lml2000
Whazzup
join:2000-08-17
Los Angeles, CA
 ·RoadRunner Cable
| reply to dru
Re: This is what ADSL was designed for!
Good critical post, dru. A couple comments.
HDTV
I would not even begin to address HDTV over DSL at this point. Most likely it will never happen. Even the MSOs are loathe to deliver HD over their pipes. Presently, HD is going to be limited to satellite and over-the-air transmission. Until this market more fully develops, I don't expect the MSOs to budge an inch. The economics of HD make it economical for bandwidth constrained MSOs to push HD. DSL is no different, and arguably, even more constrained. Also note that HD over DBS is already available. DirecTV offers 2 channels, one HBO, the other pay-per-view, each broadcasted from a different satellite, so one needs an elliptical dish equipped with special LNB as well as a special digital receiver that is designed to decode the HD signals into analog for viewing. But all this does not preclude the eventual migration to pure or "standard" digital TV.
VOD over DSL
It is indisputable that the video content will be delivered in compressed format. Uncompressed format is just not going to happen, and is just not economical. Content will be delivered, most likely from remote video servers deployed deep in the loop as far as what I would term "premium" content is concerned. I just don't think the studios are going to offer their most valuable IP into the home where it can be stored onto a hard drive and subject to copyright infringement by very motivated hackers. Imagine the monetary damages to the studio and the artists if just one recent studio release is downloaded onto a TiVo, hacked onto a hard drive, then duplicated and distributed over the Internet. I just think the risks today are too great. In light of this I foresee remote video servers offering bit streams that are buffered onsite.
As I disclosed elsewhere on DSLReports, my loop is not being outfitted with an OC-12 from which 2 OC-3s will feed into the several neighborhood gateways along the loop. The question is where along this ring would a video server likely be installed and capable of meeting the downstream demand of all subs along the loop? As you note, VOD from the gateway to the subscriber's premises will be delivered over a DSL connection that should accommodate 3-4 Mbps of bandwidth. If your familiar with SBC's Pronto project, you will not that though basis DSL service up to 1.5 Mbps, the architecture can provide up to 6 Mbps, if the customer wants to pay a premium for a continuous connection. But, because of the use of SVCs, the customer will also be able to "fatten" his pipe on a temporary switched basis to accommodate a VOD bit stream. With "up to 6 Mbps," VOD requiring 3-4 Mbps will offer a good quality feed.
With respect to MDUs, you present an interesting issue. Possibly, for large MDUs we might even see a video server onsite but locked in a secure room away from the sub where the content is at least "physically" secure.
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Regards,
lml |
