Time Warner launches first digital simulcast market

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Jeff Baumgartner, CED

Raleigh, N.C. is the site of Time Warner Cable's first launch of digital simulcast, a technique whereby the analog channels on a cable system are replicated in the digital domain.

Several MSOs are using the technique (see CED's July cover story) as a stepping-stone toward an all-digital (or at least mostly-digital) platform, and to reclaim analog bandwidth to support services such as high-definition television. The irony, of course, is that operators must set aside a few extra slices of 6 MHz spectrum to support the simulcasting of analog channels.

But, nearer-term, the use of digital simulcast removes one marketing point off the DBS table - its all-digital picture and sound.

"We have begun to aggressively deliver the digital simulcast of our analog channels, negating any perceived advantage of satellite delivered video service," said MSO SVP of Strategy and Development Kevin Leddy, in a statement.

Time Warner said it expects to rollout digital simulcast in half of its 31 divisions by year-end, and polish off the rest sometime in 2006.