Comcast XFINITY TV → [HD] FIOS Moving to MPEG-4 HD

1GHZ is the max for cable systems. DirecTV uses frequencies up to 2200mhz in the house, but that's over a much shorter run.

Comcast doesn't seem to like SDV, and given their openness to CableCard (once they get their almost-box-fee of course), I doubt that would be their first option. MPEG-4 makes the most sense, as you can swap out a small proportion of boxes over a phase-in period, and you get huge gains without splitting nodes, which SDV depends on. However, they would need very few tuning adapters, as once the whole TiVo-VOD thing finishes rolling out, all those boxes could also control SDV through software with minor software changes, as opposed to through the TAs.

I don't think they want to go over 860, and I have a suspicion it has to do with inside wiring. The higher you push the frequencies, the more issues you have. For example, at my parents' house, everything was working great until they added more HDs, and one of the newer ones, SNY, was dropping out a lot, which I *think* was because it was up near 860, so it was seeing higher loss. An amp fixed it. The farther up you push, the more loss you get, and more you need amps and the more you need to re-do wiring.

That leaves MPEG-4, which would work well, especially given their focus on VOD, as if they leverage it 5:3 (although knowing them they would go 6:3), they not only get more linear channels, but they get more VOD capacity on fewer QAM's, which helps their goals with XOD, which is a major focus for them on the video side.

The TiVo Series 3 support MPEG-4, but due to software limitations, the US model DOES NOT work with MPEG-4 through CableCard, so you're SOL on Verizon. The Premiere works with MPEG-4 through CableCard.

You can only run up to 860 for linear video, but you can put VOD for company-owned boxes (i.e. most of them), and DOCSIS 3 between 860 and 1000, so if you're smart, you put most of your VOD and DOCSIS up there to free up room for other stuff below 860.

MPEG-4 is a much more logical step than SDV. You can keep the simplicity of a linear system for linear channels, and reap the benefits of better quality AND more capacity.

actually the only people that are affected by SDV are the people with third party devices and a small few of them complain about the adapters and it is a tivo issue and all of the other tuners work fine with it.

The support for SDV is sort of a nightmare, and it requires node splitting to be effective. It's a poor choice when they could use MPEG-4 instead, which is pretty much standard on all video except for cable. If they have to, they could do SDV, but that should be after everything is MPEG-4.

Running SDV on a system with analog is idiotic. Analog is an obvious thing to get rid of. I'd say it makes sense, in order to:

1. Analog reclamation
2. MPEG-4
3. 1 GHZ
4. SDV

The ultimate would be all of those, although with even an 860mhz system with all MPEG-4 HDs, I'm not sure you'd need SDV to carry more HD than pretty much any of the competitors.

I don't think DTAs are made to handle higher-up channels, just expanded basic. DTA are an idiotic technology, as they aren't DVRs, and thus are pretty worthless.

The advantage you do get out of SDV is that you have an unlimited channel capacity if your nodes are small enough...

Running DOCSIS with one channel below 860 makes sense.

Joe, the problem is , who exactly determines what channels are "part time lower use channels" What I watch on television all the time is different then what someone else may watch on television all the time.

Now lets say comcast or others wants to make a move into the bar scene that directv has lock on due to NFL ST and to a lesser part most NBA, NHL and MLB games in HD.

can a sdv system drive a bar useing say 8-15+ part time lower use channels? will others on the same node find them self's unable to use VOD for prime sports time?

On directv the NHL, NBA, MLB and MLS feeds are mostly RSN remaps that are up 24/7 + the few part time Rsn over flows and sub feeds.

But to fit in NFL ST + other part time RSN needs they need to shut down most of the PPV movie HD channels. But then again they have like 34 HD ppv channels that is used to fill part time needs and when they are not needed for part time stuff they run PPV movies on them.

Whatever has terrible ratings. There's data out there on what people don't watch.

but can they say trun off 13-15 VOD slots to fit in NFL ST that is only needed 1 day of the week for part of the year? or they can cheap out and trun off the team HD and game HD channels to fit it in.

I talking about bandwidth fixed channel numbers is not the issues. Can they say trun off VOD slots to fit it in or do need to have 13-15 HD slots + 13-15 SD slots (may be able to go HD only) be tied up with a NFL ST LOGO screen most of the time?

Look at info channel HD most of the time it's just a looping help video when it's not needed for CSN + HD. Now it's other question as to why it's be used for CLTV HD mirroring CLTV SD / CSN + SD that dates back the old analog days when it was CLTV and sports channel + / FSN + sheering a channel.

I would think by the time that analog was turned off that CLTV and CSN + would no longer need to be on the same channel and that was some time befor there was a CLTV HD.

CSN + HD and MOJO HD used to share the slot (comcast only) other systems had CSN + HD on it's own as CSN + SD on it's own (they did not have CLTV)

That does not bold to well if they can't get that right that they will be able to pull off NFL ST. Hell they don't even have goal line HD or big ten alts in HD (other cable systems do) but they do have red zone HD what are they doing with it's bandwidth then it's not needed. Now it's one thing to have 1 HD / 1 SD very part time channel but 13-15?? maybe more if in HD and SD.

Not always, if the show decides to "go out on top" when the ratings are good but the cast or producers want to end the show. Anyway this is all irrelevant to the topic.