We look to our TV provider and companies like TiVo and Moxi to bring us DVRs, but the one thing just about every DVR has in common is a Broadcom chip makes them tick. So while the rest of the box varies by a lot, if the System on a Chip (SoC) doesn't support it, then it probably isn't there -- assuming another chip isn't added for a specific task. So you can understand why we got so excited when we saw the specs on the latest SoC, the BCM7125, announced by Broadcom at the Cable-Tec Expo. It of course supports tru2way and CableCARD, but more interestingly; MoCA 1.1, DLNA, Flash (as in video streaming), DOCSIS 3.0, and a 3D graphics engine. This means that little little guy could be the key to a multi-room DVR without running wires, that will play Hulu directly from the internet as well as stream content from PlayOn, all via a great looking user interface. So yeah, it has potential. The sad news is that there's no way to know how long we'll have to wait before a DVR is released that'll actually take advantage it.

You'll still need the love and support of your dear cable provider, but if you're within range of DOCSIS 3.0 service, you can bypass at least one aspect of dealing with your local monopoly ISP. Starting this week, Motorola is launching the planet's first retail DOCSIS 3.0 cable modems, which enable speeds up to four times faster than DOCSIS 2.0. The SURFboard SB6120 DOCSIS 3.0 eXtreme cable modem will soon be cluttering up shelves at Fry's Electronics, presumably just beside the incredibly deceiving Monster Cable demonstration area. There's no word on price just yet, but don't expect such a luxury item to run you cheap, okay?

Forget 101Mbps Internet service or even the 160Mbps available in on J:COM in Japan, Virgin Media is about to put a lucky few of its slick new modems to real work, testing 200Mbps internet, "full HD" broadband content (we take that to mean 1080p) and 3D. All delivered via DOCSIS 3.0, the downside is that at least for the next six months this pilot project will be extended only to about 100 "lead adopters" around Ashford, Kent for testing. We've heard all we need to get packed for a move, how about you?

[Via Hexus]

Not to be confused with the OTA switch to digital, Comcast is apparently ready to resume shoving customers off the analog coil and making room for more HD, DOCSIS 3.0 high speed Internet and other things we like, starting with Boston and Atlanta. Termed "Project Cavalry" it's not removing every channel from analog, but about 40 of them, and as the FCC directed giving customers two digital terminal adapters (pictured) and one digital box for free as long as they remain with Comcast. According to Cable Digital News, Chattanooga picked up 22 new high definition networks and 50Mb Internet service after the digital migration, so it really can't happen fast enough.

Eager to see what life's like on a Sony VAIO hitting speeds in excess of 160Mbps? Head on over to the City of Brotherly Love, as that's where a flashy new retail location is opening up to simultaneously showcase the future of high-speed internet and Sony gear. The Sony Style Comcast Labs facility will open its doors to the public tomorrow in Philadelphia's Comcast Center, where onlookers will be able to check out the power of DOCSIS 3.0 as well as some applications and platforms being developed to take advantage of all that speed. As far as we can tell, this co-branded location is nothing more than a showcase of current and future products for both firms, though we fully anticipate that reps will be on hand to take orders of whatever you fall for while browsing around. Anyone down for checking it out?

Another week, another round of DOCSIS 3.0 implementations from Comcast. This time, we've learned that two new higher-speed internet tier options will be made available in Silicon Valley, Tri-Valley and Monterey, with rollouts continuing to San Francisco, Oakland and the rest of the Bay Area later this year. Needless to say, that means Extreme 50Mbps and Ultra 22Mbps packages are within reach, and better still, Comcast will be doubling the speed of existing connections for most users at no extra cost. The full list of available neighborhoods is tucked away in the read link, but before you go hunting, you should know that Extreme 50 will run you $139.95 per month while Ultra 22 will set you back $62.95. Oh, and both of 'em just help you reach your 250GB cap that much faster each month.

As it stands, Comcast's blazing fast DOCSIS 3.0 high-speed internet is only available in a few select metropolitan areas. If the operator has its way, that'll all change in the year 2009. In a release that just makes us giddy inside, Comcast has announced a new goal of reaching "more than 30 million homes and businesses, or 65% of its footprint, this year with superfast wideband speeds running on next-generation DOCSIS 3.0." Oh, and if you're not one with lots of patience, you may appreciate (depending on your location) that DOCSIS 3.0 has now spread to 30 percent of its footprint, or over 15 million businesses and domiciles. For more on what markets are now covered and who's on deck, give that read link some love.

Still waiting for Verizon's FiOS to come and light up your neighborhood with blistering download speeds? Now you have something even faster to wait for, with Charter Communications announcing it is launching a 60Mbps broadband service, utilizing DOCSIS 3.0 to fit more bits in the same pipes -- not quite the 160Mbps Comcast predicted, but we'll take it. What the company isn't announcing is when people will be able to tap into this or how much they'll pay for the privilege, but hopefully it'll be a little less than the $140 Verizon is charging.

Another month, another city or two seeing the beauty that is DOCSIS 3.0. As Comcast continues on its quest to offer the blazing fast internet speeds in 100 percent of its markets by 2010, we're told that the great city of Chicago (or its suburbs, more specifically) now has access. Existing customers will see a speed boost at no additional cost, and those still unsatisfied can opt for a $62.95 per month 22Mbps down / 5Mbps up or $139.95 per month 50Mbps / 10Mbps connection. DSLReports has also mentioned that San Francisco should be getting upgraded in the not-too-distant future, so if you call the Bay your home, keep an eye out.

[Via Electronista]

Comcast promised us all a few months back that it would be bringing its wicked fast DOCSIS 3.0 technology to a handful of other big markets before too long, and today the carrier has chosen to reveal the next four places where said service will be made available. The high-speed internet service, which is capable of hitting 50Mbps down / 5Mbps up, will be launched "over the next several weeks" in Chicago, Atlanta, Baltimore and Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Don't see your city listed? Hang tight -- the next wave should be announced in the not-too-distant future.

Details are exceptionally vague at the moment, but Insight Communications is currently testing an internet service capable of hitting (theoretical) download speeds as high as 100Mbps. Not that we haven't seen similar services offered from fiber providers or anything, but generally speaking, 50Mbps is the high-end of what DOCSIS 3.0 provides. Then again, the article never specifically mentions said protocol, so we're left to wonder exactly what's going on and when it'll expand from this so-called "trial" stage. Can you tell we're tense with anticipation?

[Via DSLReports]

Alright Minneapolis, you've had your fun. Now it's time for another swath of Comcast markets to indulge in the lavish joys that only DOCSIS 3.0 can provide. For those unaware, the aforesaid technology enables 50Mbps internet to be delivered over the cable company's infrastructure, which brings it up to speed (ahem) with offerings by fiber-based carriers Verizon and AT&T. In the next few weeks, the DOCSIS 3.0-based "Extreme 50" option will bring 50Mbps down / 5Mbps up to subscribers in parts of New England, Philadelphia and New Jersey. Better still, the company announced its intentions to bring the $139.95 per month service to ten other big markets where it will reach "about 10 million homes and businesses in the next few months." Oh, and if that's just too much intarwebz for you to handle, an "Ultra" 22Mbps downstream service will be available for $62.95 per month.

[Via Reuters, image courtesy of TheRedWoodMotel]

Charter's CTO, Marwan Fawaz, recently sat down with MultiChannel to talk business, particularly business plans for 2009. Some of the highlights included his confession that DOCSIS 3.0 would only be piloted in a select few markets next year, his admission that the carrier wouldn't reach its goal of 40 HD channels across its entire footprint, and his completely unrelated blabbering when asked about tru2way. More specifically, Fawaz noted that it was "adding a significant amount of HD channels," but rather than just tossing in linear networks, it's adding on-demand. Not everything was less-than-stellar news, however, as he did state that it was just about ready to tee up switched digital video in a number of regions (albeit a tad late), Los Angeles included. We'd say you could hit the read link for a look at the full interview, but unless you're looking for reasons to feel depressed, we'd actually advise against it.

[Thanks, Josh]

It looks as if the days of Time Warner Cable resting on its laurels while laughing all the way to the bank are coming to end, particularly in NYC. Although Chief Operating Officer Landel Hobbs was quoted as saying that TWC was "effectively positioned in Manhattan" while "[Verizon] was just getting started," we'd say it has plenty to fear. The outfit is expected to ramp up marketing in order to push its services over those offered by competing telcos and satcasters, though without a significant boost in HD options in a significant number of markets, we can't see the spots really making much of an impact. Additionally, said exec said that the firm plans to roll out DOCSIS 3.0 "surgically" in order to compete in FiOS areas, and given that this is the company who is actually mulling consumption-based internet billing, we don't find its hesitation to go full-bore shocking in the least. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]

With enough bandwidth to support 1080p video on-demand, France's Numericable has apparently found space left over in its MPEG-4 DOCSIS 3.0 network to add five new channels. All due before the end of the month, Melody Zen and Brava HDTV jump into the Premium Plus channel lineup, while Euro 1080, i-Concerts HD and Ushuaïa TV HD head to the premium package. No MTV Networks?