Technology - Infrastructure - Last Mile 10 - HFC - DOCSIS 3-0, Switched Digital Video

Synopsis

We discuss embedded eDOCSIS, EuroDOCSIS, IPCablecom / PacketCable, Cable Home, Open Cable and the long-awaited DOCSIS 3.0. We also discuss the HFC-specific techniques of Switched Digital Video, which together with DOCSIS 3.0 and shared QAM modulators will transform HFC systems into fully digital systems for data, telephony and video services. We also discuss node-splitting to improve upstream performance, and some alternative HFC technologies from Vyyo and Narad.

Table of Contents

• 1. Synopsis
• 2. DOCSIS-related standards
  • 2.1 Embedded eDOCSIS
  • 2.2 Euro-DOCSIS and DVB
  • 2.3 IPCablecom and PacketCable
  • 2.4 CableHome
  • 2.5 OpenCable
  • 2.6 Set-Top Gateway (DSG)
• 3. Node splitting and frequency re-alignment
  • 3.1 Node splitting requires more fibre
  • 3.2 Mid-split conversion
• 4. High frequency expansion
  • 4.1 Narad’s symmetric Ethernet
  • 4.2 Vyyo’s Xtend 3GHz ‘Spectrum Overlay’
    • 4.2.1 Block Division Multiplexing
    • 4.2.2 Prohibitive installation costs
• 5. DOCSIS 3.0
  • 5.1 Competing with DSL
  • 5.2 Modular CMTS
  • 5.3 Channel bonding
  • 5.4 IPV6
• 6. Switched Digital Video
  • 6.1 SDV is not full IPTV
  • 6.2 Impetus for SDV
    • 6.2.1 Reclaiming analogue video channels
    • 6.2.2 Personal Video Recorders (PVRs)
    • 6.2.3 Multicast, unicast and expanded programming
    • 6.2.4 Other benefits for operators
  • 6.3 Networked PVR and VoD
    • 6.3.1 Barriers to nPVR adoption
  • 6.4 SDV architecture
    • 6.4.1 SRM - Session Resource Manager
    • 6.4.2 SDV - Switched Digital Video server
    • 6.4.3 Mini-carousel
    • 6.4.4 IP multicast switching
    • 6.4.5 IPTV is the core of SDV
    • 6.4.6 Program sources and clamping
    • 6.4.7 Rate limiting at the edge
  • 6.5 Complex and demanding architecture
• 7. HFC future prospects
• 8. Related reports