Cass Cable Selects Scopus for Digital Simulcast Solution

Scopus Video Networks announced that Cass Cable TV, a family-owned communications company providing cable services to Central Illinois and Missouri, has selected the company's encoding, grooming, rate-shaping, and decoding solutions to enable digital simulcasting of its cable programming.

"We sought a partner that could provide a cost-effective comprehensive solution for digital simulcasting today, with the flexibility to support additional revenue-generating services in the future," said Cass Cable's Operations Manager Bruce Chilsted. "Scopus offered a complete and proven system, backed by customer support and service, which will be invaluable as we pursue development of local ad and program insertion capabilities."

Cass Cable TV, Inc. is deploying Scopus E-1200 encoders, IVG-7100/7300 Intelligent Video Gateway (IVG) platforms, UID-2912 Dense Edge Decoders, and NMS management software into its headends. Scopus E-1200 encoders will be used to digitize television feeds prior to transport over an IP network to multiple Cass cable headends in Central Illinois and Missouri. At each headend, the versatile Scopus IVG aggregates the feeds and provides advanced processing capabilities such as joint transrating, grooming, and rate shaping for better channel utilization and bandwidth efficiency. The UID-2912 IP dense edge decoders will decode the digital feeds back to analog, enabling Cass to broadcast content to digital and analog subscribers simultaneously using a single IP video distribution network. The entire system is managed and monitored by Scopus' Network Management System (NMS)—a critical system element that enables full system control and monitoring from the encoder to the "edge."

"We're very pleased to be working with Cass Cable TV, Inc. to enable their digital simulcast service and to put in place a platform that will support the company's future growth," said Carlo Basile, Scopus U.S. president. "Implementation of an end-to-end solution from Scopus means that with a single call, Cass has access to the service and technical support it needs as it transitions to digital simulcast as well as to technologies that support its future business plan, such as digital program insertion."