[opendtv] Re: News: Cable operators find it tough to swallow HDTV
- From: Richard Hollandsworth <holl_ands@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 7 Jun 2006 14:40:33 -0700 (PDT)
1. In the USA-TODAY article, they appear to have confused TWC-SD (San Diego)
with TWC-SC (Columbia, South Carolina).
DianaTWCSC of TWC-SC (South Carolina) reported that they started SDV for
broadcast video (not just VOD and PPV) in December, resulting in loss of
premium, sports, hispanic and national HD channels to CC-I users:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7046381&highlight=sdv#post704638
1
Despite use of SDV, their HD lineup only adds "other" coast versions of HBO-HD
and SHO-HD and are still missing ESPN2-HD and MTV-HD. So their HD offerings are
about same as TWC-SD and COX-SD, give or take a couple HD channels.
Although there were some complaints re CC-I users losing some channels, they
were hobbled ANYWAY: no VOD, no PPV, no EPG, require frequent manual resets,
can not receive "split" channels (don't ask).
Bottom line was that there were only a relatively small number of CC-I users,
with many HD users upgrading to HD-DVRs.
DianaTWCSC said their broadcast SDV provides more than ample capacity to add
new HD channels, but the hangup seems to be at TWC Corporate--the lawyers have
not yet reached amicable agreements....including HD simulcast for channels
already carried: STARZ-HD, MAX-HD, TMC-HD, FOOD-HD, HGTV-HD, NGC-HD.
BTW: For TWC-San Diego, I carefully track QAM assignments and have never seen
any dynamic reassigments, nor have there been any complaints posted in the
local forum from CableCard-I users re losing channels. SDV is not currently
being used on TWC-SD for broadcast video, although it is probably used for the
very ample Subscription, VOD and PPV offerings.
2. Perhaps TWC is waiting to add more than a couple HD channels until the bugs
are worked out in the SDV software (incl Headend). BTW: TWC-SC (Columbia) uses
SARA, whereas most of TWC uses PASSPORT OpSys.... So once SDV bugs are worked
out in SARA, it would then have to be adapted by Aptiv for PASSPORT....if at
all....
With OCAP reportedly starting deployment later this year, perhaps broadcast SDV
will be widely released only as part of OCAP. [This is my favored
hypothesis...]
3. At the Apr 2006 NCTA National Show Cisco/SciAtl released "Beyond Bandwidth
Mgmt: Business Benefits of Switched Digital Video in Cable":
http://www.cisco.com/application/pdf/en/us/guest/netsol/ns457/c654/cdccont_0900aecd80458e33.pdf
They make a big deal about working to make the channel surfing times
considerably LESS for SDV than it is for standard cable.
Figure 4 shows the long term evolutionary plan, with their new and improved
Headend M-CTS shown as being AFTER two-way CC-II.....
And AVC (VC-1 and/or H.264/MPEG4 to double the capacity) being BEFORE
OCAP.....hmmm, does that mean later this year????
One aspect that seems to be even further out in the schedule is DOCSIS
3.0...although I have seen interest reported in an earlier, partial
implementation. Up to 13 SD channels are currently mulltiplexed onto each 6
MHz wide QAM-256 carrier. MSOs have a much more difficult time multiplexing HD
channels on a QAM carrier, since there are only two or three HD channels vying
to steal capacity from each other. DOCSIS 3.0 defines "Channel Bonding" which
uses the composite capacity of three QAM channels as a single 114 Mbps channel.
This permits HD channels to be efficiently multiplexed, just like SD channels.
4. Obviously the cable companies are reluctant to remove any analog channels,
but our TWC-San Diego system has converted several to digital multiplexes and
we're hoping the recent (and controversial) move of NGC to digital will finally
allow them to add ESPN2-HD, UNIV-HD and/or MHD. [or maybe NGC-HD?] We should
know in the next couple weeks....
Every time they move a channel from the analog to digital tier there are
complaints, but I could readily identify two or three more channels that could
be converted to HD....such as GOLF and CH83 "LOBBY CAMERA" (Sub Svc)...and
perhaps SCIFI to "encourage" digital tier adoption (esp. since the analog
version is being dropped from C-Band feeder)....
Even if a couple dozen analog channels remain for "Basic Cable", dozens of
channels could be freed up if the cost of the ALL Digital STB came down to a
reasonable range (like is claimed for the MSTV SD-Only ATSC STB). Amortized
over a multi-year period, the per month cost could be quite low.
This would make the transition of the popular analog "Expanded" service to a
digital tier much more affordable without the current $10/month charge for each
STB in the home. However, with the retail cost of OTA STB's still in the $180+
range, it seems doubtful whether low-cost STB's of any kind will magically
appear....
5. When a channel assignment is made available, there is always a chance that
it will be used to expand VOD, PPV or VoIP Phone service....all of which
directly add to the bottom line....vs HD Simulcasts for which the MSOs have
strongly argued against paying extra for. This lack of financial incentive
must also be at play...
6. The SAT companies are finally trying to catch-up to Cable companies wrt HD
offerings....but it requires hardware upgrades, with incentives apparently only
for the first receiver. Dish may have VOOM, but otherwise they only differ
from cable by a couple HD channels----and don't have inHD1, inHD2, PBS-HD,
WB-HD, etc.
Perhaps the cable companies don't see an urgency to match VOOM's offerings and
perceive DirecTV as the primary competition. The fol. Feb 2006 DirecTV
presentation to investors shows only a few National HD channels planned to be
added this year, with the HD explosion starting in early 2007:
http://www.longhornxp.net/directvnews.pdf
Also note the STB/DVR cost reduction over time curves...
===========================================
I haven't run across anything that adequately explains why the Cable companies
are dragging their feet adding the nearly dozen HD channels available
Nationally (e.g. see FiOS TV lineup)....plus VOOM-HD if it were made available
to MSOs.
Maybe some or all of the above contributes to the stalemate...
I'm sure that by the end of this year, the MSOs could convert as many as six
analog channels, resulting in up to 18 HD channel positions....piece of cake.
But in the long run, the SDV and AVC paths will permit MSOs to support not just
100's, but 1,000's of HD "channels"...err, hybrid broadcast video and something
that smells like VOD IPTV....without extra cost of FTTP.
holl_ands
========================================
"Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote: Tom Barry wrote:
> Among other reasons, cable operators currently must
> pretend to be completely out of bandwidth because of
> the threat of multi-must-carry. If it seemed there
> was no burden upon them for MMC then it would be much
> harder to fight in the courts after new FCC NAB pets
> attempt to make MMC the law.
Good point. That must be it, then.
Because otherwise, this is another example of an article header that
doesn't match the content of the article. Similar to the previous one
about PVRs/DVRs.
The title of this article should have been "Cable operators have made it
tough for themselves to swallow HDTV." Which should make DBS and DTT
operators that much happier.
The recent interest in "switched cable," or whatever they're calling it,
is just the latest example of deliberately making tough on themselves. I
was especially amused by:
"But operators seem willing to take the heat. They fear that if they
fail to heed warnings such as Moffett's, they'll lose many of their 65
million subscribers who are hot for HD to satellite and phone company
rivals that already are able to offer lots of HDTV channels and plan
many more."
Maybe I'm misreading, but the implication I read into this is that cable
operators are feeling victimized. The heat they are taking is of their
own making, so of course they should be willing to take it. HDTV should
have been a piece of cake for cable systems.
Bert
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