June/July 1996 -- Volume 8 Number 4
Ongoing CableLabs research on high-speed cable modems indicates that cable operators in one data channel on a single node will be able to support in excess of several hundred simultaneous users with no noticeable degradation of performance. With this information, CableLabs is advancing quickly with its evaluation of high-speed cable modems, including activities that explore a series of architecture-related questions involving applications, testing and modeling.
The applications being tested vary widely in their function given that the high-speed cable modem is used for a wide range of applications which vary in bandwidth intensity and Quality of Service. These include, but are not limited to, Web surfing, electronic mail, file-transfer-protocol (ftp), streaming audio and video, videoconferencing, IP phone and cable commuting.
These specific applications were chosen for testing cable modems because "they are the most realistic of residential Internet access in the cable environment," says Bob Cruickshank, director of data applications at CableLabs. "There is incredible pent-up demand for Internet access-applications are changing and becoming more exciting for users."
Testing experience shows that most cable modems differentiate themselves in performance. "The testing is being conducted to assess the performance of each vendor's cable modem system in several important areas such as Quality of Service-throughput, frame loss rate, latency, and jitter; and functional operation-broadcast and multicast functionality, management capability, and so forth," explains Brian Reilly, staff project engineer.
By examining various applications via testing and modeling, CableLabs is looking for answers to questions such as:
Tom Moore, project manager of advanced network development states, "The neat thing about the Common Simulation Framework is it allows us to extend our laboratory testing. First we can validate the vendor models against actual modem performance in the lab, and then we can employ those models in more complex network configurations with more realistic traffic loading to gain insight into what we might see in field deployments."
Some of the preliminary results from this modeling and testing effort will be showcased at the CableLabs Summer Conference in Keystone.
CableLabs Establishes Task Force on Deployment of Enhanced Services (Back to Top of Page)
CableLabs and its member companies have created a task force of industry experts that will work together to help cable operators deal with issues associated with enhanced services.
Many cable operators are expected to roll out enhanced services such as digital video, high-speed data modems and telephony over the next few years. The digital transmission techniques that will be used in each of these services have technical requirements and training issues associated with them that are different from analog transmission which is employed today. In addition, there are a number of two-way plant issues that the task force will address.
Unlike analog signals, which degrade predictably (typical symptoms include snowy pictures or ghost images), the error correcting capability of the digital signal results in no sign of degradation until the error corrector is overwhelmed and wrong data is delivered, resulting in a loss of picture or data. One result is that new plant test equipment is required for system technicians. Another result is that methods of operating a system will need to change.
These issues will be explored by the task force, headed by Tony Werner, vice president of engineering with TCI Communications. CableLabs staff liaison will be Doug Semon, visiting executive for network operations.
"When any telecommunications industry moves from one means of distributing information to another, there is a chance for problems to arise," said Dr. Richard R. Green, CableLabs president and CEO. "We are attempting to get ahead of the curve and work to prevent major disruptions in the cable industry when digital technology is ubiquitously deployed," he added.
The task force will be comprised of senior executives from CableLabs member companies that have an interest in digital technology.
"This task force approach served the industry well when CableLabs focused on ways to reduce cable system outages," Werner said. "I think it will work well here as well."
CableLabs and California Cable TV Association Release CableNET '96 RFP (Back to Top of Page)
CableLabs and the California Cable Television Association (CCTA) have issued a request for proposal (RFP) for CableNET '96, an integrated demonstration showing the power of the cable industry's hybrid fiber/coaxial (HFC) network that will be on display at the Western Cable Show in Anaheim, California, December 11-13.
The deadline for RFP responses was July 3.
The CableNET demonstration maintains an educational approach fostered by CableLabs and the CCTA. CableNET '96 will focus on the services and applications that may be delivered to consumers via the HFC telecommunications networks.
The RFP specifically seeks applications, hardware and software that already are either under technology or market trial, or are no more than one year away from deployment. Areas of interest include telephone services over cable - wireline or wireless, high-speed data services, including on-line information services and multimedia services terminating on computers; Internet access; Internet applications, either in software or hardware form.
Other areas that will be considered are new Internet devices; interactive services which terminate on television monitors, including but not limited to near video on demand and video on demand; multimedia, audio, text, and graphics terminate on a computer screen; telecommuting, advanced television and electronic commerce and transactions.
In addition, any content offering or service application that is accessible or that is being designed to be accessible via a broadband connection to the World Wide Web should also consider participating in CableLabs' ongoing Web incubator project.
This project would make applications available on an ongoing basis beyond the CableNET '96 exhibit at the Western Show; at temporary and long-term demonstrations, technology trials or deployments that access CableLabs' Web incubator site and the capabilities it is designed to showcase.
CableLabs Helps Rogers Cablesystems Establish Cable Equipment Test Centre (Back to Top of Page)
CableLabs will assist Rogers Cablesystems Limited in establishing a cable television equipment test laboratory in Toronto, Canada, this summer.
The goal of the new laboratory, called the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Test Centre, is to evaluate currently available, off-the-shelf equipment from cable suppliers with an eye to determining if the hardware meets vendor-established specifications.
Brian James, formerly director of advanced television testing with CableLabs, will manage the laboratory for Rogers Cablesystems as TAC Test Centre vice president.
CableLabs engineers will continue to perform evaluations and tests of equipment exclusively in the research-and-development phase.
CableLabs President and CEO Dr. Richard R. Green noted that the creation of the TAC Test Centre fulfills one of the cable industry's objectives that had been suggested when CableLabs was established in 1988. "CableLabs and Rogers are very willing to work with the equipment suppliers in establishing this Test Centre and in gaining their confidence that this test process will benefit our members and the vendors' bottom lines," Green said.
Nick Hamilton-Piercy, senior vice president of engineering and technology at Rogers Cablesystems Limited, which is based in Toronto, said the TAC Test Centre will follow a "well-disciplined process" to ensure objectivity. Testing is voluntary on the part of vendors. Vendors will be informed of what type of equipment will be evaluated, and asked whether they would like their equipment to be included.
James stressed that CableLabs' member companies will have an active role in determining what evaluations the TAC Test Centre performs and their priority. "The membership, through the TAC, will decide what equipment is tested," James said. "This facility is designed to benefit all of CableLabs' members, and they all will be represented."
James added that CableLabs members are being polled to find out what tests they would like to see performed first. James added: "Then we must establish testing procedures before we actually perform the first evaluations."
"We are anticipating a two-way flow of information on the effectiveness of current off-the-shelf cable equipment," James said. "While we certainly will be evaluating equipment independently in our facility, we also are hoping to work with MSOs to use their test information on products. That way equipment of interest to all member companies would be evaluated only once rather than a number of times at different MSOs," James said.
CableLabs Promotions Announced (Back to Top of Page)
Cable Television Laboratories, Inc., President and CEO Dr. Richard R. Green has announced a series of promotions of CableLabs staff.
In the Operations Technologies Projects Department (OTP), Robert F. Cruickshank III is promoted to director, data applications from project manager, telecommunications projects.
Engineering Department promotions included: Craig Owen to senior member of technical staff in the Engineering Department from project manager, network integration and planning in OTP; Rhonda Hilton to senior member of technical staff from member of technical staff; Alex Mends-Cole to associate member of technical staff from senior engineering assistant; Ty Pearman to associate member of technical staff from engineering assistant; Moisey Goldshteyn advances to senior laboratory technician from laboratory technician.
In Communications and Technology Transfer (CATT), those promoted were: Donald P. Dulchinos, to director of business development and technology transfer, from senior analyst, technology transfer; Suzanne Nielsen to publications manager from senior publications editor; Lyne Yohe to senior Internet editor, a new position, from publications editor; Stephanie McLean to publications editor, succeeding Yohe, from administrative assistant. Janet Johnson to corporate events administrator from administrative assistant.
In Technical Services, promotions included: Jerry Stachowski to manager of information systems from UNIX Systems administrator; Frank Wimler III to supervisor,
technical services, from senior electronics technician; Doug Hovland to Macintosh support specialist from Macintosh
systems aide.
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