"The demand for high-definition TV programming is exploding, raising the video quality bar by consumers as they become dissatisfied with anything less than an HD experience," David Cox, Symmetricom's EVP GM of the Quality of Experience (QoE) Assurance Division, says. "Service providers need to implement a comprehensive perceptual video quality monitoring solution that can ensure they meet their customers' expectations, or risk losing some customers."

Smaller Ops All-Digital Plays

Just like the bigger guys, smaller cable operators (say those with as few as a couple thousand subs) have to watch out for the likes of the satellite providers as well. Transparent Video Systems is focusing on smaller ops with its turnkey Challenger digital cable transmission system that allows them to move to all-digital at reasonable price. Inputs can be HITS, analog or digital satellite or 8-VSB. Separable security cable smartcards are under the op's direct control, and the system features set-tops with costs as low as $80.

"It came down to dollars and cents," Chris Lovell, GM at Coaxial Cable Television in Pennsylvania tells BGR about why the op went with TVS rather than one of the other obvious vendors. While Coaxial was the first customer for the TVS system, Lovell said he felt there were very few unknowns at the time of deployment.

"Integration at the headend was a 12-hour event," Lovell reports.

As for what his subs thought of the new boxes, Lovell admits some didn't take to them initially and a few customers were lost. However, Lovell says that has to be expected, and quips: "You could go from a Volkswagen to a Rolls Royce and some people wouldn't like it."

Lovell was impressed with the boxes' high-end abilities and performance, adding that only a couple out of the initial 1,000 deployed had problems.

VoIP and Net Intelligence In "Using Network Intelligence to Provide Carrier-Grade VoIP," Sandvine's Marc Morin describes the obstacles to VoIP implementation, and proposes an effective way to mitigate them using next generation intelligence to turn VoIP traffic into bottom-line profits. Download it here. Returning to the Return Return path testing and maintenance requires a multistep ongoing process to keep the return path operating without service interruption to the customers. JDSU tackles that topic in "A Return Path Maintenance Plan -- A Five Step Approach to Ensuring a Reliable Communications Path, which is available here.

More All-Digital Options

Also watching out for smaller ops looking to go all-digital are Comcast Media Center and Motorola, which just announced solutions that allow HITS Quantum affiliates to build on existing system architectures for launch of next-gen digital video. At the recent NCTC Winter Education Conference in Phoenix, the companies announced a multi-year agreement to develop and support the next generation of equipment and content authorization solutions for the CMC's HITS Quantum affiliates.

The solutions being developed by the CMC and Motorola will allow HITS Quantum affiliates with 330 MHz plant capability or greater to offer a competitive lineup of advanced services by building upon their existing infrastructure.

For example, a 330 MHz system could expand its service offering to customers by converting some of its analog channels to digital, utilizing programming on the HITS platform, and then using that reclaimed bandwidth to offer hundreds of additional linear HDTV and SD channels and a library of VOD programming with over 2,000 titles also available through the HITS platform. In addition, the affiliate should be well positioned to cost-effectively add high-speed data, voice services, DVR and a host of interactive TV applications, including advanced advertising and gaming.

"While the economic realities for cable systems serving smaller markets haven't changed, the complexities for offering a competitive package of digital video services to their customers have continued to increase," Gary Traver, SVP/COO for Comcast Media Center, says. "By strengthening the CMC's relationship with Motorola, which partnered with us on the first generation of digital video services, we can offer our affiliates a cost-effective roadmap for rolling out advanced digital services that leverages a lot of their initial investments in digital equipment at the headend and in their customers' homes."

The new agreement calls for substantial investment in the National Authorization Service (NAS), which the two companies launched in 1996. In addition to enhancements for providing further support of HITS affiliates' migration to all-digital and their launch of advanced services such as HDTV and VOD, NAS will support the universe of emerging applications that are being developed for the tru2way platform. Motorola's scalable digital headend systems and portfolio of advanced set-tops provide HITS Quantum affiliates with modular, affordable equipment packages that are designed to build upon their current hardware configurations.

These enhancements combine with the expansion of the HITS Quantum content offerings to provide HITS affiliates with a turnkey alternative for offering advanced video services to their customers while "realizing a substantial savings in cost and bandwidth." As previously announced, the CMC has consolidated over 200 channels of HD and SD digital content and its VOD service onto three satellites that may be viewed using one TVRO satellite antenna.

Laura Hamilton is editor-in-chief at "Broadband Gear Report." Reach her at laura.hamilton@comcast.net.