HDTV Causing A Bandwidth Crunch

There just doesn’t seem to be enough room to go around, and HDTV seems to be the culprit behind the loss of space.

As more providers move to give the consumer the services being clamored for – such as HDTV programming and multiplayer gaming – bandwidths are starting to run low. This is going to force cable providers to upgrade their digital networks.

The US is under the shadow of the looming bandwidth crunch more than most other areas. The severity of the crunch is determined by things like the speed that HDTV is adopted and the extent of the HDTV channels being offered. The United States has a deeper penetration of digital cable than other regions.

There will be no simple answer to the bandwidth crunch. Each provider will be forced to find the solution that will deal with the problems specific to them. The upgrades will not come at a cheap price – if done right. By using rate shaping and switched digital video, providers can avoid a costly upgrade. There really is not much increase in capacity by going this route. Smart providers will look to the more expensive upgrade of fibre-to-the-home. This choice should give providers all the bandwidth they will ever need.

As consumers purchase more HDTV sets and begin to demand more HDTV programming from providers, these upgrades will have to be completed – at the risk of losing customers completely.