CableLabs is getting a rather belated Emmy for its work in helping to develop hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) technology. The 72nd Annual Technology and Engineering Emmy Awards will take place in partnership with the National Association of Broadcasters at the NAB Show on April 19 in Las Vegas.
HFC technology, first developed in the mid-'80s, currently deploys more than 500,000 miles of optical fiber worldwide. It was developed as a joint effort to improve the reliability of cable technologies devised in the early 1980s. Prior to 1985, cable systems were built entirely with coaxial cable and had long cascades of amplifiers, the failure of which affected service to large populations. In search of a solution, Time Warner - and later, Ortel - began experimenting with using fiber in the system with much shorter legs of coax and only a few amplifiers in each leg.
In 1988-89, the newly formed CableLabs (led by Dick Green) drove the effort to standardize the application of HFC technology and facilitate collaboration between cable operators and industry vendors.
Individuals being honored include:
- Dick Green
- Jim Collins
- Jim Chiddix
- Louis Williamson
- Dave Pangrac
- Don Gall
- John Walsh
- Jim Luddington
- Jay Vaughn
- John Malone
- J.C. Sparkman
- Richard Rexrote
- Hank Blauvelt
- Larry Stark
- John Egan
- Bob Stanzione
- Carl McGrath
- Gerry Fenderson
- David Grubb
- Steve Frederick
- Geoff Roman
- Dave Fellows
- Lee Thompson
- Frank Little
- Rezin Pigeon
Corporate entities being honored include:
- CableLabs
- Time Warner/ATC
- TCI
- Ortel
- ANTEC/AT&T Bell Laboratories
- Jerrold/General Instrument
- Scientific Atlanta
In 2010, CableLabs received an Emmy for DOCSIS 3.0 technology.