News
FREE Email Newsletter
Daily news and top headlines for broadband communications engineering and design professionals
Breaking up is hard to do
February 8, 2001 7:00 pm | by Karen Kessler-Tanaka | CommentsAT&T 's lifesaving plan to quarter the company could be running into problems. The WSJ.com reports that a single large investor in the company and the union representing 35,000 of the company's employees are appealing to other board members to reject the plan. The AFL-CIO and the Communications Workers of America, in a conference call with institutional investors, said the breakup plan is f...
Agilent into optics too(l)
February 7, 2001 7:00 pm | by Karen Kessler-Tanaka | CommentsHewlett-Packard spin-off Agilent now uses AVS/Express software in its 8614X-series optical spectrum analyzers (OSAs), which are used to test fiber-optic equipment both in development and in manufacturing. AVS/Express, developed by Advanced Visual Systems, serves as the graphics engine for the 8614X OSA series and provides rapid plotting of test results on the OSA's built-in screen.
Corning expanding Italian operations
February 7, 2001 7:00 pm | by Karen Kessler-Tanaka | CommentsCorning is expanding the operations it recently acquired from Pirelli, now the Corning Optical Technologies Italia (OTI) unit. The company's board of directors approved sinking $150 million into the business unit to increase production of lithium niobate modulators, pump lasers, certain specialty fibers, and fiber gratings.
Pace purchases French company
February 6, 2001 7:00 pm | by Karen Kessler-Tanaka | CommentsPace has a plan: to further its position as the world's largest dedicated developer of digital television gateways. The company is pursuing that goal by purchasing French company Xcom Multimedia Communications. Xcom manufactures digital set-tops and has a client base in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Bridging the gap between the PC and living room
February 6, 2001 7:00 pm | by Karen Kessler-Tanaka | CommentsRealNetworks and Wavefly want to get media junkies away from the PC. The two companies believe Internet information should be received throughout the home, and have combined their efforts to deliver Internet media to the TV or stereo. "Our vision is to deliver a great Internet media experience from any platform, to any device," said Len Jordan, senior vice president, Consumer Appliances, RealNe...
Better customer management
February 6, 2001 7:00 pm | by Karen Kessler-Tanaka | CommentsADC and Siebel Systems have teamed up to offer a customer management solution for communications service providers. The technology will consist of ADC's SingleView combined with Siebel eCommunications applications software. The software has been designed with the telecommunications industry specifically in mind.
Content in Cannes
February 6, 2001 7:00 pm | by Karen Kessler-Tanaka | CommentsCannes, France will surely add glamorous inspiration to the Milias 2001 content creation and distribution conference Feb. 10 –14. Showing some inspiration of its own, OpenTV will be demonstrating its interactive television applications for the lucky attendees. Visitors to the OpenTV booth will be able to see live feeds from interactive television services across Europe.
Com 21 improves on cable modem
February 5, 2001 7:00 pm | by Karen Kessler-Tanaka | CommentsCom21 has improved one of its core products this week by joining forces with two software companies. This week the broadband access systems manufacturer inked deals with both Netsurfer and Alopa Networks. Netsurfer's provisioning software, NetKit Cable Edition 5.1, will be incorporated into Com21's DOXport 1110 cable modems.
Quantum Bridge improving on a good thing
February 5, 2001 7:00 pm | by Karen Kessler-Tanaka | CommentsThe engineers over at Quantum Bridge Communications have also been busy improving upon its Optical Access System product. The system unifies service providers access networks at the metro edge, improving network efficiency. The new features include ATM networking, ATM/TDM gateway, and dedicated high bandwidth services.
Tvia streaming good media
February 5, 2001 7:00 pm | by Karen Kessler-Tanaka | CommentsWhen Hannibal is released for VOD, this could get interesting. Tvia 's CyberPro streaming media processors with 3D/2D graphics and other goodies for digital TV and digital broadband set-tops are now available. The CyberPro 5300 product family streams content from any source for seamless interactive viewing.
NeuralStar: the brains of the operation
February 5, 2001 7:00 pm | by Karen Kessler-Tanaka | CommentsIt's not the newest in brain surgery. NeuralStar, Ai Metrix 's network management software applications products, will be used by Coreon for inventory management and service activation functions on its large-scale networks. Coreon delivers operations management services to broadband providers. NeuralStar inventory management software aids a network's ability to handle large numbers of new subsc...
Conexant combo number 1
February 4, 2001 7:00 pm | by Karen Kessler-Tanaka | CommentsConexant has combined simultaneous cable-modem functionality and interactive cable broadcast capability for set-top box applications in a single-chip digital cable transceiver, the CX24420. According to the company, it is the first to achieve this combination. "Our latest set-top box device is truly a design breakthrough that combines cable TV with Internet connectivity and is configured to int...
Cablevision and PVI to leverage assets
February 4, 2001 7:00 pm | by Karen Kessler-Tanaka | CommentsNew York-based Cablevision and Princeton Video Image (PVI) have inked a deal leveraging each other's technology and financial assets. The deal will help PVI quickly expand, while giving Cablevision access to PVI's technologies. This agreement will bring $10 million to PVI in the form of an equity investment and licensing fees.
VideoStorm brings ray of light to cable TV operators
February 4, 2001 7:00 pm | by Karen Kessler-Tanaka | CommentsArtel Video Systems has created technology designed to help cable operators get a leg up on satellite delivered services. VideoStorm is a new switch that enables digital television, VoD and i-TV services to be transported over existing packet networks with guaranteed quality of service. "Digital TV has been deployed by satellite on constant delay networks, to transport MPEG information, but whe...
MGM sees classic opportunity in cable
February 1, 2001 7:00 pm | by Karen Kessler-Tanaka | CommentsCable has some entertainment classics of its own, and movie studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) sees an opportunity to join them. MGM is buying a 20 percent stake in four of Cablevision 's Rainbow Media's networks: American Movie Classics (AMC), Bravo, The Independent Film Channel (IFC) and WE: Women's Entertainment (formerly Romance Classics) for $825 million in cash.
