Fully updated, revised, and expanded, this second edition of Modern Cable Television Technology addresses the significant changes undergone by cable since 1999--including, most notably, its continued transformation from a system for delivery of television to a scalable-bandwidth platform for a broad range of communication services. It provides in-depth coverage of high speed data transmission, home networking, IP-based voice, optical dense wavelength division multiplexing, new video compression techniques, integrated voice/video/data transport, and much more. Intended as a day-to-day reference for cable engineers, this book illuminates all the technologies involved in building and maintaining a cable system. But it's also a great study guide for candidates for SCTE certification, and its careful explanations will benefit any technician whose work involves connecting to a cable system or building products that consume cable services. Features * The much-awaited second edition of an award-winning book, written by leading figures in the cable industry. * Organized to "follow the plant" from signal creation, through multiplexing, transmission, and, finally, reception and processing within consumer's premises. * Focuses on the practical, not the theoretical, and explains concepts and techniques using a minimum of mathematics. * Covers both analog and digital signals, as well as coaxial and fiber-optic broadband distribution systems. * Discusses system architecture in detail, including considerations relating to digital fiber modulation and network reliability. * Explores a wide range of customer interface issues, including analog and digital video reception, consumer electronics, and home networks. About the Authors Walter Ciciora is a Fellow of the IEEE, the SMPTE, and SCTE and is a consultant in Cable, Consumer Electronics, and Telecommunications. He is a cofounder and CTO of HBA Matchmaker Media, a company with technologies in addressable advertising. Dr. Ciciora was cofounder and CTO of EnCamera Sciences, a company with technologies for embedding digital data in analog television signals, until it was sold in 2000. Previously, he was VP of Technology at Time Warner from 1982 to 1993 after being with Zenith since 1965. David Large is the Chief Technical Officer of Altrio Communications. He is a Fellow Member and Hall of Fame Honoree of the SCTE, a Senior Member of the IEEE, an NCTA Science and Technology Vanguard Award Winner, and SCTE-certified Broadband Communications Engineer. James Farmer is Chief Technical Officer at Wave7 Optics. He has previously been with Scientific-Atlanta, ESP, and ANTEC. He is a senior member of the IEEE and the SCTE and has served on administrative boards with both organizations. He is a recipient of the NCTA Vanguard Award in Technology, and is a member of the SCTE Hall of Fame. Michael Adams is President of Broadband Semantics, Inc. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE, and a member of the SCTE. In 2001, he received the Cable Center book award for "OpenCable Architecture."

Fully updated, revised, and expanded, this second edition of Modern Cable Television Technology addresses the significant changes undergone by cable since 1999--including, most notably, its continued transformation from a system for delivery of television to a scalable-bandwidth platform for a broad range of communication services. It provides in-depth coverage of high speed data transmission, home networking, IP-based voice, optical dense wavelength division multiplexing, new video compression techniques, integrated voice/video/data transport, and much more. Intended as a day-to-day reference for cable engineers, this book illuminates all the technologies involved in building and maintaining a cable system. But it's also a great study guide for candidates for SCTE certification, and its careful explanations will benefit any technician whose work involves connecting to a cable system or building products that consume cable services. Written by four of the most highly-esteemed cable engineers in the industry with a wealth of experience in cable, consumer electronics, and telecommunications All new material on digital technologies, new practices for delivering high speed data, home networking, IP-based voice technology, optical dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM), new video compression techniques, and integrated voice/video/data transport Covers the latest on emerging digital standards for voice, data, video, and multimedia Presents distribution systems, from drops through fiber optics, an covers everything from basic principles to network architectures.

Cable television is arguably the dominant mass media technology in the U.S. today. Blue Skies traces its history in detail, depicting the important events and people that shaped its development, from the precursors of cable TV in the 1920s and '30s to the first community antenna systems in the 1950s, and from the creation of the national satellite-distributed cable networks in the 1970s to the current incarnation of "info-structure" that dominates our lives. Author Patrick Parsons also considers the ways that economics, public perception, public policy, entrepreneurial personalities, the social construction of the possibilities of cable, and simple chance all influenced the development of cable TV. Since the 1960s, one of the pervasive visions of "cable" has been of a ubiquitous, flexible, interactive communications system capable of providing news, information, entertainment, diverse local programming, and even social services. That set of utopian hopes became known as the "Blue Sky" vision of cable television, from which the book takes its title. Thoroughly documented and carefully researched, yet lively, occasionally humorous, and consistently insightful, Blue Skies is the genealogy of our media society.

An inside look at a cable titan and his industry John Malone, hailed as one of the great unsung heroes of our age by some and reviled by others as a ruthless robber baron, is revealed as a bit of both in Cable Cowboy. For more than twenty-five years, Malone has dominated the cable television industry, shaping the world of entertainment and communications, first with his cable company TCI and later with Liberty Media. Written with Malone's unprecedented cooperation, the engaging narrative brings this controversial capitalist and businessman to life. Cable Cowboy is at once a penetrating portrait of Malone's complex persona, and a captivating history of the cable TV industry. Told in a lively style with exclusive details, the book shows how an unassuming copper strand started as a backwoods antenna service and became the digital nervous system of the U.S., an evolution that gave U.S. consumers the fastest route to the Internet. Cable Cowboy reveals the forces that propelled this pioneer to such great heights, and captures the immovable conviction and quicksilver mind that have defined John Malone throughout his career.

Television in the Multichannel Age is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to the history of multichannel television in all its forms – from cable to direct-to-home satellite and beyond. Chapter by chapter, the book traces the evolution of cable television from its pre-historical origins in the late 1940s to the communications satellites and DBS distribution systems of the modern digital age, both in the U.S. and internationally. Guides the reader through the history of multichannel television from its origins in the ‘40s to the modern age Discusses factors that influence today’s television landscape including government policy-making, emerging technologies, and the public’s programming tastes Concentrates on domestic multichannel technologies while considering global impacts of these technologies Includes newly discovered oral history transcripts, personal interviews, government documents, and never before seen photographs Presents a fascinating history of media that have come to play critical roles in today’s society, and in doing so invites the reader to speculate on the future of multichannel television