July 30, 2014

Study: Broadband Subs Will Outnumber Video Subs

According to a new study from Moody's, cable operators will start serving more broadband customers than video customers as early as 2015. Moody's estimates that subscribers to cable broadband and video services pulled even at about 50 million apiece at the beginning of 2014. For more on the study and an analysis, check out this FierceCable story.

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July 24, 2014

Connected TV Devices to Double by 2017

A new study from the NPD Group predicts that connected TV devices in U.S. homes will double by 2017, reaching to over 204 million. These "connected devices" encompass everything from Roku players and Chromecasts to Smart TVs and video game consoles. More on the study from FierceCable.

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July 17, 2014

Report: IPTV Subs Will Double by 2020

A new report forecasts that IPTV subscribers will reach 191 million worldwide by the end of 2020, which would be more than double the 90 million recorded at the end of 2013. CableLabs continues to research technology that will aid MSOs in the transition to all IP. More on the report from FierceCable.

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July 14, 2014

SCTE Symposium Lineup Set

CableLabs will be well represented at the DOCSIS/Wireless symposium hosted by SCTE just ahead of the Cable-Tec Expo. The symposium will be held on Monday, Sept. 22, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Topics will include everything form Carrier Grade Wi-Fi to a host of DOCSIS deep dives. Check out MultiChannel's article for the full lineup.  

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July 10, 2014

CableLabs Developing GPON-Focused Specs

As reported by Multichannel News and others, CableLabs is in the process of developing specifications which will allow for DOCSIS-style provisioning on GPON networks. From Jeff Baumgartner: "Supporting DOCSIS provisioning on GPON will benefit MSOs that use that particular flavor of fiber-to-the-premises technology, rather than limiting it only to operators that have rolled out EPON technologies." Read the full article here.

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July 7, 2014

Will Smartphones Jump-start 4K Adoption?

Interesting take on 4K video adoption from Re/Code.  Dawn Chmielewski takes a look at the chasm between the number of smartphones capable of recording 4K videos and the availability of 4K TVs on the market.  As more and more consumers are able to shoot 4K videos on their phones, they'll naturally want to be able to view them on their TVs. But there are clear challenges to wide adoption of 4K displays by both consumers and operators.  Read the full story here.

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July 1, 2014

CEA Updates UHDTV Definition

The Consumer Electronics Association announced this week an updated set of core characteristics to help define what makes a display Ultra-High Definition. The set of voluntary guidelines will go into effect in September 2014, and will cover attributes such as resolution, aspect ratio, and bit depth. Will this finally clear up the 4K/UHDTV terminology confusion?  Only time will tell. Read the CEA's press release on the guidelines here.

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June 27, 2014

SCTE Announces Energy Program

The SCTE announced this week the "Energy 2020" program, designed to reduce energy cost and consumption across the cable industry.  The plan is for vendor and operator members of the SCTE Standards Program to work together with the Energy 2020 team to create standards that will be incorporated into future cable network equipment requirements.  Read more about the plan from CED Magazine.

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June 25, 2014

Supreme Court Rules Aereo Resembles a Cable Company

The Supreme Court ruled today on the widely publicized and hotly anticipated case involving Aereo, the startup whose business model was based on providing online streams of broadcast signals to its users. Justice Stephen G. Breyer, writing for the majority, rejected all of Aereo’s major arguments. He said the service was “not simply an equipment provider” but acted like a cable system in that it transmitted copyrighted content. Read more about the decision from Re/Code and The New York Times.

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