Working on it....you do need SOMETHING to talk back to the outside world. If we embed cable modems in the television and use downloadable conditional access (DCAS), it is possible in the future. However, no one other than Moto, SA, and Pace have gotten two way services running in North America yet (there was a discussion about this yesterday on the Tivo issues with SDV). For the near future, I think you might be stuck with a set top box (even more so for a la carte).
Nope. They like coax. They spent a lot of money putting it out there, and that is why you are seeing things like SDV and Digital Simulcast coming out (lets them harvest RF bandwidth) to deliver more over the coax. It is UNBELIEVABLY expensive to re-run lines to each house in the areas they serve (Verizon is spending billions doing it with fiber), so get used to coax.
Video over IP is possible in coax. You use a DOCSIS channel to encapsulate IP packets that encapsulate compressed audio and video. Video over IP is coming in V-DOC (Cisco) or DIBA (Motorola). The bidirectional services just exist on the return path DOCSIS channel making interactive services just another part of the cable modem system.
More correctly, what you are talking about is Digital Simulcast, where the same info is being forwarded in a single 6 MHz analog channel and digitally inside a multiprogram transport stream (MPTS...) for digital reception on another 6 MHz channel. sdv is about switching services on and off as people watch them, ergo recovering bandwidth in your digital modulator space.
(as usual, in a cable discussion, I put my flame proof underwear on....)
Its a little more interesting than that. I am actually a Cable guy who does design for products in MSO (cable company) networks. You are essentially facing two folks who hold the keys to the kingdom, SA and Motorola. The DRM (conditional access in our world, or CAS) is proprietary. FCC mandates that the CAS be separable (as of July this year). Moto and SA complied by providing CableCards. They did not mandate that the two way services be supported (a friend pointed this out to me the other day...very important distinction). TIVO is neither SA or Moto, so they don't entirely get the same access to the secrets of the inner workings of the cable cards (and thus, have issues supporting a two way host; ergo, no video on demand or SDV support). They also need to support OCAP (don't even think about getting me started on this). The open source community is welcome to read the specs for building a device that would talk to a cable card, but getting the technical help to make it work (either with Moto or SA or with CableLabs) would be problematic. One way is not really that hard, so I think that is doable.
Certification is a economic issue (and a large one at that). So where it is nice to put a POD interface in, getting it to work is another thing (plus you need to think about supporting SCTE 55-1, SCTE 55-2, or DSG for the return path...)
FYI, in a typical network, channels in North America are 6MHz wide (either over the air or on a cable plant). Typical encoding for a standard def signal is 3.75 mbps, and a typical QAM channel (256 QAM) has a data rate of 38.810720 mbps, so you get about 10 streams per 6 MHz channel. HD can run up to 19 mbps (really, really rare), so you could fit two (or three if they decrease the bit rate down and thus drop the quality) per channel. Over the air ATSC uses 8 VSB for their modulation, and I don't offhand recall what the bit rates are for that.
ok, as a cable industry insider, no. Cable card SUCKS for the MSO's, as they are more expensive, they don't work easy (costs money to roll trucks), etc. If you want to blame anyone, look at the FCC who mandated separable security for set top boxes. Cable Card set tops can triple the price that SA or Moto charges the MSO (and trust me, they will pass that cost on to you).
Say what you want, but Cable Card is NOT the desire of the MSO.
No. There are multiple frequencies used in both the upstream and downstream directions to "bond" the traffic. Rather than sharing a single frequency amongst multiple users, a single WideBand cable modem gets multiple 6 MHz channels all to its lonesome for increased peak data rates. Of course, to make this work, there must be more node splitting in the providers network so that less people are in a service group, but this is in the works anyways...
working in the cableTV industry as an equipment supplier, I was just at a conference where a CEO of a major MSO (cable operator) said "Grandma doesn't want a set top box" so they need simulcast of certain channels regardless of their desire to move to all digital. They put plans in place to service their customers in the long term, so they are happy (since they only have to go analog for the last leg of the HFC plant to customer network).
It will require you to identify the market you want to enter. If you want to be a telecom dev person, an MBA might not be as useful as an EE degree. Likewise, if you want to do technical writing, I would suggest a lit degree instead of the EE.
Personally, I would say that an EE degree gives you pretty wide access to the market, but since I hire EE/CS dual degree people constantly, my view might be somewhat biased.
Common rates are 19.4 mbps for HD (although I believe some vod vendors for MSO's trim that to 14 and change mbps). 19.4 * 60 * minutes of program will give you the info. This is assuming that the program is an MPEG2 transport stream. It improves once MPEG4 is used (better compression, although the transport stream is just a modified MPEG2 TS)
Unfortunately, for the same reason that the folks over at SCO keep on yakking...public perception. At this time, there is less than a small chance that the SCO lawsuit will bear fruit as it exists now, but the folks driving the bus keep on spouting. The result? The price stays high, goes higher, doesn't drop as much as it could. When other PR comes to light, they suffer. At this moment, in after hours trading, they are down $1.32. All the stories linked to the pages where I get the SCO price are about indemnification and the OSDL defence fund. Investors on a stock like this can read the review and be rattled. Thus, the PR here will probably be countered tomorrow with more PR from SCO.
Ah, cool. Good to know (well, good depending on who you are....I am venturing to say that if one had a LOT of money in SCO stock right now, they might feel a tad different)...
I agree. Where I work, we often complain that we don't have time to follow a process, but we usually keep the products rolling out and the customer happy, because we built a continuing improvement cycle into the post shipping date. Rather than normal bug fixes, we work hard to find out what the early adopters need fixed, and what else they used. This might leave some buggy features uncorrected for a longer term, but if the buggy feature is unused while a new feature keeps the customer happy, no one complains.
Whereas I have to admit the reality of 4) at times, I do write closed source software, and oddly enough, I do care about security and stability. May I suggest that 3) should be
3) The people writing OSS don't have to deal with #4, which makes security and stability a more achievable goal.
(I can't argue with the reality of CS being often less secure and less stable - that is just 4) makes it so)
Thank you. For the folks that I just sent "No thanks to" that had basketweaving degrees instead of Comp Sci degrees, I guess I blew it. I mean, who expected me to need people who knew what programming is? I haven't got time to teach people stuff they needed to know from school. The pile of good resumes started with "I have a degree from..." and then went to "...and I have experience from...". In an R&D environment, its the credentials that open the door, less so experience.
Sounds like UC Irvine is trying hard to balance the freedom of the Internet (they aren't stopping you from downloading via P2P) versus the needs of the academic campus (sorry, getting the latest rip of Brittney just isn't as important to academia as you think). Its a pretty nice solution without a moral judgement. As Michael points out, they are straightforward about it, and their arguments are cogent. Its a good solution to a real world problem.
It has nothing to do with virii that would make me not open the file...seeing most of my friends' wives nude would be unpleasant and socially ackward...
Slashdot Mirror
Working on it....you do need SOMETHING to talk back to the outside world. If we embed cable modems in the television and use downloadable conditional access (DCAS), it is possible in the future. However, no one other than Moto, SA, and Pace have gotten two way services running in North America yet (there was a discussion about this yesterday on the Tivo issues with SDV). For the near future, I think you might be stuck with a set top box (even more so for a la carte).
(Sorry)....
Nope. They like coax. They spent a lot of money putting it out there, and that is why you are seeing things like SDV and Digital Simulcast coming out (lets them harvest RF bandwidth) to deliver more over the coax. It is UNBELIEVABLY expensive to re-run lines to each house in the areas they serve (Verizon is spending billions doing it with fiber), so get used to coax.
Video over IP is possible in coax. You use a DOCSIS channel to encapsulate IP packets that encapsulate compressed audio and video. Video over IP is coming in V-DOC (Cisco) or DIBA (Motorola). The bidirectional services just exist on the return path DOCSIS channel making interactive services just another part of the cable modem system.
More correctly, what you are talking about is Digital Simulcast, where the same info is being forwarded in a single 6 MHz analog channel and digitally inside a multiprogram transport stream (MPTS...) for digital reception on another 6 MHz channel. sdv is about switching services on and off as people watch them, ergo recovering bandwidth in your digital modulator space.
(as usual, in a cable discussion, I put my flame proof underwear on....)
Its a little more interesting than that. I am actually a Cable guy who does design for products in MSO (cable company) networks. You are essentially facing two folks who hold the keys to the kingdom, SA and Motorola. The DRM (conditional access in our world, or CAS) is proprietary. FCC mandates that the CAS be separable (as of July this year). Moto and SA complied by providing CableCards. They did not mandate that the two way services be supported (a friend pointed this out to me the other day...very important distinction). TIVO is neither SA or Moto, so they don't entirely get the same access to the secrets of the inner workings of the cable cards (and thus, have issues supporting a two way host; ergo, no video on demand or SDV support). They also need to support OCAP (don't even think about getting me started on this). The open source community is welcome to read the specs for building a device that would talk to a cable card, but getting the technical help to make it work (either with Moto or SA or with CableLabs) would be problematic. One way is not really that hard, so I think that is doable.
Certification is a economic issue (and a large one at that). So where it is nice to put a POD interface in, getting it to work is another thing (plus you need to think about supporting SCTE 55-1, SCTE 55-2, or DSG for the return path...)
FYI, in a typical network, channels in North America are 6MHz wide (either over the air or on a cable plant). Typical encoding for a standard def signal is 3.75 mbps, and a typical QAM channel (256 QAM) has a data rate of 38.810720 mbps, so you get about 10 streams per 6 MHz channel. HD can run up to 19 mbps (really, really rare), so you could fit two (or three if they decrease the bit rate down and thus drop the quality) per channel. Over the air ATSC uses 8 VSB for their modulation, and I don't offhand recall what the bit rates are for that.
ok, as a cable industry insider, no. Cable card SUCKS for the MSO's, as they are more expensive, they don't work easy (costs money to roll trucks), etc. If you want to blame anyone, look at the FCC who mandated separable security for set top boxes. Cable Card set tops can triple the price that SA or Moto charges the MSO (and trust me, they will pass that cost on to you).
Say what you want, but Cable Card is NOT the desire of the MSO.
No. There are multiple frequencies used in both the upstream and downstream directions to "bond" the traffic. Rather than sharing a single frequency amongst multiple users, a single WideBand cable modem gets multiple 6 MHz channels all to its lonesome for increased peak data rates. Of course, to make this work, there must be more node splitting in the providers network so that less people are in a service group, but this is in the works anyways...
Yes, I am a DOCSIS geek...
Okay, a quick comment...
working in the cableTV industry as an equipment supplier, I was just at a conference where a CEO of a major MSO (cable operator) said "Grandma doesn't want a set top box" so they need simulcast of certain channels regardless of their desire to move to all digital. They put plans in place to service their customers in the long term, so they are happy (since they only have to go analog for the last leg of the HFC plant to customer network).
Personally, I would say that an EE degree gives you pretty wide access to the market, but since I hire EE/CS dual degree people constantly, my view might be somewhat biased.
Sorry, the burly lumberjack babes are for locals only. You have to start with the hot quebecois babe and work your way up the ladder...
Canada, our home and native land, and the home of amazing French women...
Common rates are 19.4 mbps for HD (although I believe some vod vendors for MSO's trim that to 14 and change mbps). 19.4 * 60 * minutes of program will give you the info. This is assuming that the program is an MPEG2 transport stream. It improves once MPEG4 is used (better compression, although the transport stream is just a modified MPEG2 TS)
Yep. Canadian culture is much more relaxed (or just far less tense).
Unfortunately, for the same reason that the folks over at SCO keep on yakking...public perception. At this time, there is less than a small chance that the SCO lawsuit will bear fruit as it exists now, but the folks driving the bus keep on spouting. The result? The price stays high, goes higher, doesn't drop as much as it could. When other PR comes to light, they suffer. At this moment, in after hours trading, they are down $1.32. All the stories linked to the pages where I get the SCO price are about indemnification and the OSDL defence fund. Investors on a stock like this can read the review and be rattled. Thus, the PR here will probably be countered tomorrow with more PR from SCO.
More fodder for the fire, folks.
Foolish words.
th3m0nk
Ah, cool. Good to know (well, good depending on who you are....I am venturing to say that if one had a LOT of money in SCO stock right now, they might feel a tad different)...
th3m0nk
Not trying to dispute you, but where are you getting this info? I didn't see that on Groklaw, but I may have missed it...
th3m0nk
FWIW, you might want to read Motley Fool's Tom Taulli's take on this. th3m0nk
No, in Soviet Russia, Elvis sucks the soul out of your ass...
Just hit google news in Canada, referencing back to /. Not sure if that is mainstream or not...
I agree. Where I work, we often complain that we don't have time to follow a process, but we usually keep the products rolling out and the customer happy, because we built a continuing improvement cycle into the post shipping date. Rather than normal bug fixes, we work hard to find out what the early adopters need fixed, and what else they used. This might leave some buggy features uncorrected for a longer term, but if the buggy feature is unused while a new feature keeps the customer happy, no one complains.
Whereas I have to admit the reality of 4) at times, I do write closed source software, and oddly enough, I do care about security and stability. May I suggest that 3) should be
3) The people writing OSS don't have to deal with #4, which makes security and stability a more achievable goal.
(I can't argue with the reality of CS being often less secure and less stable - that is just 4) makes it so)
Thank you. For the folks that I just sent "No thanks to" that had basketweaving degrees instead of Comp Sci degrees, I guess I blew it. I mean, who expected me to need people who knew what programming is? I haven't got time to teach people stuff they needed to know from school. The pile of good resumes started with "I have a degree from..." and then went to "...and I have experience from...". In an R&D environment, its the credentials that open the door, less so experience.
Join the newest gameshow on /. Who can find the previous incarnation of a story that Timothy just posted? Winner gets 50 karma.
Sounds like UC Irvine is trying hard to balance the freedom of the Internet (they aren't stopping you from downloading via P2P) versus the needs of the academic campus (sorry, getting the latest rip of Brittney just isn't as important to academia as you think). Its a pretty nice solution without a moral judgement. As Michael points out, they are straightforward about it, and their arguments are cogent. Its a good solution to a real world problem.
It has nothing to do with virii that would make me not open the file...seeing most of my friends' wives nude would be unpleasant and socially ackward...
Part of the distance you get from a golf ball is from the action of the air on the dimples. Since we are talking about a vacuum, the effect is gone.