Cable TV

Acquisition of Signals

Cable Began as Community Antenna TV (CATV)Large tower antenna captures

broadcast signals and retransmits over wire to community

Obtains distant signals (via land line, antenna, microwave, satellite) Superstations

Adds non-broadcast content Cable-exclusive content providers

(e.g., HBO, CNN) including “Pay” TV

Local programming

Technology

Headend Trunk cable Distribution of feeder cable Subscriber drop Terminal equipment

Traditional Network Tree

Coaxial Cable

Bandwith (750 MHz) cable can carry more

channels than b’cast

Industry has not generally exploited this featureexception: subscription services (pay, scrambling)

DuplexCoax carries signals in both directions

Hybrid Fiber/Coax TV System

History

Frank Jewett (1936) Coaxial Cable installed between New York and

Philadelphia Louis H. Cook (1937)

Patent to send pictures over a wire CATV – Community Antenna Television(1948)

Tap in to a coax cable connected to a large antenna Charles Dolan HBO (1965-1972)

Used a satellite to make novel service available to cable companies

Modern Era

1980 – Switch in who paid whom vis-à-vis programmers and operators

1987 – Majority of people get TV via cable 1992 – Cable Communications Consumer

Protection and Competition act of 1992 Cable companies had to stop gouging

Telecommunications Act of 1996 Telephone companies allowed to get into the act

Current Era

By 2000 68% of homes had cable tv Direct Broadcast Satellite presents

competition Fiber Optic compression enables cable

company to transmit 12 signals where it used to be able to transmit one

Video Channels in the Home

Recent Activity

Digital Upgrades High Definition TV Interactive Services

Video on demand Subscription video on demand Interactive program guides Enhanced TV services Digital video recorder