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Motorola debuts world's first retail DOCSIS 3.0 cable modems

by Darren Murph posted Jun 2nd 2009 at 11:03PM

You'll still need the love and support of your dear cable provider, but if you're within range of DOCSIS 3.0 service, you can bypass at least one aspect of dealing with your local monopoly ISP. Starting this week, Motorola is launching the planet's first retail DOCSIS 3.0 cable modems, which enable speeds up to four times faster than DOCSIS 2.0. The SURFboard SB6120 DOCSIS 3.0 eXtreme cable modem will soon be cluttering up shelves at Fry's Electronics, presumably just beside the incredibly deceiving Monster Cable demonstration area. There's no word on price just yet, but don't expect such a luxury item to run you cheap, okay?

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]

Sony Style Comcast Labs opens to show off future of high-speed internet

by Darren Murph posted Mar 16th 2009 at 2:34PM


Eager to see what life's like on a Sony VAIO hitting speeds in excess of 160Mbps? Head on over to the City of Brotherly Love, as that's where a flashy new retail location is opening up to simultaneously showcase the future of high-speed internet and Sony gear. The Sony Style Comcast Labs facility will open its doors to the public tomorrow in Philadelphia's Comcast Center, where onlookers will be able to check out the power of DOCSIS 3.0 as well as some applications and platforms being developed to take advantage of all that speed. As far as we can tell, this co-branded location is nothing more than a showcase of current and future products for both firms, though we fully anticipate that reps will be on hand to take orders of whatever you fall for while browsing around. Anyone down for checking it out?

Gallery: Sony Style Comcast Labs opens to show off future of high-speed internet

Charter launching 60Mbps broadband, asks "FiOS what?"

by Darren Murph posted Jan 29th 2009 at 3:33PM

Charter launching 60Mbps broadband, asks
Still waiting for Verizon's FiOS to come and light up your neighborhood with blistering download speeds? Now you have something even faster to wait for, with Charter Communications announcing it is launching a 60Mbps broadband service, utilizing DOCSIS 3.0 to fit more bits in the same pipes -- not quite the 160Mbps Comcast predicted, but we'll take it. What the company isn't announcing is when people will be able to tap into this or how much they'll pay for the privilege, but hopefully it'll be a little less than the $140 Verizon is charging.

Comcast's DOCSIS 3.0 high-speed internet rolls to Chicago

by Darren Murph posted Jan 28th 2009 at 9:44PM


Another month, another city or two seeing the beauty that is DOCSIS 3.0. As Comcast continues on its quest to offer the blazing fast internet speeds in 100 percent of its markets by 2010, we're told that the great city of Chicago (or its suburbs, more specifically) now has access. Existing customers will see a speed boost at no additional cost, and those still unsatisfied can opt for a $62.95 per month 22Mbps down / 5Mbps up or $139.95 per month 50Mbps / 10Mbps connection. DSLReports has also mentioned that San Francisco should be getting upgraded in the not-too-distant future, so if you call the Bay your home, keep an eye out.

[Via Electronista]

Comcast readies DOCSIS 3.0 rollouts for Chicago, Atlanta, Baltimore and Ft. Wayne

by Darren Murph posted Dec 11th 2008 at 3:29PM


Comcast promised us all a few months back that it would be bringing its wicked fast DOCSIS 3.0 technology to a handful of other big markets before too long, and today the carrier has chosen to reveal the next four places where said service will be made available. The high-speed internet service, which is capable of hitting 50Mbps down / 5Mbps up, will be launched "over the next several weeks" in Chicago, Atlanta, Baltimore and Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Don't see your city listed? Hang tight -- the next wave should be announced in the not-too-distant future.

Charter CTO talks up 2009 plans: HD expansion, DOCSIS 3.0, etc.

by Darren Murph posted Oct 13th 2008 at 3:20AM

Charter's CTO, Marwan Fawaz, recently sat down with MultiChannel to talk business, particularly business plans for 2009. Some of the highlights included his confession that DOCSIS 3.0 would only be piloted in a select few markets next year, his admission that the carrier wouldn't reach its goal of 40 HD channels across its entire footprint, and his completely unrelated blabbering when asked about tru2way. More specifically, Fawaz noted that it was "adding a significant amount of HD channels," but rather than just tossing in linear networks, it's adding on-demand. Not everything was less-than-stellar news, however, as he did state that it was just about ready to tee up switched digital video in a number of regions (albeit a tad late), Los Angeles included. We'd say you could hit the read link for a look at the full interview, but unless you're looking for reasons to feel depressed, we'd actually advise against it.

[Thanks, Josh]

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

France's Numericable debuts 1080p full HD VOD

by Richard Lawler posted Jun 30th 2008 at 10:11PM

That DOCSIS 3.0 technology isn't going to waste, as Numericable is apparently going to be one of the first providers to broadcast 1080p content. The 11.25Mbps MPEG-4 streams will include videos from CinéPlay, TF1 Vision and I-Concerts, so you can check out Amy Winehouse's tattoos, pockmarks and teeth in glorious full HD, before quickly switching to National Treasure for some eyebleach. Those with the Cablebox HD can get the titles for €4.99/€3.99/€2.99 depending on the type. All we can say for U.S. operators is where's ours?

J:COM going all DOCSIS 3.0 by the end of July

by Richard Lawler posted Jun 29th 2008 at 2:18AM

DOCSIS 3.0 continues its world domination tour, after hitting the Twin Cities, Japanese cable provider J:COM has rolled out the tech in half its systems, with plans to have it everywhere by the end of July. So far, J:COM is delivering its NET Ultra service 160Mb down/10Mb up for about $60 a month, $5 more than the next highest tier -- compare that to Comcast's 50Mb/5Mb service for $149.99. Of course in Japan, FTTP and high speed DSL systems have much higher penetration, prompting the quick rollout. While most of us are envious of Minnesota's early taste of speed, it's nice to know even they have someone to look up to.

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?

CableLabs specs DOCSIS 3.0: IPv6, 160Mbps internet and more HDTV in 2008

by Richard Lawler posted Aug 7th 2006 at 9:36PM

CableLabs announced today that the Data-Over-Cable Service Interface Specifications (DOCSIS) 3.0 has been drafted. The new standard will allow cable operators to more efficiently use their frequency and offer speeds as high as 160Mbps downstream and 120Mbps upstream. Whether or not we get speeds 10 times higher than cable modems and DSL currently offer anytime soon, the new standard will also allow operators to use their bandwidth for stuff we will definitely enjoy, like more HDTV channels and VOD.

Unfortunately because of the major hardware changes required, we probably won't see this rolled out until at least 2008, so cable companies may use pre-3.0 equipment to roll out higher speeds and features to compete with fiber and satellite television offerings. It's worth mentioning that this also affects Blu-ray and HD DVD, if neither is able to make significant impact on the market consumers may be able to download high definition movies just as easily as buying them in a store in just a few years.

[Via Cable Digital News]




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