Arris is introducing a new member of its VIPr transcoders, this one with triple the channel capacity of its predecessor.
At the same time, the company is announcing new ad management software to complement its SkyVision product suite, and it is also announcing a new module for its ServAssure management software that detects service outages.
The new VIPr 6000 performs transcoding, multiplexing and ad splicing and is capable of processing up to 24 QAMs of video per rack unit in its high-density configuration, simultaneously reducing per-stream power requirements and space used in the headend.
Cable service providers currently use the VIPr platform to transcode channels from MPEG-2 to H.264, from H.264 to MPEG-2 and to compress four HD MPEG-2 video channels onto one QAM channel. The VIPr 6000’s increased density allows for improvements in HD channel compression, without sacrificing video quality, Arris said.
Arris also released an updated version of its VIPr management software. VIPr Element Manager 1.1 monitors and controls all VIPr 2000, 4000 and 6000 platforms and adds two new data-logging features. One allows operators to monitor ad splices; the other generates reports that record real-time variation in input audio levels and what, if any, adjustments were made to conform to recommended audio levels.
With cable moving toward a common ad platform based on standards such as SCTE 130, equipment vendors such as Arris are developing tools to help manage these more complex advertising systems. Arris AdManager is a standards-based platform enabling cable providers to manage advertising operations, including ads distributed to IP-based devices such as tablets, connected TVs, game stations, laptops and smartphones.
The Arris AdManager Suite comprises four modular components:
- AdManager Core – Comprises ad content workflow and routing of ad placement decisions between any campaign management application and any delivery infrastructure. Core is also responsible for aggregating audience measurement data and packaging it for consumption by audience measurement applications.
- AdManager 360 – Represents a set of campaign management applications intended to drive VOD and dynamic linear placements, including the capability to manage linear schedules and verifications for interconnect operations. AdManager 360 adheres to SCTE 130 specifications, as well as Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) specifications like Video Ad Serving Template (VAST) and Video Player Ad Interface Definition (VPAID), enabling the platform to interoperate with third-party components.
- AdManager Delivery – Abstracts the various delivery infrastructure elements (DPI ad servers, VOD servers and CDNs) by providing a uniform SCTE 130 ADM interface and a comprehensive Playlist Manager.
- AdManager Enterprise – Provides global monitoring and advertising operations control at regional and national levels.
The AdManager platform can be integrated with Arris’ ConvergeMedia Management, ConvergeMedia XMS and VIPr re-encoding products for linear ad insertion, VOD dynamic ad insertion and IP-addressable ad placement.
Meanwhile, Arris EventAssure Outage Management software is the newest element of the company’s service assurance product line. Arris ServAssure Advanced polls DOCSIS equipment on a network. EventAssure uses that polling infrastructure to support automatic identification of plant and service failures through correlation of events.
