Broadband Gear Report for June 21, 2007

Diamond Technology Reviews '07
New Solutions That Demand Attention

Important note:Broadband Gear Report invited vendors to submit products for review that had been released or upgraded since June 30, 2006. We randomly assigned each entry to three of the five judges (listed below). Judges based scores/comments on written material provided by vendors, as well as their own experience with or knowledge of the specific technologies.

BGR's staff played no role in the judging of the submitted products. Review panelists were informed that scores/comments would remain anonymous. Only products receiving 3 Diamonds or above are included in this article.

Welcome to Broadband Gear Report's Third Annual Diamond Technology Reviews ("the Diamonds"). Our judging panel of top engineering execs has reviewed some of the hottest new products for cable networks, and they've offered frank opinions about what they think is really worth the industry's while. The judging panel included:

Tom Gorman, VP Operations Engineering, Charter

Wayne Hall, VP of Engineering, Comcast

Vicki Marts, Director of Video Engineering, Cox

Dermot O'Carroll, Senior VP, Network Engineering and Operations, Rogers

Gene White, VP of Engineering, Bright House

Judges used the following scale to determine Diamonds scores:

0-1	Useful product, yet commodity
2-3	Solid product with viable attributes that set it apart
4	Excellent product with technical features and performance that provide clear and substantial benefits
5	Superb product that sets new standard for performance and provides groundbreaking and new technical milestones

We averaged each product's score, and what follows are the technologies that BGR's judges gave three Diamonds or above. Note that products are grouped by scores (with the highest Diamond ranking first), and then in alphabetical order.

Harmonic DiviCom Electra 7000: 5 Diamonds

Marking the first time in the Diamonds' history, one product received a perfect 5 score from our judges: the Harmonic DiviCom Electra 7000 HD H.264 multiservice encoder. The company says it is the world's first multichannel, multiservice high-def MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) encoder. It supports up to four full-resolution HD channels and can simultaneously create low-resolution services for picture-in-picture or multichannel mosaic applications. The Electra 7000 sets a "radically improved benchmark" for HD H.264 compression performance and video quality, according to Harmonic.

"There are plenty of ways to use this encoder in the hospitality market, commercial conferencing/display and on-demand streaming in lower-bandwidth environments. The all-IP capability is a solid feature as well as the provision of lower resolution versions of the HD content in several frame sizes," one judge says. "It's good to see this kind of gear coming out with H.264 capabilities for HD streams so more HD video can be moved in tight bandwidth networks."

BigBand Switched Broadcast: 4.5 Diamonds

BigBand Networks Switched Broadcast (Version 4.6) enhances the efficiency of bandwidth and network resources that cable operators use to provide digital programming, thereby reserving capacity for more program choices and bandwidth-intensive services such as HDTV. With switched broadcast, digital TV programs are dynamically directed to those areas in which subs are actively requesting them, so that only those programs being watched consume bandwidth in any given area.

"The ability of the BigBand solution to support both Scientific-Atlanta and Motorola platforms gives it a distinct advantage over other vendors. The recent enhancements also have greatly improved the ease of provisioning this complex system," a judge comments.

Imagine QOD Gateway: 4.5 Diamonds

Imagine Communications reports that its QOD Gateway offers ops the ability to deliver advanced video services with variable bit rate and statistical multiplexing, thereby enabling up to 50 percent more streams per QAM and better video quality. Imagine goes on to says that its technology allows ops to reduce their edge QAM expenditures by 33 percent and save up to 25 percent in power consumption and rack space savings. It also preserves 6 MHz channel spectrum for the upcoming HDTV bandwidth explosion.

"Imagine's QOD Gateway uses its compression algorithms to get 13,000 2 Mbps SD streams or 3,000 12 Mbps HD streams through a 5 RU chassis. This appears to reach the 18 stream SD or 3 stream HD throughput per QAM, which isn't too shabby with MPEG-2 encoding," a Diamonds judge says.

JDSU DQI: 4.5 Diamonds

"Technicians need to accurately and quickly make assessments of signal quality to ensure a great customer experience. DQI makes it simple and produces the right ‘heightened awareness' necessary to completely troubleshoot a problem," one of the Diamonds panelists points out.

The new Digitial Quality Index (DQI) feature on JDSU's DSAM meter goes beyond traditional measurements and gives a simple indication of the overall quality of a QAM digital stream instantaneously, the manufacturer reports. DQI reports signal quality as a single number, with 1 being lowest quality and 10 being highest. Signal qualities of 6 or 7 mean that impairments are detected, but are probably being corrected by forward error correction and interleaving. Readings of 1 to 4 mean that the subscriber service is most likely being adversely affected by the impairments.

Mixed Signals Sentry: 4.5 Diamonds

The upgraded Mixed Signals Sentry digital content monitor leads one of our judges to conclude, "This product addresses many of the problems that affect the success of a digital simulcast launch and would help minimize many of the problems that are very hard to troubleshoot."

The Sentry offers comprehensive capabilities for monitoring, diagnosing and validating video and audio quality to capture video freeze, video black and audio silence issues, as well as any discontinuity within the stream. It supports MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.264 AVC and VC1 video standards, and provides ETR-290, program table, application carousel and PID alerts.

The fact that the Sentry covers key failure areas with the digital stream also impressed another panelist. "Judicious placement at the last GbE before transport and then at the first GbE after transport could help isolate issues before the first unit and then within the transport," that judge says.

ARRIS C4 CMTS: 4 Diamonds

One of our judges believes this is the best product of its kind on the market today. Another hailed ARRIS's evolvement of the C4 CMTS, now positioning it to support high-value business services.

The C4 (Release 5.1) features upstream and downstream load balancing and tools such as the ARRIS Intelligent Channel Optimizer, which are said to help ops use existing DOCSIS channels more effectively. "This significantly reduces capital expenditures as well as operational expenses by reducing the number of node splits required to support additional customer growth and bandwidth demands," the company says.

Release 5.1 features DOCSIS 3.0-based wideband capabilities to channel bond up to four downstream and aggregate up to four upstream channels. It also features L3 802.1Q VLAN tagging for commercial services, as well as additional protocols and management capabilities for multicast services to support streaming services such as IPTV.

CommScope BrightPath FTTH system: 4 Diamonds

BrightPath FTTH system works seamlessly within or alongside an existing HFC footprint, and provides the benefits of a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) architecture without requiring any changes at the back office, headend or home, says CommScope. BrightPath reportedly reduces operational expenses because FTTH requires less maintenance, and no sweep, balance or cumulative leakage index monitoring of the plant. The solution also is said to be within 15% of the cost of an HFC installation, and in lower density areas can often prove less expensive. CommScope also says that BrightPath can provide new revenue sources because it allows affordable rural builds where distance precluded the use of HFC, and allows penetration into greenfield residential areas that are demanding FTTH infrastructure.

Here's one of our judges' analysis of BrightPath: "[It] provides a good transition from an FTTC architecture. The cost premium of 15% appears to be very aggressive and would have to be confirmed. Given the telcos' aggressive approach to passive optical network (PON) architectures, BrightPath provides an effective method of competing in these areas."

EGT HEMi: 4 Diamonds

"The EGT HEMi provides an effective solution to problems MSOs face during their conversion to an all-digital lineup," a Diamonds panelist says. "Specifically, the ability to locally insert the security channel used in the majority of MDU installations is quite impressive."

The EGT HEMi (headend micro edge video processor) is a multichannel edge encoder used for insertion of local channels in MDUs and closed community markets. EGT says the product allows ops to meet contractual obligations while supporting their digital rollout by converting existing analog local insertion channels to digital. HEMi provides an integrated and scalable solution that encodes, multiplexes, modulates and converts up to nine community channels, such as security cameras, community programming, or events calendars.

EXFO FTB-5240B: 4 Diamonds

"EXFO's FTB-5240B optical spectrum analyzer combines lab-ready optical specifications, advanced analysis features for network engineers, and yet outstanding simplicity in the industry's most compact form factor," EXFO reports.

As bandwidth increases, DWDM becomes more popular, and this means parameters such as optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) must be monitored. EXFO says the main feature of this unit is its ability to measure accurately the OSNR of the signal. This feature reportedly ensures that the user finds the true limit and OSNR of the system, instead of seeing the limit of the optical spectrum analyzer (OSA) and thinking the system is under-delivering.

One Diamonds judge calls this "a great field OSA, necessary for DWDM network management and troubleshooting. The optical rejection ratio of 50 dBc at 0.2 nm makes this a trustworthy tool in a ruggedized form factor."

EXFO FTB-200-8510B/8510G: 4 Diamonds

EXFO's FTB-200-8510B/FTB-8510G Packet Blazer compact Ethernet test solution offers Ethernet testing at rates from 10 Mbps to 10 Gpbs, including the support of both LAN and WAN physical layer interfaces. This combined solution reportedly eliminates the need for multiple, purpose-built test platforms when commissioning or troubleshooting Ethernet or IP networks. "For cable engineers, this presents the most compact 10 Mbps to 10 Gbps Ethernet test offering at less than half the size and weight of the nearest alternative," EXFO says.

One judge observes that the measurement of Ethernet performance across an IP network is critical for ops that provide service to businesses that require service level agreements (SLA). "The Packet Blazer test platform measures SLA performance up to 10 Gbps, which should support most enterprise customers," the judge continues. "The ability to scale the system to multiple end points could, however, be difficult and/or costly."

Another judge concludes, "EXFO has done the smart thing by developing test equipment as the platform to handle numerous testing scenarios via plug-in modules."

Harmonic DiviCom Electra 5400: 4 Diamonds

Harmonic's DiviCom Electra 5400 is a third-generation MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) standard-def encoder. It delivers up to four full-resolution SD channels in a 1 RU package, as well as simultaneous low-resolution content for picture-in-picture, dynamic mosaic services or other apps. Harmonic says it is ideal for massive deployments of video services across any network. The Electra 5400 encoder uses the company's advanced processing engine to reportedly provide "best-in-class picture quality and set a new standard for bandwidth efficiency in SD H.264."

One of our judges says that MPEG-4 encoding is a critical requirement in the future of HFC networks. "MSOs' focus has been on HD encoding as opposed to SD encoding. However, this product appears to provide a good solution for SD encoding."

Harmonic NSG 9000: 4 Diamonds

A Diamonds judge is using this Harmonic product in conjunction with VOD launches, and is "very happy with its performance." Another dubs it a "powerful stream processing gateway that supports multiple applications—good for digital/IP migration."

The Network Services Gateway 9000 is a high-density EdgeQAM system, capable of reaching up to 72 QAM RF outputs per unit. Harmonic reports that it was designed to be a highly integrated digital video gateway that multiplexes on-demand content streamed over an IP network. The NSG 9000 also was reportedly engineered for scalability. It is capable of growing in QAM density from 1 to 72 QAMs per unit. The product supports a variety of apps, including VOD, switched broadcast and broadcast, and modular CMTS. With DOCSIS 3.0 support and redundancy options, the system also is said to streamline the provisioning of IP-based services, including VoIP and broadband Internet access.

Harmonic ProStream 1000: 4 Diamonds

The ProStream 1000 stream processing platform is said to be the world's first system that can be configured to support a variety of video processing functions, including multiplexing, scrambling/descrambling, re-encoding and single frequency network transmission over IP—within a 1 RU form factor. Harmonic designed it to address the increasing demand for advanced video and audio services, and the company notes that the ProStream 1000 is a highly modular system with five slots in the rear that can be populated with ASI or IP (gigabit Ethernet) cards. "The ultra-dense platform lowers cost of ownership by dramatically reducing rack space requirements and power consumption in comparison to alternative solutions," Harmonic says.

"Versatile is the best word to describe this powerful multiplexer/scrambler/encoder/descrambler for headend/satellite applications," a judge says.

Harmonic ProStream 2000: 4 Diamonds

This is a valid alternative to other products for digital ad splicing, a Diamonds panelist believes.

Harmonic's ProStream 2000 H.264 splicer is a multiservice HD and SD MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) digital splicer that supports real-time and seamless splicing of multiple compressed video and audio services, primarily for ad insertion apps. Based on open standards, the IP-based ProStream 2000 is fully integrated with Harmonic's DiviCom Electra encoders, ProStream 1000 stream processing platform, DiviTrackIP distributed statistical multiplexer, NMX digital service manager and ad servers from various suppliers.

"The ProStream 2000 is the industry's first splicer featuring multichannel and multiservice capabilities within a compact 1RU chassis, and supports multiple SD or HD streams," Harmonic reports. The product is said not to degrade video quality, which the company says can occur with other solutions.

ICTV ActiveVideo: 4 Diamonds

One Diamonds panelist was impressed enough with this solution to say it "truly appears to give the choice back to the customers by allowing them to customize their own video mosaic."

ICTV's ActiveVideo platform delivers Web-driven programming in combination with both live and VOD streams, and the solution can be delivered through the already widely deployed two-way cable infrastructure. ActiveVideo is navigated with standard remote controls and is compatible with all existing cable set-tops, according to the company. Web programming and elements are converted to MPEG within the network, and combined with linear and on-demand video into a single, customized stream to the viewer's set-top. Subs navigate and interact with the on-screen elements via key clicks from their remotes.

"Coupling the customer chosen structure with the opportunity to provide advertising or promotional content within that structure may offer a less intrusive advertising opportunity and allow customer pursuit of additional information," another of our judges concludes.

Lindsay/Plaintree Systems Wavebridge: 4 Diamonds

The Lindsay Broadband/Plaintree Systems Wavebridge Strand Mount 10 series is reportedly the world's first and only strand-mounted, 60/90 VAC cable-powered, LED-based unlicensed optical wireless system for enabling cable ops to deliver commercial customers secure, private, RF-immune Ethernet, SONET and T1 services from their existing rights-of-way with no fiber cable required. This free space optical solution reportedly requires less than two hours to install and turn up without the associated costs and time required for permits, spectrum licenses, and/or vertical boring to the enterprise location. It allows the op to cross rivers, bridges, highways, railway tracks and other natural obstructions with "carrier-class, standards-compliant, fully secure data services," according to the company.

"There have been a number of optical wireless solutions over the years, using high-cost laser transmitters," a Diamonds judge says. "Lindsay/Plaintree may just have the right solution to support DOCSIS requirements and then go beyond the wireless DOCSIS solutions for higher bit rate requirements."

OpVista EtherWave: 4 Diamonds

Our judges say this solution "pushes the envelope on scalability and flexibility for converged networks and applications" and offers "an effective solution to situations where 10 GbE point-to-point transport is needed with multiple GbE feeds on one end and a 10 GbE interfaced device at the other."

OpVista says that its EtherWave combines the efficiency of a multiplexer, the scalability of DWDM and the intelligence of Layer 2 Ethernet switching. EtherWave muxes up to 10 gigabit Ethernet inputs into a single 10 G wavelength. The signal is then transported via the OpVista 2000 to the service distribution hub. The combined services are then delivered to a central 10 GbE router interface. The solutions is said to enable the consolidation and convergence of multiple services at the core of the network with intelligent Layer 2 transport, eliminating the need for aggregation routers at the edge.

Peak8 Service Connect: 4 Diamonds

Peak8's Solutions' technical support technology looks to "cut to the chase with technical customer support in broadband data and voice operations," a Diamonds judge says. "The application suite has the key parts—ticketing, dispatch, technical library (dynamic and static), customer self-help resolution opportunities, and multiplatform capabilities. The customer-selected contact method is a nice touch with chat, e-mail, voice and even remote control of the customer computer (with permission, of course)."

The judge continues, "While the product doesn't appear to fetch newspapers or slippers, it does appear to be a closely integrated system capable of supporting more efficient support processes within a customer care organization while giving the customer more control and accessibility to the support systems. Of course, the real test is the realization of the claimed reductions in cost for customer care and reduced call volume, but the prognosis looks very promising."

Radiant QRF5200: 4 Diamonds

Radiant Communications says its QRF5200 is the industry's first channel replacement unit that enables the cable plant to insert local channels in place of existing channels within a 6 MHz QAM channel without losing any bandwidth. The device works in conjunction with the company's QRF5000, which encodes local baseband video and audio channels into QAM signals via a built-in modulator "enabling cable ops to deploy all-digital lineups to local low-cost digital set-tops for all customers."

The QRF5200 provides a full view of the QAM channel and can be controlled using keypads on the front panel of the unit or via an Ethernet connection. Users can designate the removal of one or more channels, including encrypted services, while ensuring that all other services within the QAM channel pass through unaffected. Once an encrypted service is deleted, it can be replaced with an unencrypted channel.

"[The QRF5200] appears to meet Radiant's unspoken credo of ‘keep it simple and effective,' so it should be very useful to operators," a Diamonds judge says.

RGB BNP: 4 Diamonds

"The RGB Networks Broadcast Network Processor (BNP) is a very effective processor of video signals in an extremely small package," one judge notes. "The ability to perform ad insertion is an absolute necessity, and the BNP also supports multiple ad zones."

The BNP helps ops to deliver highly targeted and personalized video services. Housed in a 1 RU platform, the BNP delivers what the company says is the industry's highest density solution for digital video grooming, statistical multiplexing, transrating and digital program insertion. With the ability to process more than 500 video streams in a single rack unit, the BNP is said to lower significantly the cost of delivering advanced digital video.

The aforementioned judge also was impressed by the BNP's ability to provide various levels of redundancy and said it was "critical to a product of this nature, especially given the number of MPEG streams this device can manage."

RGB USM: 4 Diamonds

RGB Networks calls its Universal Scalable Modulator (USM) "the industry's highest density digital edge QAM product for QAM modulation and upconversion, supporting up to 128 x 6 MHz QAM channels (96 x 8 MHz QAM channels) in a 1 RU chassis." The USM receives MPEG-2 transport streams over IP through a 10 GbE interface or multiple GbE interfaces, performs multiplexing, digital QAM modulation and RF upconversion, and delivers what RGB says is "a superior RF signal" to the HFC network.

"If one doubts the density claims for this 1 RU device, pick it up. The 30 pounds will likely be convincing unless the lifter throws weights regularly," a judge notes.

The judge adds that the RF specifications appear solid, but as with all devices that originate QAM signals, should be verified by testing. Also, this judge says that as with all high-density devices, the op should ensure ventilation needs and fan functioning. "A well thought-out box overall!" our panelist concludes.

Sandvine PTS 14000: 4 Diamonds

This is how a Diamonds judge reviews this policy traffic switch (PTS): "This Sandvine technology provides impressive scaling to 80 Gbps and supports redundancy and bypass capabilities to ease the operation of the device in the network. The support for PacketCable Multimedia and the ability to characterize and control VPN tunneling is also quite important."

Another panelist says that Sandvine looks to have taken its PTS technology to the next level. "Deep packet inspection in multiple, or even one, 10 Gbps link is a major achievement here. It adds the ability to scale to 80 Gb of traffic with equipment clustering along with very, very useful tools. It allows direct visibility of network behaviors and loads leading to more informed decisions as to limits and new services. Plenty of report options appear to be provided as well as redundancy options if the PTS has to be in-line," the Diamonds judge explains.

Tandberg AdPoint Version 1.4.0: 4 Diamonds

AdPoint Version 1.4.0 by Tandberg Television reportedly provides cable ops and programmers with "a complete solution for production, management and placement of nonlinear advertising, making it possible to expand the boundaries of traditional advertising." Tandberg says it designed the solution to provide key functions to run today's business while laying the foundation for more complex, robust advertising placements.

A Diamonds panelist feels that the product is well-positioned to move its user into more interactive and focused advertising forms. "As with all software platforms, the devil is in the interfaces, and Tandberg appears to have those covered, providing its 24 x 7 support services with a ‘for-real' human touch," the judge says. "The focus on making the platform work across most insertion hardware configurations is a solid move and with the Tandberg name (and support structure) behind the application, the prognosis is positive."

VGI Solutions C-PAT: 4 Diamonds

"Looks like VGI Solutions is trying to take all the sweat and paperwork out of leakage monitoring. C-PAT is one of the most automated leakage management programs I have seen, and makes data accumulation on leaks as easy as possible," one judge reports. This judge does warn that the op will want to validate VGI's claims of at least 78% leakage monitoring coverage while the technicians go about their work.

"This is the first package I have seen that automatically records, collates and eliminates duplicates without technicians having to fill out forms or record leaks as they encounter them," the judge continues.

Another panelist was impressed by the C-PAT's ability to take advantage of the regular rounds that technicians' vehicles make daily, as well as the solution's automatic ticket generation.

Aurora LcWDM Transmitter: 3.5 Diamonds

According to Aurora Networks, its LcWDM technology—a single-fiber multiple wavelength solution, provides a cost-effective way for ops to segment their existing node service areas by enabling a four-fold increase in the downstream bandwidth by adding additional transmitters at the headend or hub, and adding receivers to their segmentable nodes (or, in the worst case, replacing an obsolete node with a new node). The company says the AT3300L series 1 GHz LcWDM (low-cost wave division multiplexing) transmitters are ideal for segmentation of node service areas because they enable the reuse of existing fiber up to six times over distances up to 30 km (depending on the number of wavelengths per fiber and required performance specs). These transmitters are designed for transport requiring optical output powers ranging from 6 to 12 dBm.

"Aurora's LcWDM solution is great for fiber-strapped systems that have customers demanding more and more bandwidth, allowing node segmentation via wavelength addition instead of overlashing fiber," a Diamonds panelist says. "Very cost-effective."

Ciena CoreDirector: 3.5 Diamonds

A key element of Ciena's FlexSelect architecture, CoreDirector is a multiservice, multiprotocol optical switching system that consolidates the functionality of a multiservice provisioning platform, digital cross-connect and Ethernet switch into a single, high-capacity intelligent switching system that Ciena says can reduce MSO CAPEX by as much as 65 percent, and OPEX by as much as 85 percent. It also can deliver up to 640 Gbps of capacity in a single bay optimized for the aggregation and forwarding of multiple services, including Ethernet/TDM private line, triple-play and IP services.

One judge says that the solution is an excellent example of efficiencies to be gained via a device designed for extremely high-volume packet networks, using wavelength optical switching and intelligent fault tolerance with multiple interfaces enabling interconnection across different networks. CoreDirector offers "a lot of pluses" when compared to connection-based high-volume networking, "especially given the cost of real estate in network hubs and buildings," the judge concludes.

Integra5 SMS to TV/PC: 3.5 Diamonds

"The ability to get short messaging service (SMS) messages to/from your television, PC, wireless phone and other devices is now possible with cable's ability to reach those devices via an IP network," one of our judges explains. "Setting ups such applications is quite an undertaking and not having to put extra devices in the customer home is a significant plus. The Integra5 platform appears to provide a solution for those operators that feel SMS is a part of their business plan."

SMS to TV/PC is a new application for Integra5's i5 Converged Services Platform that enables SMS across wireless and wireline networks, turning TVs and PCs into SMS devices in the home. By subscribing to the service, residential customers can receive text messages on their TVs and PCs, and can then respond via their TV remote using preset responses or trigger a "click to call" response that initiates a call between the home landline phone and the cell phone that sent the text message.

JDSU NetComplete QT-600: 3.5 Diamonds

JDSU's NetComplete QT-600 is a carrier-grade, scalable, multiservice Ethernet and triple-play probe that combines active and passive QoS monitoring and analysis, 24 x 7, with flexible, on-demand and scheduled testing. Through proactive monitoring, the QT-600 detects patterns of QoS degradation and then, from a centralized location, is said to segment quickly the network to identify the source of the problem. "The detailed view of network and service performance that is the byproduct of the QT-600's distributed data gathering and consolidated reporting capabilities gives service providers the confidence to guarantee service level performance," JDSU reports.

The product looks to be a useful tool within the JDSU integrated OSS suite, according to one judge. "It provides a good array of tests to confirm triple-play service performance in an Ethernet network up to 1 Gbps with a low-wattage, 1 RU device. It covers active testing and passive monitoring for fundamental quality metrics associated with video, voice and data streams," the judge explains.

JDSU PathTrak Forward Monitoring: 3.5 Diamonds

The JDSU PathTrak forward monitoring solution is a remote service analyzer for monitoring unmanned hub and headend sites. It provides a Web-based interface for viewing on DSAM meters or PC Internet browsers. It proactively analyzes analog and digital signals in multiple downstream channels. The solution also is said to save technician time daily by remotely testing QAM and analog RF, including MER, BER and level.

While giving it a solid score, one judge says that the measurement procedure indicates degradation of quality over time, but cannot provide real-time analysis for intermittent problems. "The ability to effectively monitor end-of-line performance is still a critical requirement that is not easily provided by this tool," this judge concludes.

Another panelist says, "Providing useful analog and digital measurements could be very useful to determine if the monitored site is the source of issues or if the problems lie in the outside plant. The unit also can issue SNMP traps if measured values fall outside user-set parameters providing the op a chance to get ahead of things getting worse for a change."

PhyFlex Networks FTTx Switch: 3.5 Diamonds

The PhyFlex Networks (formerly Narad Networks) FTTx switch is an environmentally hardened aggregation and access switch that provides carrier Ethernet services over fiber, copper and wireless, as well as coax. It's reportedly the only Ethernet switch providing fiber-class speed and performance over coax. "It extends carrier Ethernet connectivity to any plant location at the lowest CAPEX compared to alternative solutions, and in the fastest time to market," according to PhyFlex.

The switch provides scalable, rate-limited, high-capacity bandwidth with up to 10 GbE or 1 GbE over fiber, up to 1 GbE over copper twisted pair, and up to symmetric 100 Mbps (Fast Ethernet) over coax.

One judge believes it offers a good solution for several types of business services, and the general judging consensus was perhaps best put by the following panelist's comment: "It's a smart high-capacity switch with L2/L3 features usually found only in fiber-based solutions."

Tektronix Zoey: 3.5 Diamonds

Tektronix describes its Zoey interactive VoIP testing as " a new concept in customer support designed for providers offering self-install VoIP services." Zoey is a multilingual automated interactive voice response (IVR) test solution customers can call to test their own service quality. Subs interact with Zoey to check their caller ID, and to evaluate noise, echo, speech quality (MOS) DTMP (touch-tone) and fax transmission quality. During the call, Zoey measures 50 analog and IP service quality metrics.

"The ability to automatically complete 50 performance tests is quite impressive, and the list of tests performed are very critical to the operation of a voice service," one Diamonds panelist says. "The willingness of customers—especially those who are purchasing a lifeline solution—to use an automated voice system to complete tests would be critical to the usefulness of this product. However, not having to wait for a service rep to resolve or identify potential problems is an important benefit."

Terayon Localization on Demand: 3.5 Diamonds

The Terayon Static Graphic Overlay, Motion Graphic Overlay and SqueezeBack applications allow ops to insert programming, information and advertising into content in real-time while remaining within the compressed MPEG domain. Working only within the compressed MPEG domain is said to deliver sizable advantages by eliminating the cost, complexity and video quality degradation of current products that require converting the video back to analog. The apps run on the Terayon DM 6400 Network CherryPicker platform with new firmware version 5.0.

This is what one of our judge's summary of the solution: "The ability to localize advertising has value, as does providing information and ad opportunities on desirable digital services. Terayon offers capability to tailor the on-air ‘look' of a digital service and add audience-specific information into the service stream without taking the video back to analog form. While some might consider the 16-stream capability limiting, it is definitely a step in the right direction. The ability to add EAS crawls into MPEG streams is a definite plus."

Trilithic Seeker GPS: 3.5 Diamonds

A Diamonds judge describes this unit as "a compact leakage meter, combined with GPS technology that helps operators stay on top of their leakage program."

Trilithic says that the system automates leakage detection via economically outfitted trucks in day-to-day routine travel. The data is automatically uploaded to a Leakage Anaylysis Workshop server, where leaks are plotted with pinpoints on an interactive map (including street maps, aerial and hybrid), leak incidents are sorted, and work orders are assigned and e-mailed to techs with attached Garmin POI files. Leak amplitude accuracy is enhanced by a patent-pending automatic mathematical analysis that pinpoints the location of the leak and corrects the leakage measurement for distance.

Post-fix measured leaks are automatically closed out and removed from the map, resulting in a virtual real-time representation of the plant's leakage condition. The system also is compatible with CLT APLAS 3i and various other leakage and fleet management apps.

Vyyo XMTS-TE: 3.5 Diamonds

The Vyyo XMTS-TE, in conjunction with the V510 TDM/Ethernet gateway, enables cable ops with IP backbones to offer the same T1 services provided by the company's initial T1 offering, which was SONET-based. The XMTS-TE uses technology that encapsulates the T1 circuits into Ethernet frames, allowing for transport over metro or regional Ethernet networks and eliminating the need for ops to deploy TDM/SONET backbones for business services. The V510 then translates the Ethernet-encapsulated T1 streams back into native TDM format for connection to legacy networks.

A judge summed up the panel's general consensus that the solution is definitely a viable entry into the small business PBX connection, and maybe even cell backhaul businesses if the up/down bandwidth is available within the HFC network. "It looks to be a very useful extension of the Vyyo T1 system to enable ops with IP transport to take advantage of their market's T1 business potential," the panelist says.

Harmonic Armada: 3 Diamonds

Harmonic's Armada real-time intelligent asset manager is a software solution for dynamically managing digital assets across a distributed cluster of servers, based on real consumption patterns. Armada is said to be ideal for ops offering on-demand services. Armada handles the automated propagation of assets across a network of servers and then moves assets around based on system activity to "maximize service availability and minimize costs."

The solution reportedly streamlines the operation and management of the VOD system by constantly monitoring customer behavior and making the necessary adjustments to meet changing needs. Armada provides tools for scheduled asset replication and precaching assets prior to use.

Our judges call Armada "a solid product that could be a viable alternative to similar products" and "a solid content manager with intelligence behind it to know when and where to deliver content based on usage."