Tag: ethernet

  • Zhone Technologies Makes Impact with Telecommunications Platform

    The world of telecommunications is rapidly changing. The amount of information we are consuming on both personal and business levels is increasing and forcing the telecommunication companies to innovate, create, and deploy sustainable equipment allowing growth and ease of use.

    As higher levels of broadband are needed, the transition is leaving many service providers looking for a company that can offer an “all in one” answer to streamlining their offerings.

    Zhone Technologies specializes in multi cell service platforms selling to the service provider community globally. The company which pioneered the known as Broadband Loop Carriers (BLC’s) has just recently turned 10 years old.

    In those years they’ve seen the landscape for telecommunications change from the world of copper to the introduction and adoption of fiber. Most importantly though, they’ve always looked to the access market as an area where they need to focus their services in providing technology for all options available in market place. ADSL, BDSL, ESM, GPON, and active Ethernet.

    Growing revenues while maintain customers is what service providers look to do.

    In the Zhone

    Zhone prides itself in providing excellent customer service, but they also look at helping the service providers they work with provide the best experience possible. Their product is unique in the market, and one that stands the test of scalability and transition, as people move from copper to fiber.

    Zhone produces a platform where providers can service all technologies on same platform, unlike having to service multiple devices.

    “We’re also known to have the smallest most dense engineering boxes so service providers can get the most out of serving the most number of customers,” says Gerardo Lara, Director of Marketing at Zhone in an interview with smartphone.biz-news.com.

    The two factors that set Zhone apart from their competitors is their main drive to focus on two things for their customers, longevity, and cost savings.

    The high point is the engineering strategy that is a focal point for all technologies. Unlike others in the business offering copper services, the need for bandwidth is going up and fiber is a necessity. So when a company goes out to buy a multi platform box to service copper connections but grow into fiber, they don’t have to change their equipment entirely, they just remove the copper services. Transitions are easy and seamless. This ensures the longevity of the box since it’s scalable and will grow with the end users as their company grows.

    Having a dense platform is another win for Zhone. If you look at their latest platform, the MXK, if you were to do all GPON it’s possible to service up to 9,000 customers at once, off one platform. When you compare that to other comparable solutions it’s not as dense and companies have to buy more boxes, more cards, and overall becomes a expensive option. By reducing these costs, and having them only depend on one box, you’ve essentially saved them a lot of money.

    Copper to Fiber

    When asked when a company changes over from copper to fiber offerings, Gerardo says, “it’s not so much company to company where the decisions are made as much as it is country to country. In certain countries like the Middle East, they are going all fiber and skipping copper all together. In the US, there is a lot of mix use depending on the company and where they are located.”

    The return on the investment for fiber is what scares most service providers, because you have to dig and put down fiber which is the biggest cost associated with these services. New neighborhoods are prone to get fiber before anywhere else only because there is digging being done already, so copper become obsolete. If they build it, will customers buy it, is a key question that is being asked by service providers. The natural return on investment comes out to 3-5 years, but most would like to see that number reduce.

    Some markets like Japan and South Korea are exceptions to the rule, the return is more immediate because of how information is consumed by the population.

    Verizon is the most aggressive in fiber offerings, in the U.S.

    At the Ethernet Expo 2009 in New York, Zhone had the honour of being on the panel for “Think Tank – Carrier Ethernet Network & Service Management Strategies."

  • IFA 2009: Real Cable Feels the Difference

    VIDEO INTERVIEW. Quality cables become more and more important part of HD – both video and audio – markets. At IFA 2009 in Berlin, Biz-News.com interviewed Catherine Torchin, Managing Director and owner of Real Cable. She described to us the strategy of the company that has already been successful on 25 markets worldwide.

    Laurent Zawadil, Technical Menager for Real Cable, showed us the latest company’s product – innovative 1.4 HDMI cable with additional Ethernet Channel. The cable will be introduced to the market in October this year, but you can take a look at its main features right now.

    This is how the company described itself at this year’s IFA

    REAL CABLE was born in 1999 from the association of experience and conviction to answer the growing demand of High Fidelity and Home Theatre sound and picture perfection.

    Nowadays «Real Cable is one of the top cable manufacturers whose reputation has reached every corner of the world» commented a well-known journalist from a specialised press.

    Thanks to close collaboration with the major Hi-Fi and Home Theatre professionals, REAL CABLE was able to develop 4 product ranges: AVS, EVOLUTION, INNOVATION and MASTER, meeting the strictest technical demands in a variety of budget areas.

    Real Cable manufacture partners are in agreement with the most important certification norms and environmental regulations: ISO 9001 – ISO 9002 – ISO 14001 – HDMI LLC. All Real Cable products are ROHS compliant.

    Today REAL CABLE is a leading company on the French market in the field of high level cables for the Hi-Fi and Home Theatre equipment.

  • New HDMI Cable Adds Internet Data to Video and Audio


    A new version of the High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) cable has been announced by the industry alliance responsible for licensing the specification.

    HDMI Licensing said the upgraded 1.4 version of HDMI will make it easier to connect Internet-connected HD video devices to TVs and other appliances.

    The new cable will be able to transfer Internet data as well as video and audio data – something that the existing version isn’t able to do.

    It will mean users can get rid of the Ethernet cables connecting every web-connected device. It transfers data at up to 100 megabits per second.

    According to market research firm In-Stat, over 394 million HDMI-enabled devices are expected to ship in 2009, with an installed base of 1 billion devices.

    By the end of 2009 100 per cent of digital televisions are expected to have at least one HDMI input.

    Among the other improvements offered by the new HDMI version are networking capabilities with Ethernet connectivity and an Audio Return Channel to enable upstream audio connections via the HDMI cable.

    Steve Venuti, president of HDMI Licensing, said the the 1.4 specification will support some of the most exciting and powerful near-term innovations, such as Ethernet connectivity and 3D formats.

    "Additionally, we are going to broaden our solution by providing a smaller connector for portable devices and a connection system specified for automobiles, as we see both more and different devices adopting the HDMI technology," he said.

    Venuti said consumers will also see new HDMI cables introduced to the market.

    In order to take advantage of the HDMI Ethernet Channel, consumers will need to purchase either a Standard HDMI cable with Ethernet, or a High Speed HDMI cable with Ethernet.

    Consumers connecting an external device to an in-vehicle HDMI-enabled HD system will need the new Automotive HDMI cable.

    Functions offered by the HDMI 1.4 specification include:

    • HDMI Ethernet Channel: The HDMI 1.4 specification will add a data channel to the HDMI cable and will enable high-speed bi-directional communication. Connected devices that include this feature will be able to send and receive data via 100 Mb/sec Ethernet, making them instantly ready for any IP-based application.
    • The HDMI Ethernet Channel will allow an Internet-enabled HDMI device to share its Internet connection with other HDMI devices without the need for a separate Ethernet cable. The new feature will also provide the connection platform to allow HDMI-enabled devices to share content between devices.
    • Audio Return Channel: The new specification will add an Audio Return Channel that will reduce the number of cables required to deliver audio upstream for processing and playback. In cases where HDTVs are directly receiving audio and video content, this new Audio Return Channel allows the HDTV to send the audio stream to the A/V receiver over the HDMI cable, eliminating the need for an extra cable.
    • 3D Over HDMI: The 1.4 version of the specification will define common 3D formats and resolutions for HDMI-enabled devices. The specification will standardize the input/output portion of the home 3D system and will specify up to dual-stream 1080p resolution.
    • 4K x 2K Resolution Support: The new specification will enable HDMI devices to support high-definition (HD) resolutions four times beyond the resolution of 1080p. Support for 4K x 2K will allow the HDMI interface to transmit content at the same resolution as many digital theaters. Formats supported include:  3840×2160 24Hz/25Hz/30Hz and 4096×2160 24Hz
    • Expanded Support For Color Spaces: HDMI technology now supports color spaces designed specifically for digital still cameras. By supporting sYCC601, Adobe RGB and AdobeYCC601, HDMI-enabled display devices will be capable of reproducing more accurate life-like colors when connected to a digital still camera.
    • Micro HDMI Connector: The Micro HDMI Connector is a significantly smaller 19-pin connector that supports up to 1080p resolutions for portable devices. This new connector is approximately 50 per cent smaller than the size of the existing HDMI Mini Connector.
    • Automotive Connection System: The Automotive Connection System is a cabling specification designed to be used as the basis for in-vehicle HD content distribution. The HDMI 1.4 specification will provide a solution designed to meet the rigors and environmental issues commonly found in automobiles, such as heat, vibration and noise. Using the Automotive Connection System, automobile manufactures will now have a viable solution for distributing HD content within the car

    The HDMI specification 1.4 will be available for download no later than June 30, 2009.

  • Sony Adds Web Connectivity to Bravia Range


    Sony has extended its BRAVIA HDTV range to include a new model that for the first time lets viewers access online services.

    The Z5500 uses Sony’s AppliCast technology to connect via its Ethernet port to the Internet.

    The HDTV can display RSS feeds and, through its XMB (XrossMediaBar) on-screen interface, provides a choice of widgets that can be simultaneously viewed while watching TV.

    Hiroshi Sakamoto, vice president, TV Marketing EuropeSony, said that alongside a pre-installed analogue clock and calendar, the Z5500 can download other networked widgets.

    The list includes: calculator, alarm, world clock and picture frame online, which allows you to display an image that is stored online when the TV is in Picture Frame Mode.

    The Z5500 also comes equipped with CI Plus interface, enabling broadcasters to offer premium content directly to TVs without the need for a separate set-top box.

    There’s also an integrated MPEG 4 AVC HD tuner for watching HD broadcasts without the need for a set-top box.

    The Z5500 will be available in three screen sizes (40-inch, 46-inch and 52-inch).

  • Motorola Unveils First WiMAX Outdoor CPE With Integrated VoIP


    Motorola has introduced the wi4 WiMAX CPEo 450 – the first WiMAX outdoor CPE with integrated VoIP.

    Built from the ground up, the CPEo 450 has been designed to minimize the time, effort and cost of bringing broadband and voice services to new subscriber locations.

    By integrating VoIP functionality directly into the unit, Motorola said the need for multiple boxes is eliminated.

    Other features include integrated pole mounting brackets for convenience in installation, visual signal quality indicators for reliable device orientation, and a new high-performance antenna and radio design for interference mitigation and increased service coverage.

    Charles Riggle, senior director of strategy and business development, WiMAX devices, Motorola Home & Networks Mobility, said the CPEo 450 offered best-in-class performance with both voice and data capabilities in a compact outdoor form factor that is easy to install and reduces support costs.

    "Motorola’s CPEo 450 demonstrates once again that a superior performing CPE provides greater wireless coverage, increased throughput and network capacity, and higher service availability," he said.

    "These attributes translate into lower capex and operating cost for carriers, a faster ROI, lower churn and greater customer satisfaction."

    The CPEo 450 consists of an outdoor subscriber unit with integrated antennas and an indoor power adaptor incorporating an RJ45 Ethernet port and two RJ11 voice ports.

    All network configuration parameters come pre-loaded. When turned on, the network will automatically detect the CPEo 450 and perform all necessary authentication processes, allowing subscribers to immediately begin using voice and data services.

    The wi4 WiMAX CPEo 450 will be commercially available for shipments beginning in Q2 2009 for the 3.5 GHz band with support for 5, 7, and 10 MHz channel bandwidths.

  • Panasonic Takes Blu-ray Portable


    Panasonic has unveiled the first portable Blu-ray player at the CES in Las Vegas.

    The DMP-B15 features an 8.9-inch WSVGA display and along with the ability to play Blu-ray discs it also has access (via Ethernet connection to the Internet) to VIERA CAST.

    Fully Profile 2.0 (BD-Live) compliant it also features an SD card.

    The DMP-B15 offers three hours of playback time through a built-in rechargeable battery.

    It can also be connected to an HDTV using an HDMI connection, which means that it could technically be used as a stand-alone player in the home, or even while on the go.

    The DMP-B15 will be available beginning in May 2009, no details yet on the expected cost.

  • HP Boosts Virtualization Options With Purchase Of LeftHand Networks


    Hewlett-Packard is to spend USD $360 million in cash to buy storage virtualization company LeftHand Networks.

    The company covers two areas currently receiving a lot of attention – allocating storage for virtualized servers and the using Ethernet for storage networks.

    LeftHand Networks’ solutions enable midsize companies and remote offices or branches of large corporations to easily and cost-effectively protect critical business data.

    The company’s software allows a user to create a storage “cloud” connected via iSCSI, an Ethernet standard rather than the proprietary Fibre Channel networking that dominates the storage industry.

    The software could run on IBM and HP servers.

    Founded in 1999, LeftHand Networks is privately held and headquartered in Boulder, Colorado.

    It has 215 employees and more than 500 resellers and distributors worldwide. The company has more than 11,000 installations across 3,000 different customers.

    Dave Roberson, senior vice president and general manager, StorageWorks Division, HP, said the acquisition of LeftHand Networks significantly expanded HP’s storage portfolio.

    "Customers need a faster, less complex and more economical route to storage networking to better protect their critical business data,” he said.

    The transaction is subject to certain closing conditions and is expected to be completed in HP’s first fiscal quarter of 2009.

    Following completion, the business will be integrated into the HP StorageWorks division within the Technology Solutions Group at HP.