Diamond Technology Reviews 2021

Sept. 22, 2021
The 17th Diamond Technology Reviews carries on Broadband Technology Report’s tradition of recognizing innovation.

The 17th Diamond Technology Reviews carries on Broadband Technology Report’s tradition of recognizing innovation in broadband communications, video transmission, and related technologies. While we entered this year’s program with the hope that we’d be “back to normal” after last year’s experiences with the pandemic, the fact that 2021 will again see us celebrate honorees as part of the SCTE Cable-Tec Expo Virtual Experience instead gives us a bit of déjà vu.

Regardless of the ups and downs of the past year, we are again impressed with the level of ingenuity exemplified in this year’s high-scoring entries. As is the case every year, we invited vendors serving the broadband cable industry to submit information about products that have been released or upgraded since last year's SCTE Cable-Tec Expo (October 2020).

Each entry was assigned to at least three of our expert volunteer judges. To help ensure fairness, similar products from different vendors were reviewed by the same group of panelists. Judges based scores/comments on written material provided by vendors, as well as their own experience with or knowledge of the specific technologies. Review panelists were informed that scores/comments would remain anonymous.

Specifically, judges used the following scale to determine Diamond scores:

  • 1-2: Not a useful product
  • 3.0: Useful product, yet commodity
  • 3.5: Solid product with viable attributes that set it apart
  • 4.0-4.5: Excellent product with technical features and performance that provide clear and substantial benefits
  • 5: Superb product that sets new standard for performance and/or breaks new ground

Each entry’s scores were averaged and rounded to the nearest full or half Diamond. Note that products are grouped by score (with the highest Diamonds ranking first), and then in alphabetical order.

Scores of 3.5 or above are considered superlative and reflect a very positive opinion from the panel. Only products receiving a 3.5 or above are included in this article.

This year’s program saw several products designed to aid cable system operators with the transition to 10G capabilities. Some of these focused on HFC infrastructure and others focused on all-fiber networking. And, of course, the evolution in the physical plant creates a need for new test instruments and capabilities, as a large swath of this year’s honorees illustrates.

"Cable MSOs continue to strive to keep pace with increasing capacity demands and competition in a challenging environment," commented Broadband Technology Report Editorial Director Stephen Hardy, who again served as program director this year. “This year’s honorees should help operators achieve these goals.”

The Diamond Technology Review judging panel again stepped up to evaluate a wide range of technologies. “The expertise our judges bring each year is essential to the Diamond Technology Reviews, and we remain grateful for their contributions to our program,” Hardy concluded.

2021 DIAMOND JUDGES PANEL

Program Director: Stephen Hardy, Editorial Director, Broadband Technology Report

Fuad Alnajjar, Director, Product Development and Emerging Tech, Mediacom

Jack Burton, Principal, Broadband Success Partners

Tee Harton, Sr. Director, RF Engineering, Cox Communications

Robert Kuse, Senior Director - Access Engineering, Cox Communications

Mike Latino, VP, Service Infrastructure, Cox Communications

Mark Woodworth, Engineering Architect, Comcast

Active Network Hardware

CommScope RD2322 RxD

EnerSys Energy Systems XRT Extended Run Time Cabinets

Technetix DBT-1800-C3

Technetix XGT Gigabit Modular Outdoor Multitaps

Back Office

Incognito Software Systems Automated Firmware Management Solution for DOCSIS Fraud Detection and Mitigation

IQGeo Workflow Manager

Cabling and Accessories

AFL Apex Sealed Splice Closures

Amphenol Broadband Solutions FlexTrax

Wirewerks Fiber+Power Solutions

CCAP Systems

Harmonic CableOS Cloud-Native Core Platform

Field Test Instruments

AFL Field-Replaceable Port Saver OTDR Connectors

AFL FlexScan® TS100 FTTH PON Troubleshooter

AFL FlowScout PON Optical Power Meter

EXFO FIP-500 Fiber Inspection Scope

VIAVI Solutions Advanced WiFi Option, ONX-220

VIAVI Solutions Nano OSA Module

VIAVI Solutions OneAdvisor-800

VIAVI Solutions Optimeter

VIAVI Solutions Seeker X Leakage System

FTTH/Optical Access Platforms

Ciena 3801

Ciena 3802

CommScope NOVUX FTTX Ecosystem

Monitoring & Analysis

Effigis Geo-Solutions XT Leakage Detection Solution

Incognito Software Systems Monetization and Analytics Platform

Plume Consumer Experience Management Platform

VIAVI Solutions NITRO Business Intelligence Fiber Insight Analytics for ONMSi Remote Fiber Test and Monitoring

VIAVI Solutions ONMSi Flash Fiber Monitoring for Addressing Network Route Flapping

VIAVI Solutions StrataSync Fiber and Cable Dashboard Analytics for VIAVI OTDRs and ONX Cable Meters

Optical Transport/Carrier Ethernet

Ciena 3924

Ciena 5164

ProLabs Very High Temperature (VHT) SFP+ 10G 80-km Transceivers

VIAVI Solutions ONT 800G FLEX XPM Module

Video Distribution Solutions

Blonder Tongue Labs NXG EDGE

Broadpeak Open Dynamic Elastic CDN

Video Processing Solutions

CommScope VIP7100 UHD IP Streamer

Synamedia Media Edge Gateway ATSC 3.0 Receiver

WiFi Solutions

Airties Cloud with Airties Vision App

Incognito Software Systems DX Digital Experience User Services Platform for Smart Home Service Delivery

Plume Consumer Experience Management Platform