Eastwick Communications Client Coverage » BroadLogic

Barrons: Technology Trader

Tina Salcedo — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:42:05 +0000

IN LAST WEEK’S COLUMN, I noted how some recent legal developments in the digital-video-recorder market are paving the way to video nirvana: anytime, anywhere TV. As I noted, a key step will be the arrival of network DVRs, letting consumers record programs and store them in the cloud.

One hitch: Cable networks weren’t designed to have us all watching different videos at the same time. The cable network was engineered to blast all available programming at your box; you then simply tapped into the stream you wanted. One approach to addressing that shortcoming is switched-digital video, in which the system in any given neighborhood streams only the channels someone is watching. That frees up considerable bandwidth. Ultimately, however, we’re headed toward a world in which no one is watching scheduled television; how will the network handle that?

A San Jose chip start-up called BroadLogic on Monday will unveil a chip it calls the TeraQam that significantly cuts the cost of providing many more simultaneous program streams on existing bandwidth.

Founded in 2002, BroadLogic raised $49 million in venture capital from Comcast (CMCSA), Time Warner (TWX), Bright House Cable, Cisco (CSCO) and a group of VCs.

CEO Danial Faizullabhoy says that his company has been able to increase the number of “QAMs,” or program “containers,” that can be transmitted in a neighborhood at any one time. Faizullabhoy says the rise of switched digital and video on demand has required a tenfold increase in the number of required “containers.” With anywhere/anytime video, the number could be 100 times that of a broadcast cable model. He says that there now are about 500,000 QAMs in the U.S. He says switched-digital video and VOD increases the number required to 5 million. In a world in which everyone watches what they want, the number jumps to 67 million — one per household.

To get one QAM per household with current equipment, he says, requires a box the size of the refrigerator in every neighborhood. He says his chips trim the required box to the size of “a case of Corona” beer, and cut the cost per QAM by at least 50%. BroadLogic expects production of the chips to begin at Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) this year, with sales to equipment vendors in 2010. The death of appointment-TV comes ever closer.

CED: Cable Show: Plethora of New Technologies Being Showcased

admin — Tue, 20 May 2008 04:34:00 +0000

B roadLogic Network Technologies was included in a CED round-up of new technologies being showcased at the NCTA show in New Orleans on Monday, May 19, 2008.

Read the article.

MultiChannel News: Monitor: Cable’s Analog Signal Zappers

admin — Tue, 13 May 2008 22:52:51 +0000

BroadLogic Network Technologies was included in a May 10 article by MultiChannel News’ Todd Spangler that explored the technologies that will help pull analog subscribers into the digital age affordably.

Read the article.

CED: The Digital Transition a (Bandwidth) Losing Proposition?

admin — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 19:35:51 +0000

BroadLogic Network Technologies was featured in CED magazine’s October cover story on the upcoming broadcast TV digital transition.

Read the full article.

San Jose Mercury News: The Tech Talk Blog: BroadLogic Gets Investment From Comcast

admin — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 20:51:13 +0000

In a recent blog post, Dean Takahashi discusses Comcast’s $17 million investment in BroadLogic and how it relates to the broadband wars.

Read the full article.

Reuters: Comcast Backs Start-up to Ramp Up Web Speeds

admin — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 20:31:39 +0000

Reuters covered today’s announcement that Comcast Interactive Capital will join U.S. No. 6 cable operator Advance/Newhouse in a $17 million second-round of funding for BroadLogic Network Technologies.

Read the full article.

Gartner: Broadlogic Named Cool Vendor in Carrier Network Infrastructure

admin — Wed, 02 May 2007 19:35:30 +0000

On March 19th, Broadlogic Network Technologies was named a 2007 Gartner Cool Vendor in Carrier Network Infrastructure. Broadlogic designs and supplies breakthrough video-processing technologies for broadband network operators.

Read the full article.