Cisco Snags Scientific Atlanta, Lays Out Vision for IP TV

Cisco Systems on Feb. 28 outlined its vision for Scientific Atlanta a day after its mega-acquisition closed, but product integration roadmaps won’t follow for another couple of months.

In one of its largest acquisitions to date, Cisco is going after service providers who are ultimately building next-generation applications for the consumer market.

The traditional enterprise networking giant, although not a stranger to the consumer market, will be charting unfamiliar waters in its bid to become a leader in consumer-focused IP TV.

Despite the challenges, Cisco officials believe that the company can deliver to service providers and carriers the next-generation platform required to create a range of different IP TV services.

Demand for such services is being fueled by the rise of more active entertainment, the connected home and more varied user experiences with access devices and services.

By leveraging the combined expertise of Cisco with IP, home networks with Cisco’s Linksys unit and now video, “we can deliver a better user experience with a platform to support many services to many screens,” said Paul Sanchirico, senior director of video and IP TV Network Systems Group at Cisco in San Jose, Calif.

In Cisco’s vision, there are five architectural elements required to deliver next-generation services that improve the user experience.

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