This week ended with a bang as Cisco announced their acquisition of Scientific Atlanta. As more companies move towards IPTV and video-based networking, buying Scientific Atlanta puts Cisco in a good position to benefit. The question is how soon?

"Video is emerging as the key strategic application in the service provider triple play bundle of consumer entertainment, communication and online services," said John Chambers, president and chief executive officer of Cisco Systems. "The combination of Cisco and Scientific-Atlanta brings unmatched experience and innovation in delivering large scale video systems and networks, and the addition of Scientific-Atlanta further extends Cisco's commitment to and leadership in the service provider market. Moreover, Cisco's international presence and IP leadership will also create strategic synergies that accelerate the combined growth opportunity."

Scientic Atlanta will be aligned with Linksys within the company. Cisco said the move would create an "end-to-end" triple play solution for service providers and Cisco will begin to develop and deliver a variety of integrated media services in the connected home.

Cisco will look at leveraging their international relationships to try and sell Scientific Atlanta's products, which are mostly sold in the U.S.

Here are some other headlines...

Cisco Systems, Inc., and Scientific-Atlanta, Inc., today announced a definitive agreement for Cisco to acquire Scientific-Atlanta. Scientific-Atlanta is a leading global provider of set-top boxes, end-to-end video distribution networks and video system integration. The combined entity creates a world class, end-to-end triple play solution for carrier networks and the digital home. In addition, upon closure, the market opportunities represented by this acquisition will become part of Cisco's Advanced Technology portfolio.

Advanced Digital Broadcast, a leading supplier of digital TV systems and software solutions for interactive television, announced today that it has received a substantial order from FASTWEB for the supply of its 3800TW New Generation set-top box (STB). This unit is ADB's latest single chip IPTV platform based on the STi7100 chipset from STMicroelectronics.

Citing a new state law that experts say will shape national communications policy, SBC Texas today announced an $800 million investment in video and high-speed Internet access technology for the state. The investment will give consumers a new competitive choice over cable television, and will equip every SBC central office in Texas with DSL technology.

KyLin TV, Inc. announced that the company will bring the first Chinese Television via the Internet to WJ Bookstores in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Boston over the coming weeks. There will be demonstrations of the Magic of KyLinTV and free promotional giveaways.

KyLinTV recently celebrated the successful launch of its service, which offers subscribers over 15,000 hours of Chinese broadcast TV and Video on Demand (VOD). Subscribers to KyLinTV receive more than 300 hours of new content every week including Top 10 movies and TV dramas from China, and will soon see the addition of Cantonese programs.

Kasenna announced it has been chosen by Lincor Solutions, a specialist in the delivery and management of integrated digital on-demand entertainment and communication services for the healthcare sector, to provide its IP video streaming solutions for Lincor's MEDIVista solution. The MEDIVista product, in conjunction with Lincor's exclusive UK partner Premier Telesolutions, is set to make on-demand services for patient entertainment and clinical services available directly to patient's beds in UK NHS (the National Health Service) hospitals where Premier operates services.

Tut Systems Inc., an industry leader enabling the delivery of next-generation data and video services over broadband networks, today announced that the company recently won a competitive IPTV video shootout in a real-world headend environment at Manti Telephone in Manti, Utah.

After determining that the Astria content processor (CP) provided superior video quality and scalability for processing real-time video off of satellite and off-air feeds, Manti Telephone placed an order to upgrade its ATM-based headend to IP. As part of the upgrade, Manti will deliver video services to its ATM and IP customers and expand the number of channels delivered to its existing base of TV customers to 133 video and audio channels. Manti Telephone was one of the first telephone companies in the world to deliver video services over copper wires when it first deployed video in 2000.

VitalStream, Inc. has launched VitalStream Professional Services, a core group of technical staff and select industry partners experienced in streaming technologies dedicated to delivering quality, tailored solutions for customers with specific streaming needs, such as IPTV and podcasting.

Don't lose a step on IPTV and all related technologies with our new events calendar.

The following calendar is updated frequently and includes detailed information on major events happening across the globe.

Verizon is bringing to 17 more New Jersey communities a fiber-optic network that will deliver faster data speeds, crystal-clear voice -- and also has the capability to offer a full suite of video services in the future - to residence and small business customers in the following locations:

The city of Trenton; Maplewood, Montclair, South Orange and West Orange in Essex County; Berlin Borough, Berlin Township, Chesilhurst, Haddon, Waterford and Winslow in Camden County; Piscataway and Plainsboro in Middlesex County; Victory Gardens in Morris County; Hackensack and Teaneck in Bergen County; and Freehold Borough in Monmouth County.

November 24th, 2005
Hotel Nikko New Century, Beijing, China

2005 China IPTV Policy and Technology Standards Conference is an annual trans-industry and far-sighting high-level forum, which has received joint support from National Development and Reform Commission, Information Industry Office of State Council, Ministry of Science and Technology, State Administration of Radio, Film and Television and State Information Center.

Instream, the Video Ad Network announced today that it has emerged from its Beta period as one of the largest sources of managed video advertising inventory on the Internet.

"Some have said there is a shortage of quality in-stream video ad inventory on the Internet -- the truth is there is a shortage of quality managed video ad inventory. Instream aggregates high quality Internet video sites onto the leading video advertising technology platform, forming a new, high quality, high reach, single source for brand advertisers embracing video advertising. We believe that, after the major portals, Instream is the single biggest source of managed video ad inventory on the Internet," said Tom MacIsaac, President and CEO of Instream.

SkyStream, a leader in IP video delivery solutions, today announced that China Education Television (CETV) will use its media delivery platforms to expand video content distribution, rural Internet service and distance-learning programs to remote areas.

CETV will extend broadband distance learning across the nation using the SkyStream Source Media Router (SMR-26) IP encapsulation solution for broadcasting the educational content at the uplink and Edge Media Receiver and Router (EMR) to receive and distribute the content to its end destination. CETV will also offer video-on-demand and other video services to 25 remote areas via satellite, where broadband services are not currently available.

November 22nd, 2005
Le Meridien Hotel Piccadilly, London, UK

Content everywhere is becoming a reality in European and worldwide media markets. The ubiquity of digital content distribution bears fascinating opportunities for the industry – while piracy must still be seen as the No.1 obstacle in successfully building new businesses or completing existing ones.

GlobeCast, a leading global content management and delivery company and subsidiary of France Telecom, has completed the build out of its new Technical Operations Center (TOC) in Miami. The new center is designed to support the company's newly inaugurated IPTV Super Headend, capable of aggregating hundreds of television signals from around the globe in MPEG-2 and MPEG-4, and providing IP encapsulation and retransmission of content via satellite for distribution to "local" IPTV headends across North America. The upgrade of the Miami facility is a central component to the company's expanding offer of fully managed content delivery services for emerging IP-based video and rich media.