upgrades to the headend or core network are amortized over the entire network. By contrast, each set-top box is amortized from payments received from the individual customer. New set-top boxes add up to an enormous amount of money for cable providers with millions of customers. In addition, set-top box upgrades require more administrative time for programming the set-top boxes and answering customer inquiries. These costs are a major factor in many providers' decision to gradually implement upgrades in their coverage areas. This spreads out the costs over a few years rather than during a single year. Soft Set-Top Boxes One way that cable TV providers are saving money is by eliminating set-top boxes on certain Internet-connected televisions. On Samsung, for example, Comcast offers an app with full access to Comcast's program options. Comcast's app is also available on Roku devices. RCN, a regional cable TV provider, offers its program guide on other set-top boxes as well. USING CABLE MODEM TERMINATION SYSTEMS FOR IP TRAFFIC Cable Modem Termination Systems (CMTSs) are located at the cable or distribution center (the hub). They modulate and demodulate (hence, the term "modem") digital voice and data signals and place them on cable infrastructure. Modulation is the technique of making digital signals suitable for radio frequencies (electromagnetic waves) that carry signals on cabling infrastructure. CMTSs demodulate signals received from customers to make them suitable for transmission on a www.TechnicalPDF.com cable company's fiber-optic rings, which connect smaller hubs to headend facilities. CMTSs monitor the level of traffic at each fiber node SO that cable providers are aware when congestion occurs and nodes need to be added to serve fewer homes per node. Moreover, they are responsible for encryption to ensure privacy, security, and conditional access. Conditional access is the determination of whether a customer is entitled to certain features. CMTS devices have built-in routers that send traffic to different d