BRIEFS

Cable World, Sept 8, 2003

HARMONIC CONVERGENCE

The Fox Cable Group has upgraded its two broadcast uplink sites with Harmonic's DiviCom MPEG video encoders and DiviTrackXE statistical multiplexers. The new equipment is already fully operational in Fox facilities in Houston and L.A., and is being used to deliver digital programming over such networks as FX and Fox Sports Net. The upgrade has increased the effective capacity of the Fox subsidiary's distribution network, which in turn will provide wiggle room for such advanced services as HD, as well as keep the door open for future expansion.

KASENNA HITS THE 5K MARK

Kasenna has reached an industry milestone, shipping its 5,000th VOD server to SureWest Communications in Sacramento, Calif. SureWest will deploy Kasenna's servers and its MediaBase XMP software to manage the delivery of the VOD portion of its triple-play service package. Deployment of Kasenna's gear is expected before the year is out. Kasenna chairman and CEO Mark Gray applauded SureWest, calling the communications provider "a lighthouse account by any measure."

A THINK TANK FOR CABLE

The Cable Center has formed a special council to help foster communication between ops and vendors. Created by Dr. Rouzbeh Yassini - a man known in industry circles as the father of the cable modem - the Vendor and Operator Executive Advisory Forum will serve as a think tank populated by cable operators and equipment manufacturers alike. By allowing for open dialogue between ops and vendors, the advisory council hopes to spur the rise of a "more focused, informed and responsive industry with the agility to respond quickly to the needs of its customers," said MystroTV president and forum member Jim Chiddix.

ON CABLE'S CURRICULUM: MATH AND PHYSICS

Broadband Physics won a nod from the U.S. Patent Office in March for its Sub-Band Division Multiplexing (SDM) scheme; today, the company is set to deliver data rates of nearly 200 Mbps over pipe that normally can handle a mere 40 Mbps. A multiband approach which slices the RF spectrum into independent sub-bands, SDM will first be applied to media handled by broadband and/or cable networks. The secret? "We've got better mathematics," says chief scientist Bill Miller. Broadband Physics says it expects to validate its claims for the SDM in engineering field trials early this fall.