Articles and whitepapers

Broadband Audio and Video for the Home (1/11/2004)

By Horst G. Sandfort, Corinex Communications Corp

The introduction of digital entertainment devices and computers at home, and the need to integrate all of these with the Internet from anywhere in the home, has created connectivity challenges for both service providers and consumers. The transformation of voice, audio and video signals into digital bits, and the ease of high-speed transportation around the globe by ultra-fast networks, has already extended the integration of computers to many devices, such as video games, MP3 players, mobile phones and soon digital TV.

Connectivity

These digital networks are based either on satellite communications in a 'wireless' fashion, or on phone lines, TV cables, electrical power lines or fibre optics in a 'wired' fashion, and are used for transporting digital content such as voice, audio, video and data. These networks must either move the content from the sender to the receiver, or broadcast to multiple receivers and back. The challenge for the consumer from these networks is simple: they all have so-called 'headends' which terminate at a point in the building where the transported content will still need to reach the individual device.

Consumers are currently used to accessing different headends in their homes, such as the phone line for voice and fax; the antenna or coax cable for radio and TV; CAT5, wireless antenna or phone line for the computer; and wireless for the mobile phone.

The broadband difference

The introduction and take-up of broadband is creating a paradigm shift in the capabilities and connectivity requirements of entertainment devices. In principle, broadband is nothing more than a higher-speed transportation means through networks, using more and more advanced technology. Whereas the traditional voice connection functions at about 25 kilobits per second (25kbps) over copper-based twisted-pair phone wires, an Ethernet-based computer network operates at 10 or 100Mbps, currently increasing to 1 Gigabit per second (1Gbps).

While highly-specialised CAT5 wires and fibre optics are designed to cope with these very fast and high-density data streams, video has different requirements and is currently delivered by specially-shielded coaxial cables. By understanding these entirely differing ideal transportation methods, the reader will realise that to access integrated broadband services requires many different transportation means.

Creating the network

The need for increased bandwidth can be satisfied in various ways. The most complex would be to have highly-specialised wires for every service required, pulled from room to room, with many specialised outlets for connectivity. Most people do not live in environments where this option is at all practical.

The second option would be to make use of the existing wires in the premises, such as phone lines, coax, or electrical wires, and find equipment that allows these to be upgraded so that enough 'bits' can pass through into every room. With this setup, voice, audio, data and video are on the same transportation media.

The third option would be to use the air as the transportation medium (WiFi).

Of course, the different bandwidth requirements for moving content around as 'bits' or 'packets,' create real technological challenges if no specialised wires are available for transportation.

Adapters

The information technology industry has long understood these challenges. About ten years ago it started to focus on the development of devices that allow consumers to connect all kinds of entertainment and communications equipment via adapters to existing infrastructures. Consequently, the latest plug and play adapters developed by some highly-specialised communications and connectivity companies such as Corinex Communications, allow you to deliver high-speed connectivity between rooms using your existing telephone, power wiring or coaxial TV cabling.

The Corinex 128Mbps AV phoneline adaptor

AV phone line adaptors already deliver an impressive 128Mbps to phone outlets within the home. The same signals can also be transported by the use of different types of adapters via the household's electrical power wires at around 100Mbps to every electrical outlet in the residence, or by a wireless adapter through the air into every room with speeds up to about 108Mbps. Similarly, services can be transported over TV coaxial cables by the use of specialised adapters. The development of these units is a fast-moving process that is constantly taking them to higher and higher speeds.

The following diagram illustrates a typical demonstration by Corinex of its new high-speed AV product line, including Video-on-LAN solutions. A 4000 sq ft luxury residence has been outfitted with the test equipment shown. This home networking environment was created based upon multiple video service providers' specifications.

What does all this mean to the consumer?

If you apply these latest technologies to distribute content digitally within the home, you do not need to cut up walls and pull new wires. You can use a combination of all these technologies to make the best use of existing and future services such as digital TV, voice and video over the Internet, and Internet access and distribution, with one connection for multiple users. The choice that most suppliers like to suggest however, is to use only one of the many alternatives just described, but in reality there is no single solution, as every residence has different characteristics. So, how can the consumer know what to do?

The answer is simple. Do a little research, be aware of all of the options, perhaps ask an expert who knows your type of building, such as your electrical installer, IT networking expert, TV network installer or your service provider. If you do feel savvy enough to handle the networking and access requirements yourself, make a solid plan of where you wish to have high-speed connectivity for audio and video access within your home. You should know which existing wires you have access to and where you would like wireless connections, and discuss these with a connectivity devices value added reseller (VAR).

What does this mean to the VAR and installers base?

The new broadband connectivity devices on the headends, as well as the further distribution of signals within residences and other types of premises, generate new business opportunities for additional services and new hardware sales, all the way from digital TVs to voice over IP services. These services can also be extended from the residential sector to small office environments, hotels, hospitals, schools and older public buildings, where more advanced services and content delivery, as well as Internet access, are becoming a mandatory requirement.

Horst G. Sandfort is President of Corinex Communications Corp, and was commissioned to write this article by Broadband Carrier Ltd, a specialist telecommunications company that supplies broadband connectivity equipment to business and consumers.

www.broadbandcarrier.net