Switched video or switched digital video (SDV), sometimes referred to as switched broadcast (SWB), is a

telecommunications Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information over a distance using electronic means, typically through cables, radio waves, or other communication technologies. These means of ...

industry term for a network scheme for distributing

digital video Digital video is an electronic representation of moving visual images (video) in the form of encoded digital data. This is in contrast to analog video, which represents moving visual images in the form of analog signals. Digital video comprises ...

via a cable. Switched video sends the digital video more efficiently freeing

bandwidth Bandwidth commonly refers to: * Bandwidth (signal processing) or ''analog bandwidth'', ''frequency bandwidth'', or ''radio bandwidth'', a measure of the width of a frequency range * Bandwidth (computing), the rate of data transfer, bit rate or thr ...

. The scheme applies to digital video distribution both on typical

cable TV Cable television is a system of delivering television broadcast programming, programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This ...

systems using QAM channels, or on

IPTV Internet Protocol television (IPTV), also called TV over broadband, is the service delivery of television over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. Usually sold and run by a Telephone company, telecom provider, it consists of broadcast live telev ...

systems.

Description

In hybrid fibre-coaxial systems, a

fiber optic An optical fiber, or optical fibre, is a flexible glass or plastic fiber that can transmit light from one end to the other. Such fibers find wide usage in fiber-optic communications, where they permit transmission over longer distances and at ...

network extending from the operator's head end carries video channels out to a fiber optic node that services up to 2000 end points. Video is then sent via coaxial cable. Note that only a percentage of these homes are actively watching channels at a given time. Rarely are all channels being accessed by the homes in the service group. In a switched video system, the unwatched channels do not need to be sent. In US cable systems, equipment in the home sends a channel request signal back to the distribution hub. If a channel is requested, the distribution hub allocates a QAM channel and transmits the channel to the coaxial cable. For this to work, the home equipment must have two-way communication ability. Switched video uses the same mechanisms as

video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos, television shows and films Digital distribution, digitally on request. These multimedia are accessed without a traditional video playback device and a typica ...

and may be viewed as non-ending video on demand that users share.

Technical

Two-way communication is handled differently between cable and IPTV schemes. IPTV uses Internet communication protocols but requires a different distribution infrastructure. US cable companies elected the less costly approach of upgrading existing infrastructure. In the upgrade approach, various proprietary schemes use specific frequencies for messaging the distribution hub. For switched video to work on cable systems, digital television users in a subscription group must have devices capable of communicating to the distribution hub in a compatible manner. Unlike other features dependent on two-way communication such as

, the requirement to upgrade all digital

set-top box A set-top box (STB), also known as a cable converter box, cable box, receiver, or simply box, and historically television decoder or a converter, is an information appliance device that generally contains a Tuner (radio)#Television, TV tuner inpu ...

es within a group makes conversion to switched video expensive.

CableLabs Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. (CableLabs) is a nonprofit corporation promoting innovation as a research and development lab founded in 1988 by American cable operators. System operators from around the world are eligible to be members. T ...

proposed in the CableCARD 2.0 specification that two-way communication be supported with a scheme that required more powerful hardware capable of running

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

software. Many cable companies indicated they would build lower cost devices that do not require this OCAP programming environment, so that upgrading to switched video would not be as costly. Consumer electronics companies also prefer a lighter weight solution, and so absent a standard, the conversion to switched video may require many years.

History

BigBand Networks BigBand Networks was a corporation headquartered in Redwood City, California, Redwood City, California, that opened in 1999 and specialized in selling multimedia technologies to cable television multi-system operators. It had its IPO on the Nasd ...

(acquired by Arris Group in 2011) was the switched video pioneer, and received the

Technology & Engineering Emmy Award The Technology and Engineering Emmy Awards, or Technology and Engineering Emmys, are one of two sets of Emmy Awards that are presented for outstanding achievement in engineering development in the television industry. The Technology and Engineer ...

in 2008 for innovation in the HFC market. Major vendors like Arris Group and

Cisco Cisco Systems, Inc. (using the trademark Cisco) is an American multinational digital communications technology conglomerate corporation headquartered in San Jose, California. Cisco develops, manufactures, and sells networking hardware, s ...

also provide SDV solutions for the cable operators. An emerging market supplies back office applications to analyze and control performance.

References

External links

Definition of switched video
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PC Magazine ''PC Magazine'' (shortened as ''PCMag'') is an American computer magazine published by Ziff Davis. A print edition was published from 1982 to January 2009. Publication of online editions started in late 1994 and continues . Overview ''PC Mag ...

Overview
Switched Digital Video Architecture Guide
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White Paper
How Switched Digital Video Works
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HowStuffWorks.com HowStuffWorks is an American commercial infotainment website founded by professor and author Marshall Brain, to provide its target audience an insight into the way many things work. The site uses various media to explain complex concepts, termi ...

Outline
Using Bandwidth More Efficiently with Switched Digital Video
- Motorola

White Paper A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. Since the 199 ...

(archived) {{DEFAULTSORT:Switched Video Broadband Cable television technology Streaming television

Description

Technical

History

See also

References

External links