August 2, 2007

Cisco Links Network and Content

By Carl Weinschenk

Cable operators are watching as their once-tidy video empires are being systematically squeezed by a variety of emerging delivery options. Cisco Systems, one of the drivers of these fundamental changes, is offering to help them navigate this new world.

The proposed infrastructure, which consists of the IP Next Generation Network (IP NGN) and Content Delivery System (CDS), was originally announced last December and discussed in these "pages" soon thereafter. Cisco execs updated media and analysts in a recent Cisco video broadcast.

What it is

The IP NGN offers fast creation of applications and both traditional and IP-based delivery approaches. The CDS takes that a bit further by streaming content to set-top boxes and IP-enabled devices. The idea is to enable delivery of any content to any device the user sits in front of - or carries.

The thinking is that it no longer is possible to see where change is coming from. The IP NGN is designed to "increase service velocity" or, in other words, prove out and deploy new services and applications in a much quicker and efficient manner than in the staid old days. "That's a very critical requirement in today's competitive world," said Dave Brown, cable solutions marketing manager at Cisco.

Internet steaming, added to the CDS in May, still is in beta trials. The CDS is being deployed in multiple Time Warner and Charter systems, Brown said. Both the IP NGN and the CDS are being marketed to telephone companies as well as cable operators.

Vince Vittore, a senior analyst with the Yankee Group, is taking a wait-and-see attitude. "The companies we've seen before tended to target more of the emerging markets," Vittore said. "I think the ambitious thing with Cisco is that they are trying to do this in super competitive markets."

Cisco's Scientific Atlanta acquisition may pay dividends as the worlds of cable and Internet-related video coalesce. "(Operators) are going to trust them a little more because of the S-A background. I don't know if anyone crossed that bridge from video to the IP environment."

CDS components

The first major elements of the CDS - when looking at the architecture from the outer edge toward the premises - are the CDS Vault and the CDS Content Acquirer. The Vault, Brown said in an interview following the broadcast discussion, is the repository for traditional on-demand content, while the Acquirer holds the Internet content.

On the next level are the TV Streamer and Internet Streamer. The TV Streamer works with the other elements of the system to send requested data to the set-tops. The Internet Streamer has a more complex job. It is the quarterback that throws streams toward newly video-enabled consumer devices such as smart phones and PCs. It adjusts for the proper bit rate, codec and resolution. Riding herd on the operation are the routers, which can be located in various places in the hierarchy. They are responsible for getting the data to the right streamer.
 
Cisco uses standard management protocols such as CORBA and SNMP to manage the system to knit these seemingly far-flung elements into a cohesive service offering. Suppose a subscriber is watching a movie on his or her smart phone on a train and arrives at the station and ends the session. The service router will maintain a database of "pause points," and the film can be resumed from the point it was stopped on the TV set in the subscriber's den.

The set-top box no longer is the single end point of the distribution path, but it still is important. Operators opting for the Scientific Atlanta 4550 and 8550 - which are in lab trials with operators - will be able to present MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and IP video. Other S-A set-tops or those from other vendors may need to transcode the data to MPEG-2.

- Carl Weinschenk