RESIDENTIAL GATEWAYS: FROM THE INSIDE OUT

Paul Pishal Philips Broadband Networks

Abstract their own versions of the digital home, it will ultimately be the end consumer who The Cable TV industry is undertaking will shape this environment. Most all one of the most aggressive initiatives in its parties agree that the digital home will be a 51-year history. The digitization of the networked dwelling with connectivity to a cable TV network infrastructure is digital cable network that delivers proliferating on a massive scale with advanced services to the home and a equipment deployment, compliance testing, consumer electronics network that delivers and specification setting all taking place information and entertainment throughout simultaneously. At the same time the the home. As these two networks are being consumer electronics industry also has a defined, designed, and built, each one is major digitization initiative occurring. The evolving with specifications independent next generation of home devices will not of the other. The result will delay only be digital, they will also feature "in­ successful integration of the digital home home" networking capability. Though and the advanced services being delivered monumental, both of these initiatives are to the home. occurring somewhat independently. Without a common roadmap offeatures, THE DIGITAL BROADBAND functions, and specifications, these two NETWORK AND NEW DIGITAL industries will remain out of step in TERMINAL delivering new and innovative services and applications to the digital home. The Cable TV industry is actively progressing in the deployment of digital This paper focuses on the digital services. Through the leadership of network initiatives both the Cable industry CableLabs and the support of the major and the Consumer Electronics industry are cable operators, the specifications for pursuing. Investigating the strategies of digital service delivery networks have these initiatives will demonstrate that progressed significantly. Though not without a closer partnership between these completing these specifications at speeds two industries, the full capabilities of new that many would like, to veterans of digital technologies will not be realized by standards processes, the results achieved to the end-user. Finally, this paper will date would be the envy of other industries. address the need for the development of a residential gateway architecture to provide DOCSIS-based cable , a solution as these two networks continue OpenCable digital set-tops, and to evolve. PacketCable IP devices will all populate the new digital INTRODUCTION home of the future. Independently specified to offer high-speed data, digital While many cable service providers and video, and voice services, respectively, consumer electronics vendors will define these new digital devices will also be

1999 NCTA Technical Papers -- page 45 developed to deliver multiple services. For services as well. Therefore, connection to example, an OpenCable compliant digital the end devices (e.g., TVs, PC, telephones) set-top box can be equipped with a will then become the next hurdle for the DOCSIS for two-way cable operator to overcome. The home communications. This two-way wiring and installation challenges play an communication would provide the increasingly important operational role. capability to deliver service, Added complexity for provisioning and as well as IP and video installing the new digital devices can limit conferencing. Additionally, cable modems the speed of rollout, and the result will be could be used to supply not only high­ delayed success. speed data services but IP telephony

The process for interoperable standards PacketCable, and OpenCable activities will have to factor in the element of The time cycle to develop a time. specification and then utilize that specification for final delivery of Current interfaces to the home interoperable products can take a considerable amount of time. In the case These digital specifications define of cable modems, the DOCSIS process, many interoperability interfaces in an gaining momentum in early 1996, end-to-end system. Probably the most resulted in CableLabs certified modems significant interface point is to and from becoming available in March 1999. Both the home. The interface within the home PacketCable and OpenCable is usually dictated by existing standards specification processes are now ongoing. (i.e., defined or de-facto). The current Therefore, any additional initiatives that home devices interfaces are NTSC extend beyond current DOCSIS, signals to the TV, to the PC,

1999 NCTA Technical Papers-- page 46 and twisted pair to the telephone. The that 40 years ago and Ethernet was NTSC video interface was defined more define more than 20 years ago.

Analog TV Digital TV PC Telephone DOCS IS Ethernet, USB, PCI Open Cable NTSCCoax IEEE 1394 Packet Cable Ethernet, USB, Twisted Pair PCI

The home interfaces, to date, define consumers expect to receive these connections directly to the TV, PC, or services. As a result, the home will grow telephone. Connections to intelligent with new digital terminals, but in order networks within the home are not being to take advantage of network available defined in the current Cable industry content, these new devices will need to standardization initiatives. Home interface seamlessly with the adjacent networks are becoming a growing broadband network. market segment with the Consumer Electronics and computing industry These new devices include actively defining specifications and • Digital TVs (including products. HDTV) • DVDs (Digital Versatile Consumer Electronics Industry Discs) • Digital Cameras (video and The consumer electronics industry still) sees market growth for new digital • Digital VHS devices in the home. Recent CEMA • Digital Hi-Fi figures show digital penetration at 30% of US home in the Containing processor intelligence, year 2006. Enhancing the entertainment these new devices will be capable of experience is the primary driver for these communicating with other devices. The devices, though the information goal is to create new levels of user component of entertainment will capabilities for entertainment and continue to play a larger role in the learning that are not possible today. home. With increasing deployment throughout the digital home, these capabilities will The sources of content continue to be expanded to involve home control move from broadcast and stored media and security applications. (e.g., tape and disk) to real-time availability of content and information. With an eye toward the future, Therefore, an increasing reliance of consumer electronics manufacturers network delivered content and clearly see the need to network these information is impacting the way end devices in an open and interoperable

1999 NCTA Technical Papers -- page 47 manner. There are many industry there are several developments occurring initiatives that will drive the features and in home networking. Shown below are functions of the . several home networks that will connect Successful growth for home networks devices in the home. These individual will occur only in an open standards networks are classified as an environment. Interconnection with entertainment network, an information multiple devices from multiple vendors network, and a communication network. is the ultimate goal. Today, the terminal devices drive the architecture of these networks. However, as the differentiation of communication, THE HOME NETWORK entertainment, and information begins to subside with advancing technology, the Home networking initiatives are convergence of these networks will start taking on several paths. As ...... ~_,.,..., ...... , ... , to take place.

Digiti:tl TVs Digital VCRs . ' . · DVDs ···•··· .. ·.•• Game Players

PCs '· Printers · scaimers. Storage Devices

Phones · . -Machine ··

The Communications Network The Information Network market consists of the in-home wiring today. approach resembles that of the office Today' s in-home twisted-pair wiring is network. This allows PCs and peripheral an extension of the local exchange devices to be networked together as company network, with "dial tone" more and more PCs proliferate in homes. designed devices to connect with a Additionally, shared devices such as central office. However, any in-home printers and scanners drive the need for station-to-station connectivity must be networking. Application-based donethroughthelocalexchange networking, such as gaming or company switch. sharing, are also drivers for the Internet Protocol (IP)-based home network.

1999 NCTA Technical Papers -- page 48 The Entertainment Network is in its THE HOME NETWORK infancy. Digital consumer devices can be ARCHITECTURE networked together to either process or store entertainment content. Applications The home network can be a peer-to­ are starting to evolve that will allow peer network or it can have a controller. multimedia to enhance the home It becomes both economically and entertainment experience. In order to tap technically important to define the level the potential of these exciting of interoperability between the home entertainment services, standards must network and the digital cable network. be set so that interoperability between lnteroperability must go beyond the different brands of digital devices can be physical interface and take advantage of interconnected. the networking capabilities being defined for the home. Without this Many industry alliances and consortia interface, network services will only be have been formed to set specifications available to TVs, PCs, and telephones for home networks. The alliances and with co-resident network equipment consortia, such as Home AudioNideo (e.g., set-tops, cable modems, and Interoperability (HA Vi), Universal Plug multimedia adapters). With this and Play, and Home API, are focused to interface, the following applications can create interoperable specifications for be realized: digital home devices and computing devices. Additionally, these initiatives • Receiving a telephone call allow for the development of distributed and displaying caller ID applications on the home network. information on a TV window • Starting a video-on-demand To accomplish this, the requirements program, pause, and watch for a home network consist of: the remaining portion in another room • The physical medium to • At your PC, completing connect the devices (e.g., research on the web and power line, twisted pair, allowing the results to be coax, , optical) viewed by someone watching • A set of software API to television in a different room, insure interoperability among and saving the results on a terminal devices common storage device • An addressing scheme that • On your PC, editing allows connectivity highlights of your daughter's • A defined execution ballet recital recorded on environment that allows for your digital camcorder, and control and 3rd party then forwarding them to her applications grandparents' TV set. • Capability to carry both asynchronous an isochronous These services become available only data when the broadband network becomes • Easy user installation and interoperable with the home network. management These services merely scratch the

1999 NCTA Technical Papers -- page 49 surface for the type of imaginative The Residential Gateway is applications that can be realized. Before positioned as the interface between the this can occur, several issues must be HFC broadband network and the home clarified. Ideally, a gateway architecture network. A Residential Gateway needs to be established that will interface becomes the point of interoperability the two networks. between the broadband network and the home network. As changes occur in the networks inside and outside the home, THE RESIDENTIAL GATEWAY the Residential Gateway can "mediate" the changes without the need to update every home digital appliance.

Residential . ·Gateway .

This becomes the potential collaboration The technical requirements for a point between the two industries. Residential Gateway will help to determine if this gateway is network The major functional requirements provided equipment, part of the home needed for a Residential Gateway are: network, or a compromise between the • Distribution of different services to home and the broadband network. These multiple digital terminals technical requirements are: • Provide access to home control • Address resolution between home functions devices and network connections • Request network and • Memory and processing Quality of Service from the home requirements to run the home network to the broadband network network communications protocols

1999 NCTA Technical Papers-- page 50 • Flexibility to interface with yet to be The Residential Gateway may evolve defined/invented home digital from the dominant home network terminals technology that gets a successful foothold in the residential market. This Residential Gateway Architecture gateway approach will evolve from the consumer side and will have network The Residential Gateway will evolve requirements that can use the current along two different paths. These will be Cable TV digital specification a network centric path and a home initiatives. This residential gateway centric path. architecture operates as a home controller. The benefit of this The standards and specifications of architecture is that the gateway can be the Cable TV digital plant drive the home network specific, regardless of the network centric path. Many operators are type of technology used in the home looking to digital set-tops with a network. combined video, voice, and data networking capability as a residential CONCLUSION gateway. The connection to the network is already being defined by the efforts of As both the home network and the CableLabs and the digital specifications digital cable network evolve, new of DOCSIS, Open Cable, and capabilities will continue to be PacketCable. The digital connection to introduced resulting in exciting new the home is specified today with an services, applications, and experiences to IEEE 1394 interface initially defined for the end-user. As the cable industry HDTV pass through. In order to expand continues to set forth specifications that interface for home network allowing new digital services to the functions will require a clear definition home, these specifications must be as to how the home network will expanded to look into the home, which interconnect the digital set-top. includes the home network.

With the rapid and diverse technical In this rapidly changing world of evolution of the home network, the home networks, a residential home interface from the digital set-top and the gateway will be defined, built, and home network becomes difficult to deployed as an extension of the define. Beyond the physical IEEE 1394 computing consumer electronics devices interface, the communications protocols that are deployed. and API need to be specified. Depending on which home network technology is to To take advantage of new service be interfaced, even the IEEE 1394 opportunities driven by digital devices interface may change. Additional and home networks, the Cable TV processing power and memory need to industry must expand the current be allocated within the box to insure that specification initiatives to take account all features and functions can be home networks, which will become supported across this interface. pervasive, as well.

1999 NCTA Techn ical Papers -- page 51