Thomson channel-bonding modem available
By Brian Santo
Thomson said it now has available its new channel-bonding cable modem, the DCM465. The modem, which achieved DOCSIS 2.0 certification last May, will support downstream data rates of up to 100 Mbps by relying on DOCSIS 3.0 functionality.
The DOCSIS 3.0 features include up to 100 Mbps download speed, IP Multicast, and Layer-2 VPN, as well as support for the IPv6 protocol.
The new modem is based on Broadcom’s BCM3381 chipset, which is compatible with both DOCSIS 2.0 and 3.0 infrastructure.
With each revision of the DOCSIS standard, modems have been available before CMTS equipment. It is typical to introduce modems that remain compatible with the previous generation of CMTS gear, so that modems can be installed in the field in preparation for the introduction of each subsequent generation of CMTSs.
Thomson quoted ABI Research saying that penetration of DOCSIS 3.0 will reach nearly 60 percent for in-use CMTSs in 2011, and penetration for the larger installed base of CPE will reach just under 40 percent in 2011.
Study: Viewers want their interactive program guides
By Mike Robuck
Gemstar-TV Guide and Comcast Spotlight have released the results of a national study that evaluated the level of engagement viewers have with their interactive program guides (IPGs).
The study, by Lieberman Research Worldwide, found that 80 percent of the viewers considered their IPGs a necessity for TV viewing. The survey, which Gemstar and Comcast Spotlight said was the first of its kind in the last five years, also found that three-quarters of the viewers use their IPGs from the moment they turn on their TVs.
With an ever-increasing number of channels and VOD offerings, IPGs allow viewers to find or drill down to the content they want to watch. Comcast’s i-Guide is an interactive user interface that was jointly developed by Comcast and Gemstar-TV Guide.
“These findings are particularly poignant with the FCC deadline for the digital transition looming,” said Richy Glassberg, SVP and director of ad sales at Gemstar-TV Guide. “The future of TV requires proper navigational tools that narrow the vast programming universe into a manageable menu of viewing options to the two-thirds of viewers who sit down to watch TV with no specific destination. IPGs have really evolved from a nice ‘extra’ to ‘can’t live without it’ status, and we should see viewers’ reliance on IPGs grow as powerful enhancements to functionality are built into the guide experience.”
The study also found that IPG advertisements have high response rates, with 50 percent of the consumers who see them taking action. Viewers are very likely to interact with ads placed on IPGs, especially those related to TV shows or sporting events, according to the study. Half of the i-Guide users who noticed IPG advertisements said they clicked on the ad, with about one-fifth clicking on ads at least once a week.
“IPGs have come of age as an ad medium,” said Hank Oster, SVP and general manager of Comcast Spotlight. “They now have the substantiation and support points to show they’ve become portals to television and a true point of purchase positioning for advertisers.”
TiVo signs Carat up for audience research, partners with Nero
By Mike Robuck
On the heels of yesterday’s announcement with NBC Universal, TiVo said today that it has signed an agreement with Carat for a comprehensive audience research agreement.
Carat, a global media communications network, will use TiVo’s research services to help its clients understand the impact of DVRs on viewing behavior, especially fast-forwarding through commercials.
As part of the research package, Carat is able to use TiVo’s Stop||Watch ratings service to access an anonymous sample of 20,000 TiVo households in order to research and analyze viewer behavior on a second-by-second basis. The data is offered via a sortable database designed to track the specific viewership for nationally run programs and advertisements in both a live and time-shifted viewing context.
“TiVo data adds a critical element to understanding what is really going on in DVR homes,” said Carat CEO Sarah Fay. “Having recently integrated our traditional and digital marketing capabilities, we were impressed with the depth and breadth of TiVo’s audience research services. This model for aggregating television audience viewing patterns complemented our vision for the future of marketing communications.”
Carat also will have access to TiVo’s newest research offering – the Power||Watch Consumer Panel. The Power||Watch service will provide Carat with access to demographic and viewing behavior data for 20,000 TiVo households who voluntarily opt to take part in the consumer panel. The Power||Watch service provides program and commercial ratings reports sorted by standard aggregate demographic dimensions, and the service also affords the opportunity for clients to survey the panelists to create custom segments for their brand.
Yesterday’s agreement between NBC Universal and TiVo gave NBCU’s 14 TV networks and 10 NBC owned-and-operated TV stations the rights to sell TiVo interactive tags in combination with other NBC products, as well as to subscribe to TiVo’s Stop||Watch commercial ratings service.
TiVo also announced today that it has partnered with Nero to integrate its TV user experience with Nero’s PC software.
Under the agreement, Nero will develop a software product that will bring TiVo features to the personal computer. Capitalizing on the growing PC-TV tuner market, the product will answer consumer demand for a PC-based DVR experience for use with the estimated 50.8 million PC-TV tuners that will be sold worldwide by 2011, according to an In-Stat research report published in April.
SCTE revving up on addressable ad standards
By Brian Santo
The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) said it has begun defining the final three of seven new technical standards associated with the delivery of addressable advertising.
Though none of these proposed standards have been ratified, at least one MSO, which the SCTE did not identify, is planning to trial the DVS 629 system for VOD applications within the next month, before the end of 2007.
The work is not associated with Project Canoe, which is also looking at addressable advertising via CableLabs, though the SCTE effort may end up being congruent with the goals of Canoe.
The SCTE Digital Video Subcommittee – DVS 629 – comprises seven parts or individual standards. The first four parts have been in development and have been issued for technical comments, the consensus balloting stage, according to the SCTE.
The remaining three parts of DVS 629 on which work has begun include Part 5 – the Placement Opportunity Information Service, which defines the interface between software routines of the ad-placement query and notification functions. The Subscriber Information Service interface specified in Part 6 implements the subscriber information (some level of demographical data) query functions.
And Part 7, Message Transport Compliance, provides the glue connecting the system together by defining the physical and messaging protocols that transport data between services that are specified in Part 2 through Part 6.
The earlier DVS 629 parts issued for balloting include Part 1, an Advertising System Overview, which provides an informative introduction and the overall description of the suite of DVS 629 standards.
Part 2 defines the Core Data Elements, including data types and messaging services within the digital advertising system. Part 3, Ad Management Service, explains the requirements of the interface that defines ad-insertion opportunities and the handling of subsequent placement decisions. The Content Information Service described in Part 4 defines the content query and notification functions.
The subcommittee has no specific deadline for completing DVS 629, the SCTE said, but added that given competitive pressures, the committee is working as quickly as possible.
Cablevision launches newly-designed weather channel
By Mike Robuck
Weather junkies in Cablevision’s tri-state footprint will be able to get their weather fix from a newly-designed interactive channel that Cablevision developed with News 12 Networks.
The channel is available to Cablevision’s digital cable customers and features more than 550 traffic cameras capturing current conditions throughout the tri-state area, an “other regions” tab allowing users to get local news outside of their immediate area, and live dual Doppler coverage for an accurate view of local weather. According to Cablevision and News 12, the channel is also easier to navigate due to a more functional design.
“News 12 Interactive is an important extension of our linear networks, leveraging the power of digital cable to deliver information to viewers when and how they want it,” said Patrick Dolan, president of News 12 Networks. “This newly enhanced channel features meaningful improvements that make the service faster and easier to navigate and gives users access to news in their local community, as well as stories from across all News 12 areas for the first time.”
News 12 Networks is owned and operated by Rainbow Media Holdings, the latter of which is a subsidiary of Cablevision.
Federal court rules in favor of JDSU in securities lawsuit
By Traci Patterson
JDSU announced that a federal court jury has ruled in favor of the company, on all claims, in a securities class action lawsuit. The jury ruled that four former JDS Uniphase executives did not engage in insider trading or fraud prior to the company’s collapse in 2001.
The suit was filed in 2002 by Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. It claimed that the company, and the four defendants, caused investors to lose $18 billion by not disclosing in a timely manner that the demand for JDS’ products was declining.
“We are extremely gratified by the jury’s verdict, as we have always believed that the plaintiffs’ claims were without merit,” said Kevin Kennedy, JDSU’s president and CEO. “We will continue focusing our full attention on developing innovative products and delivering on the significant potential of our business model to create shareholder value.”
There were a number of securities lawsuits in the wake of the dot-com bust, but this case is one of the few to actually go to trial and reach a verdict, and an unfavorable one could have potentially destroyed the company.
Broadband Briefs for 11/28/07
* TWC San Antonio adds Disney Channel on-Demand
By Traci Patterson
Time Warner Cable San Antonio has added the Disney Channel on-Demand to its digital lineup. Through Dec. 11, the VOD channel will be offered free of charge to TWC customers. Afterward, the channel will be available for an additional $3.99 per month.
* Cox celebrates 10th anniversary of triple-play bundle
By Traci Patterson
Cox Communications is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its triple-play bundle this fall. Cox launched residential telephone service in Orange County, Calif., in September 1997, and the MSO launched digital cable a month later. Along with high-speed Internet, which was launched in December 1996, these services created Cox’s three-product bundle of communications services.
* Verizon Business boasts Dashboard, eBonding enhancements
By Traci Patterson
Verizon Business’ Customer Center (VBCC) Dashboard – a customized network-monitoring tool that allows customers to view their communications landscape – now features two new enhancements.
The first enables users to track how well Verizon Business’ IP services performed against service level agreement (SLA) standards, and the second, called the LEC/PTT Performance Report, gives customers visibility into Enterprise Trouble Management System tickets referred to local exchange carriers (LECs) and foreign carriers (or PTTs) for resolution. Verizon Business has also added two eBonding enhancements: an eBonding Implementation Toolkit and a new eBonding Center.
* ICTV relocates headquarters to San Jose
By Traci Patterson
ICTV has relocated its corporate headquarters to downtown San Jose, Calif., making the city the development and business hub of ICTV’s ActiveVideo Distribution Network. ICTV’s corporate, administrative, sales, marketing and engineering positions will also be located in San Jose.
* Broadcom, RaisingSun partner on DTVs for China
By Brian Santo
Broadcom said it is collaborating with RaisingSun Digital Video Technology Company of Shanghai, China. The two are combining the former’s television-on-a-chip platform (BCM3560/BCM3563) and the latter’s iTVware middleware for digital televisions to be sold in China. The Broadcom BCM3560 and BCM3563 are highly integrated system-on-a-chip (SoC) television solutions, designed to enable manufacturers to develop complete lines of affordable TVs in support of analog, high definition, standard definition, and digital cable television programming.