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Future Of Cable And Internet? In Philly This Week, It's Right Around The Corner

By KYW tech editor Ian Bush

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Thousands of cable engineers and other industry types have descended on Philadelphia this week for their annual expo. But anyone who watches TV and uses the Internet might be interested in some of what they have on display.

If you're not in the market for a fiber splicing trailer or a handheld signal leakage tracker, this might be more your speed.

"High Dynamic Range makes the picture clearer, sharper, more vivid, and more 'real' in a sense," says Jonathan Ruff with the telecom equipment manufacturer Arris.

You've seen the 'HDR' designation on your smartphone's camera app. On HDR-equipped TVs, it's a different execution but a similar idea: making what you see on the screen more like how the images appear in real life.

Arris, which makes the encoding technology that programmers like ESPN use to get video to cable providers and to your home, showed Cable-Tec Expo attendees a convincing 4K HDR demo on a sleek curved wall-mounted screen.

"In some cases, it almost makes it look 3D -- there's so much detail between the HDR and the 4K," Ruff says.

(Ian:) To my eyes, it's as good as the difference between standard-definition and HD -- like once you see HD, you can't go back.

(Ruff:) "Totally. It makes a significant impact to the visual quality. Adding 4K, which is four times the density of information on the screen, makes a lot of that imagery pop out, especially with sports and concerts. You're engaged. You almost feel like you're there."

With HDR and 4K content, virtual reality, and the connected home, you'll need more bandwidth. To challenge Google Fiber, Comcast is among those testing DOCSIS 3.1, which zips gigabit Internet over existing cable lines. The modem you'll use to get it might just be made by Arris.

"My 17-year-old is not going to sit around for a couple of hours while that new VR game comes down," Ruff says. "He'll want it in five minutes or less. Gigabit will enable you to do that."

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