Audio Video News

There is no doubt in home theater enthusiasts' minds that high definition television (HDTV) offers far superior picture quality compared to standard definition television (SDTV). So, apart from movie studio piracy concerns, why is it taking so long to roll out more HD content? In a word, bandwidth. HDTV requires substantially more bandwidth than SDTV, which forces broadcasters to consider cutting back SDTV content to make room for high-def.

One of the possible solutions to this bandwidth constraint problem is the ability for broadcasters to "rate-shape" their HD programming. The trick is to reduce the HDTV bandwidth while still ensuring maximum picture quality. Rate-shaping attempts to do this by adjusting digital video bit-rates in real time to accommodate a given amount of bandwidth.

Last week, Terayon Communication Systems demonstrated its latest rate-shaping technology at the Cable-Tec Expo in San Antonio, Texas. TCS calls its new product the DM 3200HD Network CherryPicker and says it allows cable television operators to deliver multiple high definition digital video streams via a single analog channel.

According to TCS, the DM 3200HD sets a new rate-shaping benchmark by rate-shaping up to four HD streams into the bandwidth of a single channel with "no discernable loss of picture quality." The company claims that up until now, a single channel could typically only support up to two HD feeds and simultaneously maintain a high quality picture.

TCS' Mark Jeffery commented, "Like digital cable service before it, HDTV promises to be an important service for cable operators. The DM 3200 has been substantially advanced over our first generation products and the new HD rate-shaping capabilities make it ideal for HDTV, allowing operators to maximize their available bandwidth as they increasingly roll out HDTV to their subscribers."