April 7, 2014

Pay-TV Subscribers Willing to Pay for Mobile Downloads

Interesting analysis piece from Light Reading regarding a recent survey that showed nearly half of those with a smartphone and/or tablet were interested in downloading content to which they already subscribe, and of those the majority would be willing to pay $1-$5 extra per month to do so. The survey comes on the heels of Amazon's new set-top box, the Fire TV, which joins the foray of streaming devices that pundits say threaten the traditional cable-subscriber model. As Laurie Lawrence points out: "For all the concerns about cord-cutters, at least half of viewers are adding to their traditional pay-TV subscription,

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April 7, 2014

2014 Final Four Sets Record for Cable Viewers

The 2014 Final Four, buoyed by Kentucky's late-game winning shot over Wisconsin, set a record as the most-watched college basketball game on cable, according to Multichannel News. Turner took an interesting approach this year with simultaneous broadcasts across multiple channels, which they termed "Teamcasts." A main feed was shown on TBS, while team-centric feeds were shown on TNT and TruTV. Click on the link to Multichannel's piece above for more details on the numbers.

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April 4, 2014

CSE Allows for End-to-End Delivery of 4K

PeerApp, Sandvine, and Limelight announced this week that a joint effort successfully demonstrated implementation of the Content Service Extension architecture. They used the Packet Cable Multimedia (PCMM) standard, defined and promoted by the PacketCable industry consortium, founded by CableLabs. PeerApp demonstrated end-to-end content delivery of 4K video, providing not only a promising future for 4K, but an overall benefit to subscriber experience. More on the announcement from the Wall Street Journal's MarketWatch.

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April 2, 2014

Amazon Reveals $99 Streaming Set-top

After months of rumors and speculation, Amazon on Wednesday finally unveiled its set-top box, a video-streaming and gaming device that will cost $99. It's called the Fire TV, and Amazon claims it's more powerful than any of the competitors in the streaming space, like the Roku 3, Apple TV, and Google's Chromecast stick. It will host all of the expected streaming content, like Netflix and Hulu, plus the vast amount of content that Amazon has been collecting since 2011. It supports 1080p, and boasts a quad-core processor with 2Gb of memory. While more streaming devices come on the market to

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April 1, 2014

Netgear Offers DOCSIS 3.0 Gateway

Netgear is offering a new voice and data gateway capable of DOCSIS transmission rates up to 1 GHz. This gateway truly supports the Internet of Things, designed to support smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, and other home devices that will require a network connection. The device, known as the AC1900 Voice and Data Cable Gateway (C7000B), offers end-user easy-to-use functions, such as a guest network that can be connected to via a QR code scan. More on Netgear's new device from Brian Santo over at CED Magazine.

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April 1, 2014

March Madness Streams Continue to Jump

March Madness Live continues to show why it's the poster child for second-screen apps. Total mobile streams have already risen 71% over 2013 during the same timespan.  Some of the jump could be attributable to numerous upsets and unlikely runs of schools like the University of Dayton.  Of course it's also very likely that there are simply many more mobile devices in consumers' hands compared to last year. It remains to be seen if developers of social-based/traditional second-screen apps can derive any utility from March Madness Live's overwhelming success. The once-a-year and anything-can-happen-live nature of the event may be completely

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March 31, 2014

FCC Increases 5GHz Spectrum for Wi-Fi

In a move that was widely expected, the FCC voted this morning to increase the amount of unlicensed spectrum in the 5 gigahertz band. The need for more wireless spectrum has been identified for some time, and will only increase as more and more devices utilize Wi-Fi. CableLabs' own Rob Alderfer has written on the subject. To read more about the FCC's vote, check out the official press release.

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March 31, 2014

Casa Systems Releases DOCSIS 3.1 Upstream Module

As MSOs prepare to support DOCSIS 3.1, the CableLabs' spec which will enable the next generation of cable technology, Casa Systems is unveiling a new high-density upstream module which it says will support the DOCSIS 3.1 spec. CableLabs has previously stated that it will be up to CMTS and modem vendors when they will be ready for official DOCSIS 3.1 testing. More on the Casa Systems module from Multichannel News.

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March 28, 2014

Panel Discusses Next Steps for DOCSIS 3.1

It's been five months since CableLabs released the DOCSIS 3.1 specification, and as providers prepare for the next generation of cable services, it's natural to start thinking about how, when, and where DOCSIS 3.1 will be implemented. A recent panel discussed what the near future holds for DOCSIS 3.1, and what it means for operators who are simultaneously working on technologies like CCAP and SDN. CableLabs' own Dan Rice, Senior Vice President of Network Technology, sat on the panel and provided his insight. To read more about the next steps for DOCSIS 3.1 and what Dan had to say, check

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