PHILIPPINE ASSOCIATION, INC. CABLE LINE Headline: THE COUNTDOWN TO 2013 PCTA CONVENTION BEGINS JAN - FEB 2013

vOLUME 13 Inside: IECEP and PCTA MOA SIGNING ISSUE 1

The Official Newsletter of the PHILIPPINE CABLE TELEVISION ASSOCIATION, INC.

Editor’s Note

Amelita G. Ledesma

2013 started off as an auspicious year for It’s countdown time now for another auspicious cable operators. For over nine years, it was no easy event – the annual PCTA Convention on March 19-22. feat for the officers and directors of the association This year’s theme “DIGITAL NOW” is so relevant to the to shuttle between the House of Representatives and fast developing and dynamic changes in technology the Senate (which happen to be on opposite sides of that will certainly change the landscape and even the metropolis) and spend precious hours and energy threaten the industry’s survival. The technical and even standing and waiting in the lobby of the corridors just management sessions have been carefully planned to to get the attention and interests of the bill sponsors include topics that will be greatly informative and helpful and the pertinent committees. But the patience, to cable operators on how to deal with these serious persistence and tireless efforts paid off, for finally, challenges facing us. Another landmark that we can after several congressional sessions, the ‘’ANTI-CABLE look forward to, will be the signing of a Memorandum TELEVISION AND CABLE INTERNET TAPPING ACT OF of Agreement between the Association and the DOST- 2012” was passed by the 15th congress and is now waiting PAGASA-PROJECT NOAH during the Convention. This for the President’s signature for it to become a law. will greatly help in the information campaign that can This law seeks to address the perennial “headache” save lives and property, a CSR project of the Association. of cable operators with regard to illegal connections The details will be further explained by DOST Secretary and signal theft which cause signal distortions and Mario Montejo and PCTA Chairman Elpidio Paras. Let us infrastructure damage. Now, cable operators no longer not forget too the many fun activities that our partners need the local ordinances from the local government in the industry have prepared for us. to apprehend and penalize offenders. The National So call now and register with our secretariat!! Telecommunications Commission as the supervising and regulatory agency is tasked, in consultation with all affected parties, to come up with the implementing rules and guidelines. God bless us all!

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THE COUNTDOWN TO 2013 PCTA CONVENTION BEGINS by Anne B. Manalansan

Preparations for the 2013 PCTA Convention is The event will start with a half-day pre- now at full speed as the Philippine’s longest running convention session in the afternoon of March 19 cable TV industry show gears up for its 21st edition before it formally opens on March 20. The conference set to unfold on March 19 - 22, 2013 at the SMX will end at noon on March 22. To further encourage Convention Center in City, Metro . the participation of its member cable companies, the PCTA Convention Committee maintained the previous As the country’s premier cable TV event, the rate of Php3,000 as Delegate’s fee. For non-PCTA PCTA Convention gathers top industry leaders and members, the fee is still Php5,000. stakeholders to discuss, dissect, and debate on salient industry issues as well as share essential information The Exhibit floor will once again showcase towards maintaining a stable and sustainable pay the latest offerings of companies supplying programs, television industry. technology, and solutions to the cable industry. Leading this year’s exhibiting companies are Gold The PCTA is leaving nothing to chance to Sponsors Fox International Channels, Cable Box office ensure another successful year for PCTA Convention Shows and Systems (Cable Boss), and Asian Cable 2013. Having highlighted technological advances Communications Inc. (ACCION). The Silver Sponsors are and regulatory concerns during past conventions, this HBO, TV5 Monde, Al Jazeera, France 24, Channel News year’s offering poses a challenge to all stakeholders to Asia, and Euronews. Other participating companies go “Digital Now!” are Inc., CYO International, Ricklee Enterprises, Viva Communications, Amity Satellite, Convention Over-all Chair Cedric Sazon Gospell, Solar Entertainment, PLDT, EWTN, and GSat/ explains, “The theme is very timely and relevant as it touches on the core of our cable business. Digitization GNN. is no longer just an option but has become imperative Those who are interested to participate either if we want to survive and compete with other pay as delegate or exhibitor may contact Ms. Sam Lanuza TV platforms that are now available to consumers. of the PCTA Secretariat at telephone numbers 638- Cable operators should have already been on digital 8541 and 42 or thru email cableconvention@pcta. platform and so we’re encouraging those who have org.ph. not yet decided to do it now.”

4 The Official Newsletter of the PHILIPPINE CABLE TELEVISION ASSOCIATION, INC. PCTA Convention 2013 Receives Tremendous Support from Sponsors and Exhibitors by Sam L. Lanuza Coming back from a successful staging in Cebu City last year, plenary sessions that provide heads up on the theme “Digital the 21st edition of the PCTA Convention 2013 is bound to take Now”. place this year, from March 19 – 22, once again at the SMX Convention Center, Pasay City. Braise yourselves and witness As the Convention Organizing Committee do final touches, both extravagant exhibition from top of the line technology suppliers sponsors and exhibitors expressed their untiring support to and content providers for cable TV combined with the finest ensure the success of the event. Fox International Channels, Trinity Broadcasting Network, This is the ninth consecutive year that TBN has been a Gold ACCION, and CABLE BOSS return as Gold Sponsor Sponsor of the event.

Last January 21, Fox International Channels (FIC) thru their Asian Cable Communications Incorporated (ACCION) likewise Territory Director, Mr. Jude Turcuato, confirmed their Gold affirmed its support as Gold Sponsor during the contract signing Sponsorship for the upcoming PCTA Convention. Mr. Turcuato held last January 24 at the Nagomi Japanese Restaurant in signed the agreement with PCTA Convention Chair, Mr. Cedric City. The agreement was signed by ACCION’s Chief Finance Sazon, at their new office in Bonifacio Global City, . The Officer and COO, Ms. Emmeline Daquioag and PCTA Convention signing was also witnessed by their Affiliates & Distribution Chairman, Mr. Cedric Sazon. ACCION’s Chairman and CEO, Mr. Head, Ms. Gladys Jacinto, former convention chair, Mr. Arnel Merilleno, PCTA Director, Ms. Bing Ledesma, and PCTA Secretary General, Ms. Anne Manalansan.

Felipe Bince III; Sales Manager, Mr. Migs Poja; and Marketing Head, Ms. Franchelle Alberto were also present to grace the signing. On the following day, January 22, another contract signing was held between PCTA and this time with Trinity Broadcasting Cable Box office Shows and Systems (Cable Boss) manifests Networks Asia. Mr. Antonio Flores signed the Gold Sponsorship its full support during the contract signing held at Xin Tian Di agreement with Mr. Cedric Sazon in Makati City. The contract Restaurant last January 25. The Cable Boss management was signing was witnessed by former convention chair, Mr. Arnel led by Mr. Peter Yee, President; together with Mr. Mr. Elfren Merilleno, PCTA Director, Ms. Bing Ledesma, and PCTA Secretary Cruz, Chairman; Mr. Karl Emmanuel Dy, Business Development General, Ms. Anne Manalansan.

Manager; Mr. Edric Dy; Mr. Mario Parel, Senior Vice President; Mr. Timothy Bautista, Vice President/COO; and Ms. Emmylou Continued on Page 9

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Republic of the

COMMISSION ON INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY

NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSIONS

20 November 2012

MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR

NO. 04-11-2012

SUBJECT: Temporary Suspension of Issuance of TVRO License (C-TVRO) to Hotels, Resorts and Multi-Dwelling Units (MDU)

------

Pending the revision of NTC Memorandum Circulars 2-1-93 and 10-7-93, respectively, in the interest of the service and in order for the Commission to streamline its functions, the issuance of TVRO Licenses (C-TVRO) to hotels, resorts and other multi-dwelling units (MDU) by the Commission, is hereby temporarily suspended until further notice.

This Circular supersedes Memorandum Circular No 5-2-94 dated 8 February 1994.

For strict compliance.

GAMALIEL A. CORDOBA (sgd.)

Commissioner

CARLO JOSE A. MARTINEZ (sgd.) DELILAH F. DELES (sgd.)

Deputy Commissioner Deputy Commissioner

6 The Official Newsletter of the PHILIPPINE CABLE TELEVISION ASSOCIATION, INC.

HD FACE OFF: CABLE= 0 = 10

by Engr. Elpidio M. Paras

Just recently, we saw full page ads in major dailies From the time CIgnal TV blasted the DTH market with nationwide, with this banner line, directly belittling celebrity endorsements, full page ads, generous cable television as having no HD programs while promos and attractive packaging, cable’s view of the Cignal DTH having 10 HD programs for only P790.00/ competition has changed. Cignal’s focus these days month. is to tap the cabled areas and their marketing efforts are essentially directed to switchers. Even Skycable’s Such kind of unscrupulous claims border on unethical metropolitan markets are now under threat from practices and that is why we will not be surprised if Cignal’s vigorous and well funded ad campaign. Cignal were challenged by some cable operators who are now on digital, as to whether their adverts The ease of distributing program content nationwide are truthful or not. via satellite using the DTH platform is a major advantage. No major wired infrastructure investments Like it or not, the truth is that less than 30% of cable are needed for DTH, except for a substantial capex households nationwide are already capable of on the headend and uplink facilities. DTH investors receiving HD programs and for most of the cable can literally go nationwide in a few months time and system operators nationwide , no HD channels, not utilize existing mobile telco and appliance dealers in even SD channels just yet. the country.

The inevitable face off between competing platforms Already we hear that another major cable tv provider for the Pay TV market in the Philippines is now getting has become an instant convert to DTH technology, into high gear. The Philippine Cable TV industry, as it had already filed for a franchise with the NTC in which had enjoyed its dominance in the subscription the last two weeks. Compare that to their reaction to TV media field for the last 25 years is now facing an GSAT just a few years ago! (If you can’t lick them, join old enemy with a new and well oiled marketing and them…) content provisioning budget. Given this scenario where there will be four (4) DTH Years ago, we were all concerned about the possible companies in the Philippines, there will be more entry of wireless cable tv technology and the PCTA pressure on the 500 or so cable tv providers, most of had consistently opposed such applications with whom are still carrying programs in the analog era, to the NTC. Altimax Broadcasting was one of those we start transitioning to digital very soon. opposed because it had applied for PAs (Provisional Authority) in many areas of the country. Nothing It is widely known that the current spectrum between was heard of it, until one of the Telcos acquired the 55-750 mhz can only feasibly accommodate around company purportedly to capitalize on its wireless a 100 analog channels. On the other hand, by using spectrum assets. digital technology, we can already deliver 300+ SD channels even if our analog infrastructure uses dated When Dream Broadcasting entered the market 450mhz line gear. nearly a decade ago, the idea of a nationwide broadcaster became a harsh reality and for a while, Dream created a niche market which we cable operators did not mind, for it filled up the areas Having to contend with DTH, which from the very where cable was not feasible. GSat Dth’s entry was start, already uses DVB Digital Video Broadcasting also eyed upon as another solution for the noncabled technology; the situation is now giving many of us in areas and was not viewed as direct competition as its the cable tv business, lots of sleepless nights as we marketing efforts focused in the rural and provincial scramble to embrace the digital age and retire our areas. aging analog equipment.

Continued on Page 10

7 CABLE LINE ANNOUNCEMENT:

Euronews Parameter Asiasat 5

RECEPTION PARAMETERS SATELLITE Asiasat 5 TURN-AROUND From fiber GlobeCast Serte POSITION 100,5° East OPERATOR Asiasat UP-LINK Satlink - Israel MCR +972 253 49 086 [email protected] TRANSPONDER C9H BEAM C STANDARD MPEG2/DVB-S2 CONTENT Euronews Asia FREQUENCY (MHz) 3960 S (MS/Sec.) 30 000 POLARISATION H FEC 5/6 RATES OVERALL BIT RATE 3,5 Mb/s. VIDEO BIT RATE 2,7 Mb/s. MUX TREATEMENT FBR AUDIO(S) BIT RATE 64 Kb x 10 = 640 Kb FORMAT PAL 625 RESOLUTION 544 x 576 PID VIDEO 2561 AUDIO 10 2580 - Per AUDIO 1 2571 - Eng AUDIO 2 2572 - Fre AUDIO 3 2573 - Ger PCR 2561 AUDIO 4 2574 - Ita SID 10 AUDIO 5 2575 - Spa NID 4 AUDIO 6 2576 - Por TID 4 AUDIO 7 2577 - Rus PCR 2561 AUDIO 8 2578 - Ara PMT 2560 AUDIO 9 2579 - Tur TELETEXT / AUXILIARY INFORMATION ENCRYPTION No ASPECT RATIO 16 : 9

Footprint

8 The Official Newsletter of the PHILIPPINE CABLE TELEVISION ASSOCIATION, INC.

THE NEED FOR “DIGITAL NOW” by Dr. Venancio C. Lo

This coming March 19-22, 2013 the Philippine Cable Television Association (PCTA) is holding its 21st Annual Convention at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City with the theme “Digital Now”.

There has been a lot of discussions in the past about cable television industry in the Philippines to go digital. For many small and medium size cable operators’ digitization is only for the big players – why? Simply because they cannot -af ford it. However, there has been significant development in digitization, not only in the technological aspect but also cost wise. The law of supply and demand will teach us that the more supply available the better for cable operators because prices will eventually go down. This is very true because there are many companies especially in China that manufacture digital products for cable system. To include PCTA has organized seminar topics and forums pertaining to the present trends and practices in digital technology for cable television operations. Notwithstanding the financial feasibility of migrating from analog system to digital system.

Now is the time for cable operators to seriously look at digitization of their cable services or maybe face the conse- quence of being left behind later on. The emerging threats of our competitors like Direct to Home (DTH) providers go- ing digital, Internet Television and the Digital (DTT) is just around the corner. It’s only a matter of time when it will hurt our operations the most.

In addition to the present trend in cable television service, the government of India recently passed an ordinance on the mandatory digitization of cable services in their country. To quote:

An ordinance has been passed by the Govt. of India on the mandatory digitization of the Cable Services. According to this amendment made in the section 9 of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Ordinance, 1995, the I&B ministry will make Digital Addressable Sys- tem mandatory. This measure will empower consumers to an increased number of channels and high quality viewing. The concept of a prime band will be passé after introduction of digitization. Viewers will be able to access digital services only through a set top box (STB).

Source: http://www.videocond2h.com/wsc/digitization_thewayahead.aspx

So what are we waiting for? Digital Now!

From Page 5 Channel NewsAsia, TV5Monde, and France24. Joining them as new Silver Sponsor for this year are Solar Entertainment Villasis, Affiliate Relations and Marketing Services Manager. Corporation and Euronews Channel. PCTA president, Mr. Allan Dungao led the group together Also on board as exhibitors are Amity Satellite Systems, Pro with Convention Chairman, Mr. Cedric Sazon; Directors, Mr. Broadband, Inc., CYO International, Home Shopping Network, Arnel Merilleno, Ms. Lorlyn Garcia-Velarde, and Ms. Bing MRMR Trading Enterprises, PLDT, Ricklee Enterprises, Cable Ledesma; and Secretary General, Ms. Anne Manalansan. Cable Corporation, EWTN, Creative Programs, Inc., Gospell, Zinwell, Boss’ support always guarantees the success of each PCTA Viva Communications, Inc., and Fibernet. Convention. To know more about the PCTA Convention you may contact the Silver Sponsors and Exhibitors PCTA Secretariat at telephone numbers (632) 638-8541 and Coming back as Silver Sponsors are Home Box Office Asia, (632) 638-8544 or email us at [email protected]

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From Page 7

A few days ago, our company trashed over a ton double the number of programs at the same price of obsolete but still working analog modulators, point , in order to keep its market share. And the only IRDs, amplifiers and processors and we barely made way, to effectively carry this channel loading, we will enough money to pay for labor in selecting, hauling have to move forward to digital technology. and disposing of these soon to be extinct equipment in the neighborhood scrap yard. We have kept a few The reality is that even if digital headend technology pieces perhaps to populate the Cable TV Museum for capex has gone down considerably from $2500/ the next generation to know how cable tv started in channel three years ago to around $1200/channel this part of the world. at today’s prices; we still have to fund the set top boxes which will populate our subscriber’s homes at We will soon have two truckloads of analog set top around$30-40 US dollars each. boxes to contribute to the scrap heap as we replace two decades old Jerrold/GI addressable decoders We observed that in our transitioning, there is great with new SD/HD digital boxes. Our huge satellite resistance from our subs in using the digital boxes antennas are now being transformed into other whenever added upfront cost is collected. The reason science fair projects of sort. We are converting our we always get is that, they never asked for a digital 10 meter dish antenna into an amusement park ride box in the first place, and since we ourselves, decided and hopefully find ways to make use of the other on the transition, that is our problem. scrap metal recycled from directional taps, amplifier housings, power supplies and the like.

Three years ago when we made the shift to digital, For the average cable tv operation with less than 5000 we envisioned maintaining a good percentage of subs, this is going to an uphill battle as the investment our clients in analog era boxes in order to effectively will already reach as much as P15M to pay for the 100 compete if ever a new cable tv player would enter channel headend and set top boxes to boot. our territory. Such a strategy of having the best of both worlds would have worked if the competitor were There will now be more pressure on the smaller players another cable tv company. We could dive our prices to consolidate their operations, pool their resources on the analog and maintain a good price point with and do a revenue sharing scheme in order to afford multilevel packaging of our digital offerings. Well, that digital technology and sustain an effective marketing was yesterday’s strategy! campaign.

With DTH starting to offer more HD channels and We have to capitalize also on cable’s two way souping up their SD offerings with new programming, capability, and that means we have to deploy more the analog era cable operator will surely start losing value added services such as broadband internet a good amount of market share. The Philippine and Voice over Broadband, tools which can help us economy is improving a lot and more Filipinos can fight the war with DTH. One of the weaknesses of Ku now afford more sophisticated programming. band direct to home technology is the fact that it is easily affected by bad weather, heavy rain and strong In a recent trip to outlying towns in our province, I winds. We have to leverage our resilience to weather noticed that even barong barongs (shanties) along and improve on our disaster recovery protocols. the highways had DTH dishes adorning their nipa roofs. This is a good indication for us in the industry, Cable TV is still a potent industry given its current as it shows that there is a market we have not taken dominance and its longstanding subscriber notice of. We all thought that the C-D market couldn’t relationships. Our local presence is one our best assets afford cable, much more DTH..well, believe me, the and we just have to make sure that our subscribers market out there, unsophisticated it may be, can now are always happy and respond to their needs and afford from a slew of different affordable tiers that the demands in a jiffy. Given the situation, we will always DTH players have been offering. have the upper hand if we go DIGITAL NOW!

The new battlecry for many of us in the business will The challenge now for the industry, is to develop have to be MORE CHOICES at LESS COST. In order to the Roadmap for the Transition to Digital as soon blunt the marketing drive of DTH players like Cignal, as possible. We need your inputs for this and that is why we want you to be there in our annual PCTA which carries as many as 50 SD and 18HD programs in nd its line up; cable operators will have to come up with convention this Mar.19-22 at the SMX convention center at the Mall of Asia complex. Register now!

10 The Official Newsletter of the PHILIPPINE CABLE TELEVISION ASSOCIATION, INC.

PCTA signs Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with IECEP

by Engr. Joseph M. Arguelles

The Institute of Electronics & Communications Engineers of The salient features of the MOA are the following: the Philippines Incorporated (IECEP) marked its 62nd Annual Convention and General Membership Meeting on November 1. Provision for IECEP members, PCTA cable installers, 22-24, 2012 at the Philippine Trade and Training Center (PTTC), technicians and engineers with Technical Seminars Pasay City, with the theme: “IECEP 2012: Innovation and accredited with Continuing Professional Education / Entrepreneurship Challenges for the Electronics Engineering Continuing Professional Development (CPE/CPD) Profession”. credit units;

The IECEP 2012 event was highlighted by the forging of a 2. Invitation to IECEP members who are not associated Memorandum of Agreement with the PCTA. The MOA was with the cable industry to attend PCTA’s nationwide duly signed by and between Engr. TEODORO D. BUENAVISTA seminars and its annual cable convention; and JR, President of IECEP-National and Mr. ALLAN P. DUNGAO, 3. Opportunities to make mutual representations to their President of PCTA (in absentia) duly represented by Ms. LORLYN respective members on their respective conventions, G. VELARDE, member of the PCTA Board of Directors. The MOA conferences and expositions. signing was duly witnessed by Engr. Melvin Acosta, IECEP Vice President for Education, Gen. Eliseo Rio, former Commissioner Both PCTA and IECEP have been working for the benefit of both of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), Engr. the cable industry and the electronics engineering profession. Mario G. Montejo, current Secretary of the Department of And the MOA is a formal channel and opportunity to work Science and Technology (DOST) and yours truly, a member of together in reinforcing the diverse electronics industry. the PCTA Board of Directors.

11 CABLE LINE PCTA TECHNICAL SEMINAR HOSTED IN CLARK, PAMPANGA by Engr. Frederick D. Esquillo

Philippine Cable Television Association (PCTA), Inc. held its last and Holdings Corporation, Cable Boss, Cable Television- technical seminar for the fiscal year June 2012-May 2013 in work, Inc., Celestron Cable TV Service Corp., Central Luzon Montevista Villas, Mimosa Leisure Park, Clark Freeport Zone, Cable Television Network – Mariveles, Pampanga, Central Lu- Pampanga last January 17 - 18, 2013. As in any other Technical zon Cable Television Network – Orani, Bataan, Choice Cable TV, Seminar, the National Telecommunications Commission partic- Inc., Clusterasia Corporation, Inc., Comclark Network & Tech- ipated in the event, represented by its Region 3 Director Azor L. nology Corporation, Concepcion Pay TV Network, Inc., Creative Sitchon, and two (2) of their lady engineers. Programs, Inc., Datelsat Cable TV System, E & E Electronics & Cable Services, Hillview Cable Systems, Inc., Hi-Tech Cable TV, During the opening ceremony, Mr. Allan Dungao, PCTA Presi- National Telecommunications Commission (NTC)-Region 3, dent, welcomed and commended the participants for their ea- Omnicontent Management, Inc., and Satellite Cable Network, gerness to learn, the cable operators for their continued sup- Inc. port to PCTA, and the NTC for their effort in helping the cable industry. Then, Director Azor L. Sitchon gave an inspirational At the beginning of the activity, participants of Level 1 and Level talk, followed by Engr. Romeo L. Zerrudo, PCTA Vice President 2 were given “diagnostic” exams to assess their knowledge on for Mindanao and Technical Committee Chairman, who intro- cable system. On each level, five (5) topics were discussed led duced the Technical Committee members. Engr. Julian Z. Ven- by the Technical Committee members: Engr. Allan C. Mundina, tura, PCTA Technical Committee Co-Chairman, discussed the Engr. Joseph M. Arguelles, Engr. Ronald G. Tuzon, Engr. Pere D. Seminar Guidelines and Regulations. Esquillo, Engr. Jules Z. Ventura and Engr. Romy L. Zerrudo. At the end of the seminar, the participants took a final exam to The two-day technical seminar for cable installers and cable verify and validate how well they absorbed and understood the technicians was attended by fifty four (54) participants. They discussions. Top three (3) for each level were then cited and represented eighteen (18) companies from Luzon: awarded with prizes during the closing ceremony.

Congratulations to all the participants, especially to those who topped the final exam. Level 1 (Cable Installer): Top 3: 1. Abigail M. Dahino (National Telecommunications Commission – Region 3) 2. Miguel John Cañeda (Creative Programs, Inc.) 3. Elmer S. Pinalapal (Clusterasia Corporation, Inc.) Level 2 (Cable Technician): Top 4: 1. Bryan B. Delos Reyes (Comclark Network & Technology Corporation) Philip John C. Chiong (Comclark Network & Technology Corporation) 2. Enrique S. Flores (Creative Programs, Inc.) 3. Jesse Glenn Z. Thiam (Cable Television Network, Inc.)

12 The Official Newsletter of the PHILIPPINE CABLE TELEVISION ASSOCIATION, INC. C A B L E L Y M P I C S 2013

Come March 22, 2013, the PCTA Technical Committee will host the 10th Cablelympics at the SMX Convention Center.

The Cablelympics will still be comprised of three rounds as before. The guidelines and mechanics will be the same as that of Cablelympics 2012 in Cebu: Elimination Round (Quiz Bee), Semi-Final Round (Problem Solving/Flip Chart), and Final Round (Hands-on). Ten (10) participants from the Elimination round will advance to the Semi-final round. Out of the ten (10) semi-finalists, the three (3) top participants will progress to the Final Round to battle for thest 1 Place, 2nd Place, and 3rd Place. The top three (3) will be graded on workmanship, choice of right tool/s, and time/speed of work.

Awards/Prizes (Final Round)

1st Place - medal + P5,000 cash

2nd Place - medal + P3,000 cash

3rd Place - medal + P2,000 cash

Consolation - t-shirt per participant

There is also a plan to give away other prizes during the event. Register now. See you there.

13 CABLE LINE STRICTLY TECHNICAL

BACK TO THE FUTURE: UPSTREAM/RETURN PATH by Engr. Frederick D. Esquillo

As we take on the challenge of delivering other services through Regarding transmissions, is it better to have the transmit the cable system, migration from one-way to two-way system level as high as possible and close to the minimum threshold had been a tedious task as it revealed problems and/or issues to have a better upstream CNR? not evident before the migration. These operational challenges are caused by the upstream noise in the form of burst noise, RF It is a good idea for modem transmit levels to be fairly high ingress, and common path distortion (CPD). Linear distortions for a better carrier-to-junk ratio, but a given modem’s transmit become evident also as contributed by amplifier tilt, group level should have around 6 dB of headroom with respect delay, micro-reflections, diplex filter, and open ports. So let’s to that modem’s maximum transmit power capability. The hear it from the experts on how to keep the upstream/return latter helps ensure sufficient output power dynamic range to path in top condition. Taken from a Communication Technology accommodate temperature-related signal level changes in the Webcast, three panelists – Ron Hranac (technical leader/CMTS coax plant. Business Unit at Cisco and senior tech editor at CT), David Haigh (lead engineer, Midcontinent Communications) and What causes laser clipping, and how can it be resolved? Jim Walsh (product manager, JDSU) – gave their take on the following questions and/or issues. The most common cause of laser clipping is RF levels that are too high at the laser input. What type of impairments will affect the entire return segment and what type of impairment is only localized to a How do I know if I have laser clipping? specific household? To check for laser clipping, observe the spectrum from 42 Impairments that “funnel” back to the node will affect the MHz to about 200 MHz with your analyzer. Clipping produces entire return segment. Examples include thermal noise, distortions that are visible in this frequency range. such nonlinear distortions as common path distortion (CPD), At exactly what frequencies does laser clipping occur? impulse noise and ingress, and laser clipping. Individual drop problems that affect the upstream signal level from a given When laser clipping occurs, it affects all frequencies in the modem generally will affect only that modem (example: a signal path. This is known as cross-compression. A good place backwards splitter or other drop problems), linear distortions to look for the presence of clipping distortion (upstream) is in (micro-reflection, amplitude ripple, group delay) through the 42 MHz-200 MHz band. which certain modems’ signals pass, etc., will not affect the entire return segment unless very close to the node. Which lasers are affected: those in the node or those in the hub? Will moving to an all-digital format make CPD go away? Any return laser through which upstream signals are No, CPD does not “go away” in an all-digital or mostly digital transmitted is susceptible to clipping (downstream lasers can network. The second- and third-order distortions become clip, too). noise-like rather than discrete beat clusters one sees in a network with a large number of analog TV channels. When What effect does combining upstream returns on a DWDM CPD exists in a network with a lot of digital signals, the effect link have on upstream signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and CWEs is an elevated noise floor. And going all digital may make CPD (Code Word Errors)? a lot more difficult to identify. Analog CPD is very distinctive. Digital CPD just looks like noise and could be confused with This would first depend on whether the return is analog other impairments. or digital. Digital returns are usually unaffected by DWDM technology unless “normal” optical impairments are present Under what circumstances would a technician find severe (e.g., low light due to muxing, etc.). If not aligned correctly the upstream data collisions, and how would you discover/ amount of analog upstreams combined can affect upstream troubleshoot that? SNR (MER) or CWE. Data collisions typically occur during contention slots for modem transmissions (this is normal and expected behavior). Excessive retransmissions may be an indication of data Most CWE or MER problems that have been encountered collisions. with upstream optics are due to other such normal optical

14 The Official Newsletter of the PHILIPPINE CABLE TELEVISION ASSOCIATION, INC.

impairments as low or excessive light levels, low or excessive RF path band edges (5 MHz~10 MHz, caused by AC chokes/filters, levels, overdriving an upstream erbium doped fibre amplifier and greater than about 35 MHz, caused by diplex filters). (EDFA) or laser clipping. One of the major contributors to low When a micro-reflection creates amplitude ripple (“standing upstream SNR (MER), are misaligned optics on the return path. waves”), one is likely to see group delay ripple, too. The testing Midcontinent has performed on live plant pointed to a diplexer Is measuring the micro-reflection on a CMTS one way of each time. Each time it tested a cable modem following an locating linear distortion? amplifiers diplexer, the group delay increased until the test reached the fourth and fifth amplifier, where the cable modem When “upstream SNR” (MER) is degraded but CNR is good, struggled to operate. that may be an indication of the presence of linear distortions. Specialized test equipment, such as JDSU’s PathTrak™, is the These are just some concerns and issues that we continue to best way to characterize the severity of linear distortions. face as the technology evolves. It only shows that we need to continue to learn and seek for answers. Well, it is just a click What is most common outside plant cause of group delay? Is or two to google. It’s just unfortunate that the link to the it diplex filters in actives? abovementioned webcast is already broken. Group delay in the outside plant is problematic at the return

CPD on Return Path. Common Path Distortion (CPD) is a non-linear distortion characterized by a significant rise in the noise floor across the return path spectrum accompanied by beats spaced at 6 MHz intervals, also in the return path.

Figure on the left, shows the upstream spectrum at the output of a cable network's headend optical receiver. The spectrum analyzer's span control is set to 100 MHz, which allows displaying both the 5-42 MHz upstream and any clipping distortion that may be present between 42 and 100 MHz. The analyzer's vertical scale is 10 dB/division. An upstream 3.2 MHz bandwidth test signal's center frequency is 32.75 MHz, well below the diplex filter roll- off area. The upstream C/N is a bit better than 35 dB, and ingress is quite low. There was no evidence of common path distortion (CPD) or impulse noise. Yet on this apparently clean upstream, 16-QAM would not work! The culprit? Linear distortions, which cause inter-symbol interference and degrade the data signal's modulation error ratio (MER). Linear distortions generally cannot be seen on conventional spectrum analyzers and SLMs.

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To: Ricklee Enterprises From: ARRIS Group, Inc. Date: December 19, 2012

Subject: Support of C4® CMTS Purchased from Non-ARRIS Authorized Sources

ARRIS strives to maintain the highest quality for all of our products and services, and these efforts have resulted in a consistent reputation for high quality for the ARRIS C4 CMTS product line. Customers that purchase C4 hardware and software from ARRIS authorized resellers can trust that the ARRIS products have been built to ARRIS quality standards, tested by ARRIS prior to shipment, and packaged correctly to ensure high-reliability in the field.

Unfortunately, the testing and handling of hardware and software purchased from non-ARRIS authorized sources cannot be trusted in this same manner. The original source and condition of such hardware and software as well as the factory test status will be unknown. Software received from a non-authorized source will not be licensed from ARRIS. In addition, the non-authorized personnel will lack the ARRIS training and best practices for packaging, handling, and other services.

As a result, ARRIS cannot provide support for hardware or software purchased from non-ARRIS authorized sources without additional actions including fees. To provide support on such hardware and software, ARRIS must inspect and test such hardware and software for an additional fee(s) to ensure it is fully compliant to ARRIS specifications and from damage. End customers wishing to purchase support for hardware obtained from non-ARRIS authorized sources should contact their ARRIS reseller to arrange for a quote.

Sincerely,

Todd Kessler Vice President, CMTS Product Line Management ARRIS Group, Inc.

2400 Ogden Ave. Suite 180 • Lisle, IL 60532 • phone: 630-281-3000 www.arrisi.com

16 The Official Newsletter of the PHILIPPINE CABLE TELEVISION ASSOCIATION, INC.

CPI GAINS MEDIA REPRESENTATION OF GLOBAL ENTERTAINMENT BRANDS: E!, UNIVERSAL CHANNEL & SYFY IN THE PHILIPPINES CPI will drive advertising sales of E! And distribution of Universal Channel and Syfy

6 December 2012, Manila – ABS CBN’s subsidiary, the launch of new talent search reality show, Opening Creative Programs Inc (CPI), Philippines’ leading operator Act, by American Idol creator Nigel Lythgoe. E!’s new and distributor of cable channels has been appointed by series that launched with the highest ratings this year media company Universal Networks International (UNI) in the United States – Married to Jonas - launched in as the media representative of E! Entertainment, tasked November, soon after the Jonas Brothers made an to drive the advertising sales of the pop culture channel appearance in Manila. in the Philippines. CPI has also started distributing UNI’s flagship channel Universal Channel and the imagination- As of September 2012, Universal Channel and Syfy have driven entertainment brand Syfy in The Philippines. The been distributed by CPI in the Philippines. Universal announcement is made by Christine Fellowes, Managing Channel has one of the highest growing viewership Director, Asia Pacific, Universal Networks International figures among international general entertainment and March Ventosa, Head of. cable channels in the territory. It delivers top-rated and exclusive global hit series and comedies such as Grimm March Ventosa, Head of ABS-CBN Narrowcast Group and Whitney to local audiences. said, “E! Entertainment, Universal Channel and Syfy are renowned entertainment brands that we believe Ventosa adds, “Syfy offers a one-of-a-kind destination will have strong appeal to our discerning viewers and for viewers who want a destination that pushes the advertisers. CPI is excited to add these brands toits boundaries of entertainment and delve into genres of roster of leading channels.” infinite possibilities, from the supernatural, mystery and E! Entertainment, the leading source for pop culture and the paranormal to action, adventure and reality. We are original entertainment content such as Keeping Up with looking forward to expanding our network presence in the Kardashians and Fashion Police was launched in the the Philippines.” Philippines in 2011, and is available on several major platforms including SkyCable, Cable Link and Cignal. For queries on Universal Channel and Syfy please call CPI Channel Distribution at (02) 9295322 or e-mail E! most recently undertook a global brand refresh, [email protected]. which was rolled out in Asia on September 23 with

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Schedule of Activities (As of February 11, 2013)

DAY 1 | Tuesday | 19 March

7:00 AM PCTA Golf Tournament Ayala Greenfield G&CC DAY 3 | Thursday | 21 March

9:00 AM Delegates’ Registration and 8:00 AM Delegates’ Registration Conference Kit Distribution Exhibit Registration nd 2 Floor Lobby Exhibit Registration 2nd Floor Lobby 8:30 AM- Plenary Session 5:00 PM Meeting Rooms 7 – 9, Level Two 2:00 PM Plenary Session Meeting Rooms 7 – 9, Level Two Technical Session Meeting Rooms 4 – 6, Level Two 6:00 PM Official Party: Creative Programs, Inc. Buffet 101 6:00 PM PCTA Fellowship Night One Esplanade, J.W. Diokno Blvd. DAY 2 | Wednesday | 20 March Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City

7:30 AM Delegates’ Registration Exhibit Registration 2nd Floor Lobby DAY 4 | Friday | 22 March

9:00 AM Convention Opening Ceremony 8:00 AM Exhibit Registration nd Function Room 3, Level Two 2 Floor Lobby

10:30 AM Exhibit Ribbon Cutting / 8:30 AM Management Sessions Exhibit Viewing Meeting Rooms 7 – 9, Level Two Function Room 4, Level Two * * * * 12:00 NN LUNCHEON Cablelympics / Awarding of Winners Function Room 3, Level Two Meeting Rooms 4 – 6, Level Two

1:00 PM PLENARY SESSION 1:00 PM Public Viewing of Exhibit Function Room 3, Level Two Function Room 4

2:00 PM PCTA General Membership Assembly Function Room 3, Level Two

Election of PCTA Board Members for F. Y. 2013 – 2014 Luzon / National: Function Room 3 Visayas: Meeting Room 8 Mindanao: Meeting Room 9

7:00 PM Official Party: HBO (by invitation only)

18 The Official Newsletter of the PHILIPPINE CABLE TELEVISION ASSOCIATION, INC. CABLE line

Editor-in-Chief AMELITA G. LEDESMA Design and Layout SAM L. LANUZA Editorial Board ALLAN P. DUNGAO Circulation ELPIDIO M. PARAS ARLENE ALMAIDA C. TAN JOSE L. LOBREGAT BIENVENIDO L. SARILLA, JR. MARIA ROSALINA A. SANTIAGO Managing Editor and Advertising Manager ROSANNA B. MANALANSAN Publisher PHILIPPINE CABLE TELEVISION ASSOCIATION, INC. Editorial Assistant Unit 504 Taipan Place Condominium, F. Ortigas Jr. Road Jennefer A. Mangussad Ortigas Center, 1605 Pasig City, Philippines Phone: (632) 638-8541; (632) 638-8544 Contributors Fax : (632) 638-8542 Dr. Venancio c. Lo Email: [email protected] / Engr. JULES z. VENTURA [email protected] engr. joseph m. arguelles www.pcta.org.ph Engr. Frederick d. Esquillo CREATIVE PROGRAMS, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Advisory to PCTA Members

To allow us to better serve our members:

1. Please update your official Members are therefore encouraged authorized representative, address, to carry the FTA signal and advise contact number(s) and email with the channel assignment to facilitate the secretariat to facilitate better authorization documentation. communication. 3. Assistance in processing MTRCB 2. In an agreement entered into by permits. PCTA with TV5Monde, France24, 4. Use of the comments/suggestions box Al Jazeera, Euronews, and Channel by members is highly appreciated. NewsAsia, these channels are giving free carriage to PCTA members.

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