In what’s considered a major cable industry first, 3 integrated, IP-based devices that can act as cable modems, embedded multimedia terminal adapters (e-MTAs) and residential home networking gateways have been cleared for use by cable systems.
The technology that it used to overcome interference problems will also allow BPL to offer video, said Scott Cleland of the Precursor Group. Disagreeing with the view that BPL can’t overcome the hurdle of providing video (CD Jan 5 p1), he said the technology can easily leap that hurdle. “Maybe not with existing technology, but as chip speed goes through several cycles, BPL will be able to offer video just like anybody else,” he said.
Broadcom unveiled what it called the satellite industry’s first DVB-S2 receiver chip with 2 integrated tuners and demodulators. Broadcom officials said the new chip will make DVB-S2 satellite TV set-top-boxes and DVRs cheaper and more efficient. The DVB-S2 standard, an advanced transmission specification, improves on DVB-S’s modulation efficiency. Combined with MPEG-4 for HDTV broadcast and interactive TV services, DBV-S2 is expected to improve bandwidth efficiency -- making possible more content at a higher quality. Broadcom said it’s the first company to develop a DVB-S2 satellite receiver chip integrating demodulators and tuners in a single chip. Other silicon chips require separate DVB-S2 tuners and demodulators, boosting materials costs and power usage, said Broadcom. Broadcom’s new chip, the BCM4501, is “being rolled out in volume production,” Broadcom officials said at CES.
The first session of the 109th Congress started on a fast track for telecom when the House quickly approved a broadcast decency bill in March, but its performance leaves much for the second session to complete. Chances for completing action on long-awaited DTV provisions ended when no deal was reached 2 days before Christmas. Congress approved a one-year exemption from Anti- Deficiency Act rules for the Universal Service Fund (USF) in Nov. In an effort led by Senate Commerce Committee Chmn. Stevens (R-Alaska), the measure was included in the Commerce-State-Justice appropriations bill.
Devices operating on 5 GHz using dynamic frequency selection (DFS) technology passed NTIA field tests recently in Tex., easing concerns about whether they can peacefully coexist with military radars, according to sources familiar with the tests. However, one manufacturer had some problems in an earlier lab test conducted by NTIA in Boulder, Colo.
In a sign of growing VoIP deployments by cable operators in the U.S., Canada and elsewhere, equipment supplier shipments of voice modems are soaring to record levels. In fact, cable voice modem shipments are surging so quickly that some vendor executives predict they could surpass shipments of ordinary data-only modems sometime in the new year.
Texas Instruments (TI) will buy Norwegian RF transceiver maker Chipcon for about $200 million, the company said this week. Chipcon chips are designed on the IEEE-approved ZigBee standard aimed at the home and industrial automation markets, filling a gap in TI’s short-range wireless portfolio. TI said it will keep operations in Norway. Chipcon will operate as a wholly- owned subsidiary.
Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV) officials had no comment on a Thurs. CNBC report that MSV parent Motient may join EchoStar, DirecTV and Intel in a wireless broadband venture (CD Dec 5 p2). According to the report, talks among DirecTV, Intel, EchoStar, MSV and Motient on a wireless broadband venture have intensified, with a billion dollars possibly on the table for Motient in return for control of its 1.5/1.6 GHz L-band spectrum. Intel would develop chip-sets for whatever device ultimately connects users to the Internet, the report said.
Firewire, a.k.a. IEEE-1394, is being resurrected as the sinew of HD home networks hoped to be easy for consumers to connect but hard to crack for content piracy. The proposal comes from a multi-industry group that introduced itself Wed. and will reveal other members and plans at the upcoming CES, with the goal having compliant products at the Las Vegas show in 2007.
Cingular, Nokia, Philips and JP Morgan Chase are among firms testing contactless payment applications via wireless phones at Philips Arena in Atlanta. Users can buy products by holding their Nokia 3220 mobile phones, equipped with Philips’ NFC semiconductor chips and ViVOtech software, near a secure terminal. The test is the largest so far in N. America; the technology is gaining popularity in Asia. The arena is home to the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks and the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers.