Archer, I like your thinking,probably because it mirrors mine.
I just wanted to drop an article here,about the Rockwell chipset HLIT is getting this summer,and the potential of New Media's expertise in developing an economical,reliable cable modem.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rockwell Next Gen Cable Modems To Ship This Year
- By Patrick McKenna, Newsbytes
By the year 2000, some 40 million US homes will be able to receive Internet access through a cable provider. Rockwell says it is ready to deliver complete chipsets for today's cable modems and next generation cable modems which are developing at a speed of one new version every six months.
Early adopters of cable modems can expect to pay approximately $300 for an external modem based on Rockwell's newest chipset developed compliant with the Multimedia Cable Network System (MCNS) consortium. The first models will appear on retail shelves before the end of this year. Rather than pay an Internet service provider (ISP) for unlimited access, users will pay their cable companies a fee in the range of $40 per month over an existing cable TV access fee. The additional charge will cover unlimited access to the Internet and World Wide Web.
According to Jay Kshatri, director of broadband modems for Rockwell, the new MCNS, three device chipset, will ship to modem manufacturers as a complete set by the second quarter of this year. Two of the integrated circuits, HM2214 and HM2314 are available this month. In quantities of 10,000 the chipset is priced at $55 per set.
Combining the three chips means modem manufacturers do not have to create their own chipset from three different fabricators. Rockwell says the change means less work for the manufacturer and a faster-to-market product delivery.
Rockwell's MCNS chipset provides a send-and-receive capability over standard cable coax. Earlier models only received Internet content. To send data the units required an adapter for standard phone.
Kshatri said the first modems using the MCNS chipset will be external to a standard desktop computer and require an Ethernet card in a user's personal computer. Later versions will incorporate the same technology into a internal peripheral connect interface (PCI) card and eventually a PC Card modem for notebooks.
What can users expect from a cable modem. "Theoretically, you can reach speeds up to 1,000 times faster than today's 56 kilobit technologies," added Kshatri. "But early models will provide about one megabit per second (Mbps) which is fairly decent. The next generation which we expect to see early next year will reach into the 3-8 megabit per second range where you can see video at 30 frames per second (comparable to television viewing)."
Kshatri says Rockwell is moving forward with both of today's wideband technologies, cable and digital subscriber line (DSL, ADSL, XDSL). "We don't know which technology, if either, will win out over the other, but Rockwell will continue to be a leader in delivering solutions for both of these technologies.
He also said users will see cable modems in computer retail stores rather than having them provided as a device from cable providers. Another advantage of cable modems is almost all models will include television tuner technology which will allow users to view cable programming on their computers.
Article posted on 02/04/98
email Newsbytes
It seems we are gaining respect,and companies are willing to join us. We are among the elite,far ahead of CSCO,and closing in on BAY. Its a long race,and we have little feet,but the footprint is getting larger every day.
Tim |
