News

MoCA extension offers PQoS and 175Mbps net throughputs for home entertainment networks (25/1/2008)

Extension To Standard Also Increase Network to 16 Nodes

MoCA, Multimedia over Coax Alliance, the standard for home entertainment networks over coax, just raised the bar with the ratification and immediate availability of MoCA 1.1. This new extension incorporates PQoS (parameterized quality of service) for bandwidth management and prioritization of multiple streams of HD content, and packet aggregation achieving net throughputs of 175 Mbps. MoCA 1.1 also includes an increase in network size from the current eight nodes to 16 nodes.

The new net throughput number is a significant increase over MoCA's previously stated and industry leading performance metric of 100Mbps with unmatched coax outlet coverage.

As service providers incorporate telephony, video and Internet data access into their network, there are corresponding demands and limitations on bandwidth. Prioritization and management of real time data and video streams is extremely critical as to avoid collision or interference, and deliver a complete and on time payload. Hence, the need for a provisioning mechanism that can be built into a variety of products targeting a wide range of applications.

"Service providers are always looking for better methods of bandwidth management for premium services and content," said Dr. Anton Monk, MoCA CTO. "They recognize the compelling value of converged services such as premium content, personal content, and the desire for internet-based services. All of these services need to coexist on a single in-home network but there is a real need to protect and guarantee the bandwidth for the premium/pay services in order to ensure the Quality of Experience expected by the consumer."

"This extension has immediate benefits for end-consumers as well, as they can accessorize the network with other MoCA certified devices and continue to access content anytime and anywhere without disruption and without any reconfiguration of their network," added Dr. Monk.

Numerous applications exist that will benefit immediately with MoCA 1.1. These include:

- Whole house distribution of HD video, audio, data, gaming, and voice content;
- Whole home networking of CATV STB, DBS STB, ATSC STB, and FTTP STB functionality as an add-on to existing methods of distribution or as a replacement for existing methods of distribution;
- Home networking backbone for consumer electronics technologies (wireless, Ethernet/IP, IEEE-1394);
- Set top boxes that can receive both premium content and personal content;
- Sharing of game stations, computers, network attached storage units, data gateways (DSL, DOCSIS, FTTP, DBS, Terrestrial) directly to video devices/displays through PVR and iTV, and;
- Simultaneous streaming of multiple HD video streams. There are numerous products in digital entertainment distribution ecosphere serving these applications including PC plug-in and embedded cards, STBs, digital satellite receivers, DVRs/PVRs, digital TVs, DVD, home theater systems, home media servers, bridges for other interface types (USB, Ethernet, IEEE1394, etc.), adapters for legacy STBs, LAN equipment such as routers, switches and hubs, game consoles, wireless repeaters, extenders and access points. Consistent with its goal of continuing to satisfy service provider demands, and as MoCA finds its way into more applications, MoCA 1.1 increases the number of network supported nodes to 16. Increasing node capacity opens up other markets such as retail.

It is expected that subscribers to a MoCA-based network will add additional devices such as game consoles and digital media adaptors. The subscriber should not be limited in expanding the network on their own simply because of a limit in network size. Thus, MoCA felt it important to support a network expansion to ensure continued adoption of MoCA technology.

www.mocalliance.org