BigBand Networks has assembled the first half-dozen companies in an ecosystem of technology partners whose products can be used to migrate from current cable networks to IPTV delivery systems.
Products from those first six announced partners – Hitron Technologies, Mplus Technology, Netgear, SerComm, Texas Instruments and Widevine – can be combined with BigBand’s vIP Pass to create a solution for delivery of IPTV that capitalizes on existing infrastructure, including DOCSIS 3.0 CPE, BigBand said.
Operators can leverage DOCSIS CPE, the same cable network architecture, software systems and network-based tools; but although BigBand’s vIP Pass solution is compatible with DOCSIS CMTSs, the delivery scheme allows operators to bypass the CMTS, which BigBand says is a far more efficient way of delivering IP video.
vIP Pass is the result of integrations with leading digital rights management systems, off-the-shelf DOCSIS 3.0-compatible cable modems and chipsets that are designed to create an open, secure and reliable IP video delivery system, BigBand said.
On the digital rights management front, vIP Pass has been integrated with Widevine’s multiplatform, multi-format DRM and video optimization solutions for secure delivery of premium content. On the consumer premises equipment side, vIP Pass has been integrated with numerous DOCSIS 3.0 cable modems and gateway technologies – including Netgear, Mplus, Hitron and SerComm – and DOCSIS 3.0 chipsets from Texas Instruments and other major manufacturers.
vIP Pass is compatible with, and does not modify any, DOCSIS 3.0 modem software. With the integration of vIP Pass with major DOCSIS 3.0 chipsets, most DOCSIS 3.0 modems can now support vIP Pass, BigBand said.
An end-to-end solution, vIP Pass is part of BigBand’s newly announced Converged Video Exchange (CVEx), a video control plane that provides a unified means to deliver and manage video services across networks and devices, enabling a migration path to IP.
“IPTV is not about the technology, rather it’s about the underlying promise of being able to easily move video to multiple destinations securely and cost-effectively, be it TV services to the PC or PC content to the TV or mobile devices,” said John Holobinko, vice president of marketing for BigBand. “We’re pleased to work with leading technology companies to forge an open systems approach to DOCSIS 3.0-based IP video delivery that is seamless, protected and compatible with the latest cable modem technology that cable operators will deploy into millions of homes.”
