Cablevision Deploys Bigband
BigBand Networks has announced what it calls the successful completion of the largest-ever switched broadcast deployment in a single cable system with Cablevision. Cablevision is using BigBand’s Switched Broadcast technology to deliver nine new, in-language programming services, featuring dozens of international channels from around the world, to customers across its entire service area. Through its work with Cablevision, the fifth largest U.S. cable operator, BigBand Networks counts nine of the top 10 U.S. cable operators as customers.
BigBand’s Switched Broadcast is designed to enhance the efficiency of bandwidth and network resources that cable operators use to provide digital programming, thereby reserving capacity for more program choices and bandwidth-intensive services such as HDTV. With switched broadcast, digital TV programs are dynamically directed to those areas in which subscribers are actively requesting them, so that only those programs being watched consume bandwidth in any given area. Resulting plant efficiencies can be leveraged to grow offerings to subscribers, including expansion of the types of ethnic and foreign language programming Cablevision has deployed using the technology.