Cisco Cisco Digital Service Access Node (DSAN) 8210 White Paper
Analog Channel Re-Creation Using
the Digital Service Access Node
the Digital Service Access Node
The All-Digital Network Migration Challenge
Broadband service providers are under constant pressure to provide the bandwidth
required to deliver an ever-growing list of services that their customers demand.
Operators today must be in a position to provide extensive high-definition (HD) content,
reliable voice service, and high-speed data access to retain and grow their customer
base. Ever-increasing competition from fiber-based telecom companies and aggressive
Digital Broadcast Satellite (DBS) providers has caused many cable service providers to
rethink their approach to bandwidth management, resulting in increased focus on an all-
digital system migration.
required to deliver an ever-growing list of services that their customers demand.
Operators today must be in a position to provide extensive high-definition (HD) content,
reliable voice service, and high-speed data access to retain and grow their customer
base. Ever-increasing competition from fiber-based telecom companies and aggressive
Digital Broadcast Satellite (DBS) providers has caused many cable service providers to
rethink their approach to bandwidth management, resulting in increased focus on an all-
digital system migration.
For years, cable service providers have been able to increase spectrum to support
analog channel and services growth by upgrading or replacing equipment in the
headend and access network. Today, transmission technology has evolved to support
1 GHz of bandwidth, helping to pave the way for digital set-tops, embedded multimedia
terminal adapters (EMTAs), and cable modems. This capacity growth has made digital
services in the home a reality.
analog channel and services growth by upgrading or replacing equipment in the
headend and access network. Today, transmission technology has evolved to support
1 GHz of bandwidth, helping to pave the way for digital set-tops, embedded multimedia
terminal adapters (EMTAs), and cable modems. This capacity growth has made digital
services in the home a reality.
With a digital set-top in the home, the operator can take advantage of digital compression
in the network to compress 10 or more digital video signals for delivery in the spectrum
traditionally allocated to one analog channel. This 10:1 increase in content capacity has
created an opportunity for cable service providers to now convert to a more efficient, all-
digital network. As cable service providers reclaim analog bandwidth by migrating to all-
digital, as shown in Figure 1, they can use the reclaimed bandwidth to support additional
customers, content, and services.
in the network to compress 10 or more digital video signals for delivery in the spectrum
traditionally allocated to one analog channel. This 10:1 increase in content capacity has
created an opportunity for cable service providers to now convert to a more efficient, all-
digital network. As cable service providers reclaim analog bandwidth by migrating to all-
digital, as shown in Figure 1, they can use the reclaimed bandwidth to support additional
customers, content, and services.
Figure 1
White Paper