Tiscali UK Expands MPEG-4 AVC Video Service with Harmonic's DiviCom® Electra™ Encoders

Wednesday, March 12th, 2008
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IPTV Service Provider Migrates Standard Definition Service to Latest Generation Compression Systems Offering Enhanced Video Quality

LONDON — IPTV World Forum Stand #141 — Harmonic Inc. (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced that Tiscali UK, a leading triple play service provider, is expanding and upgrading its IPTV service in the United Kingdom with Harmonic’s latest generation DiviCom® Electra® 5400 standard definition (SD) MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) multi-channel encoders. As part of its rollout of the Tiscali TV service to 10 million homes in cities throughout the UK, Tiscali is upgrading its encoding platform to enable higher quality video services at lower bit-rates. The IP-based Electra 5400 enables Tiscali to significantly enhance performance, freeing up valuable bandwidth for high definition (HD), high-speed data and other advanced services.

In 2005, Video Networks Limited, which was later acquired by Tiscali, launched the world’s first all MPEG-4 broadcast video service using Harmonic’s MV 100 encoders. Today, Harmonic is a driving force in providing solutions for both broadcast and on-demand video delivery in a telco environment, with more than 100 customers around the world serving over four million subscribers.

“Harmonic is a valued solution provider that has worked with us to deliver a reliable and high quality IPTV service since the launch of HomeChoice in 2005,” said Aarne Aho, Managing Director, IPTV Technology Development at Tiscali. “Video quality, cost and functionality were important factors as we evaluated solutions for our Tiscali TV service expansion. The latest generation Electra encoders further enhance compression efficiency and picture quality, with the additional benefit of a higher density multi-channel platform that reduces our power and space requirements and therefore our operational expenses.”

“Telco IPTV has been an important area of growth for Harmonic,” said Glen Sakata, Vice President of EMEA Sales for Harmonic Inc. “We are focused on continuing to enhance the capabilities of telco operators such as Tiscali to deliver even more powerful personalized user experiences with advanced services such as on-demand, HD and targeted advertisement insertion. Our unique portfolio of IP-enabled solutions has been designed to meet DSL network operators’ requirements to maximize service carrying capacity and offer a powerful viewing experience.”

Harmonic’s full range of DiviCom encoders delivers superior quality video delivery in either constant bit-rate, generally used by telco IPTV operators, or variable bit-rate. The market-leading Electra family of 1-RU multi-service encoders supports multi-channel and multi-format delivery for up to four full resolution and four simultaneous low resolution video outputs in HD H.264, SD H.264 or SD MPEG-2. The powerful yet compact platform dramatically increases energy efficiency while delivering superior performance and functionality.