April 26, 2007

The IPTV-HDTV Conundrum

By Jim Barthold

The most honest cable guys will admit that delivering multiple channels of HDTV over an HFC network is a challenge. Those damned pixels refuse to sublimate, and the audio decides that it will play when it wants to play. And, of course, there are limits to how many channels can be pushed through the fattest of cable pipes.

So imagine trying to deliver HDTV via twisted-pair copper. It's not impossible, but then again, it demands a little more effort than just making sure Aunt Mary's birthday call gets through.

"That's a challenge," agreed Scott Ulsaker, video business manager of Pioneer Telecom, the fourth largest telephone cooperative in the United States, covering 30 western Oklahoma counties. "It's one of our upgrades right now that we're going through."

Pioneer, Ulsaker said, is having "really solid" success with IPTV as a "me-too service, (but) our separation is going to come in the next six to 12 months when we see the more IP-based products that separate us from the traditional cable providers."

Further separation - a chasm, in fact - could be accomplished by efficiently delivering HD, but for an operator using ADSL2+ technology that could take slightly less time than digging the Grand Canyon.

Looking outside

"It's really dependent on the condition of the outside plant," Ulsaker said. "We've seen it training up at 20 meg out around the 7,000-8,000 foot (range from the central office) in some areas, but in other areas we may not be as good and able to get that bandwidth. There, the limitation would be more around the 5,000 to 6,000 foot range."

MPEG-4 will help, and new amplifying technologies could provide a boost, but copper is a short-term solution.

"That's one of our challenges as telcos," he said, pointing to the upcoming threat-promise of multiple HD households. "This last holiday season, when Wal Mart led the way with the reduction in (HDTV) prices and big box stores followed, it turned the heat up on everybody."

Every new build at Pioneer is fiber-to-the-prem, but the co-op has 76 Oklahoma exchanges where there's copper, "and we have to look at a step-by-step process of how we migrate and can support enhanced services with fiber. It's going to be interesting," he said with honesty approaching a fresh Oklahoma breeze.

- Jim Barthold