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Cable MSOs Will Benefit from IPTV

The recent Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers Emerging Technologies conference showcased more than 20 technical papers outlining what the cable industry�s platform might look like in 2010.

For cable, IPTV represents a potentially more efficient platform to deliver video to the home. �In 2006, IPTV will be a word whispered with concern among cable executives in conference corridors, as it will be strongly associated with the rollouts of incumbent telephone operators,� wrote John Carlucci, chief network architect at Time Warner Cable, in an SCTE ET technical paper.

�In 2010, IPTV will be another delivery vehicle for cable, and it could even emerge as the overall direction of the industry,� Carlucci continued. �Advances in wideband DOCSIS (Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification) leveraging the M-CMTS (modular cable-modem-termination system) architecture, which enables inexpensive downstream data transport, will enable the cost-effective deployment of IP set-top boxes in the cable network."

He added, �Other compatible devices could range from IP-cable-ready TVs to inherently IP-based PCs to handheld and mobile devices. Robust and mature IP-multicast technologies will be used to deliver individualized programming. All of the technologies that the telco competition believes will distinguish them from their competition can and will be just as readily available to cable subscribers, as well. With the analog-tuner technology removed from the set-top and further advances in silicon integration, the dream of a $35 set-top box will be realized."

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