What is switched digital video (SDV)?

Switched Digital Video, whether we like it or not, is the future of cable installation. What does this mean too HTPC/TiVo owners? EngadgetHD breaks it down for us in a simple to digest article.

EngadgetHD

In the past, this practice has worked a-okay since each additional analog or digital SD channel only required a small amount of extra bandwidth; now, however, customers are demanding more and more HD programming, and as you can likely glean, these newfangled HD channels require quite a bit more bandwidth to deliver. Given the alternative of ripping up existing networks and replacing them with higher-speed alternatives (read: no way that’s happening), cable providers got smart and conjured up the idea of using switched digital video.