Neil, With the first of the big networkers announcing for FC things may get interesting soon. Where is that FC-Ethernet bridge? 3com will want a lot of those won't they?
FC can you help these people..
Here is a PR piece on the build out of a new interactive cable service in the UK that is being built now. Note that Compaq won the video server part of the contract. Seems like SANs will be needed in all systems like this?
NTL Selects DiviCom for New Interactive
Cable System
New Digital Broadcasting System Delivers Digital Video and Interactive Data
Services for U.K.
London - October 20, 1998 - DiviCom Inc. (Nasdaq: CUBE), a leading
provider of compression systems and networking solutions for digital
television, today announced that NTL has selected DiviCom to help launch
its new digital video cable service. DiviCom will provide the compression,
multiplexing and data transmission systems for the new digital cable
network. NTL is a leading telecommunications services provider, offering
residential cable telephony and television services for 25 percent of the
U.K., covering more than 5.2 million homes.
NTL's digital cable project is an innovative system designed to deliver
television and interactive services to cable subscribers. In addition to
high-quality video and CD-quality audio, interactive data services are to
include web browsing, e-mail, chat, pay-per-view, games and home
shopping. Digital broadcasting for NTL's cable system will be performed
using DiviCom compression and transmission systems providing DVB-C
compatible and DVB-RC television and data channels to and from the
set-top box.
"Adding new capabilities to our system required a vendor who understands
digital cable and data services," said Jeremy Thorp, Group Managing
Director for Digital Services at NTL. "DiviCom was able to deliver what
we need: ATM networking, interactive set-top control and high-quality
video."
Based on the new InterSect™ interactive set-top controller system
designed by DiviCom, interactive data services are to be provided over
NTL's existing cable network infrastructure utilizing
DAVIC-compatibleout-of-band return channels over Hybrid Fiber Coax
networks. DAVIC is the Digital Audio-Visual Council, an international
standards group focused on developing open interfaces and protocols that
maximize interoperability across countries and applications/services.
Using a centralized "Super Headend" concept, transmission of video, audio
and interactive data services will be performed using asynchronous transfer
mode (ATM) protocol. Signals are then distributed to NTL's regional cable
franchises over NTL's national Synchronous Digital Hierarchy network.
"This NTL project will provide the latest in digital cable services to U.K.
subscribers," said Tom Lookabaugh, president of DiviCom. "We thank
NTL for
putting their confidence in our experience and giving us the opportunity to
team with them."
In addition to DiviCom, NTL's new digital cable system draws on products
and services from a number of vendors. Other key suppliers include Pace
Micro Technology (set-top boxes), PowerTV (middleware for the set-top
box), ICL (interactive services and applications), Nagravision (conditional
access), Lysis (master scheduler) and Compaq Computer Corporation
(Near video-on-demand servers). As part of the system build-out,
DiviCom engineers will integrate DiviCom hardware and software products
with those from the above vendors to deliver a complete, end-to-end
solution.
About NTL
NTL is the U.K.'s leading integrated communications company, offering
alternative telecommunications solutions, broadcast and transmission
services. NTL is listed on NASDAQ and EASDAQ and has its head
office in Farnborough. NTL provides transmission and broadcast services
for the whole of ITV, Channel 4, S4C, Channel 5 and most U.K.
independent radio stations. The NTL group operates the U.K.'s most
successful cable telephony and television company under the NTL
CableTel brand from six regional businesses passing more than 2.2 million
households and over 140,000
business customers. NTL is at the forefront of digital broadcast and
telecommunications development, ensuring NTL business and consumer
customers will be amongst the first to benefit from digital tech |
