Propagating the triple play through the house

10/25/2006 1:25:31 PM,
by Eric Bangeman

How will triple-play services propagate through the house? A new report from ABI Research looks at the question facing both customers and service providers as they attempt to get data from point A to points B, C, D, and E.

Voice and data are no problem. Plug your VoIP-capable router into a phone jack and you've got phone service throughout the house. And 802.11g can transmit data faster than it can be downloaded over the vast majority of Internet connections. High-definition video is the sticking point.

MPEG2 HD video streams need an average of 10 to 18Mbps of bandwidth, with a peak somewhere between 13 and 19Mbps. When you add DVR-like functions such as fast-forward, rewind, and other modes to the equation, the bandwidth can spike to nearly 60Mbps. A typical scenario of a single HDTV stream, 2 SDTV double hops (e.g., going from , and a single ATSC digital TV stream requires anywhere from 50 to 84Mbps, with the upper ceiling hitting 148Mbps if all four streams were performing DVR-like functions simultaneously.

MPEG4 requires less bandwidth than does MPEG2, although the exact number varies depending on the codec being used. Apple claims that a 1920x1080, 24fps HD video stream encoded using H.264 needs only 7-8Mbps. Microsoft's VC-1 codec uses as little as 6Mbps according to Microsoft. So as video providers gradually transition to the more efficient MPEG4 for video, the bandwidth demands will go down a bit.

Those with new homes or recent remodeling projects can count on the Cat5e or Cat6 cable that may have been installed during construction. Both of those are capable of carrying data, voice, and most importantly in the context of this discussion, high-definition video. But what about those of us who live in old houses without Cat5e running to every room?

Full article