Vecima's HyperQAM + EdgeQAM + DOCSIS 3.0 = scaleable platform

Universal Edge QAM

Vecima's HyperQAM is a high-density, Universal Edge QAM that offers simultaneous support for triple play video, voice and data services. The HyperQAM is ideal for cable operators requiring cost-effective solutions for their digital video services. A future proof, scaleable platform, the HyperQAM is software upgradeable to support next generation services such as DOCSIS 3.0 and M-CMTS.

Product Features

• DRFI compliant QAM outputs
• Scalable up to 128 QAM in 2 RU
• Supports up to 4096 streams
• Software upgradeable to support next generation services
• 10x1 GbE inputs (Optional 2x10 GbE inputs), configurable for stream-level or link-level redundancy
• Internal dual redundant, field-replaceable power supplies
• Quad fan cooling module (independent fan replacement)
• All QAM modules and power supplies are hot-swappable
• Java interface for remote configuration and control

"Pay as You Grow" Modularity

• Modular design allows more QAM channels to be added as demand grows
• QAM channels may be increased in increments of 1, 2, 4, 6 or 8 to a maximum of 128

High Availability

• Hot-swappable QAM modules and power supply fans allow installation or maintenance of active systems without service interruption
• Field replaceable processor module allows maintenance of active systems
• Costly service outages are minimized; uptime is maximized
• Enhanced system reliability: redundant GbE ports, fans, power supplies and output ports

Extremely High Density

• Chassis houses up to 4 QAM cards for a maximum of 128 QAM in 2 RU
• Each QAM card contains 4 RF ports, capable of generating 8 QAM channels per port
• The HyperQAM is fully tested and compatible with industry leading cable equipment

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C-COR's CHP eQAM

The first eQAM is C-Cor Inc.'s converged headend platform (CHP) eQAM, which the company claims is the industry's first 1GHz eQAM device. The connecting product joins the company's 1GHz suite of HFC network products, says Bill Dawson, C-Cor's VP of access strategy. It is a module for the CHP Max5000 headend platform and can be installed alongside transmitters in the same CHP chassis.

The CHP eQAM supports 120 QAM channels in a compact two-rack unit (2RU), and it enables a more than 40 percent improvement per year in power consumption compared with other eQAM devices (it utilizes a tad more than 3 watts per QAM, Dawson says).

Not only does the eQAM expand the capacity for VOD and switched digital video (SDV) programming, it allows programs not being watched to remain parked at the headend. Lab trials have already been scheduled with two North American MSOs, and commercial availability is expected in September.

Vecima Network's HyperQAM

The second eQAM comes from Vecima Networks. The company's HyperQAM supports up to 128 QAM channels in a 2RU, or up to 4,096 streams.

The box sits at the edge of the network; expands the capacity for VOD, SDV and other programming (it can fit 12-14 programs in a QAM instead of 10); is compatible with GigE and 10GigE; is upgradeable to DOCSIS 3.0 and M-CMTS; can do channel bonding; and there is no need to replace the chassis if a problem arises, says Douglas Fast, Vecima's EVP and VP of R&D.

The HyperQAM's modular design allows more QAM channels to be added—in increments of 1, 2, 4, 6 or 8, to a maximum of 128—as demand increases. The product has been tested and is compatible with industry-leading cable and VOD equipment.

Finally, RGB's DBM will allow operators to deliver up to 50 percent more VOD programming with the same amount of bandwidth, the company says. The device can plug into an existing architecture via the GigE switch, and it also supports both GigE and 10GigE.

RGB's DBM

In typical VOD deployments, cable operators deliver 10 SD VOD programs per 6 MHz 256-QAM channel, with each program allocated a fixed amount of bandwidth. RGB's DBM enables 15 or more SD programs to be carried in the same amount of bandwidth, while still maintaining optimum picture quality.

The DBM also reduces the latency of an operator's network by simplifying VOD encryption. While operators usually have to process VOD streams, encrypt them and store them individually, RGB's product encrypts the streams for them.

The product has already been tested by equipment manufacturers, and it will be tested by U.S. cable operators when it is available for sale in Q3.

The next-gen DBM will offer digital ad-insertion capabilities.

cedmagazine

The Impact of P2P File Sharing, Voice over IP, Skype, Joost, Instant Messaging, One-Click Hosting and Media Streaming such as YouTube on the Internet

Internet Study 2007

Overview
ipoque has analyzed the Internet traffic in five regions of the world between August and September 2007. Comprehensive statistics about user behavior provide a unique overview of the Internet’s current state. While the emphasis of last year’s ipoque survey was on peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, this study also includes data about Internet telephony (VoIP), Skype, video streaming, instant messaging (IM), file hosting and encrypted P2P protocols. Three petabytes of anonymous data representing over one million users in Australia, Eastern Europe, Germany, the Middle East and Southern Europe have been analyzed. The data were gathered using ipoque's PRX Traffic Manager installed at customer sites.
Content Type Analysis
The content type classification uses the same methodology as the 2006 survey. As BitTorrent and eDonkey are the most popular P2P networks by a wide margin, and the content analysis involves a substantial amount of manual work, the classification has been limited to these two. This is not really a limitation as the two protocols combined account for between 70% and 97% of all P2P traffic, depending on the region. All transferred files have been classified based on the two-tier scheme with categories and subcategories listed below:

* Video: Movie, Music, Anime, Porn, TV
* Audio: Music, Audio book (aBook)
* Software: Application, Game
* eBook: eBook
* Picture: Porn, Other

Goal of this study is to provide an as comprehensive as possible overview of shared content in P2P networks. More than half of all encountered files could be classified down according to category and subcategory (55% of BitTorrent and 60% of eDonkey files) representing 70% respectively 80% of the BitTorrent and eDonkey traffic. Thus, the observed sample clearly exceeds the significance threshold. Nearly all of the top-5000 files have been classified.
Protocol Distribution
P2P is still producing more traffic in the Internet then all other applications combined. Its average proportion during the measurement period regionally varies between 49% in the Middle East and 83% in Eastern Europe.



The complete protocol distribution is only available for Germany and the Middle East. In both regions, Web browsing accounts for the the second-most traffic with a share of 26% in the Middle East and 10% in Germany. These numbers do not include any audio or video streaming content embedded in Web pages like YouTube. This media streaming content is counted separately. In Germany, it ranks third with a proportion of about 8%. In the Middle East it is negligible with less than 0.1%. Possible reasons include lower-speed Internet access and less media-rich content on local-language Web sites. The following picture provides the detailed percentages for all monitored protocol classes in Germany.


Direct Download Links – aka. One-Click File Hosting
The third position in the Middle East and the fourth in Germany is taken by a new file sharing phenomenon that has risen in the past few years. The term direct download links (DDL) refers to a service offered by so-called one-click file hosters such as RapidShare.com and MegaUpload.com. 62 file hosting services have been included in this study. It is remarkable that these few content providers are responsible for nearly 9% of the Internet traffic in the Middle East and over 4% in Germany. RapidShare.com currently is the most popular DDL service with a 55% volume share relative to the overall DDL traffic. MegaUpload.com holds the second position with a 17% share. This may be relevant to the current discussion on net neutrality, as a few, profit-oriented service operators are responsible for an over-proportionally high traffic volume.
User Number Statistics
This study also includes approximations of the relative number of Internet users utilizing a certain protocol or protocol type. Unsurprisingly, Web browsing (HTTP) is the application with the highest number of users with a share of 99% respectively 94% of all Internet users in Germany and the Middle East. Only about 20% of the Internet users are file sharers and thus responsible for up to 70% of the overall Internet traffic. Between 10% and 17% use DDL services.

Comparing Germany and the Middle East also reveals, that VoIP is much more popular in Germany and IM in the Middle East. The lower popularity of VoIP in the Middle East can almost certainly be attributed to voice quality issues resulting from lower-speed and higher-latency Internet connectivity. This performance limitation does not affect instant messaging applications, which can explain their popularity. In addition, Germans have never been as enthusiastic users of instant messaging.
P2P File Sharing
P2P file sharing still is the application class producing, by a wide margin, most Internet traffic. Its share varies, in our observations, between 48% in the Middle East and 80% in Eastern Europe. These percentage numbers are averages calculated over the course of the roughly four week measurement period in August and September. Some measurement points experienced P2P shares of over 95% at certain times.

The amount of P2P has increased proportionally with the overall Internet traffic. P2P has still grown, but different from last year, it did not outperform the overall traffic growth. Instead, some file sharers are turning to alternative services such as DDL instead.
Most Popular P2P Protocols
The trend of growing BitTorrent popularity observed in ipoque's 2006 survey continued. BitTorrent has become the by far most popular P2P protocol worldwide. Only in Southern Europe eDonkey still is the dominating protocol with a share of 57% of all P2P traffic. Notable are also the high amount of DirectConnect traffic in Eastern Europe (29%) and Gnutella traffic in Australia (9%). In Australia, the eDonkey and BitTorrent traffic volumes are particularly extreme with only 14% eDonkey and as much as 73% BitTorrent.
P2P Encryption and Obfuscation
This study for the first time includes statistics about the prevalence of encrypted P2P traffic. Some eDonkey clients, such as eMule, started implementing protocol obfuscation using encryption and similar methods to hide from detection in 2006. Several BitTorrent clients, including BitComet and Azureus, started to offer various forms of encryption in 2005. Along with the content industry's struggle with P2P file sharing as a tool to distribute copyright-protected content, a growing number of users is facilitating these obfuscation and encryption features to evade detection. While many detection systems are fooled by these measures, ipoque's application detection engine reliably identifies all forms of obfuscation and encryption used by these protocols. The following pictures show the proportion of encrypted P2P traffic.




P2P Content Type Analysis
As in 2006, this year's study again looked at the content types exchanged in P2P file sharing networks. The content analysis is based on data from three different regions: Germany, the Middle East and Southern Europe. Based on the methodology described above, the majority of all transferred files could be classified.
The following pie charts provide an overview of the content types exchanged with BitTorrent in Germany. Categories (audio, video, software, picture, e-book) are represented by different colors and subcategories by individual pie slices. The leading BitTorrent content are video files with a share between 62% in Southern Europe and 79% in Germany. Southern Europe has a particularly high amount of software traffic – 26% compared to 6% in Germany and the Middle East. German BitTorrent users download more porn (13%) than the other regions (2% and 5%).



Voice over IP and Skype
Internet telephony – or Voice over IP (VoIP) – has become a commodity application, not least based on the enormous success of Skype with its ease of use and resilience to restrictive network environments due to widespread firewalling and network address translation (NAT). While standards-based VoIP systems using SIP, H.323 and IAX require manual configuration to get around the resulting limitations, Skype has many built-in mechanisms to automatically deal with such network conditions and to offer an as seamless as possible operation in most environments.

The success of this strategy is reflected in the analysis results. They show that 30% of all monitored Internet users in Germany use Skype. In the Middle East, the number is with only 7% much lower. SIP follows far behind with only 1% users in Germany and in the Middle East. The user numbers for H.323 and IAX are negligible.

ipoque
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Improving Password Protection With Easy To Remember Drawings

An inventive way of improving password security for handheld devices such as iPhones, Blackberry and Smartphone has been developed at Newcastle University. Those who took part in testing this system created passwords that were a thousand times more secure than ordinary textual passwords. Most testers also found them easy to remember. (Credit: Image courtesy of Newcastle University)

ScienceDaily — An inventive way of improving password security for handheld devices such as iPhones, Blackberry and Smartphone has been developed at Newcastle University.

The software, which uses pictures instead of letters and numbers, has been initially designed for handheld devices, but could soon be expanded to other areas.

Those who took part in testing this system created passwords that were a thousand times more secure than ordinary textual passwords. Most testers also found them easy to remember.

Researchers now want to examine the system’s potential for helping people with language difficulties, such as dyslexia.

Today, the use of passwords is commonplace in everything from mobile phones to cash machines and computers. But in the wake of growing concerns about traditional ‘weak’ passwords created from words and numbers, Newcastle University computer scientists have been developing alternative software which lets the user draw a picture password, known as a ‘graphical password’.

“Many people find it difficult to remember a password so choose words that are easy to remember and therefore more susceptible to hackers,” explained computer scientist Jeff Yan, a lecturer at Newcastle University.

Along with his PhD student Paul Dunphy, Dr Yan has taken the emerging Draw a Secret (DAS) technology, a graphical password scheme where users draw their secret password as a free-form image on a grid, and taken this a step further.

In DAS, the user draws an image, which is then encoded as an ordered sequence of cells. The software recalls the strokes, along with the number of times the pen is lifted.

By superimposing a background over the blank DAS grid, the Newcastle University researchers have created a system called BDAS: Background Draw a Secret. This helps users remember where they began the drawing they are using as a password and also leads to graphical passwords that are less predictable, longer and more complex.

The BDAS software encouraged people to draw more complicated password images e.g. with a larger stroke count or length, that were less symmetrical and didn’t start in the centre. This makes them much harder for people or automated hacker programs to guess. 'In essence, this is a very simple idea as it’s intuitive,” said Mr Yan. 'It may take longer to create the password initially but it’s easier to remember and more secure as a result.'

For example, if a person chooses a flower background and then draws a butterfly as their secret password image onto it, they have to remember where they began on the grid and the order of their pen strokes. It is recognised as identical if the encoding is the same, not the drawing itself, which allows for some margin of error as the drawing does not have to be re-created exactly.

'Most of us have forgotten a pin number or a password at least once, which is why we tend to make them so easy to guess,” said Mr Yan. “However, the human mind has a much greater capacity for remembering images, and it’s certainly true that a picture is worth a thousand words in this instance.'

People who took part in the Newcastle University study, which compared DAS and BDAS use, had to choose their own background from a selection of five images – stars, map detail, playing card, crowd and flower.

After creating their secret password images on the grid, they were asked to repeat what they had initially drawn. One week later, they were asked to re-create the same image and 95% BDAS users were able to do so within three attempts.

'The recalled BDAS passwords were, on average, more complicated than their DAS counterparts by more than 10 bits,' said Dr Yan. 'This means that the memorable BDAS passwords improved security by a factor of more than 1024. They were also more secure than current textual passwords by an even larger factor.'

He added that, of those who attempted to draw something, the creations were very much dependent on the participants’ artistic ability. 'Most people drew simple everyday objects such as cars, cups and houses, although one participant did write their name in Persian script,' said Mr Yan.

Mr Yan will be presenting these findings in the opening lecture at Association for Computing Machinery Conference (ACM)’s flagship conference on Computer and Communications Security in Washington next week. He received a £66,000 grant from Microsoft Research (MSR) to support his research into designing novel systems that are both secure and usable.

The MSR grant will also enable Mr Yan to carry out further research into how easily the BDAS system can be used by people who traditionally have difficulty with textual systems, such as those with dyslexia.

'The most exciting feature is that a simple enhancement simultaneously provides significantly enhanced usability and security,' concluded Mr Yan.

The full paper: Do Background Images Improve “Draw a Secret” Graphical Passwords?, will be published at the Association for Computing Machinery Conference on Computer and Communications Security in Washington on 30th October.

Adapted from materials provided by Newcastle University.

SG TCP Optimizer

TCP Optimizer

Description: The TCP Optimizer is a free, easy Windows program that provides an intuitive interface for tuning and optimizing your Internet connection. There is no installation required, just download and run. The program can aid both the novice and the advanced user in tweaking related TCP/IP parameters in the Windows Registry, making it easy to tune your system to the type of Internet connection used. The tool uses advanced algorithms, and the bandwidth*delay product to find the best TCP Window for your specific connection speed. It provides for easy tuning of all related TCP/IP parameters, such as MTU, RWIN, and even advanced ones like QoS and ToS/Diffserv prioritization. The program works with all current versions of Windows, and includes additional tools, such as testing average latency over multiple hosts, and finding the largest possible packet size (MTU). The TCP Optimizer is targeted towards broadband internet connections, however it can be helpful with tuning any internet connection type, from dialup to Gigabit+ :) If you need help with the program, check the TCP Optimizer documentation, read our broadband tweaking articles, the Optimizer FAQ, and/or visit our Forums. The program can be freely (re)distributed, as long as you give us proper credit as the author, and it is not sold for profit. Mirrors: SpeedGuide.net (recommended) Download.com MajorGeeks.com Softpedia.com OS: Windows 9x/ME/2K/XP/XP-SP2/2k3 | version: 2.0.3 | date: 01/06/2006 | filesize: 596 KB

ARRIS Fixed Wireless Solutions - WiDOX

A CableLabs DOCSIS 2.0 based Wireless Modem Termination System (WMTS)
designed for providing advanced IP services over DOCSIS based wireless networks. The ARRIS WMTS offers operators of any size the opportunity to deploy next generation IP services in wireless networks worldwide.

Features
• Multiple Downstream operational modes: QAM64, QAM16, and QPSK
• More upstream modulations including SCDMA
• Upstream Compression Technology with A-TDMA technology
• Improved multipath distortion and error correction
• Flexible Upstream Channel Configurations (2, 4 or 6)
• Full Quality of Service for VOIP services
• Supports over 3000 subscribers
• Efficient and Automatic Bandwidth Management
• Superior RF performance including active ingress noise cancellation
• Redundant Power Supplies
• Compact size (1 rack unit)

The ARRIS Wireless Telephony Modem WM502 gives cable subscribers both high-speed data access and Voice over IP (VoIP) technology. The WM402A is designed to be highly flexible and offer high interoperability, allowing operators to drive revenue from broadband VoIP offerings. Offering two lines of telephony, this product delivers carrier grade performance and a bridged Ethernet and USB interface. It's highly reliable performance and advanced functionality ensures that subscribers will get call quality and services that they demand from their phone services..

Additionally, the ARRIS DOCSIS® Wireless Modem Termination System provides the technology for cable operators of any size to implement next generation IP services in their wireless networks.

ARRIS Fixed Wireless Solutions - WiDOX

1.9 GHz and 3.5GHz WMTS Base Station Interface 2 3 GHz Base Station Interfaces 2 3 GHz Digital Video Converter 2 3 GHz Inband Modem Interface 2.5 GHz Base Station Transmit and Receive Interface 2.5 GHz Digital Video Converter 2.5 GHz Inband MMDS Base Station Downconverter 2.5 GHz Inband MMDS Modem Interface 2.5 GHz Integrated MMDS MDS Modem Interface 2.5 GHz MMDS MDS Modem Interface 3.5 GHz Base Station Controller 3.5 GHz Base Station Transceiver 3.5 GHz Integrated Modem Interface 5.8 GHz Base Station Transceiver 5.8 GHz Integrated Subscriber Transceiver 700 MHz Modem Interface 700 MHz Base Station Antennas 700 MHz Base Station Transmitter 700 MHz Integrated Modem Interface 700 MHz Subscriber Antennas 850 MHz Base Station Transmitter 850 MHz Modem Interface Wireless Modem Termination System Wireless Modem WM450-2 Fixed Wireless Data Modem WM550 Fixed Wireless Voice and Data Modem 2 Line WM502

WiDOX™ is not affiliated with CableLabs® nor is it endorsed by CableLabs.

ASUS Eee PC is America’s Most Wanted Christmas Gift

The ASUS Eee PC is once again in the limelight. This time, it has been billed as America’s most wanted Christmas gift among notebooks products. Several large American shopping websites have started investigating what the average American would want as a Christmas gift in lieu of the fast approaching Christmas buying season; and the result from the American Amazon shopping website and CNET based on 14th of November unanimously places the ASUS Eee PC at the top spot on the wish list.

Irresistible Popularity
So overwhelming is the Eee PC’s popularity in America that all the units were snapped up – creating a lack of stock; and stores were inundated with orders for the Christmas season as soon as it was put on the shelves. Long queues were noted on launch day as people flocked to put their hands on the popular notebook.

"In the two weeks since it’s launch in the US, the Eee PC has already sold ten thousand sets," said Sunny Han, Director of ASUS Global Brand Center – confirming the Eee PC’s massive US sales figures. By the end of this year, the projected sales goal of 350 thousand will be met; and next year that figure is projected at 3 to 5 million.

And this success was not just limited to America, as the Eee PC has gained popularity globally. In Germany, households have embraced the new lightweight laptop, with parents enjoying the compact wonder together with their children. According to a parent who described how useful the Eee PC is for her, “It is so lightweight and small that I can bring it around anywhere in the home as I do my housework. Best of all, the interface is so easy to use, I can check online transactions, order groceries, and keep myself in touch with friends and family without any hassles.”

"In places such as Taiwan, US and Hong Kong, it seems like the Eee PC is sold out as soon as it appears on the market," Sunny Han said, reflecting on how the Eee PC’s popularity has impacted globally.

Giving Education a Helping Hand
Besides obtaining favorable consumer support in the American retail market, the Eee PC has also gained a foothold into the US education market. As California’s educational system is highly advanced, California’s 4th largest school district – the Fresno Unified School District, has taken the lead and have purchased 1,300 Eee PCs from ASUS to use as training aids for both students and teachers.

The teachers can access, display and transfer video and music with ease in the classroom; efficiently providing files to students, which the student can immediately answer using the Eee PC. It also scored very well in tests made in the school during trial runs held during September. With its shock-proof durability, small size and efficient Internet access, the Eee PC can be placed on the school desk together with books – making it easy for referencing.

Judging from student responses, the Eee PC has also received the stamp of approval from the students. Michelle, a student studying at Fresno Unified School had this to say, “It’s so light and easy to use. It helps tremendously when the teacher hands out assignments now. I don’t even have to lug around heavy textbooks home anymore too!”

Mobility & Reliability
• At 7" and weighing only 0.92kg, you can take the Eee PC anywhere.
• Bumps and shocks are no longer issues. With a dependable solid-state disk, you get unparalleled shock-protection and reliability.
• Power-efficient design provides longer operating time when on the go. Ease & Technology
• With a rapid start-up time, the Eee PC is always ready to get into action.
• No technical manual required with the specially designed, user-friendly and intuitive graphic interface .

Work & Connectivity
• You’re always connected with built-in WiFi 802.11 b/g that automatically detects and connects to the Internet at any hotspot.
• The Eee PC includes the documents and the e-mails software, and a suite of other productivity software to help keep you on track.
• Upload photos and videos and share them instantly on Flickr or YouTube without waiting till you get home. Media & Entertainment
• Enjoy music and videos with extensive support for a wide range of digital multimedia.
• Log on to Skype or other network, and you can connect with friends anywhere, anytime.
• Clear up wire clutter with the built-in card reader, camera, speakers, and microphone.

Specification Model Name Eee PC 8G Eee PC 4G Eee PC 4G Surf Eee PC 2G Surf Display 7" 7" 7" 7" Intel CPU & Chipset ● ● ● ● Operating System Linux Windows XP compatible Linux Windows XP compatible Linux Windows XP compatible Linux Windows XP compatible Ethernet Communication ● ● ● ● WLAN ● ● ● ● Memory 1G (DDR2) 512 MB (DDR2) 512 MB (DDR2) 256 MB (DDR2) S.S.D. Storage (Solid-State Disk) 8G 4G 4G 2G Camera ● ● - - Audio Hi-Definition audio Stereo speaker Microphone Hi-Definition audio Stereo speaker Microphone Hi-Definition audio Stereo speaker Microphone Hi-Definition audio Stereo speaker Microphone Battery 4 Cells: 5200 mAh, 3.5hrs* 4 Cells: 5200 mAh, 3.5hrs* 4 Cells: 4400 mAh, 2.8hrs* 4 Cells: 4400 mAh, 2.8hrs* Weight 0.92 kg 0.92 kg 0.92 kg 0.92 kg Launch Date End of November 10/16 Global Launch Mid of November End of November * Specification changes are subject to different models * Actual battery life will depend on actual operations and other settings. * Product contains software under GPL license agreement

Hurry up :)

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Top Lobbyists Swarm FCC Over Plug-and-Play

The FCC is hearing comments on whether it should adopt the cable industry’s OpenCable Applications Platform (OCAP) as a standard for nationally deployable two-way set-top boxes, and big-time representatives of major corporations are busy sharing their views with the commission.

Oct. 26, Comcast boss Brian Roberts and two of his top henchmen met with four of the five commissioners to plug OCAP and oppose DCR+, the solution proposed by the Consumer Electronics Associations.

The same day, officials from HBO, Starz!, Disney, News Corp., Viacom and NBC Universal managed to met with the legal advisors for all five commissioners to talk up OCAP, according to a FCC filing.

These companies and others, including many consumer electronics makers, have touted OCAP as the only platform would incorporate advanced functionality into consumer devices.

“Consumers reasonably expect that something called a ‘digital cable-ready’ device will let them have access to all of the cable services that are part of the package they have purchased,” the National Cable and Telecommunications Administration told the FCC this week. “But DCR+ devices, were they ever to be built, could only receive a limited number of existing services, will receive no new future services, and will not let cable consumers see and use cable services in the way that they purchased them.”

NCTA also says DCR+ products will not be available in time for the 2008 holiday shopping season, whereas OCAP products are already available. NCTA also wants OCAP technology to be the standard for all multichannel video providers, not just cable.

CEA has countered that DCR+ is an alternative, lower-priced solution that would give viewers a choice; it has also said that the FCC would abdicate too much authority to industry consortium CableLabs under the NCTA plan.

CEOs Push OpenCable

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Click Here to Learn How You Can Evaluate Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Applications

Over the past decade, consumer debt has surged at an alarming pace. The likelihood of recovering debt, however, decreases with each passing day. Click here to learn how to maximize revenue.

In separate meetings last month, the top executives of the countrys two largest cable companies urged Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin to reject a proposal from consumer-electronics manufacturers for letting TVs access interactive cable services and to instead adopt the cable industrys own plan.

Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, in a solid day of meetings Oct. 26, delivered presentations to Martin and the FCCs four other commissioners to lobby for the OpenCable Platform, a middleware technology developed by CableLabs for standardizing the way two-way applications communicate with cable headends.

Roberts and his staff stressed that Americas cable industry is committed to OpenCable and that the technology has the support of leading consumer-electronics companies, according to a Comcast ex parte filing last Monday.

DUELING PROPOSALSThe rare face-to-face between Roberts and Martin came after Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt met with Martin and FCC commissioners Jonathan Adelstein and Michael Copps on Oct. 24, also to promote OpenCable over the consumer-electronics industrys competing proposal.

Cable-industry lobbyists said the FCC may issue a decision on the two-way cable proposals as early as this month.

With the CEO campaign, cable hopes to convince the FCC that OpenCable is the only viable technology for providing third-party electronic devices access to cables interactive services, such as video-on-demand and interactive program guides, before the government-mandated digital TV transition in February 2009.

The Consumer Electronics Association has pushed a proposal referred to as DCR Plus (digital cable ready plus) that would specify protocols for VOD and other individual applications.

According to operators, if the FCC required the cable industry to support DCR Plus, it would cost several hundred million dollars and stifle development of two-way services not specified by DCR Plus, such as caller ID on the TV. According to comments filed with the FCC by the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, developing DCR Plus would take years of standards body and intellectual property turmoil.

But the CEA, for its part, has asserted in FCC filings that competitive DCR Plus products would include other innovations above and beyond those supported or allowed via OpenCable, such as Internet-downloaded video content.

Roberts and the Comcast team which included senior vice president of strategic planning Mark Coblitz and chief policy adviser for FCC and regulatory policy James Coltharp noted that with the DCR Plus proposal, CEA is asking the FCC to micromanage technology choices for cable in a way it has never done for any industry.

The CEA, in FCC filings, has argued that consumer-electronics manufacturers have been reluctant to bank on promises of [OpenCable] support that, five years later, still have not come to fruition. The association also claims that creating the elements of DCR Plus should be straightforward and implementable.

The NCTA has responded that a DCR Plus device would be obsolete even before it rolls off the assembly line and would likely fail in the marketplace, because it would be unable to access newer features like caller ID on the TV and interactive games.

Ultimately, cable operators back an all-MVPD approach, which would provide a way for CE devices to access interactive services from any multichannel video programming distributor (i.e., cable, satellite or telco).

OPENCABLE DEPLOYEDIn the meantime, major cable operators, including Comcast, Cox Communications, Time Warner Cable, Cablevision Systems and Bright House Networks, have pledged to have OpenCable widely supported by the end of 2008. Time Warner Cable claims to have already deployed 150,000 OpenCable-based set-top boxes in 13 divisions.

Consumer electronics companies that are developing or have delivered OpenCable-compatible products include LG Electronics, Panasonic, Samsung Electronics, Toshiba and Intel.


(Multichannel News Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)

Amazon launches Kindle e-book reader

Amazon.com, the world's largest web retailer, will begin selling an electronic book reader with wireless access, the latest attempt to build consumer interest in portable reading devices.

Although the market for e-books is limited, and competing devices have yet to catch on, one analyst said Amazon's book reader could eventually evolve into one that is able to capture all of the company's many offerings.

The battery-operated Amazon Kindle will sell for $US399 and let users download books, newspapers and blogs over a wireless connection. It can carry about 200 books downloaded from Amazon.com at about $US10 each for new releases.

Wireless access, based on the cellphone broadband technology EVDO, is built into the 280 gram, thin white device. Downloading content does not require a computer and takes less than a minute for a full-length book, the company said.

"The question is, can you improve upon something as highly evolved and well-suited to its task as the book? And if so, how?," Amazon.com Chief Executive Jeff Bezos said at a press conference in New York.

The device's screen is not back-lit and uses electronic ink to mimic paper. The competing Sony Reader from Sony uses similar technology but does not include wireless access.

In a note to customers on the company's website, http://www.amazon.com, Bezos wrote: "The book lover in me often has asked the nerd in me: 'Is there a way to get the emotions and experiences I love from books, but combined with the possibilities of advanced technology?"'

Seattle-based Amazon began as an online bookseller but has since grown into the world's largest Web retailer and second-most-popular e-commerce site behind eBay, selling everything from scooters to diamonds to groceries.

In recent years it has beefed up its spending on technology; but pull-backs in spending in the past year and resulting improved profits have caused Amazon's share price to nearly double since January.

In a research note, Stifel Nicolaus analyst Scott Devitt said the device "has the capacity to recreate the e-book business, as well as several other long-term options."

"With time, we believe Amazon Kindle could be Amazon.com's Trojan Horse into a complete 'always on' connection to all Amazon offerings," Devitt wrote.

Amazon already allows consumers to download videos through its Amazon Unbox service, as well as music through its recently-launched Amazon MP3 store - measures designed to ensure consumer loyalty and get a foothold into the nascent digital arena.

The Kindle service will also offer subscriptions to newspapers, magazines and blogs for a monthly fee. Subscriptions to newspapers such as the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal will range from $US5.99 to $US14.99. Magazine subscriptions will range from $US1.25 to $US3.49 per month.

Amazon will offer subscriptions to blogs at a cost of about US 99 cents.

Amazon said it currently offers more than 90,000 books. Downloading and reading the first chapters of most books is free.

Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com, introduces the Kindle e-book reader at a news conference on Monday in New York.

Photo: AP

Reuters