By Robert J. Hoss and F. Ray Mcdevitt, Warner Amex Cable Communications Inc.
The rapidly evolving technology of fiber optics is providing many new options to the CATV systems integrator. For many years within the broadcast and CATV industry, fiber optics has provided short, single channel per fiber links for interference-free broadcast quality transmission. Not until recently has fiber optics become economical for video supertrunking. The ability to frequency and wavelength multiplex large groups of channels on a single fiber for repeaterless transmission beyond 10 miles has made fiber cost-competitive with coaxial supertrunk in certain systems. Advances in the fiber technology, with the introduction of low-cost single mode fiber, provide new cost and capacity advantages to the service provider. Although FM transmission on fiber is the lowest cost nearterm approach, the projected introduction of lowcost digital encoders may make PCM transmission the future choice, particularly for long haul transmission.
The cost and performance of FM video transmission over multimode and single mode fibers is compared. Comparison with digital transmission is made. Test data will be presented to confirm analytical results.