Today's Typical Home Networks
The Home Network connects both the home computer(s) and the IP TV
Set-Top Boxes to a broadband service. The broadband service is
typically an ADSL, a VDSL, or a Fiber to the Premise (FTTP) from an
incumbent or competitive carrier. This network may also support
Voice over IP (VoIP) services. This network may also provide
communication between a media center computer and the IP TV Set-Top
Box. In the simplest case the media center computer can act as a
server that stores and plays both video and audio content on the
network-connected home entertainment system.
Physical Layer Technologies
The physical layer technologies for the Home Network are under
development today. There are several technologies emerging that
appear to be good approaches. However, as these technologies are
being developed, the requirements for them are changing.
The wireline home networking technologies are all appropriately
targeting speeds in the range of 100 Mbps or higher. This will make
them appropriate choices for both VDSL and FTTP broadband access
services.
There is no single physical layer home networking technology
available today that can serve all of the subscribers' homes that a
service provider might serve with an IP TV service.
Managing the Home Network
The next generation of services has created the new requirements for
the Home Gateway to fulfill:
- Providing a remote management
service for the Home Gateway & the devices beyond.
- Allowing the right device or
application to connect to the right service platform with the
right service class / Quality of Service.
- Recognizing and potentially
uniting devices' capabilities.
- Playing a role in the local
network to implement device capabilities and offer customers a
better "integrated home environment".
Telephone companies have developed
sophisticated systems for managing broadband services that reach as
far as the DSL modem in the subscriber's home. Previous to broadband
services, the managed domain did not extend past the end serving
office. The standard analog telephone is a dumb device that has
little or no capability for supporting remote testing; consequently
there was technically no way for the service provider to manage this
POTS service out to the home.
ISDN services did include the ability to perform loop back and other
tests out into the subscriber's home, but little use was made of
this except after trouble was reported by the subscriber. Typically
there was no way of logging or gathering other information available
from devices in the subscriber's home to monitor and anticipate
problems on the line.
DSL started with the same approach. The DSL loop itself was not
managed. This generated a significant number of issues for the DSL
service providers in the early days of the service. Interference
with pre-existing T1 and ISDN services were a particular problem.
Service providers such as SBC developed management systems that gave
them the ability to use information available from DSL modems to
monitor the performance of each line even if the subscriber has not
registered a complaint. These service providers use this information
to optimize the over-all operation of the network by minimizing
interference between neighboring DSL services as well as DSL
services and other services such as T1 and ISDN services. These
systems have proved that they can significantly improve the
performance of the broadband network and increase customer
satisfaction and reduce the number of problems reported.
Today's broadband services stop at the DSL modem. If the subscriber
uses this service with a single computer, then only a short cord is
required to connect the computer to the DSL modem. If the subscriber
sets up a LAN in the home, then managing this network is his or her
responsibility.
This situation becomes much more complex with IP TV. Sharing a
broadband connection between several IP TV Set-Top Boxes and even
only one computer requires a Home Network. In addition, this Home
Network sits on the critical path of the IP TV service. If it is not
capable of supporting the required IP TV traffic, it will result in
the degradation of the IP TV service and may generate considerable
customer dissatisfaction.
Topics Covered
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 The Elements of the Home
Network
- 3 The Physical Layer
- 4 IP TV Home Gateways
- 5 IP TV Set-Top Boxes
- 6 Managing the Home Network
- 7 Advanced Home Network
Architectures
- 8 Opportunities, Risks, and
Recommendations
- 9 Appendices
- Table of Figures
- Table of Tables
For more information visit
http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c35237 |
