Editing Cable television (section)

===Hybrid fiber-coaxial===
{{Main|Hybrid fibre-coaxial}}

Modern cable systems are large, with a single network and headend often serving an entire [[metropolitan area]]. Most systems use [[hybrid fiber-coaxial]] (HFC) distribution; this means the trunklines that carry the signal from the headend to local neighborhoods are [[optical fiber]] to provide greater bandwidth and also extra capacity for future expansion. At the headend, the electrical signal is translated into an optical signal and sent through the fiber. The fiber trunkline goes to several ''distribution hubs'', from which multiple fibers fan out to carry the signal to boxes called ''optical nodes'' in local communities. At the optical node, the optical signal is translated back into an electrical signal and carried by [[coaxial cable]] distribution lines on utility poles, from which cables branch out to a series of signal amplifiers and line extenders. These devices carry the signal to customers via passive RF devices called taps.