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Virgin Media testing DOCSIS 3.0 to new limits with 200Mbps, 3D and 1080p

by Richard Lawler posted May 6th 2009 at 2:38PM


Forget 101Mbps Internet service or even the 160Mbps available in on J:COM in Japan, Virgin Media is about to put a lucky few of its slick new modems to real work, testing 200Mbps internet, "full HD" broadband content (we take that to mean 1080p) and 3D. All delivered via DOCSIS 3.0, the downside is that at least for the next six months this pilot project will be extended only to about 100 "lead adopters" around Ashford, Kent for testing. We've heard all we need to get packed for a move, how about you?

[Via Hexus]

Virgin Media launches 50Mbps internet service in UK

by Darren Murph posted Dec 15th 2008 at 7:58PM


Remember that fanciful cable modem that Virgin Media unveiled last month? Now it's clear as day what it will be used for. This week, the operator has announced the launch of its lightning fast 50Mbps high-speed internet service in the UK. The service has instantly placed VM at the top of the class in terms of speed, though it certainly won't come cheap. Reportedly, it'll run locals some £51 ($77) per month, though the monthly fee is lowered to £35 ($53) if users also take a Virgin phone line for £11 ($17) / month. There's no mention of what regions will have access right away, though it should be rolled out "country-wide" over the next six months. Not to be completely outdone, rival BT has also come forward with plans to trial a 40Mbps service during the summer of 2009. Who knows -- maybe our "status quo" 2Mbps connections will eventually be akin to 56k modems of yesteryear.

[Thanks, Alex]

Cablevision and Charter gear up for DOCSIS 3.0 rollouts

by Darren Murph posted Aug 7th 2008 at 7:40PM


Comcast nabbed the first US DOCSIS 3.0 deployment award by pushing the technology out to select Minnesota residents in April, but both Charter and Cablevision are making sure to not fall too far behind. During its most recent quarter earnings call, Cablevision COO Tom Rutledge noted that DOCSIS 3.0 would be "operational this year," with around 20% of its footprint going live in 2008 and 100% to be covered by mid-2010. Charter is also poised to introduce the lightning fast broadband capabilities to its loyal customers, with CEO Neil Smit affirming that it would be launched in at least some markets "later in the year." We'd like to think this means we can all look forward to 100Mbit/sec cable internet in the not-too-distant future, but who knows how long it'll take those other MSO's to join the bandwagon.

[VIA DSLReports]

Read - Cablevision DOCSIS 3.0 rollout
Read - Charter DOCSIS 3.0 rollout

Time Warner Cable looks to bring internet content to TVs

by Darren Murph posted May 30th 2008 at 3:59PM

Shortly after hearing TiVo's top dog speak of a "whole home model" to reduce the amount of STBs required for entertaining individuals in various rooms, along comes Time Warner Cable's chief executive talking up some innovation of its own. We'll be frank -- we're not entirely sure what Glenn Britt is getting at here, but through a broken series of quotes, we're led to believe that the carrier is prepping some "equipment" that will easily bring internet content to TVs. Not like there isn't a perfect solution for this quandary already, but we digress. Specifically, he mentions a " new wireless cable modem that will allow you to network everything in your house," which is about as broad / vague as you can get. Nevertheless, it's enough to keep us watchin', though we can't say our expectations are extraordinarily high. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]

[Via eHomeUpgrade]

Broadcom announces HD cablemodem-on-a-chip

by Erik Hanson posted Jan 4th 2007 at 12:09PM

Broadcom LogoBroadcom has announced a single-chip solution for DOCSIS cable modems that will combine the usual data and video with high-definition decoding for MPEG-4 AVC, VC1, and MPEG-2 formats. The chip also supports Dolby Digital , MP3, and AAC audio. It is intended for manufacturers to use in building cable modems that have a single integrated chipset with both the video and data decoding built in.

This should open the door for both built-in PVR functionality, as well as allowing for possible IPTV use. The modem could download content directly from the internet using the data services and then decode any of the new compression formats used in Blu-ray and HD DVD.
Manufacturers are quickly moving to embrace these newer codecs for compressing video over cable and the internet (and satellite), and it's good to see it becoming commoditized to the point where it's being built into a single chip. Will we see the cable companies get into FiOS-like content delivery soon?




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