As we settle comfortably into 2008, switched digital video (SDV) technology is hitting its stride. First came news of the tuning resolver, a device designed (by Motorola and others) to allow retail products with one-way CableCARDs to access two-way, switched digital services. Light Reading reports that CableLabs officially issued specs for the tuning resolver on January 30th.
Now Motorola is announcing successful testing of its SDV platform in a multi-vendor environment. This is critical because, like with any other network technology, operators will not rip and replace equipment unless absolutely necessary. At the CableLabs winter conference Motorola showed its SDV solution with multiple electronic program guides and multiple QAM devices.
I do realize this all sounds terribly boring to anyone not making a living off this stuff, but there are a few reasons to care. First, switched digital video means more HD content. Second, SDV is a cost-effective way to add bandwidth to a network, which hopefully means less price escalation for consumers. Third, switched digital video moves us one step closer to a switched unicast television model where everyone gets a personal, and personalized, video stream.
Much more to come on switched digital video in the coming months.
Filed under: Bandwidth, Cable, CableCARD, HDTV, Motorola News, Switched Digital
[...] EngadgetHD ran a poll this weekend on how many HD channels readers have at home. Keeping in mind that the EngadgetHD audience is geekier than your average room full of people, I was surprised by the numbers as of Sunday night. More than half of the respondents acknowledged having fewer than 20 HD channels. That means there’s an awful lot of room for growth, and a lot more bandwidth needed to broadcast the volumes of HD that consumers are starting to demand. A good reason for switched digital video. [...]
[...] consider this: everyone has focused on SDV as a direct bandwidth-saving tool, but it has the potential to do much more. If operators can selectively switch on a particular [...]