Multimedia Networking and Broadband

Metalink 802.11n Demo

2006-06-15T07:00:00.001-04:00

Update: Metalink has found a buyer for their 802.11n technology. The article doesn't have much detail, but would seem to validate the technology. I'm still skeptical that wireless will provide sufficient performance for HD transmission through walls.

Metalink

Metalink playing the wireless card. This release lacks details on real throughput achieved, but does say they're using MIMO. Data on QoS under real-world impairments is also missing. The recent failure of the 802.11n Draft 1.0 ballot will certainly delay the implementation.

Connecticut proposes franchising bypass for telco TV - 5/9/2006

2006-06-15T07:00:00.000-04:00

Update 1: Cablevision, Cox and Charter are asking the state of Connecticut to stay the decision that effectively granted a statewide video franschise. I think these end runs by AT&T and Verizon are unfair to the cable companies, who have operated under a difficult regulatory environment for over twenty years.

Update 2: The telcos still need to play fair in most places, and it looks like Verizon's FiOS service will be coming to my back yard soon as a result. VZ has signed a video franchise in Tewksbury, MA, so I may be able to provide first-hand evaluation of their service.

Connecticut proposes franchising bypass for telco TV - 5/9/2006

The regulatory environment will certainly have an impact on the Telco (Verizon, AT&T) vs. MSO (Comcast, Time Warner) battle. This decision in Connecticut would seem to give AT&T an advantage since Comcast must secure and service franchises at the local level. There is also some talk of granting nationwide video franchises to the telcos.

Remote Storage DVR or Stealth VOD?

2006-06-13T11:31:00.000-04:00

CDN Broadband Log: Daily Market Insight

The battle between Cablevision and the big Studios and Networks over the former's planned Network DVR (nDVR) will have a profound impact on the home network. The case will very likely set a precedent for distribution of protected video that will reverberate throughout the value chain. If the content providers win, will you need a new license to use a Sling Box or stream music from your home computer to a WiFi-enabled iPOD?

The plaintiffs are accusing Cablevision of disguising an unauthorized VOD service as nDVR to avoid additional licensing fees. It seems to me that what counts is the consumer experience. If it walks like a TiVO and quacks like a TiVO, it's a TiVO. In other words, the physical location of the storage medium shouldn't matter so long as the same services are provided to the user, with the same restrictions.

BigBand and NETGEAR bond on DOCSIS 3.0

2006-05-25T16:00:00.000-04:00

BigBand and NETGEAR bond on DOCSIS 3.0 - 5/16/2006 12:31:00 PM - CED - CA6335384

This one's a puzzler. Why would a CMTS company and a cable modem company need to cooperate to enact an open industry standard? The whole point of DOCSIS (1.1, 2.0 or 3.0) is to ensure interoperability between devices from different vendors. Maybe I'm missing something.

Update: Mystery solved, they're working togather on DOCSIS 2.0b, which is an intermediate technology to allow the cable MSOs to provide 100 MBPS downstream bandwidth. This will keep them competitive with fiber deployments like Verizon's FiOS, bonded ADSL2+/VDSL2, etc. DOCSIS 3.0 will do this eventually, but compliant equipment won't be ready for at least another two years.

They need to cooperate because 2.0b is not an official DOCSIS standard.

Check out Leslie Ellis' explanation of 2.0b.

EETimes.com - Rising support for coax drives video networks home

2006-05-16T21:15:00.000-04:00

EETimes.com - Rising support for coax drives video networks home

MoCA is talking up (or down?) very aggressive pricing for modem chipsets. Broadcom and ST certainly bring exceptional capabilities to the home networking party. The question seems to be when, not if, prices will hit these levels.

Entropic chips away at MoCA milestone

2006-05-16T21:11:00.000-04:00

Entropic chips away at MoCA milestone - 5/16/2006 11:25:00 AM - CED - CA6335351

Not bad considering they shipped their first product in December 2004.

Whole-Home DVRs Driving Home Networking Over Coax Reports In-Stat

2006-05-15T13:09:00.000-04:00

Whole-Home DVRs Driving Home Networking Over Coax Reports In-Stat

Whole-home DVR installations are expected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of more than 100% from 2006 to 2008, reports In-Stat. This is driving the market for home networking-over-coax chipsets, which will grow by more than 150% from 2005 to 2010. Coax seems to have become the medium of choice for home multimedia networking, with the Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA), the Home Phone Networking Alliance (HPNA) and a proprietary technology from Coaxsys battling for dominance.

Infonetics Research

2006-05-15T13:04:00.000-04:00

Infonetics Research is forecasting strong growth of OLT and ONT PON equipment. Services like Verizon's FiOS and AT&T's Lightspeed are driving these deployments. Worldwide PON subscribers are forecast to hit 31 million in 2009.

eHomeUpgrade | Value of Networked Consumer Devices and Networking Gear to Reach $85 Billion by 2011

2006-05-15T12:58:00.000-04:00

eHomeUpgrade | Value of Networked Consumer Devices and Networking Gear to Reach $85 Billion by 2011

Big numbers from ABI research for home networking and connected entertainment devices.

Digital TV DesignLine | Growth of DVR reshapes video business, says iSuppli

2006-05-15T12:52:00.000-04:00

Digital TV DesignLine | Growth of DVR reshapes video business, says iSuppli

Yet another piece on explosive DVR growth.

GigaOM : » The FTTH Update & IPTV Numbers

2006-05-15T12:51:00.000-04:00

GigaOM : » The FTTH Update & IPTV Numbers

A wet blanket for the IPTV crowd from Om Malik. Om publishes one of the best blogs covering the Next Generation Internet, and has frequent posts related to multimedia networkign and broadband. Check him out.

Video/Imaging DesignLine | MarketWatch: STBs with DVR capability explodes for cable, satellite, and IPTV

2006-05-15T12:48:00.000-04:00

Video/Imaging DesignLine | MarketWatch: STBs with DVR capability explodes for cable, satellite, and IPTV

Another DVR story, this one closer to home. The DVR is seen as a key technology for cable providers to battle satellite. iSuppli expects the number of boxes with multi-room capability to expand from only a few million units last year to over 50 million units in 2010.

Broadband Home Report: March 6, 2006 Issue

2006-05-15T12:46:00.000-04:00

Broadband Home Report: March 6, 2006 Issue

Here's a Euro-centric bit of data for you: Explosive growth in DVR usage in Europe is forecast by IMS Research, increasing from 2.6 million houeholds in 2005 to over 41 million in 2010. Multi-room DVRs are one technology that is seen driving the need for multimedia networking.

Digital TV DesignLine | Transition to Digital Cable & DTH expands Set-top Box offerings, presents challenges to operators

2006-05-15T12:42:00.000-04:00

Digital TV DesignLine | Transition to Digital Cable & DTH expands Set-top Box offerings, presents challenges to operators

IMS Research forecasting a 15% increase in digital cable and satellite set-top boxes over the next five years, with 74.8 million shipping by the end of 2010.

Video/Imaging DesignLine | Options in multimedia home networking abound

2006-05-15T09:28:00.000-04:00

Video/Imaging DesignLine | Options in multimedia home networking abound

One of the reasons this space is so dynamic is the sheer number of options for multimedia networking and the rate at which things are changing. Wireless is widely touted as the nirvana technology, but QoS issues appear to persist.

GigaOM : » AT&T, Alcatel’s Stealth Take Over of 2Wire?

2006-05-15T09:24:00.000-04:00

GigaOM : » AT&T, Alcatel’s Stealth Take Over of 2Wire?

2Wire is an up-and-comer in the residential broadband space. An interesting note buried in this post is that 2Wire has sold 4 million home gateways already. You have to wonder where they've been deployed. Do you know anyone with a home gateway? Unless you're luckey enough to have FiOS or Lightspeed service, probably not. Maybe these sales are driven from Europe.

Another hidden gem is that Parks Associates predicts that annual shipments of residential gateways will grow from 3.7 million units in 2005 to nearly 16 million units by the end of 2009.

EETimes.com - Networking Makes Itself At Home

2006-05-15T09:20:00.000-04:00

EETimes.com - Networking Makes Itself At Home

Huge numbers predicted by iSuppli for multimedia home networking. Forecasts like this are setting up a battle for control of the home network. Charts are in this pdf file.

Standards Enable the Digital Home - Intel and Standards

2006-05-15T09:11:00.000-04:00

Standards Enable the Digital Home - Intel and Standards

Intel's view of the Digital Home.

Premier Post

2006-05-15T09:04:00.000-04:00

This blog is intended to be a place for me to collect information related to multimedia networking and broadband. I may opine from time to time as to what I think is happening or will transpire in the future. Leave comments if you like - I'd love to discuss the future of broadband.

It will primarily be US-centric, since that's where I live and work, but I will probably throw in some info from abroad as well. I'm going to start by adding some older information I've been tracking in a spreadsheet.