Comcast Promises Internet Service 16 Times Faster than Existing Top Speeds

LAS VEGAS — In a peek into the potential future of television, Comcast Corp. on Tuesday demonstrated Internet service 16 times faster than today's top speeds.

Separately, it showcased a new system that could someday eliminate the need for clunky cable set-top boxes – and all the wires and extra remote controls that come with them.

With the super-fast Web service, a consumer could download a high definition movie in about four minutes that would take six hours or more at today's Internet speeds, according to Comcast CEO Brian Roberts.

Roberts said Comcast, the nation's biggest cable provider, will begin deploying the new the broadband Internet technology, which it calls "Wideband," in some markets later this year. If it works as planned, it could eventually be available in millions of homes across the country.

Comcast has been working on the next generation Internet technology for several years. Other cable companies are working on similar Internet improvements.

In a presentation at the International Consumer Electronics Show here, Roberts joined the CEO of Panasonic in also showing off two televisions that come with all the technology found in a cable set-top box built in behind the screens.

"That means customers no longer need a set-top box," Panasonic President Toshihiro Sakamoto said. "It's built right into the TV ... and one remote will control it all." Panasonic plans to start selling the TVs later this year.

The Panasonic TVs are being developed under a new cable industry initiative, called "Tru2Way," that promises to standardize how televisions, digital video recorders and other electronics work, regardless of cable provider.

Moves like Panasonic's, as well as the Tru2Way initiative, could cause trouble for traditional set-top box makers like Motorola Inc. and Lawrenceville, Ga.-based Scientific Atlanta.

But Dave Clark, director of product strategy at Scientific Atlanta, said the death of the traditional channel-changer box has been predicted before – and is still wrong.

"You will see more competition from more brands and more products coming out that will in a sense compete with us ... but we welcome the competition," he said.

Just as companies like Panasonic are coming out with alternatives to set-top boxes, Scientific Atlanta and its competitors are coming out with their own new products that support the "Tru2Way" standards, Clark said.

"There's a lot of things yet to come down the pipe," Clark said.

In his keynote speech at CES, Roberts also announced that Comcast will increase its high definition offerings from about 300 movies now to about 1,000 by the end of this year.

Comcast and other cable companies are relying on new innovations to address increasing threats from telephone and satellite companies, said Michael Cai, an analyst at tech research firm Parks Associates in Dallas.

Verizon's fiber optic Internet service, called FiOS, already offers connection speeds five times faster than cable in select markets. Satellite company DirectTV claims to be the leader in high definition and is steadily adding to its high-def offerings.

"In general the cable companies don't innovate, but they do respond," Cai said. "And with all the competitive threats from the telcos and satellite companies, they (cable providers) are finding they have to respond more quickly."

When it rolls out its new Web improvements, Comcast will offer the fastest speeds available from any Internet provider, Roberts said.

Not only will that mean better service for consumers, he said, it will spur new innovations.

"Just think about what happened when cable ... introduced broadband speeds," Roberts said, noting that broadband paved the way for Internet video, search services like Google and e-commerce.

"When we boost our Web speeds 10, 20, maybe even 50 times faster that what you're used to today, it will bring a whole new world of innovation we can barely imagine," he said.

Analyst Cai said users may not necessarily see a direct impact of even faster Internet connections. But they will benefit from new applications that they will foster.

With faster speeds, Cai said, consumers could send high definition family movies to relatives, for instance. Businesses could benefit from better video conferencing systems. And the digital distribution of everything from movies to video games could be vastly improved, he said.

"Higher bandwidth is obviously always good," Cai said.