1. Cable TV

2. 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

3. Technology Headend Trunk cable Distribution of feeder cable
Subscriber drop
Terminal equipment

4. Traditional Network Tree

5. Coaxial Cable Bandwith (750 MHz)
cable can carry more channels than b’cast
Duplex
Coax carries signals in both directions
Industry has not generally exploited this feature
exception: subscription services (pay, scrambling)

6. Hybrid Fiber/Coax TV System

7. History Frank Jewett (1936) Louis H. Cook (1937)
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 ( )
Used a satellite to make novel service available to cable companies

8. 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

9. 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

10. Video Channels in the Home

11. 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