Switched Digital = More HD! - Andy the Cable Guy #3
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Ok ok, so I left you all hanging last week, and subsequently today due to circumstances beyond my control.. outside of my own personal TV purchase. Tehe. so why don’t I just get right into it.
As I stated last week, the amount of channels a cable provider can deploy to your TV is capped due to the current system’s bandwidth limitations. That is, until Switched Digital Video (SDV) becomes the standard. Now of course, there is a downside to this. The cable card system (which is a card that is installed either in your TV or TIVO that bypasses the need of a Set top box from your cable company) will become completely useless. This doesn’t seem to be too big a concern, as Video On Demand (VOD) has basically rendered them useless as it is. (Thanks cable monopoly!) Don’t you dare buy one.
Back on topic.. The idea behind SDV is that majority of TV viewers are watching the same 20+ channels at any given time, so instead of sending EVERY channel in one big stream of data, the cable company sends the most popular/viewed channels only in the big stream to everyone. Then they send the rest of the channels on a case-by-case basis (basically VOD).
This will, at least for the time being, keep them from having to lower the quality of HD channels in order to add more. It also means more HD, more Channels in general, faster cable internet bandwidth (or at least more free, since you’re sharing it with your neighbors and all), and more VOD content if you’re into that. Basically it means more chances to hear Cable say it has “More HD” when it’s just giving you 10 different ways to watch Semi Pro.
Time Warner Cable planned to have 50% of thier network using SDW in 2007, and so far they seem do be doing pretty well for the major Cable networks. Comcast on the other hand only plans to have 15% of their network using SDV by the end of 2008. Either way, at least they are making strides.
