Digital Return Path Technology

Digital return technology, including frequency stacking and dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM), has been added to a suite of advanced return path solutions. The digital return technology, which is based on Gigabit Optical transport, was developed to terminate the analog plant in the reverse at the fiber optic node and provide a digital path from node to headend, using the existing technologies as basic building blocks. Its immediate benefits include low-cost optics, longer distances between active components, and the virtual elimination of impairment generation beyond the conversion point in the node. As HFC architectures continue to mature into efficient data networks, the digitized reverse path will serve as the starting point for incorporating digital multiplexing, further DSP functionality, distributed intelligence, increased robustness, and ideal interfaces to digital receivers.

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