Last May, Cablemas bought more than a quarter million hybrid set-tops. The other shoe just dropped: Cablemas is going to phase out its traditional video-on-demand (VOD) system for a quarter of its TV subscribers in favor of a broadband-based streaming service managed by Avail-TVN. Avail-TVN said it will stream on-demand content from studios, networks and […]
Networking
Microsoft rolls out Xbox TV platform
Microsoft is rolling out a new interface for its Xbox game console, one that allows you to navigate through music, movies, TV shows and games with the wave of your hand or the sound of your voice. The interface, first demonstrated by CEO Steve Ballmer in September, is set up similarly to Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 8 operating […]
Cisco tops in IP edge market; Huawei posts biggest loss
Cisco increased its carrier router and switch revenue, while Alcatel-Lucent, Huawei, Juniper Networks and ZTE all posted declines, according to a recent report by Infonetics Research. “Of the top five vendors, only Cisco increased its overall carrier router and switch revenue in the third quarter of 2011, up 3 percent from the previous quarter to […]
Linksys sets up retail sales site in Europe
Cisco’s Linksys operation is adding consumer retail to its website for European markets. The online store will help consumers to research and compare Linksys products and purchase directly for home delivery. The company said explicitly that it intends to create home networking apps specifically for its products, but it declined to provide details. Access to […]
CableLabs opens doors on San Fran facility
CableLabs employees will be better able to rub elbows with software developers, venture capitalists and other high-tech entities with the opening of its new office in San Francisco, which CableLabs announced this morning. “As cable services evolve from those based on traditional cable-specific technologies to those that are open and software-based, the cable industry has […]
Comcast goes full-footprint with Dory gateway
Comcast is preparing wider commercialization of its home gateway that combines an embedded multimedia terminal adapter (EMTA), a cable modem and a Wi-Fi router. The introduction also marks the official expansion of Comcast’s Xfinity Service Support, first test marketed last spring. Now called the Xfinity Wireless Gateway, this is the product that Comcast used to […]
Comporium Group’s Brakefield top dog at Cable-Tec Games
From a field of 28 contestants, Comporium Group’s Greg Brakefield emerged as the overall winner of the SCTE International Cable-Tec Games earlier this week. Brakefield represented SCTE Region 10 and the SCTE’s Piedmont Chapter in Wednesday night’s Cable-Tec games. The competition, which was sponsored by CommScope, Corning Gilbert, PPC, Times Fiber Amphenol and the SCTE, […]
@ Cable-Tec Expo: IP video transition – how to get there from here
While there may not be a clear theme emerging from this week’s Cable-Tec Expo, it was standing room only at the IP Video Transition technical workshop. Momentum for the migration to IP networks has been building, and now it seems as if those cable operators and vendors are getting down to brass tacks. “The cost […]
Arris, Cisco ally on common C-band wavelength plan
Arris and Cisco are pursuing a common wavelength management plan in the C-band (1550 nm), hoping that together they can head off potential problems as operators start migrating to multi-wavelength delivery using that band. Different companies have proposed multiple wavelength management plans. The problem is that some of these are “not unconditionally stable,” in the […]
@ Cable-Tec Expo: MSO CTO Panel says new ecosystem on track
The MSO CTO Panel on Tuesday gave an overview of where the cable industry is at in terms of battling the competition, serving the customers and building out new networks. In response to a question by moderator Paul Kagan, CEO of PK Worldmedia, about the next “big thing,” Comcast executive vice president and CTO Tony […]