Ascent Media Adds to Uncompressed HD Client List

Ascent Media which provides outsourced network origination services, says it’s picking up some big customers for its uncompressed HD video transport business at its Manhattan switching facility in New York City (Nielsen DMA no. 1).

Those heavy hitters include Fox News, NBCU and All Mobile Video, which Ascent Media said are using its switching center at its midtown Fifth Avenue location for their respective uncompressed HD requirements.

Ascent Media said its services began on July 4, using its expanding fiber optics network, when it received, encoded and satellite-uplinked a 14-hour uncompressed HD feed produced by NBC’s Peacock Productions in conjunction with The Travel Channel. Also on the same day, the switching center handled a live, multi-hour Fourth of July celebration from the national mall in Washington D.C., for PBS.

The firm said it has equipped its Manhattan center with the following hardware: NVision NV8256-Plus expandable digital video router with a 1.5 Gb switching fabric and 160x160 input/output capacity; Tektronix WFM700 and WFM7100 Waveform monitors; and Sony and Marshall HD monitors.