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bufbarnaby
join:2002-01-06
Riverside, CA

bufbarnaby

Member

[CATV] "fiber-rich" network

Anyone have details on what was actually upgraded ?
Ad claims they spent 2B on upgrades.
Fiber-rich to me is a cop-out...a way of saying it isn't fiber to the curb.
Does it mean it is fiber to the head-end and copper the rest of the way ?
How far away is my "head-end" ?
Is fiber to the head-end good enough to compete with U-Verse and Fios ?

mixdup
join:2003-06-28
Alpharetta, GA

mixdup

Member

It's fiber to the node, and it's been that way for a decade. The upgrades Charter is doing lately is going all digital, but that's really unrelated to the amount or location of fiber in the network. They likely haven't greatly expanded the amount of fiber in the network over the past few years.
bufbarnaby
join:2002-01-06
Riverside, CA

bufbarnaby

Member

So how do I find out how far away my "node" is ?
Is that the same as the head-end ?
Yes , I now understand the big SDV/All digital conversion that just occurred.
Why don't they get rid of the lower-quality duplicate channels now that they are all encrypted to free up bandwidth ?
Example...Bloomberg low def is still being broadcasted even though it is now in HD.

mixdup
join:2003-06-28
Alpharetta, GA

mixdup

Member

No, the node is not the same thing as headend. It's really kind of tough to know exactly how far away your node is, it could be up to a few miles away. But, distance to the node isn't what you would really want to be worried about, it's how many other homes are on your node.

And the reason SD channels are duplicated is because lots of people still have SD TVs.
78036364 (banned)
join:2014-05-06
USA

1 recommendation

78036364 (banned)

Member

Re: [CATV] "fiber-rich" network

said by mixdup:

And the reason SD channels are duplicated is because lots of people still have SD TVs.

you would think the STB would be able to downgrade a HD signal for those luddites still using a SDTV.
bufbarnaby
join:2002-01-06
Riverside, CA

bufbarnaby

Member

Did a lot of Googling...My local Charter IS the headend , and they must be using HITS as there is only ONE big dish on their property (headend in the sky)
The node is almost in my backyard where there is a pole where the coax comes down. No wonder the signal is strong here.
It's fiber all the way to the node.
bufbarnaby

bufbarnaby to 78036364

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to 78036364
There is no reason for the low-def channels...My set-top box can be set to 480p even for the HD channels.
Jazzemt
join:2009-02-12
USA

Jazzemt to bufbarnaby

Member

to bufbarnaby
No most channels come via fiber to the headend. Some still via sat but the greater majority is via fiber.
bufbarnaby
join:2002-01-06
Riverside, CA

bufbarnaby

Member

Fiber-rich...like cereal !

DLow
join:2013-11-16
Waxahachie, TX

DLow to Jazzemt

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to Jazzemt
Lol we have like 9 sats at my head end
rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO

rradina to 78036364

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to 78036364
Exactly what I was thinking. I know SD doesn't take nearly as much BW as HD but why? As time marches on, more and more SD formats are missing a significant portion of the picture unless they letter box it. Why letter box it at the NOC when the STB can do that on premises.

Leggo
@207.237.77.x

Leggo to Jazzemt

Anon

to Jazzemt
said by Jazzemt:

No most channels come via fiber to the headend. Some still via sat but the greater majority is via fiber.

quite the opposite. national channels like USA-ESPN-CNN-FOX NEWS-HBO still come via satellite unless charter has regional headends that feed smaller headends. local and regional channels come via fiber or in some cases antenna. theres hundreds of cable headends in the country, HBO and the likes are not feeding every one of them via fiber. they are doing it by satellite.

defiant
Former Charter lackey
join:2013-03-22
Monroe, MI
ARRIS TM1602
Asus RT-AC68
Netgear WNDR3700v4

defiant to bufbarnaby

Member

to bufbarnaby
said by bufbarnaby:

Did a lot of Googling...My local Charter IS the headend , and they must be using HITS as there is only ONE big dish on their property (headend in the sky)
The node is almost in my backyard where there is a pole where the coax comes down. No wonder the signal is strong here.
It's fiber all the way to the node.

The dish you noticed may not even be in-use anymore. Much of the programming you watch can be brought in via satellite, OTA, or fiber and redistributed to other headends in the region. Some content is sent over the national fiber network.

The presence dish doesn't mean you're area uses HITS either.

What you think is the node in your backyard very well might just be an amplifier. Dozens are used throughout a node at specific spacing to achieve the necessary signal in the node's service area.
bufbarnaby
join:2002-01-06
Riverside, CA

bufbarnaby

Member

Leggo is right...HITS can collect many channels and downlink them to the single big Charter dish.
I had a C-band dish for years and had to move it to change channels.
Now they tune in a lot of channels without moving by using the HITS.

defiant
Former Charter lackey
join:2013-03-22
Monroe, MI

defiant to Leggo

Member

to Leggo
Withdrawn.