Products (Broadband Gear Report 4/10/2008)

Broadband Gear Report Products for 4/10/2008

Harmonic Flexes Its All-IP Headend Migration Muscle

Harmonic introduced its DiviCom FLEX technology, a new universal video and audio decoding module that adds video decoding capabilities to Harmonic's DiviCom Electra and Ion encoders. The company says the new module can be easily inserted into the existing Harmonic encoder chassis for a simple upgrade that enables full IP processing across all headend devices. The dense single platform solution provides operators with a new level of agility with real-time "any-to-any" video and audio format re-encoding. With FLEX technology, ops reportedly can "reduce capital expenses, power consumption and overall system cost while maintaining the video quality excellence."

FLEX also offers IP input functionality that further enables deployment of geographically distributed headend architectures and allows ops to source content from IP networks or IP-ready RF demodulators/descramblers. The DiviCom FLEX solution supports MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) streams in both HD and SD formats, and supports reuse of incoming stream information.

BigBand Heralds New Video Management Capabilities

BigBand Networks announced a new video management system (VMS) designed to simplify video service deployment and operations, enhance video service delivery and reduce network operating costs. The first release of VMS is being deployed in North America and is available worldwide.

According to BigBand, specific benefits of the VMS include:

Topology management to simplify operations. With a user-friendly graphical interface and hierarchical map layout, VMS can logically and geographically partition network elements across different organizational groups.

Fault management to improve network availability. VMS leverages a range of views, events, alarms and real-time performance stats to allow ops to pinpoint and troubleshoot network or service problems.

Element management and mass configuration. VMS allows multiple network elements to be quickly and simultaneously configured, changed or replicated by multiple, concurrent users across a network. Examples can include mass software upgrades, backup and restore functions and other standard configuration changes.

Reduced operating costs. VMS' surveillance, configuration, provisioning, northbound systems integration, performance and security management capabilities are designed to empower BigBand's video solution portfolio and assist in reducing operational expenses, minimizing service rollout times and improving network quality.

Firmware Upgrade Boosts Trilithic 860 DSPi Capabilities

Trilithic released another new firmware upgrade for its 860 DSPi field analyzer, incorporating new features including an error vector spectrum display and trace route capability. Error vector spectrum, a test technique traditionally performed with vector spectrum analyzers, enables the user to view the spectrum characteristics within a QAM signal band (includes deep-interleave signals). This feature permits viewing ingress or distortion products that can cause tiling of video, slow data transmission, or dropped calls.

The EVS feature is a component of the 860's QAM option, and the feature will be added automatically to analyzers with this option when the firmware is updated. The QAM option is field installable, and can be activated with a purchased key code. The trace route feature, which enables the user to trace the route that packets take to reach their destination, is now standard and available as part of the firmware update. A trace route test is a natural troubleshooting step when a ping fails.

Cable Show '08: Big Names · Big Companies · Big Floor · Big Ideas

There's still time to register for cable's biggest event of the year: Cable Show '08.

It's loaded up big with cutting-edge exhibits, panels and presentations.

You'll get insights from big names. Speakers include:
Glenn Britt, President & CEO, Time Warner Cable
Peter Chernin, President & COO, News Corporation
Patrick Esser, President, Cox Communications, Inc.
Judy McGrath, Chairman & CEO, MTV Networks
Scott McNealy, Chairman and Co-Founder / Chairman, SunMicrosystems, Inc. / Sun Federal, Inc.
Paul Otellini, President & CEO, Intel Corporation
Brian Roberts, Chairman & CEO, Comcast Corporation
David Verklin, Chief Executive Officer, Aegis Media Americas
Tony Vinciquerra, President & CEO, Fox Networks Group
Yoshi Yamada, Chairman & CEO, Panasonic Corporation of North America

Plus, you'll help make a big difference for the city of New Orleans through volunteer events and a rocking Battle of the Bands Charity Fundraiser.

The Cable Show '08 brings together the global cable communications industry. Register now at www.thecableshow.com/reg.

Deadline for housing registration is 4/18/08.

Accedian Intros Line of Metro Ethernet Demarc Units

Accedian Networks unveiled its MetroNID series of intelligent demarcation units, designed to monitor Ethernet and IP-based services within metro access and wireless backhaul networks. The MetroNID line complements the company's EtherNID series of demarcation units. Accedian says that its packet assurance demarcation units feature a proprietary, silicon-based design that permits advanced performance testing and service creation capabilities in a compact, cost-efficient, yet carrier-grade footprint. The new MetroNID series offers enhanced packet processing and statistics collection capabilities that will now enable ops to segment, bridge and assure multi-technology, multi-provider networks and establish standards-based operations, administration and maintenance (OAM) visibility at mobile hubs, aggregation nodes and inter-carrier hand-off points.

MetroNID units feature the new, fully automated RFC-2544 test suite designed for in-service SLA performance verification. Using a patent-pending algorithm, in-service RFC-2544 testing allows ops to measure and report the throughput, delay, frame loss, and back-to-back performance of a live Ethernet service without affecting customer traffic. MetroNID units also are capable of advanced service monitoring and policing, continuously collecting usage statistics and providing bandwidth regulation for up to 60 unique service flows simultaneously.

IPITEK Enhances Video Transport Solutions

IPITEK added dual bi-directional SMPTE standard component video links to its SONET-compliant MSP-220 Pro Video multiplexer model lineup. MSP-220's new features offer link efficiency, low-latency, low jitter, transparency and carrier class loopback testing and monitoring to the video signals traversing the synchronous network.

The MSP-220 models now fully support flexible multiplexing of any type of video, including Telcordia GR-338 TV-1 tariff short-haul quality analog video, with normal or FM diplexed audio, plus simultaneous and bi-directional single or multiple 270 mb/s digital video links. The products also provide an Ethernet user channel for production purposes across Metro fiber or SONET OC-12 infrastructure links with similar products.

Cable Op Study: Video Quality Monitoring is Key

Symmetricom released its 2007 Cable Operator Video Quality Study, an independent survey conducted by Multimedia Research Group Inc. assessing cable ops' requirements for video quality test, measurement and monitoring solutions. The study confirms that video quality monitoring continues to be central to cable ops, yet they don't feel they currently have the right tools implemented to accurately measure video quality from the customers' perspective. In addition, cable ops indicated that service quality problems are one of the main reasons for customer support calls, resulting in a significant reason for customer churn.

Key results of the cable operator study show:

90.4% reported end-user video quality monitoring as either "critical," "very important" or "important" to their video initiatives.

61.9% said they learn of video quality problems via customer phone calls; only 31% said they use network monitoring tools to discover quality problems.

80% said that service quality problems are the reasons for high support calls.

40% said VOD is the service causing the most quality problems today, while 51.6% said HDTV is expected to produce the most quality problems one year from now.

58.1% said that end-user quality of experience (QoE) is "critical" and needs to be monitored.

Top issues with current monitoring solutions deployed today are that they are not an accurate measure of end-user experience and they are too costly.

68% said that cost is the biggest reason for customer churn, while service quality problems were next with 40%.

Whaleback Locks In Security Features to New CrystalBlue Voice Release

Whaleback Systems rolled out its latest release of CrystalBlue Voice Service featuring new security features and other premises-based management functions. The centerpiece of this release is a new voice application firewall - OrcaSentry - that reportedly locks down an SMB's voice network from VoIP security threats such as spam over Internet telephony (SPIT) and Denial of Service (DoS) attacks. This is the first security-focused release of Whaleback's CrystalBlue Voice Service. The new premises-based management that are incorporated in this release include enhanced security, voice quality management and business continuity features.

Quintech Launches Third-Gen RF Matrix Switch

Quintech Electronics and Communications announces its new third-gen RF Matrix switch, the QE3. It features a compact 64 x 64 RF matrix in 6 RU. Its operating frequency range covers both IF 50-200 MHz and extended L-Band 950-2,500 MHz.

The QE3 is said to be highly scalable and can easily be expanded to a 1,024 x 1,024. Hot-swappable component cards enable fast and easy replacement without any special tools or disconnecting any cables, according to Quintech. The hot swappable control cards operate independently and simultaneously, and the dual hot swappable power supply provides redundancy in powering. The RF level at the inputs and outputs is monitored to facilitate troubleshooting network interfaces. The programmable automatic gain control (AGC) and attenuation on all inputs allows the user to adjust input signal level.

Amdocs acquired Jacobs Rimell, a provider of fulfillment solutions for the broadband cable industry for approximately $45 million in cash, net of cash on hand, subject to post-closing adjustments. This ties in with Amdocs strategy of "being the leader in customer experience systems for the broadband cable industry and the OSS market."
Entropic Communications acquired substantially all of the assets of Vativ Technologies, Inc., a privately-held fabless semiconductor company specializing in high-bandwidth, advanced digital signal processing solutions. Entropic hired 17 employees from Vativ, including 15 engineers.
EXFO announced it signed an agreement to acquire all the shares of Brix Networks. In other news, EXFO also said it acquired all the shares of Navtel Communications, a provider of IMS and VoIP test solutions for network equipment manufacturers and network service provider labs.