Interactive digital video networks: lessons from a commercial deployment

Broadband networks are now being used in numerous trials throughout the world to provide interactive video services for residential customers. These trials and small-scale commercial deployments lack novel applications and services that make effective use of network capabilities and attract users to experiment with them. The rapid explosion of the Internet has also played a role in the current lack of interest and investment in broadband video networks. This article examines the lessons learned from the commercial deployment of a switched fiber-coax video dial tone network in Dover Township, New Jersey, USA. Future broadband networks will have to combine the capabilities of video dial tone networks and the Internet at an attractive price. Innovative end-to-end applications that go beyond cable TV and movies on demand are needed to renew commercial interest in residential broadband networks.