Abstract—A protection scheme is proposed that can be applied to video distribution networks. Instead of fully protecting affected High Definition TV connections it provides reduced bandwidth that suffices for Standard Definition TV. Two versions of this scheme are studied: when working and protection bandwidth are separate, and when working bandwidth may be “victimized ” (interrupted). An analysis is given to determine when such a scheme is economical. Keywords-optical networks; wavelength division multiplexing; digital video distribution networks; protection. I