Don Simkovich (Editor: Nancy Stubbs)

Manufacturers and cable television providers are counting on two-way digital set top boxes to allow families to use interactive services on their television sets. It is a converter that communicates with the cable operator’s modulated signal. Scientific Atlanta bills their two-way product as ‘the key to economical deployment of digital systems’ (www.sciatl.com/D/h/61292z.PDF). It will support ‘low memory easy-to-implement services such as analog, digital video and interactive viewing guides.’

The Explorer 2000 was manufactured to communicate instantaneously to the head end system where the signal originates. It’s the industry’s first converter box to support global standards, it has plug-ins that fit into the cable system operator’s network ‘which allows operators to deploy two-way digital capabilities immediately’ (http://companies.netscape.com/item.cfm).

‘The current architecture of our system is a hybrid fiber coaxial and it [Explorer 2000] has no problems interfacing with what we have,’ said Jim Sayer, technical trainer for Marcus Cable, Glendale, California. ‘It’s supported by an open platform, would be similar to a 486 computer with downloadable memory. It has an ether net card and is set to handle a variety of applications.’

In the second quarter of 1998, Scientific Atlanta scheduled shipments of their Explorer 2000 Set Top Boxes to nine cable systems in the United States and Canada covering 33,000,000 subscribers. It is the only two-way digital set-top with shipments slated for 1998.

‘We’re in the testing stage with the set-top box right now,’ said Sayer. ‘We want to make sure it’s compatible with our signal. I don’t foresee any problems but it’s not a proven technology. Before we give a product to our clients we want to make sure we’re satisfied.’ Sayer said the interactive technology will allow Marcus Cable to compete with direct broadcast satellite services.

Other similar testing took place in October 1997 that includes a project from Media One in Boston. There were 180 trial volunteers testing the broadband delivery of video-to-home. Video clips from CBS News and The Weather Channel were sent at a 10 megabit rate (www.mediaone.com/television/index.html).

The cost to cable companies for adapting two-way digital technology is not a hurdle. For companies to use a two-way box ‘built in real time reverse’ instead of a one-way box is ‘small to non-existent’ according to a news release from Scientific Atlanta.

The box was manufactured with the idea that companies could generate additional revenue by providing games, local information services to operate, and electronic commerce.

‘Instant order pay per view is one of the first uses that we see,’ said Jim Sayer.

A release from Media One stated ‘As we upgrade our broadband network . . . we’ll be adding more channels to our TVs and music lineup. The technology that makes this possible will bring you advanced features such as interactive program guides and parental controls’ (www.mediaone.com/television/index.html). The cost will be $450 for a two-way digital set-top box (www.sciatl.com/NewsRoom/NewsReleases/releases). An executive with Aldelphia cable was quoted in a Scientific Atlanta release as saying ‘We expect high demand from our subscribers’ (www.sciatl.com/NewsRoom/NewsReleases/releases).

‘Interactive digital services will become a major component in our efforts to strengthen our platform . . . this [two-way set top technology] will provide more services for our customers. And customer satisfaction is what it is all about,’ said John Pietri (Marcus Cable, senior vice president and chief technical officer, quoted by Scientific Atlanta, see above).

Business Journal – Companies, on-line: http://companies.netscape.com/item.cfm/3441057 (24 January 1998).

MediaOne, online: www.mediaone.com/television/index.html (16 April 1998)

Sayer, J., interview, 16 April 1998.

Scientific Atlanta, on-line: www.sciatl.com/NewsRoom/NewsReleases/releases (16 April 1998).

Scientific Atlanta, on-line: www.sciatl.com/D/h/61292Z.PDF

BACK TO HOME PAGE