Posted by AnthonyR on 11/11/05 16:24

"Bill Fright" <billfright@austin.rr.com> wrote in message
news:BEKcf.2527$th3.2217@tornado.texas.rr.com...
>
>
> AnthonyR wrote:
>
>> <marks542004@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>> news:1131572540.281420.97030@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>>
>>>Hi,
>>>
>>>This may be off topic - please suggest other newsgroup if applicable.
>>>
>>>There was a report on my local TV news about several cable companies
>>>carrying several TV series on-demand.
>>>
>>>Does anyone know the carrying capacity of a cable network for this type
>>>of thing.
>>>
>>>When I was involved with computer networking 15 years ago video
>>>conferencing always wound up killing the networks.
>>>
>>>I know speeds have gone up considerably but there must be a point at
>>>which the on-demand capacity breaks down.
>>>
>>>
>>>regards
>>>
>>
>>
>> Not sure on the answer but i thought the same thing.
>> In fact Time Warner offers me so many OnDemand channels now it's
>> impossible to watch a fraction every day.
>> Besides Movies from HBO, Showtime, TMC etc... they offer A&E, CNN,
>> FoodNetwork, Comedy Central you name it
>> everything OnDemand now. I don't know their limits but so far everything
>> runs pretty smoothly.
>> I wonder after every single customer goes digital, uses broadband and
>> movies over IP at the same time what will happen?
>>
>> AnthonyR.
>>
>>
>
> To me it's all about the bandwidth. Sure they can cram more programs into
> the pipe as they continue to lower the quality. Any of you guys who are
> compressing your high quality shows to mpg2 (DVD) know what I'm talking
> about. The shorter the show the higher the quality.
>
> Maybe I have too much time on my hands or I'm a huge nerd but I love to go
> to retail home theater stores and talk bandwidth with people. My favorite
> is to have them show me HD via satellite.
>
> So nothing will happen (as far as a major system crash) they'll just keep
> lowering the bit rate and decrease the overall quality to fit more
> programming in the pipe.
>
> Next time I hear digital quality I'm gonna throw my cell phone at
> somebody.
>
Bill Good Point,
But normally a cable company can squeeze say 800 channels into a cable and
send that to 8 million people in nyc, right?
But if all 8 million people ask to see an On Demand Movie or show, each one
starts and pauses it separately, so now how does the cable company fit the
800 channels plus the 8 million movies all playing into that bandwidth,
squeeze it more?
wow, that's a great trick if they can pull it off.

I suspect, they have many distribution points, so each neighborhood handles
it's own Ondemand bandwidth independently of the entire system, sort of how
cell phone companies have many cells. But I don't really know, just guessing
here.

Your comment about "hearing about digital quality" is funny. That's how they
sell us new stuff, promise better quality to get us to change then deliver
less. Overhaul it still is better than I was getting with my rabbit ears
years ago, even with occasional digital breakup. :) I don't miss the snow
and double images and ghost of analog tv.
I wonder how much better digital tv transmission will be once they convert
over?

AnthonyR.

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