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Daily news and top headlines for broadband communications engineering and design professionals
OTT programmers converge on NYC
April 29, 2013 1:42 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsIn the last 12 months, companies like Netflix, Yahoo, and YouTube have experimented with original programming, with some hits and some misses. But there were more than enough hits to encourage over-the-top programmers to keep trying. They'll all be in New York City this week talking about it at the second Digital NewFronts conference.
Telesystem begins network upgrade
April 29, 2013 1:22 pm | CommentsBuckeye Cablesystem sister company Telesystem said it has embarked on a network upgrade to achieve 99.999 percent availability for its IP-based services. Five-nines availability translates to no more than 5.26 minutes of downtime per rolling year.
Cox tunes in MoviePlex suite of services
April 29, 2013 12:13 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsCox Communications has launched the full slate of MoviePlex services from Starz, which included the multi-screen service MoviePlex Play. Cox subscribers can now watch MoviePlex, MoviePlex On Demand, and the MoviePlex Play authenticated online TV Everywhere service as part of their Cox Advanced TV package.
TWC launches Filipino network in L.A., San Diego
April 29, 2013 12:05 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsTime Warner Cable has diversified its channel lineup in San Diego and Los Angeles with the addition of Lifestyle Network. ABS-CBN International’s Lifestyle Network serves up video content, primarily in English, to Filipino Americans in the two Time Warner Cable systems.
Coinstar's popularity slips; Q1 earnings down
April 26, 2013 2:22 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsCoinstar's first-quarter earnings plunged 58 percent amid signs that its Redbox kiosks for DVD rentals are losing their appeal as more people switch to Netflix and other Internet video services. The company plans to change its name to Outerwall this summer.
Comcast bows faster gateway; doubles speeds on 2 data tiers
April 26, 2013 12:52 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsComcast has leveraged MoCA 2.0 and the 5.0 GHz frequency on its new wireless gateway that features speeds of up to 270 Mbps. According to research by Allion USA, Comcast’s new gateway more than tripled the speeds of competing wireless gateways from AT&T and Verizon.
AT&T locks up home automation deployments
April 26, 2013 12:35 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsStarting today, AT&T’s home automation and security service, which it calls Digital Life, is available in 15 cities across the nation. AT&T said in January that it planned on launching Digital Life in March to eight cities, but delayed the launch until this month in order to offer the service in more markets.
Time Warner Cable’s 1Q profit driven by business services
April 25, 2013 1:06 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsAn increase in Time Warner Cable’s business services revenue helped the cable operator’s bottom line in the first quarter, but the nation’s second-largest cable operator continued to bleed out basic video subscribers. For the quarter, Time Warner Cable lost 119,000 basic video subscribers, which were more than the 91,000 that analysts had projected.
TWC boots up free Wi-Fi in Austin
April 25, 2013 1:02 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsTime Warner Cable has started to deploy its Wi-Fi service, which is called TWC WiFi, to its subscribers in Austin, Texas. There are currently several dozen access points deployed in Austin to date, but the cable operator plans on having up to 1,000 go live this year.
Media: Bright House Networks preps 90 Mbps D3 tier
April 25, 2013 12:53 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsBright House Networks subscribers in Tampa and Central Florida will be able to tap into a new DOCSIS 3.0-based tier that features up to 90 Mbps on the downstream and 10 Mbps up. Bright House Networks is currently letting customers sign up for its Lightning 90 service.
Comcast, EcoFactor win home automation award
April 25, 2013 12:43 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsHome automation vendor EcoFactor recently won an award from GTM Research for working with Comcast on the cable operator’s Xfinity Home service. Last year EcoFactor integrated its SaaS infrastructure with Comcast to provide Xfinity Home subscribers monthly HVAC savings on their energy bills.
SCTE adds standard for ad zapping
April 24, 2013 1:30 pm | by Brian Santo | CommentsThe SCTE has published a new standard that covers the ability of programmers and operators to control fast forwarding on-demand content. “Stream Restriction Data Model” documents how the industry can to selectively enable or disable Fast Forwarding in on-demand content and advertising.
ActiveVideo taps Brockman as CTO
April 24, 2013 1:16 pm | by Brian Santo | CommentsActiveVideo has promoted Ronald Brockmann to CTO. The position has been open since Rogers Communications hired away ActiveVideo’s previous CTO, John Callahan, almost a year ago. Brockmann was working for Avinity Systems when ActiveVideo acquired it three years ago.
Bright House Networks, Verizon Wireless ring up 4 more markets
April 24, 2013 12:29 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsVerizon Wireless and Bright House Networks’ cross-promotional bundles have rolled into four more markets; Bakersfield, Calif., Birmingham, Ala., Indianapolis and Detroit. The latest launches of the joint marketing effort followed up on the initial launch in Orlando late last year
RCN partners up to enable free Wi-Fi service in Boston
April 24, 2013 12:20 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsRCN Business Services has forged a partnership with two other companies that will enable free Wi-Fi access in the Boston area. RCN’s piece of the puzzle is providing the backhaul necessary to connect the small cells to the core network.
