Today, Rogers (in Canada) announced it was ditching it long running
project to move to an IPTV platform it had been developping and will
adopt Comcast X1. (some $500 million writeoff).
Telco IPTV systems use multicasting all the way to the customer's LAN
and generally use the Microsoft/Ericcson MediaRoom product suite and
compatible STBs.
Could a cableco have deployed Mediaroom on a DOCSIS system? Does docsis
support multicasting ? I assume it would run on a separate DOCSIS group
of NTSC channels on the coax and likely require 2 modems in the home.
I am curious on why Rogers would have spent so much time trying to
develop its own system.
With regards to Comcast X1, is this a very conventional TV on coax
system, with a bunch of switched video channels to cater to on-demand
services to invividual homes ?
Or does X1 use some form of IP connection to deliver "data" for the
on-demand content ? (while linear TV still provided in traditional
digital channels bundled into an NTSC channel ?
BTW, one of the original arguments for Rogers is that cable STBs had
proprietary software that was slow to evolve and get new features
approved/tested, so they lagged behind the IPTV STB software which
didn't require certificatioN/approval by the STB hardware vendors (cisco
etc).
Has any Cable system converted to IPTV ?