Video

SCTE outlines CALM Act best practices

April 4, 2013 2:15 pm | by Brian Santo | News | Comments

The CALM Act requires that the audio level of commercial messages be at the same average loudness as the associated programming content. SCTE 197 provides guidelines for cable operators for recording measured loudness and loudness metadata value.

Midcontinent launches whole home service

April 4, 2013 1:59 pm | by Brian Santo | News | Comments

The MSO has begun deploying a whole-home service based on TiVo equipment and technology. It will roll out the service in Rapid City and the Northern Black Hills area in South Dakota, followed by Minnesota, North Dakota and the remaining South Dakota markets in the coming months.

BCI buying James Cable

April 4, 2013 1:54 pm | by Brian Santo | News | Comments

The company formed by former executives from Bresnan Communications is buying James Cable. The value of the purchase of James Cable was not disclosed, but could be in the neighborhood of $150 million. The move follows BCI’s purchase of the Allegiance cable systems in January.

RGB upgrades video processor

April 3, 2013 1:37 pm | by Brian Santo | Products | Comments

The company’s Video Multiprocessing Gateway (VMG) Gen 2 incorporates a new scalable plug-in module the company says offers more than double the transcoding capacity of its VMG predecessor. The system is particularly suited for delivering TV Everywhere services.

Survey: FTTH leads to huge opex savings

April 3, 2013 1:27 pm | by Brian Santo | News | Comments

Companies deploying fiber to the home are reporting saving an average of 20 percent on opex costs. The survey from the FTTH Council also reveals to 20 percent yearly increase in North American homes connected to all-fiber networks.

Epix now live on the PlayStation3

April 2, 2013 1:42 pm | by Brian Santo | News | Comments

Launched in 2009, Epix has deals with Cox Communications, Charter Communications, Dish Network, Mediacom Communications, the NCTC, Suddenlink Communications and Verizon. The company plans to launch on the PlayStation Vita in a few weeks.

Cogeco Cable launches guide apps

April 2, 2013 1:27 pm | by Brian Santo | News | Comments

Cogeco Cable has launched two new apps, one subscribers can use for content search and discovery and then also to set home equipment to record programs, the other enables remote scheduling of PVRs. Both apps were developed with Rovi Corp.

Appeals court: Aereo is legal

April 2, 2013 1:06 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Aereo, which offers inexpensive live broadcast television feeds to computers, tablets and smartphones, doesn't violate U.S. copyright law, a divided federal appeals court said Monday. The decision was based in part on Cablevision's landmark court case that established the legality of the networked PVR system.

Apple patents iPhone with wraparound display

April 1, 2013 12:10 pm | by Associated Press | News | Comments

Apple is seeking a patent for an iPhone that has a display that wraps around the edges of the device, expanding the viewable area and eliminating all physical buttons. The patent application reveals that Apple has put some thought into a device that takes advantage of a new generation of displays, which don't have to be flat and rigid like today's liquid-crystal displays, or LCDs.

MaxLinear tunes up OTT in STBs

April 1, 2013 12:03 pm | by Mike Robuck | Products | Comments

MaxLinear announced today that leading OEMs were using its MxL603 silicon tuner in their set-top boxes to deliver over-the-top (OTT) services in the United States market. The company didn’t say what set-top box vendors were using its chip, but did say they were currently shipping.

Media: Aereo talks to Dish, AT&T

April 1, 2013 11:54 am | News | Comments

Barry Diller-backed Aereo has conducted partnership talks with major pay-TV distributors and ISPs, with AT&T and Dish Network among the list of potential suitors. According to a story by The Wall Street Journal, Aereo is looking to lock up partnerships with cable, satellite or telco companies as one way of moving its Web-based streaming service in front of more potential customers.

Cisco Systems raises dividend 21 percent

March 29, 2013 12:33 pm | by Associated Press | News | Comments

Cisco Systems Inc. is increasing its dividend 21 percent, its second boost in less than a year. The San Jose, California-based technology giant will pay a 17-cent quarterly dividend on April 24 to shareholders of record April 8. That's up 3 cents from the last quarter.

Research: OTN market to hit $13 billion by 2017

March 29, 2013 12:10 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | Comments

The optical transport network (OTN) equipment market is well on its way to topping the $13 billion mark by 2017, according to a recent study by Infonetics Research. Last year the OTN transport and switching equipment market grew 8 percent to $7.3 billion with the bulk of that growth coming from the OTN switching segment, which was up 46 percent in 2012 from 2011.

FX network to launch younger-skewing channel

March 28, 2013 1:04 pm | by Associated Press | News | Comments

FX says it's spinning off a new cable network aimed at young adult viewers. The company says that the lineup for FXX will consist of original series, movies and acquired series targeting adults 18 to 34, a slightly younger audience than FX attracts.

Lightpath connects Westchester Community College

March 28, 2013 12:48 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | Comments

Lightpath, a division of Cablevision, has helped New York-based Westchester Community College connect its main campus to five remote locations with its fiber network. Using the Lightpath Education Services Suite, the college was also able to enable online registration for students, connect the security staff across locations, offer classes via VOD, and incorporate closed-captioning into lectures.