http://www.engadget.com/2006/08/19/can-cable-keep-up-without-big-infrastructure-expenditures/ Engadget Comments for Can cable keep up without big infrastructure expenditures? http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2006/08/19/can-cable-keep-up-without-big-infrastructure-expenditures/http://www.engadget.com/2006/08/19/can-cable-keep-up-without-big-infrastructure-expenditures/Aug 19th 2006 11:41AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/08/19/can-cable-keep-up-without-big-infrastructure-expenditures/http://www.engadget.com/2006/08/19/can-cable-keep-up-without-big-infrastructure-expenditures/Aug 19th 2006 11:56AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/08/19/can-cable-keep-up-without-big-infrastructure-expenditures/http://www.engadget.com/2006/08/19/can-cable-keep-up-without-big-infrastructure-expenditures/Aug 19th 2006 12:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/08/19/can-cable-keep-up-without-big-infrastructure-expenditures/http://www.engadget.com/2006/08/19/can-cable-keep-up-without-big-infrastructure-expenditures/
When their cable TV service comes out in my area I will be switching that too.]]>Aug 19th 2006 2:30PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/08/19/can-cable-keep-up-without-big-infrastructure-expenditures/http://www.engadget.com/2006/08/19/can-cable-keep-up-without-big-infrastructure-expenditures/Aug 19th 2006 2:58PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/08/19/can-cable-keep-up-without-big-infrastructure-expenditures/http://www.engadget.com/2006/08/19/can-cable-keep-up-without-big-infrastructure-expenditures/Aug 19th 2006 3:20PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/08/19/can-cable-keep-up-without-big-infrastructure-expenditures/http://www.engadget.com/2006/08/19/can-cable-keep-up-without-big-infrastructure-expenditures/
Like was mentioned in the article, I also expect that some point they'll start reducing the number analog channels, forcing folks to switch to digital for those stations. That will save them a ton of bandwidth.

In the longer run they'll start switching some of the digital channels to h.264 compression instead of MPEG-2. Unfortunately, at the same time this will force folks who have DIGITAL cable-ready sets to get STB's until a a plug-and-play cable-ready standard is devised which contains h.264. However, though this is bad for the consumer, it's great for the cable companies since they force you to have an STB, which they love, and the switchover to h.264 will further free up more bandwidth for them.

So, I think it is not all gloom and doom for the cable companies and to answer the question the title poses... yes, it is possible for cable to keep up without big infrastructure investment.]]>Aug 19th 2006 5:09PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/08/19/can-cable-keep-up-without-big-infrastructure-expenditures/http://www.engadget.com/2006/08/19/can-cable-keep-up-without-big-infrastructure-expenditures/
Don't forget Voip. Right now, its the cable companies that have the Voip customers. Verizon is loosing 1000 customers a day to cable companies offering Voip.]]>Aug 19th 2006 10:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/08/19/can-cable-keep-up-without-big-infrastructure-expenditures/http://www.engadget.com/2006/08/19/can-cable-keep-up-without-big-infrastructure-expenditures/Aug 20th 2006 1:56AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/08/19/can-cable-keep-up-without-big-infrastructure-expenditures/http://www.engadget.com/2006/08/19/can-cable-keep-up-without-big-infrastructure-expenditures/
Oh, and Par, don't worry, all of Europe's cablers are being acquired by buyout firms. Once the companies pay off all that junk debt, they'll get around to spending on improved infrastructure... or go bankrupt, whichever comes first. ]]>Aug 20th 2006 5:43AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/08/19/can-cable-keep-up-without-big-infrastructure-expenditures/http://www.engadget.com/2006/08/19/can-cable-keep-up-without-big-infrastructure-expenditures/
That is like having the cake and eating it too! :)]]>Aug 20th 2006 11:00AM