Systems and methods of estimating a distance to a cause of a micro-reflection in a CATV network.

An indexing system includes an indexing component; a redundant optical path; and a fiber tap arrangement. Multiple indexing components can be daisy-chained together in the indexing system. The redundant optical path is created between any forward port and any rearward port in the network. Multiple redundant optical paths can be created within the network. One or more tap arrangements can be disposed along each redundant optical path. Accordingly, feed signals in a bidirectional indexing environment can be supplied to each drop line along the redundant optical path from either direction without recabling.

Methods and systems capable of improving the transmission of data along an upstream path of a Hybrid Fiber-Coaxial Cable Network, from a transmitter in a node to a receiver in a Cable Modem Termination System.

Producing advanced HFC CATV cable systems while easing the burden of backward compatibility. The system improves CATV data carrying capacity by moving RF QAM modulators from the cable head end to various individually or group addressed optical fiber nodes supplying neighborhood CATV cables, and sending data from the cable head IP backbone to the nodes over optical fiber as IP data packets. For high backward compatibility, the system digitizes legacy RF waveforms, or demodulates legacy QAM waveforms to QAM symbols, also transmits these over the optical fiber as IP data packets, and then reconstitutes back to original waveforms as needed. The system is thus able to easily handle legacy NTSC, FM, QPSK waveforms and do partial (QAM symbol level) compression of legacy QAM waveforms to and from multiple nodes without requiring additional optical fiber wavelengths. The system may use non-standard upstream/downstream CATV frequency splits, filter bank receivers, and FPGA/DSP/ASIC methods.

Techniques for transmitting an optical signal through optical fiber with an improved stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) suppression and an improved transmitter's signal to noise ratio (SNR) include externally modulating a light beam emitted from a light source with a high frequency signal. The light beam is also modulated externally with an RF information-carrying signal. The high frequency signal is at least twice a highest frequency of the RF signal. The high frequency signal modulating the light source can be split, providing a portion of the split signal to a phase and gain control circuit for adjusting a phase/gain. The output of phase and gain control circuit can be applied to the external modulator to eliminate intensity modulation for SBS suppression improvement. The optical transmitter's SNR is further improved by cancelling a beat between SBS suppression modulation tone and out of band distortion spectrum of information bearing RF signal.

An electromagnetic signal transport and distribution system simultaneously transports over one single mode fiber various programming specifically requested by multiple users in multiple locations while simultaneously offering bidirectional communications with a public network.

An optical combiner for a communications network transmitting both upstream signals and a downstream optical signal. The communications network includes an array of amplifiers, each receiving a respective instance of the downstream optical signal. The output of each amplifier is split among a plurality of ports in a first splitter/combiner unit. The first splitter/combiner unit transmits the amplified downstream optical signal to respective second splitter/combiner units.

Methods and systems capable of launching signal-carrying transverse electromagnetic waves onto a transmission line in the higher voltage region of the transmission distribution network. Such methods and systems may include a surface wave launcher located in the higher voltage region, a network unit located in a lower voltage region, and an arrester separating the surface wave launcher and the network unit, the arrester preventing voltage from arcing over from the higher voltage region to the lower voltage region where the arrester provides the signal to the surface wave launcher.

In a video signal transmission system using fiber optic cable, an improved optical transceiver module (fiber module) having integrated video signal processing capabilities can be used in video signal transmitters for video sources, video signal receivers for display devices, or video switching devices. The improved fiber module has a form factor complying with the Small Form-factor Pluggable standard, and a standard optical fiber connector. In addition to an optical transceiver, the improved fiber modules includes a ¼ inch signal processing chip programmed to perform video signal processing. The mainboard of the video signal transmitter or receiver or the video switching device has additional signal processing chips for processing non-video signals such as audio, data, network, RS-232, and IR remote control signals, but they do not perform video signal processing. Another embodiment is a fiber optic cable with an electrical signal connector module that integrates a video signal processing chip.

A video signal transmitter or receiver for handling multiple video signals, including mainboard signal processing circuitry, one master fiber module, and one or more add-on fiber modules. Video data signal for the multiple videos are transmitted over the master and add-on fiber modules, but no video control signal is transmitted over any add-on fiber module. Video control signal for all of the multiple videos are transmitted on a first subset of channels of the master fiber module in a multiplexed manner. The mainboard signal processing circuitry cooperates with the signal processing chip of the master fiber module to process all video control signals, with the master fiber module processing video control signals for at least two videos. Non-video signals are processed by the mainboard circuitry and transmitted on a second subset of channels of the master fiber module (same as or different from the first subset of channels).