Verimatrix, GoBackTV team up on IPTV security 
By Mike Robuck

While large, established cable operators don’t see a compelling reason for full-scale IPTV deployments just yet, smaller operators and telcos are jumping on the IPTV bandwagon as a way to improve existing services or launch video for the first time.

Verimatrix has hooked up with GoBackTV to develop a solution that bypasses the traditional cable modem termination systems (CMTSs) in an IP video architecture.

Verimatrix has integrated its video content authority system (VCAS) with GoBackTV’s “CMTS Bypass” offering. GoBackTV’s bypass product converts an existing cable system to an asymmetric IP network in order to deliver IPTV services.

According to the two companies, by enabling IPTV on existing cable plants, operators can avoid costly infrastructure upgrades, reclaim bandwidth for new services and reduce costs by gaining access to a wide variety of IPTV consumer premises equipment.

“We saw a gap in the market for an alternative solution designed for operators that want to ‘turbo charge’ their digital cable video services without expensive infrastructure costs.  Whether you are a cable operator looking to upgrade or a telco wanting unified content security with your cable franchise, VCAS for Cable IPTV is a flexible and cost-effective solution that can be implemented today,” said Steve Oetegenn, chief sales and marketing officer of Verimatrix, in a statement.  “GoBackTV is an ideal partner for us to deliver the only solution in the market that enables CMTS Bypass and integrates content security for the cable market.”

GoBackTV provides the CMTS bypass hardware infrastructure at the headend. Multicast and unicast IPTV streams are delivered to off-the-shelf IP set-top boxes directly though DOCSIS-compliant cable modems and edge QAM devices, bypassing the CMTS core processor entirely. 

Verimatrix said its VCAS software-based content security is already integrated with more than 70 IP set-top boxes, which would give cable operators more choices than they currently have with Motorola and Scientific Atlanta. 

Verimatrix said VCAS for Cable IPTV fulfills the U.S. FCC’s separable security mandate, which requires the content security to be made available separately from the receiver devices. It’s compatible both with the U.S. DOCSIS and EuroDOCSIS standards and will be on display at this week’s IBC 2007 show in Amsterdam.

As part of the deal, Verimatrix is offering the integrated GoBackTV solution under its Verimatrix brand, and will also provide installation, training and support on a global basis.

Indonesian satellite provider picks Harmonic gear
By Mike Robuck

PT Indonusa Telemedia is using Harmonic’s digital video products to enable a pay TV service in Indonesia.

Indonusa Telemedia is using Harmonic’s DiviCom Electra 1000 multichannel MPEG-2 standard definition (SD) encoders for its Telkom Vision direct-to-home (DTH) satellite service. The deployment also includes Harmonic’s ProStream 1000 stream processing platform with ProCipher scrambling technology used for both multiplexing and encryption, as well as NMX Digital Service Manager for end-to-end monitoring and control of the video service.

Indonusa Telemedia is a subsidiary of Telkom Indonesia Group, the nation’s largest telecom operator offering voice, data and video triple play services.

“Our goal is to be at the forefront of a new era in pay TV in Indonesia,” said Rahadi Arsyad, president/director/CEO for PT Indonusa Telemedia. “Harmonic’s high density and superior quality Electra MPEG-2 encoders enabled us to maximize the number of channels per transponder for the Telkom Vision DTH service.”

Harmonic also announced today that its Rhozet Carbon Coder video transcoding product now supports Adobe Flash technology.

Carbon Coder accelerates the creation of VP6 formatted video created with the Adobe Flash tool by taking advantage of multiple CPU cores within a single machine as well as multiple machines in a network. The result is a platform for creating video content for Adobe Flash Player. Carbon Coder also natively supports the H.264 format, which Adobe recently announced will be supported by its upcoming Flash Player.

“Flash technology has become the standard for delivering high-quality customized seamless Web video experiences to millions of viewers worldwide,” said Kevin Towes, product manager, Flash Media Server at Adobe, in a prepared statement. “By working with Harmonic’s Rhozet team to provide a solution for accelerated transcoding, we can help our customers spend less time encoding FLV files, process more video with the same hardware, and get time sensitive video quickly deployed on the Web.”

India’s Bharti Airtel beefs up optical network with ECI Telecom
By Mike Robuck

Bharti Airtel Limited will bulk up its optical network with equipment from ECI Telecom. The one-year contract will enable network expansions through ECI’s advanced XDM Converged Multi-Service Provisioning Platform (MSPP).

The new equipment will allow Bharti to add services such as broadband data, voice and leased lines while also supporting more customers. Bharti, based in India, is expanding its subscriber base and needed highly scalable optical equipment for its network expansion to include Metro DWDM and 10G capacity.

Bharti Airtel selected ECI’s optical solutions to increase its network capacity from 2.5G to 10G and to Metro DWDM, and to expand its current network beyond the existing footprint. With this network expansion, Airtel will be reaching customers in rural areas for the first time.

The two companies have been working with each other since 1999.

TI processor aimed at portable HD video
By Brian Santo

Texas Instruments has a new version of its embedded DaVinci processors, this one priced at less than $10, provided there’s a purchase of 50,000 or more pieces.

This one is aimed at portable devices such as digital cameras, IP video cameras, digital photo frames and video baby monitors that feature high-definition video performance, but require components that draw lower amounts of power than usual.

The DM355 processor consists of an integrated video processing subsystem, an MPEG-4-JPEG co-processor (MJCP), an ARM926EJ-S core and peripherals.

“With this DaVinci offering, developers can add HD video functionality at a low price point and execute a quick launch of their product into the fast-growing HD market,” said John Dixon, DaVinci marketing manager.

Broadband Briefs for 9/04/07

* Envivio licenses Microsoft VC-1 technology
By Brian Santo

Envivio has licensed the new Microsoft VC-1 Encoder so that its IPTV headend can support the Windows Media Video (VC-1) format. Envivio’s Convergence Generation headend is based on the company’s 4Caster C4 multichannel IP encoder for IPTV and Internet TV applications.

* Digital Fairway updates telecom cost tracking product
By Brian Santo

Digital Fairway has updated its Provergent Communication Services Management Suite, a product that gives a business the ability to allocate telecommunications costs across its various operations. Version 3.2 adds enhanced workflow and reporting capabilities as well as the ability to allocate the costs associated with communication services to an organization’s general ledger.

 “Keeping track of cost center assignments and cost allocations for communication services in a spreadsheet are time consuming and error prone tasks,” says Digital Fairway CEO Joe Warnement.

“With Provergent V3.2, enterprises can now associate a communications service and its cost to a general ledger code within the application, allowing the service costs to be accurately allocated to the cost center consuming that service. This can be done at the point the service order is entered into the system, or as a workflow task in the order approval or completion process.”

Other new features provided in the Provergent Communications Services Management Suite V3.2 include: MPLS support, expanded workflow roles, enhanced reporting, and Microsoft Vista support.

* Juniper appoints VP of U.S. enterprise sales
By Brian Santo

Juniper Networks named Hayley Tabor as vice president, U.S. enterprise sales. Tabor joins Juniper from Computer Associates, where she served in several management positions over 14 years, culminating with the post of senior vice president and general manager of CA’s Europe, Middle East and Africa sales and service organization.