WORTH READING [Comcast unveils online viewing of cable TV shows]

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Jason Livingood <jason_livingood () cable comcast com>
Date: December 16, 2009 3:32:45 PM EST
To: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Subject: Re: [IP] [Comcast unveils online viewing of cable TV shows]

Hi Dave - 

It wasn't clear to me if Bob was referring to our 250GB data usage limit or
our congestion management system, so I will try to answer both questions.

Bandwidth consumed by Comcast's Internet-based services/sites, such as
Fancast Xfinity TV, *IS* counted against our 250GB residential Internet data
usage limit just as we would count traffic to any other Internet-based site
or service. 

Also, FWIW, the video is variable bit rate, currently ranging from 36kbps to
1.4Mbps for SD content and up to 2.4Mbps for HD content.  That leads me to
speak to whether or not using this (or other) video service would on it's
own prompt someone to have their traffic moved from Priority Best Effort to
Best Effort QoS marking by our congestion management system (see
http://tools.ietf.org/id/draft-livingood-woundy-congestion-mgmt-01.txt).

Keep in mind that a first condition must be met, that an interface on a CMTS
must be in a Near Congestion State (section 5.1 of the I-D).  In this
example of video streaming, that would affect the downstream interface of a
CMTS, and that interface would need to be at least 80% utilized for at least
15 minutes.  So once that condition has been met, which is very rare and
infrequent, then a user would need to have exceeded 70% of their provision
speed for at least 15 minutes.

So for most customers, which have 12Mbps downstream service, that would mean
they'd need to consume 8.4Mbps continuously for 15 or more minutes (while
the CMTS is also in a near congested state).  Fancast Xfinity TV's HD
content streams as high as 2.4Mbps, so you'd be nowhere near that in the
worst case, and even further below that with SD content.

Hope this helps.

Regards
Jason Livingood
Comcast - Internet Systems Engineering



On 12/15/09 11:31 PM, "Dave Farber" <dave () farber net> wrote:

> Begin forwarded message:
>
> For IP:
>
> I can't help but wonder if too much viewing their internet content will cause
> one to be a "bandwidth hog" and get throttled.  Or does that only apply to
> other sources of Internet content?
>
> Bob
>
> --------------
>
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091215/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_comcast_online_video
>
>
> "PHILADELPHIA – Comcast Corp. customers can now watch several cable TV shows
> and movies over the Internet, a move aimed at helping the cable TV operator
> manage the flight of viewers to online video.
>
> Comcast hopes that by making the service available starting Tuesday
> exclusively to subscribers, it can keep them from defecting to rival TV
> providers or the Internet.
>
> Comcast, which announced the service in July before reaching a deal for
> majority control of NBC Universal, becomes the first cable TV operator to
> offer cable content online at no additional charge. Until now, programs
> available for free online have been generally limited to shows from the
> over-the-air broadcasters or to older movies.
>
> Other subscription-TV operators with similar plans in the works include Time
> Warner Cable Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc.'s FiOS service.
>
> The Comcast service, renamed Fancast XFinity TV from On Demand Online when
> first announced, will initially be available only to those who buy both
> Comcast's TV and Internet services. Those customers will be able to access the
> programs on computers anywhere, even at a friend's house using a rival
> broadband service.
>
> In six months, Comcast said cable TV customers who use another Internet
> service provider will have access as well.
>
> Customers can authenticate up to three devices — for now PCs, but mobile
> devices are possible next year — to access the cable content."
> .....





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