At Cable 2013, CableLabs and Broadcom demonstrated “the path to next-generation service delivery” unveiling a live demonstration of Multi-Gbps HFC access using core technologies from the DOCSIS 3.1 specifications.

In the demo, next-generation cable transport – including DOCSIS 3.1 and EPoC (EPON Protocol over Coax) – use technologies from Broadcom to encode digital data across multiple frequencies using OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing) and LDPC (Low-Density Parity-Check) error correcting. CableLabs streamed error-free 4k Ultra HD video over HFC, at record data rates, using the newest OFDM technology.

Cable operators at the conference here said the emerging DOCSIS 3.1 specifications will save them time and money by leveraging their existing upstream spectrum and avoiding more costly bandwidth-enhancing alternatives.  DOCSIS 3.1 and its use of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) “is a godsend in the upstream,” Comcast executive vice president and chief technology officer Tony Werner said during a panel that covered a broad range of technology topics.

Comcast, he said, will start purchasing DOCSIS 3.1 modems as soon as it makes financial sense, and, as a future-proofing measure, expects to deploy those devices even before the networks are upgraded for the new platform. The first D3.1 modems are expected to be hybrid versions that also support DOCSIS 3.0.

Categories: Articles, Broadband, Cable, UHD, Ultra-HD/4K