We are well into the era of cable plant being subdivided into reasonably small nodes, so you can use more frequencies, with a different programme to each node. Digital video transmission is a reality in many plants, affording further bandwidth efficiencies. Second, some operators are saying they have a scarcity of bandwidth, even in systems that have upgraded to 750 MHz and are doing digital video. This means that VOD still must contend with other uses of the spectrum, and the winner will be the service that operators perceive provides the best revenue stream. The box will take care of getting requests back to the headend, so the phone company will not be involved.
Security is done in the digital domain, where more secure systems can be provided.
Illegal taping of programming still is possible, but Hollywood seems more comfortable now. Software is seen today as consisting not just of movies, but also archived TV shows, training material and more. Several companies are active in the VOD space, and trials are in progress. All rights reserved.