Troy:
I am quite certain that the FPGA "alpha" prototype was used in the Maine test. Look at the following statement:
New Visual recently completed its first preliminary field test of a new semiconductor technology that promises to transmit data at greater speeds over longer distances using regular copper telephone wire.
They tested the technology. It's there in black and white. As for this:
The results of this first in a cycle of simulations indicate that New Visual's underlying signal processing and simulation technology works as expected.
Again, this is the confusing use of the word "simulation". The FPGA alpha prototype is the "simulation" technology. The FPGA programming is "simulating" the final product. At least, that is what I believe.
The objective of the test was to determine if New Visual's sophisticated field simulation model accurately measures and adjusts for noise and attenuation, which determines the signal-to-noise ratio, a key measure of the performance of a transmission technology.
The primary goal of the "technology" IMO is to measure and adjust for noise. That is the key to success. I still feel that this is clearly a test of the technology.
I think it becomes clearer in the following statement:
The objective of the test was to determine if New Visual's sophisticated field simulation model accurately measures and adjusts for noise and attenuation, which determines the signal-to-noise ratio, a key measure of the performance of a transmission technology
I am fairly certain that the "sophisticated field simulation model" is the "alpha" prototype.
If they did not test the "alpha" prototype, I cannot, for the life of me, figure out what is was that they did test. Testing the "alpha" prototype device is the only thing that makes sense.
I believe that there was little market reaction because there were no results released. Saying that the results were "as expected" means nothing unless you know what the expectations are. NVEI has not seen fit to let us know what exactly those expectations are.