Digital cable broadens broadcasters' budgets

As digital TV broadcasting takes off around the world, cable operators have been watching developments with a keen eye. As more value added services are introduced along with video and audio, it becomes apparent that cable may offer a significant advantage over all other transmission methods including terrestrial and satellite. This paper compares the merits of direct cable links and explores the concept of the `broadcaster budget'. It also demonstrates how the impact of services such as the Internet and video on demand benefit from high speed interactive communication links that cable TV can offer.