, June 21st at 11:00 a.m. and again on Friday, June 22nd at 1:30 p.m.

BigBand's technology demonstrations at Cable-Tec EXPO will include:

-- Universal Edge QAM. As part of this demonstration, BigBand's Edge QAM platform shares capacity among on-demand and video-over-DOCSIS services and improves the utilization of QAM assets. The Edge QAM plays a pivotal role in a range of advanced video and data services, including VOD, switched digital video and Modular CMTS.

-- Switched Digital Video Ecosystem. BigBand pioneered switched digital video and is the commercial deployment leader, with approximately 6.5 million households passed. BigBand's open solution is also interoperable with a wide array of set-top boxes, electronic programming guides and middleware. This demonstration illustrates the range of components that interoperate with BigBand's switched digital video solution.

-- HDTV over DOCSIS(R). This demonstration illustrates how cable operators can leverage three key attributes of BigBand's M-CMTS architecture to cost-effectively deliver HDTV over cable modems. The first attribute is BigBand's ability to deliver downstream channels at one fourth the cost of current integrated CMTS channels via M-CMTS technology. The second attribute is BigBand's unique ability to support new DOCSIS 3.0 channel bonding modems and existing DOCSIS modems simultaneously on the same downstream channels. This duality allows operators to continue to leverage their existing installed cable modem base to achieve data rates in the 20-30 megabits-per-second (Mbps) range, and simultaneously leverage channel bonding modems to offer data services of 100 Mbps or greater. The third attribute -- bandwidth-sharing of Edge QAMs between the CMTS and video services -- can drive down the delivery costs for higher bandwidth services.

-- Switched Video Analysis. Switched video analysis highlights the ability of BigBand's switched digital video solution to gather metrics that allow service providers to make informed decisions about programming expansion and network utilization, as well as determine when and where to roll out new programming and advertising to improve viewer satisfaction and engagement.

-- Addressable Advertising. This demonstration illustrates how advertisers can effectively target, execute and measure successful campaigns with advertising that more closely matches the interests of viewers.

In an article on HBO-HD switching to MPEG-4 ....

For its part, Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) has been cooking up a new series of Residential Network Gateway (RNG) set-tops that can decode both MPEG-4 and MPEG-2 signals. Comcast expects to test some of those products in the second half of this year, with commercial rollouts beginning in early 2008, said John Schanz, Comcast Cable's executive vice president of national engineering and technical operations.

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=127163&site=cdn

Switched Digital Ripens Reality, Cases and Vendors
By Jonathan Tombes

By any of several measures, switched digital video is hot. The list of vendors playing in the SDV arena is growing, with some products in their second or third generation. The body of peer-reviewed literature is expanding. Debates are live, and increasingly urgent. And the industry's two largest MSOs are planning to invest in this category, heavily. The shift from trial to deployment has begun.

Two papers delivered at the NCTA Cable Show and four prepared for SCTE's Cable-Tec Expo focus upon switched. Moreover, because SDV cuts across several other categories and is assumed as part of the industry's strategic roadmap, the topic now frequently shows up elsewhere - for instance, in papers covering bandwidth management and advanced advertising.

As SDV matures, there remain open questions. Exactly how many additional QAM devices are required to achieve the access network nirvana of one stream per tuner? What role can variable bit rate (VBR) encoding play within this architecture? How do you track and monitor the exponentially increasing number of streams? (The topic of one of this year's Cable-Tec Expo papers.) And to borrow from the question that BigBand Networks Chief Cable Architect Doug Jones raised in these pages in May, what will it take to turn open protocols into open systems? Related to that last question is the possible standardization of separate digital video interfaces used, respectively, by Time Warner Cable and Comcast.

For the rest of this article please go to:
http://www.cable360.net/technology/24347.html

FCC BEGINS INQUIRY INTO
BI-DIRECTIONAL CABLE COMPATIBILITY

On June 29, 2007 the FCC released a Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (Third FNPRM) soliciting comment on proposed standards to ensure bi-directional compatibility of cable television systems and consumer electronics equipment.

In the Communications Act of 1996, Congress sought to provide consumers with the opportunity to purchase competitive navigation devices (set-top boxes) from sources other than their Multichannel Video Programming Distributors (MVPDs). The FCC, in 1998, adopted rules which required cable operators to make available by July 1, 2000 a security element separate from the basic navigation device (also referred to as the "host device"). Cable operators were allowed to continue providing equipment with integrated security until January 1, 2005, so long as modular security components, known as point-of-deployment modules ("PODs" or "CableCARDs"), were also made available for use with host devices obtained through retail outlets.

In April 2003, in response to a request from cable operators, the FCC extended the effective date of the integration ban until July 1, 2006. Then, in 2005, the Commission extended that deadline again to July 1, 2007. (On June 29, 2007 the FCC denied NCTA's request for a further extension of this deadline - that order is here: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-07-2920A1.pdf.)

In September 2003, the FCC adopted an interface standard in the so-called Plug and Play Order, which adopted an agreement between the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA) and the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) that specified technical standards for a one-way system. (See TV TechCheck from September 15, 2003). Products based on this agreement can receive and decode encrypted digital cable signals but have no upstream or bi-directional capabilities and thus do not support services such as Electronic Program Guides (EPGs), Video On Demand (VOD), Pay-per-View (PPV) or other interactive features.

The FCC states in the Third FNPRM that consumers have not shown significant interest in one-way services. They further stated that while the cable and consumer electronics industries have attempted to negotiate an agreement on how to achieve bi-directional compatibility, the industries have made little progress and it does not appear that an agreement is imminent.

The Third FNPRM seeks comment on two proposals for bi-directional cable compatibility, one from the cable industry and one from the consumer electronics industry.

In November 2005, NCTA proposed a two-way solution based on the use of OCAP which is a middleware software layer based on Java that allows developers to create applications and programs that would run on any OCAP-enabled device. (For background on OCAP, see TV TechChecks from December 16, 2002 and September 22, 2003). The NCTA proposal recommends that the Commission adopt a regulatory regime that includes:

(1) Technical requirements for cable systems;

(2) "Limited but necessary" content protection requirements for navigation devices;

(3) Testing and certification/verification procedures to prevent harm to the cable network and services; and

(4) Consumer education mandates.

NCTA's proposal is here: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-07-120A6.pdf.

On November 7, 2006, CEA, along with twelve consumer electronics and information technology companies, proposed a two-way plug and play solution that asks the FCC to do the following:

(1) Adopt an enhanced CableCARD approach for basic interactive services, based largely on existing standards;

(2) Provide oversight with respect to OCAP development, or allow consumer electronics companies and information technology companies to participate fully in the OCAP development process;

(3) Direct CableLabs to approve all output technologies that the Digital Living Network Alliance ("DLNA") approves, and require cable providers to provide digital set-top boxes that are fully compatible with DLNA networks;

(4) Adopt testing requirements for two-way devices that are similar to the existing testing requirements for one-way devices (i.e., initial device testing and certification with subsequent self-certification), and require that the cable industry provide consumer electronics manufacturers any new OCAP applications for testing at least sixty days before widespread deployment; and

(5) Permit consumer electronics devices to use a cable path for software upgrades equal to the path that cable operators use for their software upgrades.

CEA's proposal can be found here: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-07-120A3.pdf.

The FCC seeks comments on both proposals. The Third FNPRM asks for comment on the impact that the proposals would have on consumers, content providers, consumer electronics manufacturers, large and small cable operators, other MPVDs, and on the transition to digital television. In addition the Commission wants to know if either of these proposals offer a reasonable and quickly implementable approach, and what specific rule changes would be necessary. The FCC also seeks comment on any other proposals or rule changes that should be considered in order to permit the development of two-way digital cable-ready devices.

Finally, the Third FNPRM asks whether any rules adopted in this proceeding should apply to non-cable MVPDs and whether there are technological solutions that are network agnostic and deployable across all MVPD platforms (e.g., cable, Direct Broadcast Satellite ("DBS"), Internet Protocol ("IP") or hybrid Quadrature Amplitude Modulation/IP ("QAM/IP")).

The Third FNPRM is available on the FCC Web page at: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-07-120A1.pdf.

NCTA comments say they're firmly against CEA's non-OCAP for
low-cost STB (not DVR?) "Proposal":
http://www.ncta.com/DocumentBinary.aspx?id=524
They've already invested Mega-Bucks in a Next Gen Cable Architecture that
is rolling out this year and next....some of which can be "blamed" on the FCC....

If the (American) cable companies don't want to accommodate the
(mostly Japanese) equipment manufacturers, we all can see where this ship will
eventually run aground....in the mean time they'll waste time bouncing comments
and half-baked "Proposals" back and forth.....delay, delay, delay....

By then OCAP and probably also DCAS will (finally) become real facts on the ground....

Who knows, maybe a truly "low-cost" OCAP SD-STB will appear (probably with DCAS)
and make all of this an interesting footnote to history.....

===============================
Although FCC is seeing general comments re CableCARDs,
the OTHER part in the Introduction is truly EARTHSHAKING.
FCC is also seeking comments whether they should consider
APPLYING THE SAME RULES to DirecTV, Echostar/Dish, AT&T FiOS, et.al.

Reread the underlying congressional authorization: it's to make it possible
for users to BUY their own HDTV/DVR/STB to plug into "MVPDs"--
which, by definition, includes Cable, DBS and wireline.

===============================
BTW: CEA Proposal stipulated mandatory interface via whatever the DLNA
(Digital Living Network Alliance) approves (e.g. wireless, coax, BPL).

Cable Faces Bandwidth Crisis

Aug 20, 2007 11:02 AM

In light of escalating demand for high-definition television and other bandwidth-hungry services, cable television operators may run out of capacity on their networks, a new report predicts.

Several fixes are available to the cable operators and, according to the study by ABI Research in New York City, those solutions will collectively account for about $80 billion worldwide in new investment over the next five years.

“The increasing bandwidth demands on cable operators will soon reach crisis stage, yet this is a ‘dirty little industry secret’ that no one talks about,” said Stan Schatt, vice president and research director at ABI Research.

Some of the solutions cited in the study — including rate shaping and expanding spectrum beyond 750MHz — have already been undertaken by some cable operators, mostly in the United States. Other solutions expected to come into play between now and 2012, include spectrum upgrades coupled with node-splitting, switched digital video, PON overlay, MPEG-4 compression and home gateway bandwidth management solutions.

Each technology involves tradeoffs and balancing of cost versus benefit, and some are more applicable in certain circumstances than others, the study noted.

Ars Technica reported that cable providers now need close to 750MHz of spectrum to deliver services: about 676MHz for downstream applications like analog cable, digital cable, HD programming, video-on-demand, Internet data, and VoIP service. Upstream spectrum needs are much smaller, totaling about 54MHz.

That’s not enough for future growth, however. “Uploading bandwidth is going to have to increase,” Schatt told Ars Technica. “And the cable providers are going to get killed on bandwidth as HD programming becomes more commonplace.”

IPTV is the future, Schatt argued. ”Digital switching is key,” he said. “Ultimately, the cable companies will have to move to IPTV. They’ll be brought kicking and screaming into the 21st century.”

If cable providers are unwilling or unable to address the bandwidth crunch, their customers will begin to move to Verizon and AT&T, he suggested.

http://broadcastengineering.com/infrastructure/cable-faces-bandwidth-crisis-0820/?r=1

What-Comcast in my are has plent of UNUSED QAM spots where they could add a TON of additional HD channels. Just another excuse to move to a new technology and circumvent Congresses wishes.

In some areas this may be true, but Comcast uses channel allocations for other purposes such as On Demand, Docsis (cable modem and other interactive services), plus within the next year they will be adding many more HD channels. With conventional QAM256 you can get about 12 regular channels in the space of one analog channels or about two HD channels. To stay competitive with Fios they need more bandwidth or other methods to add channels.

Comcast Ready to Reclaim Bandwidth
OCTOBER 03, 2007

DENVER -- Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) can reclaim roughly 240 MHz of spectrum, equivalent to about 40 channels, by using switched digital video, a new compression scheme, and other bandwidth-boosting techniques, its CTO said here today.

Comcast senior vice president and chief technology officer Tony Werner discussed those options at The Cable Center , site of the 2007 Women in Cable Telecommunications Rocky Mountain and Communications Technology Professionals (CTP) "Tech It Out" conference. [Ed. note: He's one of the latter, we assume.]

Werner says Comcast has started testing the "improved" compression scheme and plans to roll it "across the board" sometime next year. He did not dive into the technical specifics of the compression plan nor note any specific vendor partners, but he said it will improve bandwidth efficiency by 50 percent without affecting video quality.

Just as important, it will work with the MSO's massive base of MPEG-2 set-tops, Werner said. At the end of the second quarter, Comcast had 14 million digital video subs, all served by MPEG-2-based set-tops.

Comcast is also working on an "open" Residential Network Gateway (RNG) project that will include two set-top models -- the RNG 200 and the RNG 1000 -- that will also support MPEG-4. (See Intel Goes Inside Cable... Again.)

A more efficient video bit rate will come in handy as Comcast looks to make room for more broadcast high-definition video, video-on-demand, and spare 6 MHz channels for Docsis 3.0, a next-gen CableLabs spec that will push shared speeds beyond 100 Mbit/s. Werner reiterated that Comcast is trialing Docsis 3.0 "as we speak." (See Comcast Preps Docsis 3.0 Trials.)

Comcast has already placed purchase orders for 3.0 gear and expects to introduce it to a "substantive portion of our footprint" in 2008, he said.

In addition to faster speeds, Werner also talked up Docsis 3.0's support of IPv6, noting that Comcast will need a deeper pool of addresses to keep pace with the deployment of set-tops with IP capabilities. Another IP address magnet is an emerging market of "early adopter entertainment" users, who might have 30 or more devices hooked to the Internet at any given time. The IPv4 address pool will be exhausted by 2009 or 2010, Werner predicted.

Comcast, he said, has about 10 million IP-enabled devices hanging off its networks today. Werner expects that number to double next year, and triple in 2009.

Back to the bandwidth issue, Comcast, Werner pointed out, is also testing SDV, another bandwidth-saving technique that only delivers broadcast channels in a "switched" tier when customers in a given service group select them. Comcast has already identified Denver and Cherry Hill, N.J., as its early tech trial markets. (See Comcast Reveals SDV Test Beds, Comcast Puts SDV Vendors to the Test, and Comcast Taps Arris for Edge QAM Initiative .)

Werner, citing some system data, said Comcast can reclaim about 16 MHz (four channels) using SDV.

In addition to better compression, SDV, and analog reclamation, Werner said Comcast has three or four other bandwidth-boosting "mechanisms" at its disposal. He did not name it, but outright bandwidth expansion -- beyond 750 MHz or 860 MHz, in some cases -- could be one of the tools under consideration. Vendors such as Scientific Atlanta , Aurora Networks Inc. , and C-COR Corp. (Nasdaq: CCBL - message board) are pushing 1 GHz systems. Vyyo Inc. (Nasdaq: VYYO - message board), meanwhile, is hawking a 3 GHz overlay that expands both downstream and upstream spectrum.

In August, Vyyo revealed that Comcast and Charter Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: CHTR - message board) have been conducting tests on the vendor's UltraBand platform. (See Vyyo Gets Foot in Door at Comcast, Charter .)

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=135458&site=cdn

I wonder what compression scheme they're talking about.

I wonder what compression scheme they're talking about.
I would guess it's MPEG4 IPTV replacing MPEG2 SDV channels:
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=132997
http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=32796

Of course, that requires an MPEG4 equipped STB/DVR or iDCR HDTV.

FYI: DOCSIS Channel Bonding can also improve HD channel packing efficiency
by treating the capacity of three QAM-256 channels as one big pipe.
Three HD channels per QAM-256 are limited in how much capacity a STATMUX
can "steal" from only one or two channels to reallocate to the "busy" channel.

Thanks for the links.

Comcast Picks Motorola for Switched Digital Video
No. 1 Cable Operator Has Been Testing Technology In Two Markets
By Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, 10/25/2007 12:45:00 PM

Comcast has selected Motorola as a supplier for switched digital video, Motorola president and chief operating officer Greg Brown said on an earnings conference call with analysts Thursday.

A Motorola spokeswoman said no additional information on the Comcast deal was available.

Comcast has been testing switched digital video systems in two locations, Denver and New Jersey, over the past several months. The company expects to use Arris' edge quadrature amplitude modulation as part of its SDV deployments.

Switched digital video delivers linear TV channels only when a subscriber requests them, allowing operators to deliver more programming in less bandwidth assuming not every channel being switched will be viewed at any given time.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6494520.html

Time to kick Analog to the curb!
I hope Comcast rolls out SDV and DOCSIS 3.0 here sometime soon. More HD channels are always nice and I can only imagine how fast my internet will be, I already get 16mbps.

They can kick analog to the curb when they start handing out free STBs - digital TVs with QAM tuners do not get all of the channels that you're paying for now on analog.

Moto Plants Seeds for MPEG-4
JANUARY 03, 2008

Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT - message board) kicked off the pre-Consumer Electronics Show (CES) hype Thursday by unveiling a new line of all-digital, MPEG-4-capable cable set-tops and an integrated gateway designed to pipe in both voice and data applications.

On the set-top front, Motorola unveiled the DCX series, featuring three models that can be interlinked through baked in Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) technology.

The top-of-the-line DCX3400 is a dual-tuner, hi-def digital video recorder "host" box that can serve as a "multimedia" hub for other set-tops hanging off the home's coax network.

MPEG-4 on board
Motorola likens the hybrid MPEG-2/MPEG-4 DCX3400 HD-DVR to a "multimedia" hub for other set-tops hanging off the home's coax-based network.

Other members of the new set-top family include the DCX3200, a single-tuner, high-definition set-top, and the DCX100, a single-tuner, standard-definition-only device. Although the DCX100 can access HD content stored on the DCX3400 using MoCA, it downconverts the signal to SD for display.

The new line, to become commercially available later this year, will also tune to 1 GHz and bond multiple downstream Docsis channels. While the Docsis component could pave the pay for niche, IP-based video services, the higher tuning capability will come in handy should more operators opt to upgrade to 1 GHz and use those new channels for HD and/or Docsis 3.0.

Motorola noted that the boxes will also support the OpenCable Platform, the Multi-stream CableCARD, and two-way applications such as switched digital video (SDV) and video-on-demand (VOD). The set-tops will handle HD signals up to 1080i, but will have "pass-through support" for 1080p, according to Rob Folk of Motorola's Home & Networks Mobility unit, who discussed the products Thursday during the company's pre-CES Web presentation.

Motorola has not disclosed pricing on any models in the DCX product line or any specific trials or deployments with cable operators.

Although MoCA presently is Motorola's exclusive choice for video home networking technology for the launch of the DCX line, the company is leaving its options open.

Motorola has also invested in 802.11n and done some work with HomePlug Powerline Alliance , as well, but, so far, MoCA is the most appropriate for shuttling hi-def content around the home, Folk explained.

He said software for the new set-top line is relatively agnostic regarding the types of physical connections allowed. Down the line, Motorola might consider a "complementary device" that could bridge MoCA to 802.11n, for example, and bring the PC into the networking equation.

Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK), one of Motorola's largest cable customers, expects to begin "seeding" its footprint this year for multi-room DVR applications, but has yet to formally select a home networking scheme, though MoCA is considered the leading candidate.

Rapid move to MPEG-4?

The new boxes will support both legacy MPEG-2 and the more efficient MPEG-4 codec, but there are questions about how quickly MSOs will adopt the newer platform, which is billed to provide as much as a 50 percent bandwidth efficiency gain over MPEG-2.

Comcast, for example, is building out a new, improved compression scheme based on MPEG-2 rather than MPEG-4. However, plans for its "open" Residential Network Gateway (RNG) project calls for some models to support MPEG-4.

In a recent entry in Motorola's Media Experiences 2 Go blog, Corporate Vice President Geoff Roman predicted that "MPEG-2 standalone devices will have completely disappeared" by the latter part of 2009.

Meanwhile, the Digital Video Subcommittee of the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers , cable's standards body, recently approved a new standard that incorporates H.264/MPEG-4. (See MPEG-4 Here We Come! )

While that adds momentum for the advanced codec, a video engineer with a top five MSO told Cable Digital News not to expect MSOs to implement MPEG-4 very rapidly.

"It will be a slow adoption," the engineer says. "Our revenue streams are tied to the population of set-tops out there. MPEG-2-based services will be there for a long time."

Moreover, bandwidth constraints will probably prevent operators from simulcasting in MPEG-4. However, some operators may explore MPEG-4-based services that are tied to a specific box and an expanded tier of HDTV services, for example.

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=142281&site=cdn

Comcast Plots Multi-Room DVR
NOVEMBER 15, 2007

AUSTIN, Texas -- MoCA Technology Conference -- Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) plans to begin "seeding" its systems for multi-room digital video recording (DVR) applications in 2008, with the capability set to be offered in "select" markets by the third quarter of the year.

So says Comcast Chief Technology Officer Tony Werner, the opening keynoter here at the first ever Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) technology conference.

But despite being a founding member of MoCA, Comcast hasn't committed to using the technology developed by the alliance, which recently ratified a version of its home networking platform designed for throughput of up to 175 Mbit/s.

That lack of commitment to MoCA so far suggests that Comcast is still negotiating pricing and evaluating other schemes such as HomePNA and Ultrawideband.

The MSO is also still undecided about the eventual scale of its rollout. Werner said Comcast is still vetting the business case for a wide rollout of a home networking technology, a move that would include the cost of incorporating MoCA, or another home networking platform, into the set-top layer.

Werner wondered if, instead of investing in a technology such as MoCA, it would make more sense for Comcast to deploy "Start Over," a popular application championed in the U.S. by Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC - message board) that allows customers to restart some shows (those with copyright clearance) already in progress.

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=139189&site=cdn

Imagine Raises the Bandwidth Bar
JANUARY 14, 2008

LOS ANGELES -- The customer is always right.

That business axiom appeared to be in play Monday when Imagine Communications introduced a digital video processing platform designed to cram 50 percent more MPEG-2-based broadcast channels into a slice of 6 MHz cable spectrum. (See Imagine Unveils Platform.)

Imagine's ICE Broadcast System, introduced here at the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers Conference on Emerging Technologies, aims to pack three high-definition linear video networks or as many as 15 standard-definition networks into a single 6 MHz channel. Those improvements are boosted by a variable bit rate (VBR) video quality engine called the ICE-Q.

Imagine, founded in 2005, originally focused on bandwidth-conserving systems for video-on-demand (VOD) and switched digital video (SDV). "We've primary been associated with consumer-initiated streaming," says Marc Tayer, Imagine's senior vice president of marketing and business development.

But he says requests from customers caused Imagine to reprioritize to make a broadcast video solution its first available product.

It has undergone a range of tests with "major" cable operators in the last several months, the company says.

Imagine isn't saying who its customers are, but it's been long rumored that Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) is front and center.

The MSO's chief technology officer, Tony Werner, alluded to such work last fall during a conference in Denver. He said Comcast planned to deploy "across the board" an "improved" compression scheme for its massive base of MPEG-2 digital set-tops. Werner did not talk about vendor partners, but did explain that Comcast was looking to improve bandwidth efficiency by 50 percent without affecting video quality. (See Comcast Ready to Reclaim Bandwidth.)

Comcast might use the Imagine system to free up room for more linear high-definition television channels and help it keep up with competitors such as DirecTV Group Inc. (NYSE: DTV - message board), but the initial thrust of "Project Infinity," an initiative announced at last week's Consumer Electronics Show, centered on a much larger HD-VOD library. (See Comcast Launches 'Project Infinity'.)

Full article at:

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=143076&site=cdn

Comcast Spreads the Love
FEBRUARY 14, 2008

Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) will rely heavily on switched digital video (SDV) and analog reclamation initiatives to free up spectrum for gobs of high-definition television fare and the speedier Docsis 3.0 platform, executives said during today's earnings call.

As for HD, Comcast is staying true to its strategy to play up its expansion of high-def “choices,” offering some color on how many linear HDTV channels it plans to add this year.

The operator offers 25 to 30 linear HD channels in a typical system but expects to push that to 50 to 60 by year's end, Comcast COO Steve Burke said on the call. (See Comcast Adds Record 2.5M Subs in '07.)

He also reiterated that Comcast plans to offer more than 1,000 HD choices by the end of 2008, up from about 300 now -- a reflection of the Project Infinity initiative Comcast unveiled last month at the Consumer Electronics Show. (See Comcast Launches 'Project Infinity'.)
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=142570&site=cdn

“We think we are more than holding our own,” Burke said of Comcast’s ability to keep up with competitive HD offerings. At last check, DirecTV Group Inc. (NYSE: DTV - message board), claimed to offer more than 90 HD channels.

Comcast officials also affirmed plans to deploy the Docsis 3.0 architecture to 20 percent of its footprint by the end of the year. The base minimum configuration outlined by the CableLabs specs calls for the bonding of four downstream channels and four upstream channels. (See Comcast Closes In on 100 Mbit/s.)

“We’ll begin to offer [Docsis 3.0] to millions of our 48 million homes later this year,” Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts said.

Full article at:

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=146103&site=cdn&f_src=lightreading_gnews

Not directly related to Comcast but an interesting article about how 16:9 screen information can be converted to 4:3 without any apparent distortion (and without cutting off the sides).


Aspect Ratio Conversion by "Seam Carving"

http://naob-advocacy.informz.net/naob-advocacy/archives/archive_71651.html

Comcast to beef up network with new 100Gbps optics

By Eric Bangeman | Published: March 12, 2008 - 05:34PM CT

Today at the Internet Engineering Task Force meeting in Philadelphia, Comcast and Nortel announced a successful trial of a 100Gbps optical solution for its metro and long haul networks. Translated: the companies are using new Nortel gear to shuttle traffic over a 100Gbps wavelength that's also carrying live 10Gbps and 40Gbps links. That means more overhead for the traffic demands of high-def video and DOCSIS 3.0.

"Fundamentally, it's a significant technical achievement and technical milestone," John Schanz, Comcast executive VP of national engineering and technical operations, told Ars. "As we continue to expand our cross-platform video, voice and data services, we need these types of innovative technologies from vendors like Nortel to support the rapid growth of new applications and services that run over our network."

The announcement comes at an opportune time for Comcast, although the 100Gbps gear won't be deployed before the second half of 2009. The cable giant has been embroiled in controversy over its network management practices, with Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin saying that he expects to wrap up the FCC's probe in the next couple of months.

Although Schanz wasn't willing to discuss the implications of today's announcement for Comcast's traffic management practices, he did tell Ars that today's announcement is an important milestone for the company given its ambitious plans. "The key here is that this is a very important technology building block, the first of its kind," he said. "It's a monumental technical achievement that we're very proud of."

With Comcast's ambitious "Project Infinity" plan to offer over 1,000 high-definition video choices as well as its intention to get 100Mbps connections to some of its customers by year end, the company is going to need every shred of bandwidth it can get. Schanz believes that Nortel's solution will enable Comcast to easily upgrade its capacity with relatively small hardware upgrades at the end of its networks.

Should the 100Gbps gear work as advertised, it could undermine some of AT&T's recent trash talking about cable network capacity. At a forum hosted by Merrill Lynch last month, an AT&T executive derided the actual speeds the company observed during its testing of cable connections in over 100 homes. Telecom Operations Group president John Stankey said the average throughput from the unnamed cable ISP(s) was around 400kbps, far short of the advertised level. The low speeds are "because they're traversing other parts of the network that ultimately throttle or manage the throughput," Stankey said at the forum. "There are other components in the network that dictate the level of speed and performance the customer gets."

Schanz wasn't aware of Stankey's comments, but said that Comcast's end-to-end network was one any ISP should be proud of. That may be a debatable assertion at this point, but bringing the near 100Gbps gear online by the end of 2009 will definitely give Comcast's fiber backbone some serious stiffening.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080312-comcast-to-beef-up-network-with-new-100gbps-optics.html

Although Comcast has not announce a commitment for these boxes this (or something like it) is probably the next boxes cable will employ.

Motorola Delivers Enhanced Viewing Experiences and More HD Content with Next-Generation DVR Set-Tops

DCX series is Motorola’s first MPEG-4 set-top for the cable industry; enabling on-demand and interactive digital cable programming in the home

HORSHAM, PA – 3 January 2008 – As the cable industry prepares to deliver increasing amounts of high definition (HD) content, Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today announced a new generation of MPEG-4 advanced video compression set-tops that reinforce the company’s leadership position in the digital video market. Showcased at booth #8545 (Central Hall) at the International Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the DCX series is packed with technology that enables cablecos to bring more content to consumers today, while bridging the gap to the integrated applications and services of tomorrow.

The DCX high-definition set-tops are loaded with features including HD video and surround sound audio capabilities, designed to deliver a superior digital cable viewing experience. TV viewers at home are able to enjoy advanced video services such as whole home DVR while the generous hard drives make it possible to time shift TV shows and store customer-created multimedia content. This stored content can then be shared with other compatible devices in the home, using the DCX as a multimedia hub.

“Based on more than 20 years of technology innovation in the video industry, Motorola’s DCX product line will allow consumers to enjoy the latest video services at home,” said John Burke, senior vice president and general manager for Motorola’s Digital Video Solutions group. “The Motorola DCX series brings today’s applications to life with the capacity to host new applications in the future and enables cable companies to effectively manage the transition from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4.”

The DCX series fully supports the growing consumer demand for HD programming and the increasing deployment of high-bandwidth applications with HD decode capabilities and MPEG-4 advanced video compression (AVC) support. In addition, as these next generation DCX set-tops combine MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 technologies, cablecos are able to maximize their investment in technologies today while transitioning to MPEG-4.

Enhanced future-proof features for operators:

* 1 Gigahertz tuners - that enable operators to expand the number of available channels to deliver increased content for consumers
* DOCSIS® downstream channel bonding and fast IP connection to handle future services
* Support for the full range of interactive applications including SDV and VOD
* Choice of software solutions based on legacy software and OCAPTM, enabling operators to preserve investment in deployed applications while facilitating a transition to a new platform with enhanced interactive applications
* Support for MoCA, HTML, DOCSIS, MCardTM, OCAP, Dolby® Digital Plus


Enhanced features for Cable customers:

* Support for the latest audio technologies including Dolby Digital Plus (multitrack audio)
* All products available with integrated home MoCA capabilities to enable a whole home DVR experience
* MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 capable


The all-digital, MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) series includes:

* DCX3400 – dual-tuner, high-definition DVR host set-top
* DCX3200 – single-tuner, high-definition host set-top
* DCX100 – single-tuner, standard-definition (HD in /SD out) host set-top


The world leader in digital set-tops, Motorola shipped more than 65 million set- tops cumulatively through the third quarter of 2007. The DCX product line is scheduled for deployment in the third quarter of 2008.

http://www.motorola.com/mediacenter/news/detail.jsp?globalObjectId=9066_8995_23&pageLocaleId=2026

Comcast Confirms Digital Dongle Project
MAY 01, 2008

Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) confirmed Thursday that it is developing an inexpensive digital-to-analog adapter that will be used to help the MSO push ahead with an all-digital strategy slated to get underway later this year. Cable Digital News was the first to reveal details about the MSO's Digital Terminal Adapter (DTA) project in February. (See Comcast Pursuing $35 Digital Dongle.)

Steve Burke, the president of Comcast's cable division, served up a few details on the forthcoming DTA device this morning during the MSO's first quarter results conference call. (See Comcast Reports Q1.)

He said the MSO expects to begin relying on the DTA by the fourth quarter of 2008, noting that it will cost less than the most inexpensive CableCARD-based set-top Comcast deploys today. Burke did not discuss specific pricing, but sources have told Cable Digital News that Comcast is shooting for a target of $35 per unit. It's also believed that Comcast is looking to order about 25 million DTAs, so, based on volumes, it's conceivable that the MSO could hit its price goal.

As described by Burke, the DTA will be a simple digital-to-analog converter box. To keep costs down, the device will be one-way, meaning it won't be able to handle video-on-demand or any channels offered via switched digital video. It also won't support Comcast's interactive program guide or premium cable programming such as HBO.

Burke suggested that the DTA would be used to support existing analog-only customers or as an inexpensive way to feed digital broadcast channels to less frequently used cable outlets, such as a third outlet in a customer's kitchen. Likewise, Comcast will continue deploying two-way digital boxes to customers that want them.

Comcast is expected to deploy DTAs aggressively in pursuit of a plan to recapture valuable analog spectrum by migrating about 20 percent of its footprint to all-digital during the back half of 2008. Although Comcast refers to this strategy as "all-digital," the MSO is expected to continue delivering a small basic analog lineup of about 30 channels. But the migration should allow it to recapture upwards of 40 analog channels, which can be reused for new high-definition channels and video-on-demand (VOD) servcies. Those freed-up channels can also be used to support Comcast's Docsis 3.0 rollouts.

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=152618&site=cdn

Strategy,what strategy? More vaporware to keep the stock from stinking, when I see it ill believe it!
All this by the end of 08, and the device has not been developed, manufactured, tested, or deployed,
Not to mention any transition time that will be needed. How many years have we heard this?

Basically this is a con, no box will ever be made for $35 or even $350 to do this. What is involved is more complicated than a simple 10" x 10" box on the outside of each home. If they had fiber to home then it would be a different story.

Comast would be better off setting up 18 ATSC modulations at each headend and doing 4 to 1 compression on their 72 SD basic cable channels which could then be tuned utilizing ATSC tuners that will be in everyone's home by 2/09. (patent pending)

Either the execs are stupid or banking on the shareholders to be, or both.

Basically this is a con, no box will ever be made for $35 or even $350 to do this.
Want to bet?

Well, in the end basic is basic.. doesn't matter what you call it really... they are just gettting that bandwidth back. and replacing the basic channels with a digital signal..

Oh, and to muck the issue up a bit more, we now have switched digital video.
Basically the box asks for the channel and the bits are sent to that box directly
on demand.. This can save bandwidth as well, but has to be carefully managed
and used on less popular channels, because if you get "too much on demand
usage" you can actually use more bandwidth with switched digital video for a
specific channel than actually broadcasting it to everyone.

John

Well, in the end basic is basic.. doesn't matter what you call it really... they are just gettting that bandwidth back. and replacing the basic channels with a digital signal..

Oh, and to muck the issue up a bit more, we now have switched digital video.
Basically the box asks for the channel and the bits are sent to that box directly
on demand.. This can save bandwidth as well, but has to be carefully managed
and used on less popular channels, because if you get "too much on demand
usage" you can actually use more bandwidth with switched digital video for a
specific channel than actually broadcasting it to everyone.

John
With switched video the channels is sent to that node on demand. A node can be several hundred houses. If that one channel is popular the system will not have any additional overhead supplying everyone on the node. There would be problems if everyone on that node chose a different switched video channel.

Comast would be better off setting up 18 ATSC modulations at each headend and doing 4 to 1 compression on their 72 SD basic cable channels which could then be tuned utilizing ATSC tuners that will be in everyone's home by 2/09.

Oh sorry, that won't work since cable has been busy running adds telling everyone not to worry about the 2/9 transition and dont worry about getting the CECB boxes they are entitled to. So much for that plan or a backup plan for anyone on cable whenever it goes out.

Basically this is a con, no box will ever be made for $35 or even $350 to do this.
Want to bet?
Ken, mysterious, as usual. :rolleyes::)
Can you tell us a bit more?

Comcast's 30-to-1 Odds
MAY 05, 2008

The Bauminator recently reported on Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK)'s planned digital terminal adapter (DTA) deployment. (See Comcast Confirms Digital Dongle Project.)

The devices are a key ingredient in the MSO's plan to migrate 20 percent of the homes in its footprint to all-digital television service by the end of 2008. In parallel, Comcast also revealed plans to deploy super-fast Docsis 3.0 Internet service to up to 20 percent of its homes this year. (See Comcast Enters the Wideband Era and Controlling Doc$is 3.0 .) Now, guess what percentage of Comcast's homes will be marketed for Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ - message board)'s FiOS service by the end of the decade? That would be 20 percent, of course. Might we be looking at the core of Comcast's FiOS-fighting strategy here?

Verizon's FiOS is generally viewed as a veritable horseman of the cable apocalypse. In the end, however, it may turn out to be more of a corpulent, flatulent bovine than a swift, powerful war steed (pardon the over-the-top barnyard allusions).

As explained by Comcast COO and cable division president Steve Burke back in February, the MSO's all-digital maneuvers are expected to free up 40 analog channels. (See Comcast Spreads the Love .) For bandwidth watchers, that equals 1.6 Gbit/s -- a massive amount of downstream capacity that can be used for high-definition television (HDTV), video on demand (VOD), and broadband Internet applications.

And how much will Comcast have to pay to unearth one and a half Gigs on its network? According to my back-of-the-napkin math, it could be as little as $29 per home passed. Compare that to the more than $1,000 per home passed Verizon is spending to deploy FiOS.

Here's how we get to the $29 figure for Comcast. The MSO currently serves 49.9 million homes. Of those, 49.5 percent subscribe to basic cable TV service, and of that group, 65 percent take digital service. So, a 20 percent slice of Comcast's footprint covers just under 10 million homes. Applying the above video penetration rates yields a total of 4.9 million cable TV subscribers. Of this universe, 65 percent already take digital service.

For argument's sake, however, we'll assume that 40 percent of these digital subscribers still have at least one TV connected to analog service and will need a DTA. The number of analog-only customers left to migrate to digital is 1.7 million. Assuming they own an average of 2.25 televisions per home, all told, we're talking about 5.1 million DTAs.

The Bauminator reported that Comcast is seeking a $35 price point for DTAs. Let's assume however, that the MSO actually pays an average loaded cost of $55 per DTA, including any installation and digital headend charges. The cost for Comcast to access 1.6 Gbit/s for 10 million homes? A paltry $285 million, or $28.58 per home passed.


Table 1: Comcast All-Digital Transition Costs

Homes passed (HP) 49,902,000
Basic subs 24,691,000
Digital cable subs 16,015,000
% of HP going all-digital (AD) 20%
All-digital homes passed (ADHP) 9,980,400
Basic subs in ADHP 4,938,200
Digital cable subs in ADHP 3,203,000
Analog subs in ADHP 1,735,200
Average TVs per home 2.25
DTAs needed 5,185,400
Weighted DTA cost per sub $55
All-digital cost $285,197,000
Avg. cost per home passed $28.58

Source: Cable Digital News analysis

Do you think one of these competitors might enjoy a significant economic advantage? If the more the more than 30-to-1 cost advantage enjoyed by Comcast didn't convince you, perhaps the news that Verizon is already starting to raise FiOS service prices will seal the deal. (See Verizon to Raise Prices, Cut Jobs.).

Also, consider Comcast's continued momentum in residential telephone and broadband Internet services. In the first quarter, Comcast added 639,000 telephone and 492,000 Internet customers, beating Wall Street's expectations. (See High-Speed Internet Drives Comcast's Q1.) For its part, Verizon lost 726,000 residential lines and only added 263,000 FiOS TV and 262,000 FiOS Internet customers. In the wake of the hemorrhaging, Verizon said it would shed 10,000 jobs. Comcast, on the other hand, has added 15,000 jobs over the past 15 months to keep up with new service demand.

Increasingly, in this horse race, Comcast is looking like the thoroughbred.

—Michael Harris, Chief Analyst, Cable Digital News

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=152873

Would Comcast have done ANY of this if it wasn't for competition?

DirecTV made Comcast squeeze in HDTV.

Fios is making Comcast increase bandwidth, overall.

If it wasn't for competition I'd still have 4 HD channels, analog channels below 99, 80% of sound in the right stereo channel, and the left & right stereo channels on the wrong sides.

Oh, don't forget doubling of the volume for Comcast local commercials on cable channels.

Plus, imagine the price increases without competition. They already increased the Twin Cities twice in a year.

Comcast's 30-to-1 Odds
Table 1: Comcast All-Digital Transition Costs

Homes passed (HP) 49,902,000
Basic subs 24,691,000
Digital cable subs 16,015,000
% of HP going all-digital (AD) 20%
All-digital homes passed (ADHP) 9,980,400
Basic subs in ADHP 4,938,200
Digital cable subs in ADHP 3,203,000
Analog subs in ADHP 1,735,200
Average TVs per home 2.25
DTAs needed 5,185,400
Weighted DTA cost per sub $55
All-digital cost $285,197,000
Avg. cost per home passed $28.58


I don't quite understand where they are getting the 5,185,400 DTA's needed. There's only 1,735,200 analog subs, plus 3,203,000 Digital subs who may have 1.5 additional TV's (avg) who are on analog only. That's 4938200 DTA's, not 5185400. The DTA should be one per house correct, hence the super low cost per home passed figure.

I take it the box has an input and an output. The all digital cable system comes into a splitter, where one leg goes to a splitter matrix with all of your digital set tops, DVR's, cable modem/eMTA, etc. The other leg goes to this DTA, which then generates up to a 77 channel NTSC analog output at around +15 dBmV. The output of the DTA can be fed into a splitter network that runs to all of the analog only TV's. Or in the case of a basic subscriber, that first splitter wouldn't be necessary, as they most likely don't need to split off before insertion of the analog for digital or data services.

I think the difference is additional televisions in analog-only homes.

I don't quite understand where they are getting the 5,185,400 DTA's needed. There's only 1,735,200 analog subs, plus 3,203,000 Digital subs who may have 1.5 additional TV's (avg) who are on analog only. That's 4938200 DTA's, not 5185400. The DTA should be one per house correct, hence the super low cost per home passed figure.

I take it the box has an input and an output. The all digital cable system comes into a splitter, where one leg goes to a splitter matrix with all of your digital set tops, DVR's, cable modem/eMTA, etc. The other leg goes to this DTA, which then generates up to a 77 channel NTSC analog output at around +15 dBmV. The output of the DTA can be fed into a splitter network that runs to all of the analog only TV's. Or in the case of a basic subscriber, that first splitter wouldn't be necessary, as they most likely don't need to split off before insertion of the analog for digital or data services.

i believe the author figures one per analog tv.

and thinking about it- he's probably right.

if you did it at the entrance to the house (which is certianly possible)- you would "expand" a few digital channels back into tens of analog channels- those tens of analog channels would interfere with the digital stuff that had taken their place on the way to the house. So unless the home is ALL analog- and intends to stay all analog forever you would want one per tv.


example- they take analog channels 1 to 40 and recreate them digitally on digital channel's 1,2,3,4. Then they would reuse channels 5 to 40 for digital content. You couldn't then just take the digtial 1,2,3,4 and put them on the line in the house as analog 1-40 becasue then you would have to wipe digital channels 5-50 off the line- and they might have another 300 analog or 100 HD or even phone or boradband in that place.

(made up channel numbers and all to keep it simple- the logic about reusing the channel slices is the important part there)

i believe the author figures one per analog tv.

and thinking about it- he's probably right.

if you did it at the entrance to the house (which is certianly possible)- you would "expand" a few digital channels back into tens of analog channels- those tens of analog channels would interfere with the digital stuff that had taken their place on the way to the house. So unless the home is ALL analog- and intends to stay all analog forever you would want one per tv.


example- they take analog channels 1 to 40 and recreate them digitally on digital channel's 1,2,3,4. Then they would reuse channels 5 to 40 for digital content. You couldn't then just take the digtial 1,2,3,4 and put them on the line in the house as analog 1-40 becasue then you would have to wipe digital channels 5-50 off the line- and they might have another 300 analog or 100 HD or even phone or boradband in that place.

(made up channel numbers and all to keep it simple- the logic about reusing the channel slices is the important part there)

Acually this is why I said you would split the CATV when it first enters the house. One leg would go to a splitter matrix which would connect all of your "ALL DIGITAL" set tops and modems, etc..
The other leg would go to this dongle. The dongle's output would be 54-550 MHz analog signals, which would be split to ONLY outlets containing analog TV's.

I originally had in mind this type of device.... a home gateway or have you... similar to a Fios ONT, but instead of fiber optic in, it's coax in... and the dual coax out shows that one leg is basically the all digital untouched pass-through, while the other leg is 54-550 MHz analog NTSC sent ONLY to analog TV's.
http://home.comcast.net/~cypherx/terapix.jpg

In most locations it would not work since a house or apartment is not wired for this type of split. The devuce looks like it should go in back of an existing analog set.

In most locations it would not work since a house or apartment is not wired for this type of split. The devuce looks like it should go in back of an existing analog set.

Well if everything is home run to one spot, a whole house solution shouldn't be a problem, as long as the output levels are decent enough to be split multiple ways. Now it's those real old antiquated loop through systems with dc taps that wouldn't work. That would have to be completely reworked to handle both analog and digital... but it wouldn't be a problem if the apartment was ALL analog, OR ALL digital.

Having a box per TV sounds useless. People don't want a box per TV, they don't care if its as small as a DCT-700.... sometimes you just have no where to put a box for an under kitchen counter LCD TV, or Small Garage TV, etc... Yet alone finding another power outlet for the thing. A whole house solution seems better, as you only have to purchase and install ONE, and keep it either outside at the demarc, in a basement, garage, or utility closet.

Can't wait to see what they come up with though. I know our 750 MHz system only has 3 open QAM channels from 2-118. I'm not sure how far they will push past 750 MHz... I know some have no issues pushing to channel 120... but the point is were nearing the ceiling for bandwidth. If they could give the analog the axe, that would fix the problem.

Well if everything is home run to one spot, a whole house solution shouldn't be a problem, as long as the output levels are decent enough to be split multiple ways. Now it's those real old antiquated loop through systems with dc taps that wouldn't work. That would have to be completely reworked to handle both analog and digital... but it wouldn't be a problem if the apartment was ALL analog, OR ALL digital.

Having a box per TV sounds useless. People don't want a box per TV, they don't care if its as small as a DCT-700.... sometimes you just have no where to put a box for an under kitchen counter LCD TV, or Small Garage TV, etc... Yet alone finding another power outlet for the thing. A whole house solution seems better, as you only have to purchase and install ONE, and keep it either outside at the demarc, in a basement, garage, or utility closet.

Can't wait to see what they come up with though. I know our 750 MHz system only has 3 open QAM channels from 2-118. I'm not sure how far they will push past 750 MHz... I know some have no issues pushing to channel 120... but the point is were nearing the ceiling for bandwidth. If they could give the analog the axe, that would fix the problem.

I’ve seen earlier mentions of things to be a “gateway device” but besides the people posting here what percentage of average Joe houses do you think use home runs instead of plain old daisy chains with splitters? So I’m not seeing how you could put back the first 40 channels in analog on the entire house without a problem in many houses.

Comcast wants/needs to be simple- they don’t want to be rewiring the whole house just to go all digital. It’s just like DBS is moving towards single wire systems that can handle splitters instead of home runs to a multi switch. A large portion of places are already wired that way. It’s probably cheaper for them to just put boxes everywhere for free rather than rewire a good portion of the houses.

Of course it’s best to be able to do a whole house- but if it involves rewiring half the houses then it’s better to go to each tv.

But like you say it will be interesting to see how they do it- there certainly is something of a downside if it’s per tv.

Maybe they plan to deploy it alongside 1,000mhz boxes. So they could use it on 750mhz systems? You could have it jack the whole 750mhz up 250mhz and then put the analog back underneath it….. One converter per house at the demarc and 1ghz digital boxes inside?

Maybe for all analog houses you would make it whole house but for people that have a split they try to talk you into a digital box for the spare sets and if you don’t go for it they give you a unit for each tv that needs analog only?

Someplace they called the thing a “dongle” maybe they have it figured out to be small enough to just fit in line on the coax- so it’s like a wall wart at the cable outlet or on the back of the tv- as far as finding it an AC outlet- make it like all the various cable boxes where there is an AC outlet on it (wouldn’t need to be switched lime many of those are).
There’s got to be some wild stuff going on to decode 40 digital channels and then modulate them into 40 ntsc channels- I’d guess it would need to be big and would run pretty hot but who knows maybe they have some crazy deck of cards sized thingie in a lab….

I’ve seen earlier mentions of things to be a “gateway device” but besides the people posting here what percentage of average Joe houses do you think use home runs instead of plain old daisy chains with splitters? So I’m not seeing how you could put back the first 40 channels in analog on the entire house without a problem in many houses.

Comcast wants/needs to be simple- they don’t want to be rewiring the whole house just to go all digital. It’s just like DBS is moving towards single wire systems that can handle splitters instead of home runs to a multi switch. A large portion of places are already wired that way. It’s probably cheaper for them to just put boxes everywhere for free rather than rewire a good portion of the houses.

Of course it’s best to be able to do a whole house- but if it involves rewiring half the houses then it’s better to go to each tv.

But like you say it will be interesting to see how they do it- there certainly is something of a downside if it’s per tv.

Maybe they plan to deploy it alongside 1,000mhz boxes. So they could use it on 750mhz systems? You could have it jack the whole 750mhz up 250mhz and then put the analog back underneath it….. One converter per house at the demarc and 1ghz digital boxes inside?

Maybe for all analog houses you would make it whole house but for people that have a split they try to talk you into a digital box for the spare sets and if you don’t go for it they give you a unit for each tv that needs analog only?

Someplace they called the thing a “dongle” maybe they have it figured out to be small enough to just fit in line on the coax- so it’s like a wall wart at the cable outlet or on the back of the tv- as far as finding it an AC outlet- make it like all the various cable boxes where there is an AC outlet on it (wouldn’t need to be switched lime many of those are).
There’s got to be some wild stuff going on to decode 40 digital channels and then modulate them into 40 ntsc channels- I’d guess it would need to be big and would run pretty hot but who knows maybe they have some crazy deck of cards sized thingie in a lab….

Well I guess the local area policies vary by system... but every house, both Comcast and Service Electric Cablevision, that I've been too in this remote area all have home runs. Either the splitters outside in a grey box, or it's in a basement or garage, crawlspace, attic, or right next to the electrical panel (wherever that may be). Even when I lived in an apartment, the splitters were outside in a grey catv box, and off of that 3 way inside came a line that entered under a window in bedroom 1, a seperate 'home run' line that ran to bedroom 2, and a third 'home run' line that ran to the living room.

It does seem like a major task to pull in 40-70 digital channels and remodulate them as NTSC. That's why I think that it would need to be in an Fios sized ONT style box either outside at demarc by the electric meter, or inside. But hey, you never know.... computers used to take up entire rooms, and yet now I have a handheld PDA thats more powerful than anything anyone's imagined back in the 60s,70s,80s,and even 90s. Even if its the size of a cigarette box (which would be simply AMAZING), one per TV still sucks if you have some kind of embedded LCD TV in a kitchen counter, fridge, bathroom wall in front of a jacuzzi, etc... I guess it could be installed further down the line from that sort of embedded system as long as theres some kind of access.

Though you prove an interesting point that they are calling this device a 'dongle'. A dongle is normally a really small adapter of some sort, so maybe it would only be the size of a plug in transformer wall wart, or cigarette box. The frequency shifting off of a 1 GHz system however would require a plant upgrade to 1 GHz, and that costs way more than $30-$70 per home passed (not to mention it takes a lot of time). I do wonder however, if some sort of wideband spectrum overlay can be inserted on top of the pre-existing bandwidth, and this device simply tunes it and downconverts it to 54-550 MHz or so. I'm not sure what technology would be cheapest... no solution sounds cheap, but maybe they made some sort of microprocessor breakthrough. All I know is that I can't wait to see what comes out of the lab and into the real world.

It does seem like a major task to pull in 40-70 digital channels and remodulate them as NTSC. That's why I think that it would need to be in an Fios sized ONT

Fios does not remodulate, because they have fiber to the premises they do a conversion from optical to electrical, this is a thousand times cheaper and simpler to do than what comcast is TALKING about, They have coax to the premise and thus need to demodulate, demux, decode each qam channel, convert it to analog and then modulate each channel onto its own ntsc analog carrier freq. A completely impractical task that has never been done before and never will be done for even $3500. Basically they are proposing to fit an entire row of equipment racks at the headend into this magic little box all for $35 dollars. Good luck with that comcast! If it works satellite and ota wont be far behind. But it won't!

Fios does not remodulate, because they have fiber to the premises they do a conversion from optical to electrical, this is a thousand times cheaper and simpler to do than what comcast is TALKING about, They have coax to the premise and thus need to demodulate, demux, decode each qam channel, convert it to analog and then modulate each channel onto its own ntsc analog carrier freq. A completely impractical task that has never been done before and never will be done for even $3500. Basically they are proposing to fit an entire row of equipment racks at the headend into this magic little box all for $35 dollars. Good luck with that comcast! If it works satellite wont be far behind. But it won't!And they said that you could never ...........?


You might want to check THIS (http://www.broadlogic.com/products/terapix.php) out.

You might want to check THIS (http://www.broadlogic.com/products/terapix.php) out.

Finally some proof! Thanks.

That site's been up since 2006 I believe. They did update the description for the processor. Notice now they do say it's used in a Residential Gateway Device where the cable enters the home, or just outside the home.

It's simply amazing that they are able to do this task. Because it's so integrated, and they are going to sell like hotcakes to MSO's, BroadLogic may be able to keep the price low enough and still be able to survive as a sucessful company. I know that Comcast did invest quite a large dollar amount in BroadLogic, as did a few other cable operators.

This device would be the 'holy grail' to the MSO, wanting to expand bandwidth in an already tight All Digital Simulcast system.

I wonder though, if the wideband tuner is frequency agile, or due to costs, if they have to locate the ADS channels on specific frequencies with PID's, spec'd out from BroadLogic. If it's addressable, they can easily shut off a subscriber in non-bill pay situations or cancellation in service. Now do they go the unencrypted QAM route, or do they encrypt in Digicipher2 or PowerKEY?

The wideband tuner does support tuning up to 16 6-MHz channels. Even if they do an 80 analog channel reconstruction (2-77,95,96,98,99), a conservative SD QAM at 10:1 providing 3.88mbps per channel to preserve quality, only takes up 8 QAM channels. WOW, that's sweet to go from using 550 MHz of bandwidth down to 48 MHz of bandwidth... even more savings if they stick with 12:1 (3.23 mbps per channel) or VBR 16:1 solutions.

... The frequency shifting off of a 1 GHz system however would require a plant upgrade to 1 GHz, and that costs way more than $30-$70 per home passed (not to mention it takes a lot of time). ....

will be interesting to see for sure.

But about my comment about 1ghz- sorry I wasn't clear. My thought was it's a way to NOT rebuild the whole plant to 1 GHZ.

Sorry my knowledge of the numbers involved isn't that good but I'll make some up so you get the gist of what I mean.

You take a 750 system. Dont rebuilt it. Then you take your 50 analog channels and convert them to digital and put those in the bottom few qams- Say first 5 channels. That leaves you say 45 qams from channels 6 to 50 to put new digital content in. When the signal gets to the house- the whole house box shifts channels 6-50 up in the spectrum to the place from 750-1,000mhz. Now channels And you expand channels 1-5 from digital qam into analog on channels 1-50. inside the house it's just like the day before you made the change- first 50 channels are analog. From their to 750 it's all digital. But now you have a pile of brand new stuff from 750-1ghz. Since it's all new content you dont need to give everyone new boxes- just people that order stuff from the new 750-1ghz tier would need to get new 1ghz ready boxes.

I have NO IDEA if that makes sense of not dollar or technology wise. Just trying to brainstrom how they could actually use it.

That's a pretty neat idea for sure. Only a few details that would be problematic.
50 Analog channels takes up 300 MHz of bandwidth. Offsetting a 750 MHz system by 300 MHz takes you to 1050 MHz. Currently all deployed cable set tops only tune to 864 MHz. There are newer models with 1 GHz tuners but it will take a good amount of time and money to swap out all of the other equipment. Also if swapping out cable boxes in droves is the solution, then they might as well go with MPEG4 / H.264 encoding.

But neat theory on getting 750 MHz systems upgraded to 1 GHz or more without upgrading the outside plant.

there's no need to instantly upgrade all your boxes from 864 to 1ghz. You only need to do people that subscribe to those new services in the 1ghz slice. Just like Dish and Directv didn't swap all their boxes instantly to MPEG4. They offer new channels and tell people they need a new box to get them.

ABout my math and the 50 channels pushing you to 1050mhz- I was just making things up. So instead make it 40 analog channels and you are done.

Or keep it 50 ananlog channels and instead of going 750 to 1000 go from 700 to 1000.

The specific numbers aren't important- just the idea.

I really am not seeing any other way that you get access to the "new room" if you are just going to explode the analog to take it all over.

Maybe it's meant to help get more space from the head end to the nodes? But isn't that all fiber in this day and age?

I'm not really seeing the point.

Why would you spend tens of millions to install these things to recreate analog in a house when one day when that house wants just one single digital box you have to throw out the gateway and give the house all new digital boxes.

I must be missing something.

Next gen cable boxes could use new MPEG4/IPTV function in the "New Spectrum" above 864 MHz....
and could off-load some of the PPV/SDV load from the below 864 MHz assignments....

However, I think it will primarily be used for SMB (Small and Medium Business) applications,
using new DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modems with Quad (and higher) QAM Channel Bonding techniques,
providing very high speed data rates as it quickly chews through the new spectrum...
and the cable companies expand their high paying customer base....

Next gen cable boxes could use new MPEG4/IPTV function in the "New Spectrum" above 864 MHz....
and could off-load some of the PPV/SDV load from the below 864 MHz assignments....

However, I think it will primarily be used for SMB (Small and Medium Business) applications,
using new DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modems with Quad (and higher) QAM Channel Bonding techniques,
providing very high speed data rates as it quickly chews through the new spectrum...
and the cable companies expand their high paying customer base....


good point- they RAPE the small businesses.

I own my own small business.

My office is maybe a mile from my front door. I have comcast high speed internet at both locations.

At home it's 30 bucks plus 2 dollars modem rental.

At my office the list price is over $160 dollars. My partner and I have to keep calling every few months to complain to get a discount to get it in the 60-80 dollar range.

Many residential customers don't know how good they have it.

May 14, 2008 13:19

Tru2way(TM) Technology and Interactive Applications to Take Center Stage at The Cable Show '08

Open Specifications and Technology Drive Growth in Interactive Applications and Tru2way Platform
LOUISVILLE, Colo. --(Business Wire)-- May. 14, 2008 Tru2way(TM) technology and interactive TV applications will have broad exposure during the cable industry's premier convention, The Cable Show '08, being held at the Ernest Morial Convention Center in New Orleans from May 18-20. Tru2way technology, which is the retail brand for the OpenCable(TM) hardware and OCAP(TM) (software) technical initiatives, will take center stage at a two-day pre-convention conference for OCAP developers and in more than a dozen demonstrations on the exhibit floor and within the CableNET(R) pavilion.

"Tru2way will provide a platform for faster and greater innovation," said Dallas Clement, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Product Management for Cox Communications. "At Cox, we are excited about the prospect of bringing our customers an enhanced, convenient experience at a great value."

"We're seeing great response from the application developer community for tru2way(TM) technology and for the overall enhanced TV effort," said Mark Hess, Senior Vice President, Digital Television, Comcast Cable Communications. "The industry's move toward open CableLabs' specifications and technology is generating great volumes of application development," he added.

Tru2way technology is an innovative national software platform that enables cable's interactive services to be delivered to two-way plug and play TVs, set-top boxes and other devices. Tru2way also creates a national footprint for the creators of interactive services to develop products that work on cable systems in nearly every U.S. market. Major cable operators have committed to support the tru2way platform on systems covering more than 90 million U.S. homes by the end of 2008.

A number of application demonstrations based on tru2way technology will be showcased in the CableNET pavilion, including:

-- Softel-USA will show the powerful MediaSphere TX carousel playing both tru2way and ETV interactive applications. Softel-USA will also demonstrate the flexibility and ease-of-use of the system's web-based configuration tools.

-- UniSoft Corporation/Strategy & Technology Ltd (S&T) will show its TSBroadcaster 2.0 for tru2way, to create and broadcast multi-service transport streams containing a number of tru2way and ETV applications. ETV demonstrations will include ad insertion and splicing; ETV and tru2way applications validation; tru2way benchmark testing using Sofia's Benchmark System; and Generation of authenticated tru2way applications using UniSoft's tru2way Security File Generator.

-- Zodiac Interactive will demonstrate a tru2way-based Zidget framework, which utilizes its plug-in architecture to support applications such as local search, weather, traffic, sports scores, and local news without disrupting the TV viewing experience.

In addition, attendees at The Cable Show '08 can experience interactive applications, including EBIF-based applications using CableLabs' enhanced TV specifications, in a number of exhibitors' booths, including:

-- BIAP will demonstrate market-ready EBIF applications including Yellow Pages on TV, eBay on TV, and Personalized Information TV (PiTV) running on BIAP's EBIF User Agent platform. Additional EBIF and tru2way applications from BIAP include: Election Central 2008 and Fantasy Sports Trackers for football and baseball.

-- Cisco Systems will have a number of tru2way applications in its booth, including a demo of Time Warner Cable's digital navigator program guide; a demo of Comcast's new iGuide, and demos of Navic Networks' enhanced programming and advanced advertising.

-- CNN News and program guide which is developed by Ensequence and enables international sports news and a program guide for upcoming CNN programming.

-- Comcast's Chill Games application which is being developed by PixelPlay and will offer casual games.

-- Comcast Media Center will be introducing a national platform for deploying and managing ETV and tru2way applications at the Comcast Booth.

-- Cox Communications' Next Generation User Interface developed by NDS Group, plc.

-- Ensequence will demonstrate tru2way and EBIF interactive TV experiences for WWE and Ford.

-- Harmonic is developing interactive, high-quality video-rich navigation technologies for on-demand and user generated content that dramatically enhance the viewer's experience. Integrated with tru2way, this advanced solution leverages the operator's existing infrastructure and legacy set-top boxes.

-- HSN's successful "Shop by Remote" service is currently deployed in more than 15 million homes. Working with partners Tandberg and Ensequence, HSN is developing EBIF/tru2way versions of the service for forthcoming launches with major distributors. The service enables consumers to purchase on-air products in real time by remote control through an account with HSN.

-- ICTV will demonstrate Social Networking, Web 2.0, personalized mosaics and other applications that combine the strengths of Web functionality and ETV.

-- itaas will showcase tru2way and EBIF applications built to be deployed on both Cisco and Motorola set-top boxes including TAG games on demand TV network, Cisco Web Video on TV and Integra5 TV Caller ID. Portability of content from TV to mobile and broadband featuring MPTV Gateway with content from Travel Channel will also be highlighted.

-- Motorola will demonstrate the advanced media mobility capabilities of its tru2way platform including whole home DVR, caller ID, external hard drive support and Time Warner's music and photo sharing application; a demo of Comcast's next generation guide experience and our PC-based tru2way application development environment will also be shown.

-- Navic Networks has developed tru2way applications for advanced advertising, audience measurement and interactive customer care.

-- Navic also will demonstrate its HyperCast Network which provides cross-operator management and delivery of EBIF-based interactivity.

-- Oberon Media is completing a games service that features games from its portfolio of hundreds of titles that includes licenses from Hasbro, Atari, WPT Enterprises Inc, and the Learning Company. It also integrates Oberon Media's own patented, proprietary JIVE(TM) community platform which enables the creation, integration and management of multi-user and multiplayer cross-platform games as well as the ability to obtain in-depth audience measurement analytics.

-- QVC is developing the QVC Buy Button, which enables consumers to buy on-air products through a remote control using their QVC account.

-- TVWorks provides both tru2way and ETV platforms and is developing a number of applications including advanced advertising, personal media and communications, enhanced navigation, member services / customer care, information apps, etc.

-- The Weather Channel is creating an application for local weather and airport conditions on demand, being developed with Vidiom Systems.

The focus on tru2way technology and interactive television applications at the Cable Show '08 builds on the growing momentum for open specifications that let hardware and software vendors develop innovative capabilities that can be broadly deployed on any cable system or consumer electronics device that supports those specifications. At a recent CableLabs' tru2way interoperability event, 19 companies -- including three application developers who were participating for the first time -- were able to test their latest products within an end-to-end tru2way system.

Cable Makes Big 'tru2way' Play
MAY 16, 2008

In case the crush of announcements hasn't tipped you off already, the cable industry is set to trot out tru2way in a big way at The Cable Show, which opens its doors this weekend in New Orleans.

While a keynote from Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) chairman and CEO Brian Roberts and some new product announcements from the likes of Panasonic made for an attention-grabbing side show in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, tru2way, which promises to create an open retail market for interactive digital boxes and televisions, will take center stage at the all-cable gig. (See CES: Roberts Declares Open Season and Comcast, Panasonic Unveil Portable DVR .)

In addition to a two-day, pre-show tru2way Developers' Conference that starts on Saturday, one won't be able to swing a cat on the show floor proper without hitting a vendor that's touting some sort of tru2way booth demo.

But how rapidly will tru2way, and its promise to open up the floodgates to digital set-top competition, blossom in the U.S. cable market?

According to the latest edition of Light Reading's Cable Industry Insider, there's no reason for Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT - message board) and Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO - message board), the dominant duo in the cable set-top sector, to fret -- at least not for some time.

That's because the retail market for tru2way boxes and digital TVs will evolve much slower than the traditional cable operator lease market. (See Cable Set-Tops: Big Changes Ahead.)

But there are already signs that set-top competition will be intense in the coming years. In addition to Pace Micro Technology , which has already had some success in the U.S. cable market, tru2way is encouraging more customer equipment (CE) players, large and small, to invest in the cable market, including Panasonic, Advanced Digital Broadcast (ADB) , Digeo Inc. , Samsung Corp. , TiVo Inc. (Nasdaq: TIVO - message board), and Thomson (NYSE: TMS - message board; Euronext Paris: 18453).

In addition, Japan's Funai Electric Co. Ltd. (OTC: FUAIY - message board), which makes gear under the Sylvania and Emerson brands, is expected to introduce a tru2way-powered set-top at this year's show, according to the report: Cable Opens Up: How Tru2way Will Change the Set-Top Market.

But there are still several significant CE companies yet to throw their weight behind tru2way, including Hitachi Ltd. (NYSE: HIT - message board; Paris: PHA), JVC Americas Corp. , Pioneer (USA) Inc. , Sharp Electronics Corp. , Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE - message board), and Toshiba Corp. (Tokyo: 6502 - message board), which joined the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) in petitioning the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to consider DCR+, a competing interactive platform that could hinder the pace of cable's tru2way adoption. (See Brenner Defends OpenCable and Two-Way Battle Reaches FCC.)

The chief complaint of those vendors is that the tru2way license terms give too much control to cable MSOs. Although enthusiasm for DCR+ appears to be waning as more operators and suppliers throw their weight behind tru2way, an FCC mandate for the competing system could cause major headaches for the cable industry.

"The DCR+ plan would require significant changes in cable's infrastructure, including the separable security system endorsed by the FCC, and it could force a marketplace showdown similar to that of Blu-ray versus HD DVD," according to the report.

Regardless of possible DCR+ entanglements, several major cable operators are pushing ahead with tru2way deployments. Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC - message board), the leader in the category, has already deployed north of 750,000 tru2way boxes, and could hit the 1 million mark by mid-year. The report, citing sources, says Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) is preparing as many as 12 markets for the tru2way conversion.

With all known MSO activity factored in, Light Reading's Cable Industry Insider forecasts there will be roughly 2 million tru2way devices deployed by the end of 2008.

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=154059&site=cdn

Two-way battle over; cable wins

After a couple of years playing hard to get, Sony got into bed with the cable industry Tuesday and embraced CableLabs' tru2way standard for interactive-cable-ready devices. That makes at least six major consumer electronics manufacturers who have signed onto the CableLabs standard for two-way plug-and-play (and, more important, the license agreement that so many CE executives deplored), the others being Panasonic, Samsung, LG, Toshiba and Thomson.

This subject is more than a little esoteric, but there's a couple of real-world effects that are easy to identify. One is that Sony's move strikes another blow against the cursed cable converter box and its monthly rental fees. The box's functions should have been built into TV sets years ago, but cable operators and set makers were unable to agree on a standard approach to interactivity that would work on any system across the country. With Sony's acquiescence, tru2way (formerly known as OCAP) is now effectively that standard. The second real-world impact is that Sony's capitulation means there's little chance we'll see a cable-ready digital TV that fully integrates cable networks and services with complementary and competing programming from the Internet. The deals signed with CableLabs consign Internet content and other non-cable services to a program guide separate from the cable guide. The stricture rules out a guide that, for example, mixes on-demand movies from Netflix or Hulu with those from HBO.

Sony had been the strongest advocate for an alternative approach, dubbed DCR Plus, that would have given device manufacturers more control over the look and feel of cable services. The proposal drew derision from cable operators, which said DCR Plus would be obsolete at launch because it couldn't support some of their newest interactive features (e.g., displaying Caller ID information on a TV set when a call comes in over a cable-supplied phone line). The FCC, whose chairman has been Cable Enemy No. 1, gave DCR Plus advocates hope last year when it started considering rules for two-way plug and play. But the commission's did too little, too late to head off tru2way, which picked up support last year from such influential players as Intel and TiVo.

The TiVo deal illustrates the program-guide problem. In an FCC filing unearthed by the Gizmo Lovers Blog, the DVR pioneer reported plans for a tru2way-complaint device with two modes: a `TiVo mode' displaying all non-interactive channels in TiVo's customary user interface, which would allow recording, and a "cable mode” that displayed all cable networks and services in the cable operator's interface, minus the recording capability.

When asked why Sony dropped the DCR Plus effort, Sony Electronics General Counsel Michael T. Williams said in an e-mail, "There was simply a meeting of the minds between us and the cable operators and hopes of providing consumers with more choice. The key was an acknowledgment that we didn't know each other's business and we listened to one another." As for the guide issue, Williams wrote, "Sony is planning on providing a program guide separate from the cable guide."

On the plus side, the cable industry appears to be supporting tru2way with actions as well as words. Operators have committed to deploying tru2way in a significant portion of their devices, too, meaning that set manufacturers should be able to avoid a repeat of the problems they experienced with one-way CableCARDs. Manufacturers complained that the first generation of digital-cable-ready TV sets, based on a plug-and-play agreement hammered out almost five and a half years ago, were undermined by cable operators that didn't promote and barely supported CableCARDs. The cable industry retorted that the problem was the manufacturers' inconsistent implementation of the CableCARD specs.

Sony also won the ability to introduce new tru2way devices without the cable industry's prior testing and approval "after an initial period of demonstrated ability" to comply with the tru2way specs, Williams wrote. The promise of new devices is what makes deals like Sony's interesting. Consumer electronics and computer manufacturers innovate at light speed when compared to the pace of change in the cable industry. Just look at Panasonic's initial tru2way devices, announced at this year's International Consumer Electronics Show -- included is a set-top box with more pizazz than anything the cable operators offer.

What remains to be seen is how the tru2way licensing deals affect home entertainment networks. How will manufacturers deal with the requirements cable imposes for interfaces and content protection as they try to make it easy for consumers to move entertainment around their home, from device to device and to and from their cars? The worst-case scenario is that cable's technology and interfaces become the common denominator in home networks. But that concern, which once fueled the drive for DCR Plus, appears to be fading as manufacturers gradually make their peace with tru2way.

May 28, 2008

http://opinion.latimes.com/bitplayer/2008/05/two-way-battle.html

Comcast’s AnyRoom feature rolls into New England
By Mike Robuck
CedMagazine.com - May 27, 2008

Comcast announced today that its AnyRoom On Demand service is now available to digital cable subscribers in the company’s New England footprint.

With the free service, Comcast’s subscribers in New England with Motorola set-top boxes (STBs) are now able to start on-demand content or movies in one room and then view them throughout the household in other rooms that are equipped with digital STBs.

AnyRoom On Demand doesn’t require subscribers to make any changes to their service or add equipment in order to use the service.

"We are excited to bring this feature to our digital cable customers throughout New England," said Randy Waddell, SVP of sales and marketing for Comcast's North Central Division. "We are committed to delivering our customers the ultimate TV viewing experience, and the addition of AnyRoom technology is yet another feature that allows them to view their favorite programming, whenever and wherever they want to watch."

Comcast associates customer accounts with its video-on-demand (VOD) backoffice to start an on-demand offering in one room and then finish it in another room.

Comcast previously rolled out the service in New Jersey and said that AnyRoom would be available in other markets this year (story here). Comcast expects to provision the service on Cisco, or Scientific Atlanta, digital STBs later this year.

With AnyRoom, the "saved programs" list is shared among all digital cable boxes within a household registered to the same account, allowing on-demand movies or shows to be ordered in one room and then viewed in another. It also allows customers to watch the same program from two or more different digital boxes simultaneously.

To continue watching, or to restart a program in another room, customers go to the saved programs folder on their on-demand main menu and select the desired program, which will resume where it left off.

Comcast said that all on-demand programs more than 19 minutes in length are included in the AnyRoom feature. Any free, premium channel or paid programs can be watched during the "rental window" of the program on any TV in the home that has a digital cable box.

All program titles that are saved on one digital box will be displayed in the saved programs list on other digital boxes throughout the home.

Currently, Comcast has more than 10,000 titles available for on-demand viewing each month, with 90 percent of those titles available for free. Last month, Comcast announced that it had surpassed seven billion on-demand views since VOD was launched in 2003.

Next year, Comcast plans to offer more than 6,000 movies per month in its VOD tier, with more than 3,000 in high-definition (HD).

http://www.cedmagazine.com/Comcast-AnyRoom-New-England.aspx

All-digital cable move may spark viewer ire
By David Lieberman, USA TODAY
Cable subscribers who own a cable-ready analog TV — which means most customers — have it easy.

They simply attach a line from the wall into the back of the set, and it's ready to go. On cable's most popular service, that means access to about 80 channels — including those that define the medium, such as CNN, ESPN and USA Network.

They better enjoy it while they can.

Cable companies are eager to sweep away analog channels to make room for digital high-definition and interactive services. And Comcast (CMCSA), the No. 1 operator with 38% of cable's 65 million video customers, is about to lead that charge with the industry's most ambitious — and potentially riskiest — effort yet to change the way cable subscribers watch TV.

The reason is simple: Analog sucks up too much bandwidth, and that makes it hard to deliver the often lucrative services that customers are starting to want.

"We need the (analog) real estate for all kinds of advanced services, whether it's HDTV, higher-speed (Internet) service or more ethnic channels," says Derek Harrar, Comcast Cable's general manager of video services. "We will redeploy the bandwidth for applications that are going to improve the experience for different segments of our consumer base. That's really what it's all about."

But that may create headaches for millions of people who like things the way they are.

Comcast says it will drop its popular analog expanded basic service by year's end in about 20% of its markets. Other systems will follow through 2010. Analog customers affected by the change will have a choice:

•Those who want to continue watching the channels they currently receive must connect each affected TV to a device that converts digital signals into the analog ones that the set requires.

•Those who'd rather stick with their existing set-up will only be able to get a low-price, bare-bones package consisting largely of local broadcast stations.

There's a lot riding on how Comcast decides to mix deals and directives designed to drive customers to go digital.

Subscribers may rebel if they're baffled by Comcast's changes, if they feel pressured to pay higher monthly fees, or if the company-supplied digital converters create hassles — for example, by making it maddeningly slow to change channels.

"There's a reason (analog customers) are still analog," says Bruce Leichtman, president of industry analysis firm Leichtman Research. "They just don't want more" channels and services.

But if consumers like, or merely accept, Comcast's offer — and the cost to the company isn't too high — then other operators likely will follow close behind.

"We'll all pay attention to see how it works," says James Kelso, who oversees video engineering for Cox Communications. "We have to take turns blazing the trail and learning from each other. An awful lot of people are thinking about this."

Some are acting, as well.

Long Island, N.Y.-based Cablevision (CVC) recently yanked A&E, Animal Planet, E, Sci-Fi, TLC and the Travel Channel from the analog-only service, reducing it to about 60 channels — without a reduction in price.

Meanwhile, Time Warner Cable (TWC) is eliminating analog in areas of New York and Los Angeles where subscribers already need a box to watch TV; it's swapping analog boxes for digital at no charge to customers.

With HDTVs flying off the shelves, cable operators will "all end up in the same place in a couple of years," says Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett.

Smooth sailing unlikely

The road to get there may be bumpy, though. Some 43% of cable customers depend entirely on analog service. Other subscribers pay an extra $10 or so a month for a digital box and package of services that include extra channels, an electronic program guide and video on demand (VOD).

But even digital customers frequently have TVs in the kitchen, attic or kids' rooms that use analog service.

"About 65% of the televisions we serve are still connected to our network without a set-top box," says Kevin Leddy, Time Warner Cable's executive vice president for technology policy and product management. "Taking all of the analog services away would be pretty disruptive to the customer base."

Analog cable will serve 126 million TV sets in 2009, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) estimated last year in a filing with the Federal Communications Commission.

That's why some executives say analog is an asset, not an albatross. "One of cable's big advantages is, look, you plug this little wire from the wall into your television and, whammo, you have 80 channels," Kelso says. "No set-top required, and no nonsense. That is a really useful thing."

There's also a danger that consumers will be puzzled when cable operators push digital at the same time the USA prepares for the Feb. 17 national transition from analog to digital broadcasting. After that date, people will need a special digital converter to watch over-the-air television on an analog TV.

The cable industry assures customers in TV ads that their analog sets will "work just fine" with cable after Feb. 17.

"When you talk about an operator going all digital at the same time the government is doing this digital transition, the opportunity for confusion gets pretty high," Kelso says.

Some cable customers have already started to complain to the FCC. In response, it issued a "Consumer Advisory" in April, noting that when operators replace analog channels with digital, it's "a business decision made by the cable companies and is not required by the federal government."

That may be cold comfort to subscribers forced to make a change. Many customers complained last year when Comcast slashed analog channel offerings in Chicago and Calaveras County, Calif.

"I would recommend that they talk to people more," says Chicago Department of Consumer Services Commissioner Norma Reyes. "Comcast informed us as regulators, and the cable commission, about what was happening. But an informed consumer is the best consumer we can have."

Harrar says that Comcast customers won't be baffled when the local system dumps analog expanded basic service. "We're going to hold their hand and help them get through what's happening across the world, which is that everything is going digital."

Maybe not everything — but certainly enough to make a compelling business case to change. Just 70 analog channels take up about half the electronic space on a typical cable system's lines. That puts many cable systems at a competitive disadvantage.

The five largest operators carry an average of 25 HD channels, says The Bridge Data Group. That pales next to satellite: DirecTV (DTV) has 95, while Dish Network (DISH) has 64. Verizon's (VZ) fiber-optic FiOS service offers 21 but promises to have about 150 by year's end.

"The whole industry is trying to figure out how to get orders of magnitude increases in HD," says Shawn Strickland, FiOS' vice president for video solutions. "By this holiday season, there's going to be a stark contrast between who has an HD leadership position and who's not making progress."

Cable systems have several technological fixes to clear room for HD — but the fastest and easiest is to dump analog channels. Operators can fit 12 standard-definition digital channels, or two to three HD ones, in the space it takes to offer one analog channel.

Harrar says Comcast likely will provide free digital service for at least one TV in each home that subscribes to analog. Comcast would love to have customers take a box that also can provide VOD.

But the campaign may only succeed if consumers who don't have the space or desire for a box accept a brand new device: an inexpensive, digital-to-analog adapter that can fit inconspicuously behind the TV.

"For all intents and purposes, it replicates analog service," Harrar says. "There is no (electronic program) guide, there's no video on demand. But you do get all of the channels that are available to you in digital. And because it's inexpensive for us, we'll make it inexpensive for our customers."

The danger is that this seemingly simple device could create annoying new complications. For example, people who want the adapter hidden behind the TV would have to snake a wire to the front to receive remote control signals fired from across the room. That could confound people with complex connections to a VCR, DVR or other device.

Most consumers also would have to use a remote that comes with the adapter, or reprogram a different one, to adjust the volume as well as change channels.

What's more, "Digital channel changes take up to a second, or sometimes even more," says Imran Shah, managing partner of IBB Consulting, which works with several cable companies. "From a customer perspective, the (fast) channel change experience they're used to on analog will go away."

Comcast says that will be fixed before it orders the adapters. It hasn't ordered them yet, and won't say which manufacturers are on its short list.

Still, the company's largest equipment supplier says that it's on the case.

"We're in the prototype phase, but (eliminating the delay) is a requirement for the product," says Rob Folk, the product manager at Motorola.

Rule-directed route

It's important to get this right: Cable operators can eliminate analog channels once they can afford to put a consumer-friendly digital adapter on virtually every analog set.

The FCC ruled late last year that cable systems must carry analog versions of most local TV stations unless all subscribers — including those with analog sets — can still watch them from digital transmissions.

Cable operators have several reasons to consider an all-digital system the promised land, aside from making room for HD.

It's relatively easy to encrypt digital signals, which would stop lots of people from stealing cable service. In addition, operators could end the cost and frustration of having to send a technician out every time someone wants to start, or stop, getting cable service.

"No truck would ever roll, because it would be an all-electronic connect and disconnect," Kelso says. "That has an incredible operating expense benefit to a cable company. We definitely have an interest in that."

Cable systems also have to be all digital before they can be redesigned to provide virtually unlimited programming choices.

The first challenge, though, is to persuade people who are satisfied with the status quo to open themselves to change. And Comcast says it's confident that it can make the sale.

"We have worked since 2003 to train people to interact with their TVs in ways that they never thought that they would," he says. "When you say, 'What is the future of television?' it almost has to be that you can look through tons of choices and be able to hit play, pause, fast-forward and rewind on your schedule. We're trying to help customers get into the future in a way that's going to offer them great value and great choice."

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/services/2008-06-12-cable-digital_N.htm

Comcast Picks DTA Partners
Source: MSO Plans To Order 6 Million Digital-to-Analog Converters In 2008
By Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, 6/26/2008 6:30:00 AM

Philadelphia—Comcast has selected three vendors to supply digital-to-analog converters—Motorola, Pace Micro Technology and Thomson—and will order up to 6 million of the devices in 2008, according to an industry executive familiar with the MSO’s plans.

The operator wants to distribute the DTAs to analog video subscribers, to unlock 250 Megahertz or more spectrum by retiring dozens of analog channels.

Comcast chief operating officer Steve Burke in April told Wall Street analysts the company expects to cut over 20% of its footprint to all-digital operation in 2008, using DTAs.

Motorola DTA prototypeNext year, Comcast expects to order another 12 million DTAs as it widens the analog-reclamation project, the executive familiar with the MSO’s plans said.

The move indicates that Comcast is primarily looking to use DTAs to boost system capacity in the near term to provide more room for high-definition channels and “wideband” Internet service, rather than other techniques such as switched digital video.

Pace, while it has not commented on its work with Comcast on DTAs, announced on May 29 that it signed "a significant new contract for the U.S. cable market" for a low-cost digital-to-analog converter product that "will enable the transition to all-digital networks and will be delivered over the next three years."

Comcast declined to comment. A source close to the MSO, however, cautioned that those initial figures are somewhat higher than the actual number of DTAs the operator will likely purchase.

http://a330.g.akamai.net/7/330/2540/20080626104529/www.multichannel.com/articles/images/MCN/library/Moto_DTA.jpg

Digital-to-analog converters are sub-$50 devices, cheaper than the least-expensive digital cable set-tops on the market, designed to provide basic access to linear TV channels. The DTAs don’t provide advanced digital cable features, such as access to video-on-demand or digital video recording.

Comcast has developed a preliminary list of markets that are candidates to cut over to all-digital but has not yet made decisions about which markets will be the first to deploy the DTAs, according to the Comcast source.

In the spring of 2007, Comcast eliminated about 38 analog channels in Chicago, issuing Motorola DCT700 set-tops to analog video subscribers.

Comcast chief technology officer Tony Werner, speaking on a panel Wednesday here at the SCTE’s Cable-Tec Expo, said each system that completes the “all-digital” conversion will reclaim 250-300 MHz of spectrum.

Burke, on an earlier SCTE panel, said Comcast will begin its DTA rollout and analog reclamation initiative “in earnest” this fall.

He added, “We call it ‘all-digital’ but we’ll keep the analog B1 channels,” referring to the most basic group of local broadcast and public, educational and government channels.

The reason Comcast is eager to eliminate analog channels is to “clear more capacity for high-def and channels for DOCSIS channel bonding,” Burke said.

“Right now even though we say we have 1,000 high-def options on-demand, the fact that DirecTV can say, ‘We have 100 HD channels and no one else does’ -- that’s not a place we want to stay in,” Burke said.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6573422.html?desc=topstory

“Right now even though we say we have 1,000 high-def options on-demand, the fact that DirecTV can say, ‘We have 100 HD channels and no one else does’ -- that’s not a place we want to stay in,” Burke said.


Bout time he woke up and smelled the coffee!


I like the design of the DTA. Rounded edges, small, vented well and simple minimalist design.

Inside Comcast’s Downingtown
By Leslie Ellis

Downingtown, Pa.— About an hour from the gleaming 58-story Comcast Center in the heart of downtown Philadelphia, there’s a far-less-spectacular warehouse building owned by the same company in this suburban borough.

The nondescript building stretches out over an area larger than a football field and houses a labyrinth of laboratories, test rooms and troubleshooting areas designed to serve as Comcast’s new “integration epicenter.” Despite its plain outside appearance, it represents nothing less than the future of the largest cable operator in the United States and, by extension, the entire cable industry.

As the tech world becomes more splintered, it’s become increasingly difficult for the vast array of equipment needed to run a cable operation to “talk” with each other. Downingtown represents something akin to a 21st century Rosetta Stone through which Comcast can untangle software knots, allowing seamless communication between all of its disparate equipment. It is the last place new Comcast products and services go before they go into subscribing homes. It’s the final dragnet to catch and purge software bugs.

“We have [additional] product-engineering labs that develop and integrate and work out bugs,” said Comcast senior vice president of testing and operations Charlotte Field. “When [those products] get to Downingtown, we put them on this end-to-end network, to see how they work on our total network — our converged network.”

Its official name is “the Comcast end-to-end test and integration center,” but most people call it by its location. Downingtown. It’s an exact replica of the company’s national network, with links to companion labs in Denver, Bishop’s Gate, N.J., and Moorestown, N.J. All of the largest cable operators have similar operations in some form or another.

'BEES IN THE DARK’ The lab, which began its first tests last fall, helps the cable giant avoid massive technical glitches. So, for example, engineers here can test if a software update for a set-top box actually fixes the problem instead of corrupting an earlier software release.

Currently, the lab is clearing the bugs out of three applications: Caller ID on TV, which interrupts a program on TV to show the ID and number of incoming calls; helping consumers switch to the HD version of an SD video stream, and Tru2way TVs and set-top boxes, which will allow interactive ads and are to be available to consumers this fall. “Several” other tests are also underway, Comcast executives said.

Ultimately, the lab will be the final stop for potentially dozens of services and applications riding on Comcast’s video, broadband data and voice plant.

“It’s all about testing to make sure anything new can be provisioned and billed for, and to make sure we have the right tools to understand what kind of problems can arise,” Field said.

Comcast wouldn’t say how much it spent to build the Downingtown dragnet, but the price tag is estimated to be more, and perhaps substantially more, than $25 million, according to one person familiar with the costs.

More than anything, cable’s need for such facilities reflects how critical software has become for the information technology systems needed to support new services. Finding problems in a world of software, as one cable technologist likes to quip, is like getting stung by bees in the dark: You know they’re there, but you can’t see them.

The old rule of thumb about how cable’s capital spending is 80% hardware and 20% software is starting to invert. That’s largely because cable technology was once primarily physically tangible: an amplifier, a roll of coaxial cable, an F-fitting for the end of a piece of cable.

Those physical artifacts are still around, but the far more complicated part is software. The set-top box, now designed to be the new Tru2way devices coming to retail later this year, goes away. Implementing it is a complicated twist of firmware, software stacks, operating systems, middleware, and applications. And it’s all invisible.

And that’s the reason for Downingtown — to be the secret decoder ring that brings software problems into the visible domain.

SOFTENING THE NETWORK? As recently as two years ago, if you asked a cable CTO what was the hardest challenge faced by a system, the phrase “hardening the network” was high on the list. “Hardening the network” meant getting serious about best practices on craftsmanship — from splicing individual strands of fiber together, to crimping on F-connectors. It meant developing consistency around tests and measurements, to make sure the right signal levels existed for the best possible pictures, fastest data speeds, and best sound quality. Much of it was driven by the addition of voice services, which necessarily must support 911 emergency calls.

To “harden the network” was to develop policies for spare equipment and redundancy, so that if a link went down on the west end of town, a mechanism was there to quickly open up another lane to subscribing households. It meant paying closer attention to “telemetry,” which also goes by “network monitoring.” (For years, network monitoring was among the first things to get sliced during budgeting negotiations. No longer.)

These “plant-hardening” techniques became more critical as the cable industry, once comprised of literally hundreds of separate operators going back 60 years, has consolidated into a handful of giants. The way Continental Cable did things was different than the way TeleCable did things, which was similar to the way Cox Communications did things, but different than how Adelphia Communications or Tele-Communications Inc. did them.

Reality, in cable technology, is this: Every system is at least a little different than the next. From amplifier spacing to bandwidth maximums to optical layouts to headend components to conditional access and encryption, it’s entirely plausible that no one cable system is exactly like another.

Even the “500-home node” necessarily doesn’t serve precisely 125 homes to the north, south, east and west of its location because neighborhoods and towns just didn’t evolve that way. One side of town grows faster than the other, or uses more on-demand services than the other.

Because these software and applications differences matter so much, that’s why today’s cable technologists are now talking about “softening the network.”

At the recent SCTE Cable-Tec Expo in Philadelphia, Comcast executive vice president of national engineering and technical operations John Schanz used the term on an early morning breakfast panel. A few hours later, his colleague, chief technical officer Tony Werner, echoed the idea in a different panel discussion.

“Software has always been an important part of the business — but it becomes much more relevant now, in terms of testing, uniformity on requirements, openness,” Schanz said at the breakfast. “The network is softening as part of the evolution toward merging multiple products and experiences onto a single network.”

Comcast is not alone in the pursuit of an end-to-end integration lab. Time Warner Cable operates one, in Charlotte, N.C. In Atlanta, Cox links its interoperability tests with a gating system — suppliers must get through each gate before advancing to the next. Not all of the gates are technical. The earlier Cox gates determine whether a product should even be on its plant, by way of business models and product viability.

CABLE ANATOMY 101 The physical anatomy of a cable system goes something like this: A national fiber optic network links into regional fiber rings, which encircle cities and towns. The rings connect to headends and headends to distribution hubs. Hubs connect over fiber to nodes, nodes connect over coaxial cable to homes.

The nervous system of a contemporary cable system, traditionally called “the back office” or “billing system,” is what’s different now. Nowadays, it’s called “IT” (information technology) and it comprises all the software necessary to sell various services to each individual customer: Say a customer wants caller ID on the video service, and needs and 8 Megabyte package for her data service. All that requires “provisioning” of a customer’s devices and services, requiring linking into the systems that can send the bill at the end of the month.

In some ways, Downingtown pales in comparison to its companion lab in Denver, nestled near the Rockies with an array of 10-meter dishes on the outside, and its extensive video and production orientation inside. Comcast absorbed the facility as part of its purchase of TCI.

As the former “Headend in the Sky,” or HITS facility, the Comcast Media Center remains the breeding ground and physical launching pad for new video products — like its recently announced “Axis” program, to assist software developers wanting to write applications that will run on Comcast’s Tru2way platforms. The CMC will continue to provide mission-critical uplink services of broadcast and on-demand video, and will pave the company’s way toward advanced video compression, like MPEG-4.

But Downingtown is as different from the Comcast Media Center as suburban Philadelphia is from Denver. The Downingtown center is more about the general, industrial shift to software and applications that run on a “converged” network — meaning not within the traditional and isolated “silos” of voice gear, video gear and data gear. (Staffers have already shortened how they talk about the multiplatform, silo-busting approach: “cross-plat.”)

Inside, the end-to-end Downingtown lab is a combination of office space, used as applications labs, and a 15,000 square foot data center. The application labs are used by 50 Comcast employees, now, as well as any technology suppliers wanting to make sure their gear will work on Comcast’s converged plant.

“We built it so that vendors can come in to do early interoperability testing, to isolate problems they may not see in their test facilities — but would in ours,” said Field.

Rack upon racks of gear line the vast building, like some futuristic department store. There’s a training room, and a legacy testing lab, important so that new applications don’t crash devices that are already installed in people’s homes. There’s also a troubleshooting area, to fix problems as they occur — but preferably before they occur.

Disaster recovery protocols are studied here so that redundant routes can be instantly activated to move information and communications traffic. Likewise, automatic testing lets an operator test multiple devices with multiple applications without having a person sitting there loading each application. Essentially, more testing, faster. Comcast engineers can also test unattended, which means they can do this testing from somewhere other than where the equipment is.

For power, Downingtown features substantial generator backup. Battery backup, too — enough for 15 minutes of clean, uninterrupted power. That translates into a room full of stacked, car-battery-sized batteries.

Where the racks run out, expansion space exists — an adjacent and unfinished room on one end of the building with nearly 20,000 feet of unused space — for now.

Said Schanz: “What we’re doing right now is preparing the infrastructure. The beginnings of the software ecosystem are coming together. It’s a journey, but we’re definitely on it.”

http://www.videobasedtutorials.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=443922

Great find PaulGo. The Downingtown center is about an hour away from me. I've been seeing numerous job postings for software and testing in Downingtown, and this article clarifies why.

I'd love to get in there as a new technology tester, but I'm not sure with these gas prices if it's worth an hour or more (with traffic) daily commute. Right now I drive 30 minutes to Pottstown. Sure I could move, but the woman works in Reading, so one of us would suffer the commute (and she has an SUV).

Anyway back on topic, Go to Comcast.com and select careers. Create a Brassring search agent for jobs in PA and you'll see there are a number of openings. I don't know what the payscale is, but I get paid rather well doing IT System Administration and help desk, so not sure if it's worth changing jobs. Although the thrill of seeing and working with new technology first hand would be great.

The Comcast payscale is competitive and the benifits are very good (free cable, internet and reduced price phone service) along with a very good health and dental plan. See what they offer, since if your really will enjoy the job it could be worthwhile. Arelitive of mine works for Comcast.

Just remember like any other large company you can have political decisions which can drive you up the wall! However in an R&D development is probably is minimized.

Thomson Confirms Comcast’s Digital-to-Analog Adapter Order
Vendor To Supply Sub-$40 Device For MSO’s Analog-Reclamation Projects
By Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, 7/7/2008 9:37:00 AM

Thomson announced Monday that it has entered into a purchase agreement with Comcast for an unspecified number of digital-to-analog adapters, low-cost devices that the MSO is looking to use to free up large amounts of spectrum.

Thomson did not disclose the value of the deal.

Multichannel News last month reported that Comcast has ordered as many as 6 million DTAs for delivery this year from Thomson, Motorola and Pace Micro Technology.

Comcast has said it expects to eliminate most analog TV channels in about 20% of its footprint by the end of 2008, providing DTAs to basic cable subscribers who don’t have any interest in standard digital package.

“Thomson is pleased to enter the U.S. cable video market and expand our relationship with Comcast by becoming a supplier of DTA adapters,” Frederic Kurkjian, Thomson’s Systems Division vice president of video premises systems, said in a statement. “The experience on this project will be invaluable for us as the world prepares to follow suit and migrate from analog to digital.”

Paris-based Thomson showed its DTA adapter at the NCTA’s Cable Show in New Orleans in May.

Thomson said the DCI 1011, scheduled for mass production in September, will cost less than $40 and can replicate an existing analog lineup.

The DCI 1011, like other digital-to-analog converters, doesn’t include support for conditional access or any other advanced digital cable services, like video-on-demand or interactive program guides. The DCI 1011 does have an infrared port for remote-control operation, and uses the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) 65 standard to transmit channel call letters from the headend.

Thomson already supplies Comcast with embedded multimedia terminal adapters, which provide voice and data services in a single customer-premises device.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6575950.html?q=comcast

Analyst: Comcast Ready to Spend Big On HD
The Collins Stewart analyst says the cable operator is being hurt by Video on Demand.
By Swanni

Washington, D.C. (July 7, 2008) -- Comcast is preparing to invest heavily in expanding its High-Definition TV lineup, says an influential industry analyst.

That's according to an article in Multichannel News.

Thomas Eagan, a senior media analyst with Collins Stewart, an investment banking group, says Comcast has concluded that it needs to add more high-def channels.

The cable operator now carries around 40 HD channels in most markets (fewer in some), but that's less than half than what HD channel leader DIRECTV offers.

Comcast has tried to downplay the disadvantage by promoting its high-def Video on Demand service. But Eagan says that's not enough to keep subscribers happy.

"I think HD channels are more important than HD choices,” Eagan told Multichannel News. “I think people want HD channels, not just HD On Demand.”

Eagen forecasts that Comcast will switch its systems to all-digital, eliminating analog channels which would increase its high-def capacity. However, the analyst says the switchover will be costly.

“Whether they use digital to analog converters or digital set-top boxes — maybe they will use a combination of both — I think it’s going to result in a big 2009 (capital expenditure) number,” he said.

http://www.tvpredictions.com/comcast070708.htm

Comcast Expands SDV Test Pool
JULY 02, 2008

Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) is putting switched digital video (SDV) to the test in at least two more markets -- Minneapolis and St. Paul -- Cable Digital News has learned.

According to people familiar with the trials, the MSO is giving Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT - message board)'s SDV system a go in St. Paul and using Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO - message board)'s platform in Minneapolis.

Comcast has already tapped Cisco for its SDV test in Cherry Hill, N.J., and Motorola for a trial in the Denver area. (See Comcast Puts SDV Vendors to the Test and Comcast Reveals SDV Test Beds.)

As for other SDV-related vendor activity, the MSO has already selected edge QAMs from Arris Group Inc. (Nasdaq: ARRS - message board) and Harmonic Inc. (Nasdaq: HLIT - message board). Comcast has also added BigBand Networks Inc. (Nasdaq: BBND - message board) to its list of approved SDV suppliers, but has not picked a market for vetting that vendor's technology. (See Comcast Taps Arris for Edge QAM Initiative and Who Makes What: Switched Digital Video .)

Asked about SDV trials in Minnesota, Comcast wouldn't comment. (Considering the Twin Cities are also the site of the operator's first commercial deployment of Docsis 3.0, we'll have to assume engineers there don't have much time to spare these days). But a spokeswoman noted that the MSO plans to expand beyond the first two SDV test beds, where the trials have been "going well."

Industry sources say Comcast wants to make sure SDV performs well before making any significant leaps forward with the technology, which is designed to use existing bandwidth more efficiently by multicasting channels in "switched" tiers only when customers in a given service group select them for viewing. Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC - message board) and Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE: CVC - message board) are among MSOs that have deployed SDV the most broadly. Just last week, Rogers Communications Inc. (NYSE: RG - message board; Toronto: RCI) of Canada announced it would launch Cisco's switching technology in Ontario. (See Rogers Turning on SDV .)

It also appears that Comcast, despite the addition of two SDV test locations, has scaled back some of its original plans for the technology -- unless it's waiting to ramp things up in the third and fourth quarters. In February, execs said the operator had budget set aside to introduce SDV in about 15 percent of its service area by the end of 2008. (See Is SDV Fading?)

Since then, however, Comcast has given much more attention to an analog reclamation project that will be fueled in part by the deployment of millions of inexpensive, one-way Digital Terminal Adapters (DTAs). (See Comcast Confirms Digital Dongle Project and DTAs on Parade .)

Speaking at last week's Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers Cable-Tec Expo in Philadelphia, Comcast Corp. COO Steve Burke noted that the MSO's all-digital strategy will get "started in earnest this fall." When asked to weigh the bandwidth management options on the table, Burke said Comcast will "lean more heavily toward analog reclamation."

Comcast plans to deploy its "all-digital" strategy in about 20 percent of its footprint this year. But the term is a bit of a misnomer, because in those markets, Comcast will continue to offer about 30 channels from its B1 basic programming tier in analog form. The move, however, will allow the operator to get back about 40 analog channels and apply that capacity toward Docsis 3.0, video-on-demand (VOD), and high-definition television services.

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=158098

Tru2way Love
By Brian Santo, Michael Robuck and Traci Patterson
CedMagazine.com - July 01, 2008

Via demos, sessions and new product announcements,
The Cable Show showered affection on tru2way

Some critics consider television a vast wasteland, but with the advent of tru2way and the sophisticated interactive applications tru2way is making possible – finally becoming available and on display at the recent Cable Show – TV might yet become what it always had the potential to be: something to really love.

The NCTA Cable Show in New Orleans highlighted several trends and technologies, including interactive advertising, business services, and PacketCable Multimedia, but it was tru2way that set the theme for the show the way ’70s cover bands set the beat on Bourbon Street.

CableLabs, NCTA and Vidiom Systems sponsored a day-and-a-half tru2way conference before the show officially started, and there were at least 20 vendors with announcements related to tru2way, including some that drew a bead on lighter-weight applications based on ETV and EBIF that are precursors to tru2way deployments.

At the preceding conference, Panasonic Corporation of North America Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Paul Liao said of tru2way, “It is a great technology. It’s the simplest way for us to test, evolve and develop applications.”

Balance of article at:

http://www.cedmagazine.com/Article-Tru2way-Love.aspx

The Comcast DTA Dance
SEPTEMBER 12, 2008

The Bauminator recently reported on Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK)'s plans to deploy digital terminal adapters (DTAs) without video content protection, though the devices include the option of turning on a “lite” content protection system from Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT - message board) later. (See Comcast's DTAs: Security Optional .)

As noted:

According to people familiar with the project, the Broadcom Corp. chipsets that will grace these DTAs will be capable of activating content protection via a firmware download. Those chips, at least for this phase of the project, are being hardwired or "burned in" with Motorola Inc.’s "privacy mode." -- a content protection system that's already used with video-on-demand fare.

While Motorola’s “privacy mode” is used to protect individual VOD streams, it is not in the same league as full conditional access (CA) systems (including Motorola’s MediaCipher) that are aimed at securing paid digital video content that is broadcast continually. In other words, if a hacker succeeds in cracking the protection for a VOD stream, they get one movie. If they crack the CA protecting a cable operator’s entire digital programming lineup, they get free access to everything else.

So, Comcast is going to use [ed. note: well, the operator said it has the option to use] VOD-class protection for broadcast digital content? One can’t help but wonder: What on earth are they thinking?

The stated logic behind the decision is that by installing DTAs without CA, Comcast can avoid the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) 's draconian separable set-top security rules. (See Countdown to 'Seven-Oh-Seven'.) Then, if and when a new FCC commissioner arrives with a new White House administration in 2009, Comcast can take a shot at getting a waiver that will allow the company to turn on Motorola’s minimalist protection software.

So, while Comcast waits and hopes for change at the FCC, it will only be able to send digital video signals to DTAs “in the clear.” That would mean the MSO could use DTAs only for the reception of programming that is currently sent in the clear -- retransmitted broadcast TV and a handful of limited basic cable networks, like C-SPAN and QVC. Even if Comcast gets a waiver to turn on “privacy mode,” it is unlikely that basic cable networks with valuable content -- like CNN, Discovery, Fox Sports, or MTV -- would trust the technology to protect their digital assets, let alone premium channels like HBO or Showtime.

Balance of article at:
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=163600

Comcast Doctoring Digital in Detroit
SEPTEMBER 09, 2008

Detroit will be the second Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) market to get the digital treatment.

Comcast Cable president Steve Burke revealed the Motor City as such today during his talk today at the Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. Media and Entertainment Conference in Marina Del Ray, Calif.

A Comcast spokeswoman confirmed that the MSO has an all-digital trial underway in Battle Creek and Adrian, Mich., which are both in the Detroit region. The move to digital could pave the way for Detroit to get its hands on Docsis 3.0 later. (See Comcast Enters the Wideband Era .)

Burke didn’t provide much technical detail, but it's likely that Comcast will repeat what it did in Chicago last year -- by going mostly digital and reclaiming gobs of analog spectrum but leaving its "B1" programming tier (roughly 20 to 25 channels) in analog. (See Going 'Mostly' Digital .)

Comcast has plans in place to enlist a similar strategy in 20 percent of its markets, with the majority set to occur in the back half of the year. Comcast will fuel that plan using different forms of all-digital set-tops as well as simple, one-way digital terminal adapters (DTAs). (See Comcast Confirms Digital Dongle Project, Comcast's DTAs: Security Optional , Broadcom Adapts Chipset for DTAs, Comcast Gives Thomson Nod for DTAs , and Pace Pix .)

Industry sources have indicated that Comcast could begin to roll out DTAs as early as this month, but the spokeswoman said the MSO has yet to pull the trigger on any deployments.

Burke did address some of the longer-term plans Comcast has in store for the DTA. Of Comcast's 24 million video subs, about 15 million are already taking digital services. Another 4.5 million are taking Comcast's analog-only/expanded basic tier; Comcast expects to give them two or three set-top boxes each, with the majority of those devices being DTAs.

Comcast will also provide DTAs to digital subscribers, to ensure that their extra analog sets can display any channels from the expanded basic tier that might be migrated to digital.

Burke said it will take roughly 25 million DTAs for Comcast to complete its digital migration over the next 12 to 18 months, confirming that unit prices will be $30 to $35.

With spectrum freed up, "you can get as much HD as you want," Burke said, noting that Comcast will also use the room to beef up ethnic programming tiers that will compete with offerings from Dish Network Corp. and DirecTV Group Inc. (NYSE: DTV - message board).

Separately, Burke didn't speculate on Comcast's chances of reeling in new subscribers as the nation's full-power broadcasters cut over to digital on Feb. 17. (See DTV Transition Could Catalyze Cable.) What Comcast does know is that of the 50 million homes its network passes, 6 million to 8 million still rely on over-the-air broadcast signals.

Comcast is mulling some marketing options for this group: Send out the message that their TV viewing lives won't change if they sign up for cable; offer a super-cheap broadcast-only tier; or offer a baseline video service for free if those customers agree to sign up for high-speed Internet and digital phone service.

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=163341

[So, while Comcast waits and hopes for change at the FCC, it will only be able to send digital video signals to DTAs “in the clear.” That would mean the MSO could use DTAs only for the reception of programming that is currently sent in the clear -- retransmitted broadcast TV and a handful of limited basic cable networks, like C-SPAN and QVC. Even if Comcast gets a waiver to turn on “privacy mode,” it is unlikely that basic cable networks with valuable content -- like CNN, Discovery, Fox Sports, or MTV -- would trust the technology to protect their digital assets, let alone premium channels like HBO or Showtime.

Balance of article at:
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=163600
This doesn't make sense, as they aren't even discontinuing Analog Ltd. Basic, so following their logic, there would be no need for a DTA (for Digital Ltd. Basic).

Obviously, the DTA is to allow for reception of Digital Expd. Basic. They are effectively ruling out the networks allowing for that tier to be sent it out in the clear, with use of premises filters, because they don't even mention it.

They mention a better option, and rule that out, by saying, even with an FCC waiver, the networks wouldn't allow Motorola's less effective protection mode to be used for their precious digital signals.

Why not? There is hardly any difference between an Analog and a Digital SD signal, compared to HD Digital. If they can send Analog in the clear, they would probably be allowed to send Digital SD in the clear or with less effect protection than usual. What do you think?

In about two years (or sooner in some areas) Comcast will probably eliminate all analog channels. They will probably offer low cost converters (without any copy protection) for about 40 core channels, Comcast will send these as clear QAM so all existing sets with a digital QAM tuner can receive them. This will make the people who hate boxes happy and provide a low cost transition to an all digital signal. Of course this is pure speculation but it does make sense and allows use of all the millions of sets sold with clear QAM tuners. I think all broadcasters will allow this since their digital signal can be received OTA. Also some cable only outlets will allow this so they can reach a larger audience.

I hope you're right but knowing Comcast, I'd expect that they would maintain the encryption on digital exp. basic to extract max revenue from the customer. That's what's happening now before the DTA's arrive.

We'll see.

In about two years (or sooner in some areas) Comcast will probably eliminate all analog channels.

I disagree. For Analog, they have said Ltd. Basic will be around for a while. Expd. Basic is being phased out, as we know it has just started recently.

They will probably offer low cost converters (without any copy protection) for about 40 core channels, Comcast will send these as clear QAM so all existing sets with a digital QAM tuner can receive them. This will make the people who hate boxes happy and provide a low cost transition to an all digital signal.

That is what I thought. That is why the article in the previous seems incorrect to me.

Of course this is pure speculation but it does make sense and allows use of all the millions of sets sold with clear QAM tuners. I think all broadcasters will allow this since their digital signal can be received OTA.

Of course.

Also some cable only outlets will allow this so they can reach a larger audience.

Well, many better, if they want to put Expd. Basic in Digital.

I hope you're right but knowing Comcast, I'd expect that they would maintain the encryption on digital exp. basic to extract max revenue from the customer. That's what's happening now before the DTA's arrive.

We'll see.
As I understand it, DTAs have latent encryption, that can't be used now, not unless and until they get an FCC waiver.

They have not been encrypting Expd. Basic to get more revenue, they have to stop Ltd. Basic customers with Digital QAM TVs from getting it. The other option would have been to filter it out and maintain those filters, which is a time consuming and costly process. Add that to the maintanence of Analog Expd. Basic filters already in place.

At least, when they drop Analog Expd. Basic, they can replace those filters with the ones for Digital Expd. Basic, it will be $ and time, but it will be progress for bandwith reclamation.

I disagree. For Analog, they have said Ltd. Basic will be around for a while. Expd. Basic is being phased out, as we know it has just started recently....


In an email from the prior Comcast CTO he stated Comcast wanted to get rid of all analog channels after two year from the over the air cut analog date (it may be sooner in some areas).

At least, when they drop Analog Expd. Basic, they can replace those filters with the ones for Digital Expd. Basic, it will be $ and time, but it will be progress for bandwith reclamation.

They don't need to replace anything. Once analog expd. basic is removed, digital expanded basic can move into the newly opened frequency spot, which would be covered under the same traps as now.

Absolutely nothing would change. Just digital signals under the trap instead of analog ones.

In an email from the prior Comcast CTO he stated Comcast wanted to get rid of all analog channels after two year from the over the air cut analog date (it may be sooner in some areas).
They have periodically revised their plans, and I apparently missed this latest plan. You did say two years or sooner from now, and seeing as they only plan to have 20% of markets dropping Expd. Basic Analog this year, I didn't think they would have drop Ltd. Basic Analog so soon, but they surely may.

They don't need to replace anything. Once analog expd. basic is removed, digital expanded basic can move into the newly opened frequency spot, which would be covered under the same traps as now.

Absolutely nothing would change. Just digital signals under the trap instead of analog ones.
Good point.

My other point still holds, though. They saved time and $ not having to trap out Expd. Basic in Digital while also trapping the simulcast in Analog. Rather, they have been using encryption for the Digital until it can replace the Analog.

Don't you think though that they will eventually abandon traps like they wanted to? One obvious way is to get an FCC waiver on encryption. The other is to have enough Digital QAM TVs in the field, that those with Analog or Digtial w/o QAM TVs will be few enough, that Comcast will have no problem telling them they must rent a CC Digital Box. Any guesses when that will be?

If they could get a waiver from the FCC, along with still be able to get DTA's with security functions cheaply massed produced, then yeah I think Comcast will encrypt all of expanded basic. Even in the few RCN All Digital markets, they've started locking down EVERYTHING, and people with QAM tuners are pissed. The Cable operator doesn't care if people are pissed or not. They just care about protecting their signal.

Even if it was unencrypted digital, someone could still open a lock box and simply attach their cable to the tap port, or remove the expanded basic trap if it's there. Then they can get cable TV with off the shelf QAM tuners. So all digital + Encryption would be the ultimate form of signal security.

Does the rising cost of adding security decoding to the DTA's merit the cost of theft and truck rolls for connections/disconnections? Maybe it does, but they will have to convince the FCC from there. And if the boxes can 'cheaply' be engineered to use Motorola's Privacy Mode, is that enough encryption to keep them and their content providers happy? What about Scientific Atlanta systems? Do they have a simular cheap encryption? Or are they going to use another format like DVB? But that would be a waste of bandwidth because that format would still need to be simulcast in QAM MPEG2 for the people with real boxes and DVR's.

In an email from the prior Comcast CTO he stated Comcast wanted to get rid of all analog channels after two year from the over the air cut analog date (it may be sooner in some areas).

Facing the heat from FiOS, cutting off analog is pretty much required if Comcast wants to stay in business.

Don't you think though that they will eventually abandon traps like they wanted to? One obvious way is to get an FCC waiver on encryption. The other is to have enough Digital QAM TVs in the field, that those with Analog or Digtial w/o QAM TVs will be few enough, that Comcast will have no problem telling them they must rent a CC Digital Box. Any guesses when that will be?
10 years from now, easy. They were still selling analog TV's a couple of years ago, and digital QAM tuner TVs are still too expensive in comparison for secondary set replacement. Might change if they get cheap enough, but if your old set still works, why switch?

I think they would love to get rid of traps, but I also think (hope) that they are scared of what happens if they force everyone to get boxes for all sets.

Comcast Tunes Up SDV Tuning Adapters
OCTOBER 08, 2008

Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) confirmed Wednesday that it is making a new breed of Tuning Adapters for customers who use inherently one-way CableCARD-capable digital TVs and stand-alone TiVo Inc. (Nasdaq: TIVO - message board) digital video recorders (DVRs) that require help accessing channels delivered in the operator's switched tier.

A spokeswoman said the Tuning Adapters are already available to customers in Cherry Hill, N.J., confirming reports from Comcast customers earlier this week.

Cherry Hill is one of the few markets where Comcast is testing switched digital video (SDV), a technique that improves bandwidth efficiency. There, Comcast is using Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO - message board)'s SDV platform as well as the vendor's overarching digital platform.

Cisco has developed a Tuning Adapter called the STA-1520, while Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT - message board) offers one called the MTR700. (See Cisco Intros SDV Tuning Adapter .)

The cable industry shifted the Tuning Adapter (previously dubbed the "Tuning Resolver") project into high gear following complaints from TiVo that the DVR pioneer's unidirectional, CableCARD-capable units would not be able to access the channels delivered via SDV. Channels in an operator's switched tier are streamed out only when a customer in a given service group selects them for viewing. (See NCTA Sees Solution to Switching Snag.)

CableLabs published the Tuning Adapter specs last November. The device itself hooks in via a USB 2.0 connection and uses that link to modify the firmware of the DVR or digital TV. (See CableLabs Spec Brings SDV to the Masses.)

Balance of article at:

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=165548&site=cdn

Tru2way™ Platform for Bidirectional Cable Communication Launches

Comcast Corporation and Panasonic have announced the first deployment of tru2way bidirectional digital cable technology. Tru2way was developed by CableLabs based on the OpenCable™ specification and is a Java-based open application platform. It is being promoted as a digital CableCARD™ system that enables two-way communication between a digital-cable-ready TV set or other device and a cable operator's head end to provide viewers with a rich interactive experience. According to a statement from Panasonic, "the technology creates a common software platform that will enable cable companies, consumer electronics companies, content developers, network programmers and others to extend interactivity to the TV set and other kinds of devices."

On October 15, 2008, Comcast activated the technology on its cable systems in Chicago and Denver. Panasonic HDTV sets with tru2way capability were also made available at selected retail outlets in these areas. The new Panasonic 42" and 50" Viera sets have built-in tru2way CableCARD slots enabling consumers to receive the cable electronic program guide and access two-way digital cable programming, like video on demand, pay-per-view, and other services, without a cable operator-supplied set-top box. To see the announcement from Panasonic and Comcast click here. Another announcement, from the Consumer Electronics Association, is available here.

The advantage of the bidirectional cable card f or consumers is that it removes he need for another set-top device around the TV and potentially reduces the equipment fee cable operators charge to lease their set-top components. However, it also enables other DTV devices to have bidirectional cable capability.

Comcast will supply tru2way CableCARDS to subscribers who request them and will provide Multistream cards, which enable tuning up to two channels simultaneously for recording one while watching a different program. While the initial tru2way products rolled out by Panasonic in Chicago and Denver are integrated televisions without recording capability, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January this year, Panasonic and Comcast announced that a tru2way set-top box with DVR was undergoing trials and would be available later in 2008. At CES, they also showed a tru2way-enabled portable digital video recorder (P-DVR) known as the Comcast AnyPlay™, expected to be available in 2009. This device incorporates DVR functionality into a portable DVD player, which, when placed in a docking station connected to cable, functions as a full-featured DVR.

This deployment of a bidirectional cable card system is the end of a long-drawn-out process. In the Communications Act of 1996, Congress first sought to provide cable television customers with the opportunity to purchase their own navigation devices (i.e., set top boxes). This finally led to the FCC's Plug and Play Order of September 2003 that provided consumers with the possibility for purchasing an alternative to the set-top box rented from the cable company. However the adopted specifications provided for a one-way system only, with no upstream or bidirectional capabilities and no support for services such as electronic program guides, video on demand, pay-per-view or other interactive features.

As reported in TV TechCheck of July 9, 2007, the cable industry and the consumer electronics industries subsequently submitted different proposals for bidirectional plug-and-play systems, neither of which gained acceptance. This eventually led to the FCC in June 2007 releasing a Notice of Proposed Rule Making, stating that consumers had not shown significant interest in one-way services and soliciting comments on the two different proposals for bidirectional cable solutions. In reply comments to that NPRM, the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA) set out the case for adopting the OpenCable™ platform developed by CableLabs.

The OpenCable platform was subsequently renamed tru2way and announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in January this year by Comcast and several consumers electronics manufacturers as an agreed software platform to enable digital televisions and other devices to access cable's two-way interactive services without the need for a set-top box. This was confirmed by binding memorandums of understanding on tru2way technology signed in June 2008, between six U.S. cable operators (Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, Cablevision, Charter, and Bright House Networks) and consumer electronics manufacturers including Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, and also with set-top box makers ADB and Digeo, and chip manufacturer Intel.

While not codified by the FCC, it does seem that tru2way will be the de facto cable industry standard for interactive cable systems. Its capabilities are summarized in the Host License agreement (click here) and the full OpenCable specifications are available at www.opencable.com/specifications.

http://naob-advocacy.informz.net/naob-advocacy/archives/archive_170687.html

Although this is a local story it appear Comcast systems throughout the country will be doing a similar transition to digital.

Comcast changes affect mid-valley
By Steve Lathrop
Albany Democrat-Herald
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=126072&d=1228530505


Additional channels and services are available to cable TV customers in Linn and Benton counties beginning this week, according to Theressa Davis of Comcast.

Digital reception will be provided to customers who receive Standard Cable and Expanded Basic Cable channels (2 through 71) beginning Feb. 11. The company is making available digital converter boxes at no charge starting this week.

“Our customers have told us they want more high definition and more digital delivery,” Davis said.

Letters began going out this week outlining the change. Standard and Expanded Basic channels have been carried in both digital and analog formats allowing customers to use the service without the need for additional equipment.

According to Davis, the conversion lets Comcast better utilize its available bandwidth.

Each customer will receive a free upgrade to digital including high-definition television, on-demand choices, an on-screen interactive guide and digital music channels.

Customers receiving Limited Basic cable service (channels 2 through 31) on analog signals will see no change.

Chris Banker at Global Communications in Lebanon, which offers DirecTV satellite systems in Linn and Benton counties, said the Comcast announcement has no impact for satellite viewers.

“We already are all digital and our customers have boxes,” he said.

With the change, Comcast will add up to 20 additional channels. Davis said monthly service fees will not increase.

The letter outlines steps customers need to take to receive the equipment. Standard and Expanded Basic analog customers will get a digital set top box which accesses all added services. Up to two adapter boxes for use on other televisions will also be provided. Adapters will receive the television signal only.

Customers receiving digital service with televisions not hooked up to their set top box will need adapters to get digital channels. People needing more than two adapters can get them for $1.99 each.

Those choosing not to take the equipment will receive only Limited Basic channels 2 through 31 after Feb. 11.

Customers can order equipment by calling 1-800-266-2278. Shipping is free and subscribers can install the systems themselves. Professional installation is available at a cost of $16.99.

Davis emphasized that the change is not connected with the mandated federal change due in February, when over-the-air transmissions switch to digital.

http://www.democratherald.com/articles/2008/12/03/news/local/5aaa02_comcastchanges.txt

Hands on with the Pace DTA over in the Broadbandreports ComcastTV Forum:
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r21518134-Digital-Transport-Adapter-Unboxing-Photos

Panasonic, Comcast: tru2way Now “Active” in Chicago and Denver
Posted on December 29, 2008 by itvtwp
–Funai to Launch tru2way-Enabled DVR at CES

Panasonic and Comcast recently announced that tru2way is now “active” in the Chicago and Denver areas: Comcast says that it has activated its first tru2way headends in those regions, and Panasonic says it is now offering its tru2way-enabled Viera HDTV sets in retail at Abt Electronics in Glenview, Illinois, at various Circuit City stores in and around Chicago, and at Ultimate Electronics and Circuit City stores in the Denver area. The companies say they will launch tru2way capability in additional cities in the coming months. “The arrival of the first tru2way HDTV’s at retail, combined with Comcast’s activation of its first tru2way headends, are among the most significant milestones in the cable industry and are a huge win for consumers,” Paul Liao, CTO of Panasonic Corporation of North America, said in a prepared statement. “At the May 2008 Cable Show, we stated with great confidence that the first tru2way HDTV’s would be available for consumer purchase at retail by fall 2008. We are especially delighted to have partnered with Comcast and CableLabs to make good on that promise and bring the benefits of open networks to cable subscribers.” Added Mark Hess, Comcast’s SVP of video product development: “We see tru2way technology as the gateway for our customers to experience the next generation of interactive television, and our work with Panasonic to develop and support the first fully digital cable-ready HDTV’s is an important first step in making that happen. This common platform also will let us develop an exciting array of interactive services and applications that we can deliver on our advanced fiber network to a variety of consumer electronics devices.”

Panasonic’s first tru2way-enabled Viera Plasma HDTV’s–the TH-42PZ80Q and TH-50PZ80Q–are offered with 42-inch and 50-inch screens respectively, and integrate tru2way receiver capability within their chassis. The TH-42PZ80Q has an MSRP of $1,599.95 and the TH-50PZ80Q an MSRP of $2,299.95. In addition to tru2way support, the sets offer 480Hz Sub-field Drive for sharp motion image focus; 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio; Viera Link (allows viewers to operate all Viera Link-equipped components with a single remote); and a built-in SD memory card reader for playing back digital photos.

In related news: According to a report by Cable Digital News’s Jeff Baumgartner, Funai Electric Co. plans to launch a tru2way, dual-tuner HD DVR/set-top box next year. The box, which will be showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next month and which will be marketed in retail and through the company’s MSO customers, employs a tru2way middleware stack from Vividlogic. It is scheduled for mass production during the third quarter. According to Baumgartner’s report, while Funai is also considering launching a tru2way-enabled HD set-top box without a DVR, it is waiting to see whether the standard receives a positive response from consumers before developing tru2way-enabled integrated digital TV sets.

http://blog.itvt.com/2008/12/29/panasonic-comcast-tru2way-now-active-in-chicago-and-denver/

CES 2009: Comcast, TWC To Flip Tru2way Switch By July 1
Two Biggest MSOs Say They're Ready to Enable Interactive TV Technology Across Their Footprints
By Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, 1/10/2009 2:06:00 PM

Las Vegas -- Comcast and Time Warner Cable executives said they’re on track to enable support for retail devices compatible with CableLabs' tru2way interactive TV specification across their footprints by July 1.

....Bob Faught, Comcast senior vice president of retail and alternate channel sales, said the company also is getting ready to have all its systems up and running by July 1. Comcast in October turned on tru2way support in Chicago and Denver systems, as part of working with Panasonic to sell tru2way-based HDTVs through limited retail outlets in those markets.

...Leddy said he was hopeful that tru2way technology would let CE manufacturers deliver more sophisticated cable-ready devices, such as those that incorporate Blu-ray Disc players. That’s because such advanced devices are too expensive for an operator like Time Warner Cable to justify buying in volume, he said.

...Stephen Goldstein, Samsung Electronics business development manager, said the CE maker was committed to tru2way and that he’d like to see more programmers exploit its capabilities.

...Another one of cable’s goals with tru2way -- the consumer-facing name for OpenCable, which the industry still uses internally -- is to increase supplier diversity.

...Until tru2way hits critical mass, cable operators are planning to enable support for the lighter-weight Enhanced TV Binary Information Format (EBIF), across millions of its existing digital set-tops. According to Leddy, the current plan of the largest operators is to have “somewhere in the neighborhood” of 10 million set-tops equipped with EBIF by end of 2009.

As for downloadable security -- once considered to be a lower-cost solution than CableCards for meeting the separable-security mandate of the FCC -- Leddy said the economics favor simply continuing on the CableCard path.

Full article at:
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6628298.html

As for downloadable security -- once considered to be a lower-cost solution than CableCards for meeting the separable-security mandate of the FCC -- Leddy said the economics favor simply continuing on the CableCard path.

Sad for TWC, and I hope Comcast does go for DCAS eventually. Comcast Cablecard installs, in many areas, are a complete clusterf***. They roll techs to do simple card pairings then don't bother to init the cards properly before they come out (here in the ATL). They just don't want to deal with anything other than their own crap.

The state of tru2way according to CES

by Ben Drawbaugh, posted Jan 19th 2009 at 3:09PM


If you were waiting for CES to see all the great new tru2way devices then you probably noticed that there really weren't any. In fact we spent some time towards the end of the show looking for tru2way and was very surprised to see that there was actually less tru2way this year then last.


The most noticeable was Panasonic who proudly displayed its tru2way plasmas on an end-camp at its booth last year, while this time around the same two models were hidden in a dark demo area. Panasonic said this was because these sets were announced last year and the new stuff gets the center stage, which makes sense, but what about extending tru2way through the line? Overall Panny did have the most information about tru2way and in fact told us that in the next few months it is expected that another five Comcast markets will be opened up to 3rd party tru2way devices. Samsung was also showing a few tru2way sets and was more than happy to share the wonders of the technology with us, but unfortunately the one question we had went unanswered; when would the 42 and 50 inch sets (pictured above) go on sale? The two biggest disappointments thought were from LG and Sony. While LG had a tru2way set hidden away at last year's booth, there wern't any to be found this time around. Sony on the other hand made a big splash earlier when it signed on to the memorandum of understanding, but the closest thing to a commitment at the show was a add-on box that would strap on to the back of your set. It didn't help that the demo was obviously just an empty shell and far from a real product.

The bottom line is that if you thought that 2009 was going to be the year of tru2way, then think again. At the very most there will only be about four TVs for sale, from two manufacturers, and maybe an add-on box from Sony. This also means that there probably won't be a tru2way box from TiVo, Moxi or even an Windows Media Center tru2way compatible tuner. Of course this could all change and since last year The Cable Show was practically the tru2way show, we'd expect that if there was any good news we'd hear it there in April.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/01/19/the-state-of-tru2way-according-to-ces/

Although this article does not direcrtly mention Comcast all major cable companies will be employing this o similar technology.

BigBand Edge QAM Plays 1 GHz
JANUARY 27, 2009

BigBand Networks Inc. (Nasdaq: BBND) has baked in 1 GHz capabilities to its BEQ6000, a "universal" edge QAM that can share network resources among a wide range of digital cable applications, including broadcast video, switched digital video (SDV), and video-on-demand (VoD).

Enabling the gear to support the higher frequency range is increasingly important as MSOs expand bandwidth beyond 750 MHz or 860 MHz and tap that fresh spectrum for speedy Docsis 3.0 services and more hi-def and VoD content.

Although publicly traded MSOs don't like to talk much about this particular bandwidth "tool" due to the stigma it could carry on Wall Street, privately held MSOs like Cox Communications Inc. have been more upfront about their 1 GHz strategies.

While all new digital cable boxes can tune to 1 GHz, it's rapidly becoming a key feature in the edge QAM -- a product that is central to a new CableLabs -specified Modular Headend Architecture (MHA).

Although BigBand is the first to boast 1 GHz capabilities in its edge QAM, several other vendors queried by Cable Digital News say they've already been there, done that.
Complete article at:
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=170990

Many Bay Area Comcast customers will soon need set-top boxes

By Troy Wolverton

Mercury News
Posted: 01/30/2009 06:44:16 PM PST

Many Comcast customers who receive analog cable will soon have to get a set-top box to keep watching most channels.

The company is upgrading its system in the Bay Area, moving 47 basic channels that it now delivers via analog signals to digital transmissions.

The changes will begin about March 9 in Pleasanton and Santa Clara and continue a week later in San Mateo, San Carlos, San Rafael and other cities. The company, which has started telling affected customers, has not said when it will make the upgrade in San Jose. But it plans to complete the Bay Area revamp by the end of the year.

Digital signals require less bandwidth than analog ones, said Andrew Johnson, a Comcast spokesman. The change will free up space to offer all customers more high-definition channels and faster Internet connections.

"We can give customers more of the services they are wanting," he said.

For now, Comcast won't charge customers extra for the digital channels, Johnson said. And it plans to hand out up to three set-top boxes per subscriber for no extra charge.

The upgrade will allow Comcast to offer on-demand programs, some of which it charges extra for, to customers who previously couldn't get them, Johnson said. Also, to offer customers higher — and more expensive — packages of channels, Comcast needs them to be digital subscribers first.

Bill Nusbaum, a senior telecommunications attorney at The Utility Reform Network, a nonprofit utility industry watchdog group, worries that Comcast will use the switch to digital transmissions as an excuse to raise cable rates.

"They can say all they want about (not charging for the upgrade), but the point of fact is that they've been increasing their rates every year," he said.

The upgrade affects customers who subscribe to Comcast's analog expanded basic cable service, which offers channels from 2 to 82. About 20 to 25 percent of Comcast's customers in the Bay Area — or about 340,000 to 425,000 subscribers — get that level of service, Johnson said.

As part of the upgrade, Comcast will move channels 35 to 82 to digital transmissions. In order to view those channels, customers will need to have either a digital-ready set-top box from the company or a device or television that can accept a cable card.

The company is essentially upgrading its analog expanded basic customers to its entry-level digital service, Johnson said. The digital package costs on average about $1 more than the analog service, and that price difference will continue even though both sets of customers will soon be getting the same service.

At no additional charge, Comcast will give each affected customer one advanced set-top box that can receive on-demand programs and up to two regular boxes that don't have that ability. The company expects that to satisfy most customers, who on average have 2.8 televisions.

Customers who want an additional advanced set-top box will be charged $6.99 a month. Those who want additional regular boxes will pay $1.99 a month for each box.

In order to receive the boxes, subscribers will need to contact Comcast. The company has set up a special Web site and phone number for those requests. Subscribers can put in their set-top box requests at any time, even if the company hasn't yet said when it plans to upgrade its lines in their city.

The upgrade will not affect subscribers to Comcast's lowest tier service, which delivers only local television stations. The company will continue to deliver those as analog transmissions, even though most of those channels will soon be available only in digital over the air.

Federal law requires most over-the-air stations to cease analog transmissions and broadcast only in digital beginning on Feb. 17, although that may be delayed. The law doesn't affect cable companies, but many are moving to transmit channels digitally as well. After the digital broadcast transition, Comcast plans to convert the over-the-air channels to analog for its entry-level subscribers, which make up about 11 percent of its customer base in the Bay Area.

Separately, Comcast is testing out a free wireless Internet service for its New Jersey customers in stations and parking lots near the state's transit lines. The test is in its early stages, but a company official said Comcast is considering taking the service nationwide if the test goes well.

Mercury News wire services contributed to this report. Contact Troy Wolverton at twolverton@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5021.

Basic cable goes digital

What: A change in the way Comcast transmits basic cable channels 35 to 82. To receive those channels, most affected subscribers will have to get set-top boxes.
When: Starting around March 9.
Affected: Bay Area customers who subscribe to Comcast"s analog expanded basic cable service.
Cost: For most customers, nothing. Up to three set-top boxes will be provided free, and, for customers who request it, the company will send a technician to install the boxes.
To get a set-top box: Submit a request at 1-877-634-4434 or www.comcast.com/digitalnow.

Source: Comcast

http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_11594570

Comcast 'Cavalry' Rides Into NoCal
FEBRUARY 09, 2009

Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) confirmed it's in the middle of an "upgrade" in the Bay Area that will move more than 40 analog channels to the digital domain, freeing up capacity for more high-definition fare and Docsis 3.0-fueled services.

Comcast, according to The Mercury News, expects to start making the digital shift in early March in Pleasanton and Santa Clara, Calif., and quickly follow in San Mateo, San Carlos, San Rafael, and other nearby cities. The paper said the MSO expects to complete the Bay Area upgrade by year's end; a Comcast spokeswoman contacted by Cable Digital News would confirm only that a handful of communities are already "on the clock" to get the upgrade.

The Bay Area becomes the third market to get the "all-digital" treatment (OK, mostly digital) using digital terminal adapters (DTAs) as a primary vehicle. The others are Portland and Salem, Ore., launched in November; and Seattle and other parts of Washington, launched in December.

Comcast has already completed "Project Cavalry" (its internal name for analog reclamation) in Salem, and last week added another 29 HD channels to the lineup in that system.

Comcast has previously gone all-digital in Chicagoland and the Detroit region, but got those projects off the ground without the help of DTAs. (See Comcast Doctoring Digital in Detroit and Going 'Mostly' Digital .)

Assuming Comcast operates as it did in the other markets, Bay Area customers with expanded basic cable subscriptions will get one low-end set-top box and two DTAs for no added cost as long as they remain Comcast customers. Each additional DTA would cost $1.99 per month. (See Comcast Seeds Digital Shift With Free Boxes.)

Comcast is moving several channels to digital broadcast but will retain about 30 channels, including local broadcast-network feeds, in analog.

Comcast has said it expects it will need as many as 25 million DTAs to complete its analog reclamation project.

Once the MSO reclaims about 40 analog channels in the Bay Area, it's expected to use the freed space for HD channels and video-on-demand expansion. (See Comcast Launches 'Project Infinity'.)

The space could also be used for Docsis 3.0, the CableLabs platform that uses channel-bonding techniques to produce shared speeds above 100 Mbit/s. Comcast, which has been limiting downstream speeds of its wideband tiers to 50 Mbit/s, has about 35 percent of its network ready for for Docsis 3.0. As reported last week, San Francisco and Denver are among the markets next in line to get the service. (See Comcast Widens Wideband Footprint and Comcast Wraps Up '08 Wideband Rollout .)

— Jeff Baumgartner, Site Editor, Cable Digital News

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=171808

If you have a new TV with a QAM tuner you do not need a DTA since the digital channels received by the DTA are unscrambled and can be received by any QAM tuner. Note: These DTA boxes have a security mode which currently is not activated, Comcast has asked the FCC for a waiver to allow use of this security mode of digital transmission, if granted by the FCC then these DTA boxes would be needed.

Bay Area customers with expanded basic cable subscriptions will get one low-end set-top box and two DTAs for no added cost as long as they remain Comcast customers.

Interesting, I'm not sure I've seen it mentioned before that the DTAs would be free forever.

Interesting, I'm not sure I've seen it mentioned before that the DTAs would be free forever.

'Free', nothing is free.:) Here, they have raised Analog Standard service more than usual the last two years at least, in anticipation of including the so-called 'free' DTAs.;)

Can't say anything is forever, but indirectly at least our local Comcast, as well as some other system's literature that I saw, say that Digital Starter (Standard service with a box) now includes one Digital Box or DTA, plus two more DTAs. Addtl DTAs for $2/ea.

Some people have erroneously said that everyone could get three DTAs added for 'free' to what they already have, if any, but this is not true, as stated above, the total included boxes is three.

Since they are including them, and not giving a timetable, I doubt they will change this, at least not for the forseeable future.

In the Phila.-Comcast thread, in the following post, I attached a scan of the last page of our bill from Jan.:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=15643004&postcount=9802

If Comcast moves the digital versions of expanded basic analog channels into the frequency range that is blocked by the filters they have used in the past for restricting analog channels to limited basic, then folks with limited basic and QAM-tuning TVs will lose those expanded channels they are now able to tune in.

I believe someone in Salem, OR, reported just such a move. This tends to minimize the need for encryption of those digital "expanded basic" channels for non-subscribers.

'Free', nothing is free.:) Here, they have raised Analog Standard service more than usual the last two years at least, in anticipation of including the so-called 'free' DTAs.;)

Can't say anything is forever, but indirectly at least our local Comcast, as well as some other system's literature that I saw, say that Digital Starter (Standard service with a box) now includes one Digital Box or DTA, plus two more DTAs. Addtl DTAs for $2/ea.

Some people have erroneously said that everyone could get three DTAs added for 'free' to what they already have, if any, but this is not true, as stated above, the total included boxes is three.

Since they are including them, and not giving a timetable, I doubt they will change this, at least not for the forseeable future.

In the Phila.-Comcast thread, in the following post, I attached a scan of the last page of our bill from Jan.:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=15643004&postcount=9802

Well, you know what I mean regarding "free". :)

Interesting that they're only free with Digital Starter in your area whereas only Standard Cable is required in the bay area.

If Comcast moves the digital versions of expanded basic analog channels into the frequency range that is blocked by the filters they have used in the past for restricting analog channels to limited basic, then folks with limited basic and QAM-tuning TVs will lose those expanded channels they are now able to tune in.

I believe someone in Salem, OR, reported just such a move. This tends to minimize the need for encryption of those digital "expanded basic" channels for non-subscribers.

I'm guessing that is the reason to do any of this... not the freeing up of bandwidth, but I'm a bit of a sceptic with anything Comcast...

If Comcast moves the digital versions of expanded basic analog channels into the frequency range that is blocked by the filters they have used in the past for restricting analog channels to limited basic, then folks with limited basic and QAM-tuning TVs will lose those expanded channels they are now able to tune in.

I believe someone in Salem, OR, reported just such a move. This tends to minimize the need for encryption of those digital "expanded basic" channels for non-subscribers.
From a consumer's point of view this would be much better than Comcast getting the DTA security mode waiver from the FCC, because QAM tuners would be as useful as analog then. But Comcast might not want to keep maintaining the traps so encryption is probably better from their point of view.
So far they've had a senior VP say that they're going to keep them in the clear for now because they haven't had a problem working it out with the content providers. Since these clear channels are all SD (none of the HD expanded basic channels are in the clear after a migration, I think) it's probably not a hard sell, assuming they keep using the traps.

Well, you know what I mean regarding "free". :)

Interesting that they're only free with Digital Starter in your area whereas only Standard Cable is required in the bay area.
Notice I wrote, 'Digital Starter (Standard service with a box)' Well, ok, here, they really aren't exactly the same, either, but very close.:)

Here, the price difference has always been the cost of the Digital box or less. This 1 Nov., they raised the price of Standard to the same as Digital Starter, and discontinued new subscriptions to Standard.

Here, with Standard, adding a Digital box or DTA yields a few digital-only Ltd. Basic and Expd. Basic channels, to automatically become Digital Starter, which, in a few months, will become the new de facto Standard, so to speak. (The Digital Box also adds OD, PPV, and Guide, of course.)

Notice I wrote, 'Digital Starter (Standard service with a box)' Well, ok, here, they really aren't exactly the same, either, but very close.:)

Here, the price difference has always been the cost of the Digital box or less. This 1 Nov., they raised the price of Standard to the same as Digital Starter, and discontinued new subscriptions to Standard.

Here, with Standard, adding a Digital box or DTA yields a few digital-only Ltd. Basic and Expd. Basic channels, to automatically become Digital Starter, which, in a few months, will become the new de facto Standard, so to speak. (The Digital Box also adds OD, PPV, and Guide, of course.)
I thought that might be the case but I've only ever had Limited Basic so I've never had to really research the different packages.

What's nice about Comcast converting the Expanded channels to digital in my area is that they're all clear-QAM, meaning I get the full Standard Cable channel listing for a Limited Basic price of $18, not a bad deal. :p

If Comcast moves the digital versions of expanded basic analog channels into the frequency range that is blocked by the filters they have used in the past for restricting analog channels to limited basic, then folks with limited basic and QAM-tuning TVs will lose those expanded channels they are now able to tune in.

I believe someone in Salem, OR, reported just such a move. This tends to minimize the need for encryption of those digital "expanded basic" channels for non-subscribers.

Well, they had to place the Digital Expd. Basic channels somewhere to test them, so that is why they were on unfiltered frequencies temporarily. As soon as Analog Expd. Basic goes, in a given market, they move the Digital Expd. Basic to the vacated frequencies that have been filtered out for non-subscribers.

However, this doesn't minimize the need for encryption from Comcast's perspective. The fact is encryption is secure and inexpensive, and filters aren't; so, if and when they can get an FCC waiver, you can bet Comcat encrypts these channels.

I thought that might be the case but I've only ever had Limited Basic so I've never had to really research the different packages.

What's nice about Comcast converting the Expanded channels to digital in my area is that they're all clear-QAM, meaning I get the full Standard Cable channel listing for a Limited Basic price of $18, not a bad deal. :p
Not for long. As soon as they shift frequencies they will be filtered out, just like before.;)

All of the Digital Expd. Basic channels? Or do mean just SD Expd. Basic?

AFAIK, HD Expd. Basic is still encrypted.

I'm guessing that is the reason to do any of this... not the freeing up of bandwidth, but I'm a bit of a sceptic with anything Comcast...
By 'any', if you are including the main project of dropping Analog, then yes it was to reclaim bandwith, in order to add much more HD, as well as faster Internet service. However, moving the frequencies is indeed for security.

From a consumer's point of view this would be much better than Comcast getting the DTA security mode waiver from the FCC, because QAM tuners would be as useful as analog then. But Comcast might not want to keep maintaining the traps so encryption is probably better from their point of view. So far they've had a senior VP say that they're going to keep them in the clear for now because they haven't had a problem working it out with the content providers. Since these clear channels are all SD (none of the HD expanded basic channels are in the clear after a migration, I think) it's probably not a hard sell, assuming they keep using the traps.

Bingo!:) And if the content providers would have balked, (but you are right, why would they have, when they are still SD), then Comcast would have had to have deployed CableCard SD Digital Boxes, instead; which is what they did in earlier markets before the DTAs were ready.

Not for long. As soon as they shift frequencies they will be filtered out, just like before.;)

All of the Digital Expd. Basic channels? Or do mean just SD Expd. Basic?

AFAIK, HD Expd. Basic is still encrypted.

Just the Standard channels, the 2-80+, my area actually goes into the low 100's. No HD counterparts for any of those channels. I'll have them for awhile as my area is not expected to be changed officially(analog 35-80+ actually shutoff) until late in 2009.

Tru2way™ Platform and Advanced Interactive Services Highlight CableNET® 2009 Technology Showcase
March 11, 2009 03:42 PM Eastern Daylight Time

NCTA's The Cable Show 2009

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tru2way™ technology, including hardware, content/applications and test equipment, will play a major role in this year’s CableNET® at The Cable Show ‘09 April 1-3 in Washington, D.C. Tru2way is the brand name for interactive digital cable services delivered over the cable video network.

Other applications and services that will be showcased in this industry exhibit include online broadband video, social networking, advanced advertising and home networking.

Tru2way applications follow CableLabs’® OpenCable™ Application Platform (OCAP™) specification which is based on Sun Microsystems’ widely accepted Java™ technology. Examples of tru2way applications include interactive program guides, interactive ads, games, chat, web browsing, and t-commerce. In addition, several companies will participate in the technology showcase by using the EBIF (Enhanced TV Binary Interchange Format) specification, a separate technology which enables interactive applications to run on the millions of digital set tops already deployed by cable operators.

CableNET is a technology showcase that is co-sponsored by CableLabs and the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), and offers a hands-on experience with many of the most exciting content, services, and applications.

Among the companies that will be demonstrating tru2way technology are Amdocs, BIAP, NDS, Samsung, UniSoft and Zodiac Interactive. Another highlight of CableNET this year is advanced network management, featuring Mixed Signals, Motorola, Sandvine and SupportSoft.

CableNET ‘09 will once again include a theater to house project primers and presentations by CableLabs staff. Topics will include business services, 3DTV, and tru2way technology.

Historically, CableNET has provided attendees a first glimpse of many nascent, leading-edge technologies and applications. Those included early views of the cable industry's Data over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS®) platform; high-definition televisions; two-way, OCAP-based devices, and early displays of interactive services and Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP).

Participating companies with brief descriptions of their demonstrations follow:

* Amdocs will demonstrate how a cable customer can self activate services on a tru2way set-top box
* Aspera will show file transfer technology for cable applications.
* Aurora Networks will show how an RFoG deployment can be seamlessly extended to an all-IP access network using PON technology. Additionally, it will exhibit key components of its fiber deep solution, showing how bandwidth can be cost-effectively increased while reducing operating expenses.
* Beyond Broadband Technology, LLC, (BBT) will show The BBTSolution™, an open standard downloadable security system.
* BIAP will exhibit an enhanced binary interchange format (EBIF) system for cable operators.
* CableLabs will present a group of cable programming networks, including Starz and HSN, which have developed interactive entertainment and shopping applications, running on the ETV/EBIF or tru2way platforms. For example, a Starz EBIF application features a mini-guide that links the Starz linear channel to Starz On Demand content to bring current subscribers more value through an enhanced viewer experience.
* F-Secure will display security applications.
* Infinera plans to show digital optical transport systems based on photonic integrated circuits, which enable Digital ROADMs to deliver a full range of services including 40 Gb/s and 100 Gb/s services.
* IPgallery will demonstrate its converged DTV-IPTV solution delivering Enhanced TV (ETV) services infused with Telco 2.0 and Web 2.0 based on its unique network-centric IMS architecture.
* Irdeto will exhibit its end-to-end solutions for home networking, and its digital to analog (DTA) converter that includes a state of the art, low cost, high security downloadable CA system.
* Mixed Signals will demonstrate a solution that provides cable operators with the ability to determine severity of any video problems in the network and how much these errors affect viewers.
* Motorola will exhibit its NBBS device management software platform. It will also exhibit the benefits of synchronous code division multiple access (SCDMA) as it relates to enhanced upstream data throughput.
* NDS plans to show a range of set top box and home networking technologies that are made possible by tru2way technology.
* Netezza will demonstrate a high-performance enterprise-class data warehouse appliance that maximizes the impact of BI.
* OpenTV plans to showcase EclipsePlus™, their leading campaign management solution as well as a real time Ad Decision Service for a variety of applications, including linear, video-on-demand and addressable advertising.
* RGB Networks will display a complete cable architecture in three rack units, enabling operators to deliver a full range of revenue generating video services.
* Samsung plans to display tru2way-based set tops, home networking and portability applications.
* Sandvine will demonstrate how its carrier grade solution can enable a variety of subscriber services by leveraging devices that support standards-based interfaces.
* Shenick will demonstrate its DOCSIS 3.0 test systems used to determine real performance on a per flow basis for multi-service video, voice and data test systems.
* Sigma Designs will showcase a DOCSIS 3.0-based set top box client server reference design that supports voice, data, video, and access control as well as simultaneous record capability for multiple video channels.
* SupportSoft will demonstrate a program that allows cable providers to deliver value-added service such as personalized content, support resolution and software fulfillment with ease.
* Synacor will showcase its unique ability to enable ISPs to further engage their customers through its online portal, suite of value added services and converged product offerings.
* thePlatform will demonstrate social media recommendations merged with cable and broadband delivered video.
* This Technology plans to show its products that help operators manage their supply of advertising opportunities.
* UniSoft and S&T will demonstrate five tru2way and enhanced TV (ETV) and EBIF application creation, testing and delivery options.
* Zodiac Interactive will showcase its PowerUp software services framework which promises to enable rapid deployment of tru2way applications and advanced TV and advertising.

Founded in 1988 by members of the cable television industry, Cable Television Laboratories is a non-profit research and development consortium that is dedicated to pursuing new cable telecommunications technologies and to helping its cable operator members integrate those advancements into their business objectives. Cable operators from around the world are members. CableLabs maintains web sites at www.cablelabs.com; www.packetcable.com; www.cablemodem.com; www.cablenet.org; and www.opencable.com.

http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20090311006216&newsLang=en

If I'm reading this right, only Samsung is going to demo STBs, with no mention of DVRs. Sad. We need some competition in the cable DVR space.

Comcast Sends In the All-Digital 'Cavalry'
March 5, 2009 | Jeff Baumgartner

Two Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) markets -- Chattanooga, Tenn., and the Philadelphia region -- are next in line to get the MSO's "all-digital" treatment.

Dozens of analog channels will be moved to digital in those markets later this year. For now, Comcast is offering to install digital set-tops and one-way digital terminal adapters (DTAs) during routine truck rolls before the market is considered to be "on the clock" for the actual migration of analog channels to the digital domain.

"The goal is to get consumers ahead of the digital curve," says Comcast spokeswoman Alana Davis.

Referred to by Comcast as "Project Cavalry," the MSO's all-digital upgrade typically involves moving 40 analog channels or more to digital, a process that frees up valuable spectrum for more high-definition television and video-on-demand services, and Docsis 3.0. Although 40 or so channels are being moved to digital, Comcast, depending on the market, is still leaving about 30 channels, including local broadcast network feeds, in analog.

As Cavalry rides into town, customers who subscribe to Comcast's expanded basic tier are given one entry-level set-top and two DTAs for no added cost for as long as they remain Comcast customers. The interactive box supports the MSO's guide and apps such as video-on-demand. The one-way DTAs simply convert digital channels to analog format. (See Comcast Seeds Digital Shift With Free Boxes and Comcast Pursuing $35 Digital Dongle.)

Comcast already has Cavalry underway or completed in the Bay Area; Portland and Salem, Ore.; and Seattle and other parts of Washington. (See Comcast 'Cavalry' Rides Into NoCal and Comcast IDs First DTA Market.)

Comcast expects to start channel migrations in Chattanooga on a zone-by-zone basis starting in mid-April. The MSO hasn't announced when channel switches will start in the Philly region.

Speaking at a Deutsche Bank Securities conference yesterday, Comcast CFO Michael Angelakis said the MSO expects to go all-digital in about half its footprint this year.

Comcast has previously estimated it will need as many as 25 million DTAs to complete the job. Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT), Thomson (NYSE: TMS; Euronext Paris: 18453), and Pace Micro Technology are Comcast's announced DTA suppliers. (See Comcast's DTAs: Security Optional .)

— Jeff Baumgartner, Site Editor, Cable Digital News

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=173091&site=cdn

If I'm reading this right, only Samsung is going to demo STBs, with no mention of DVRs. Sad. We need some competition in the cable DVR space.

Other companies are committed to producing Tru2way products, but I agree with you it would be nice to see an announcement to Tru2way DVRs.

http://www.tru2way.com/

However I did find this:

TiVo is also teaming up with SeaChange International to integrate cable video-on-demand services into next-generation HD DVR systems.

http://www.twice.com/article/CA6642821.html?industryid=23097

Yes and that's very good for Tivo because it removes the 'but it doesn't have OnDemand' argument that you hear from time to time. But I want to see Tivo pushed to make a better product, because their UI in particular is aging badly.
And the new Moxi HD DVR ain't it, they're not going anywhere with that overpriced product right now.

Sony-Comcast Store Has Tru2way 'Set-Back' Box
March 16, 2009 | Jeff Baumgartner

A tru2way "set-back" box that Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE) intends to sell alongside some of its Bravia high-definition digital televisions is one of the items that will be demonstrated at a new retail store in Philadelphia that will carry the Sony and Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) brands.

Although this will mark the device's first presence at retail, the hideaway box, developed by Advanced Digital Broadcast (ADB) , isn't for sale, at least not yet. (See ADB Develops Tru2way 'Set-Back' and Sony Drives ADB's Set-Back.)

A Comcast spokeswoman confirmed that the device is one of several items that will be demonstrated in the "future" labs portion of the 3,400 square-foot retail outlet. In similar lab settings, Comcast and Sony will also show off a 100 Mbit/s wideband Internet service based on the CableLabs Docsis 3.0 platform, and an "enhanced" cordless phone that hooks into the operator's cable modem service, and allows customers to check email and voice mail messages and access address books and a yellow pages application.

Full article at:

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=173638

April 3, 2009, 11:42 am
Cable Is Building Apps for Your TV — Slowly
By Saul Hansell

The cable industry needs to learn a lesson or two from Apple’s iPhone. That’s a message I heard throughout my time at the Cable Show in Washington. In particular, several executives boasted of new technology that would open set-top boxes to applications written by independent developers, much as Apple has done with the iTunes App store.

There is no question that the iPhone, not to mention so many other examples on the Internet, show that open systems can create lots of value for companies and their customers alike.

But there is a key part of Apple’s model the industry hasn’t even begun to emulate: speed to market.

The interactive application generating the biggest buzz at the show is a widget from Starz, the cable movie channel, that Comcast is preparing to deploy. Soon, if you push a button on your remote control while you are watching Starz, a little menu will pop up with some links to the Starz programs on your cable system’s video-on-demand system. One button lets you start the program you are watching. One switches to the same program in high-definition. Another shows you a list of the others available. And one simply displays the next show on the regular channel.

So let’s compare five years’ work: Apple designs an innovative smartphone, sells millions of them, creates the App Store and approves 25,000 separate applications, which have been downloaded by users more than 800 million times. Cable is about to roll out an application that can change channels. It’s working really hard to deliver weather and stock quotes sometime real soon now.

The open software standards that cable executives are touting this week date back before the word iPhone ever passed Steve Jobs’s lips.

Not only is the industry slow, it seems oblivious to what people actually want to do most with technology: communicate with each other. Hasn’t anyone noticed that more than a few cable users also are on Facebook, and just maybe they might like a way to recommend cable shows they are watching to their friends and see what other friends are saying about the show they are watching? And wouldn’t this application be a good thing to offer now, while Facebook is hot, rather than in five years, when it will be old news?

It doesn’t help that the term for the technology here sounds like the sound you make when you are punched in the gut: It is E.B.I.F. That’s pronounced ee-BIF and it stands for Enhanced TV Binary Interchange Format. That doesn’t really explain things much. Does this help? It is a subset of the OpenCable Application Platform (or O.C.A.P.). How’s this? They’re both formats that allow people to write little applications and widgets that will run on set-top boxes. E.B.I.F. is simpler and thus can run on older boxes.

I asked all this of Richard R. Green, who runs CableLabs, the industry research group behind the set-top box standard and many other technologies used by the cable industry. He said that the process is complicated because every application needs to be tested to make sure it can run on a variety of hardware, so that it doesn’t cause trouble with the cable company networks.

In addition, any developer needs to call up each cable company to strike a deal for distribution. Not that they are ready to take those calls. “We haven’t figured out the business model to go with this yet,” Mr. Green said.

(Here’s a hint. The Apple iTunes store takes 30