Thomson Video Networks Supplies Compression Technology for Hinduja Group's HITS Platform in India

RENNES, France -- July 30, 2015 -- Thomson Video Networks has announced that the Hinduja Group will roll out its headend-in-the-sky (HITS) platform in India built on Thomson Video Networks technology. NXT DIGITAL is an initiative of Grant Investrade Limited, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hinduja Ventures Ltd. The Hinduja Group has made significant investments in the NXT DIGITAL platform; a state-of-the-art broadcast facility in Noida has been designed and purpose-built to provide top-quality services to the entire country. 

Thomson Video Networks has provided a wide range of equipment and solutions for the broadcast center and master headend platform, including its ViBE(R) SD and HD broadcast encoders and its multiplexing and network management system. 

India is currently going through a government-mandated digitisation program and it is expected that over 110 million homes in cities, towns, and municipalities outside of the top 42 cities will make the transition from analog to digital over the next 17 months.

Working with media and entertainment consultancy Castle Media Pvt. Ltd (GIL), the Hinduja Group, which also owns and operates a pan-Indian cable network with over 8 million subscribers, determined that satellite would be the most reliable mode of delivery to these markets because it can meet last-mile delivery challenges and is the fastest way to reach and support network operators at the far interiors of the country. GIL selected HITS technology to deliver programming to local cable operators via C-band satellite.

"We designed our HITS system to deliver best-in-class picture quality with a robust architecture and the highest level of uptime. To make that design a reality, we needed a world-class digital delivery platform to reach the network operators across India from a centralized location, and Thomson met our requirements," said Tony D'Silva, managing director of Grant Investrade Ltd. "NXT DIGITAL is here to help the distribution community in analog markets make a smooth and timely transition to digital, and we are hopeful it will help write what could perhaps be the biggest chapter in the 'Made in India' story." 

"Thomson Video Networks' compression technology with advanced statmux features will give us pristine broadcast picture quality at lower bandwidth consumption. The solution is flexible and future-proof, and Thomson Video Networks has a strong local presence, which is an important requirement of the project," said Vynsley Fernandes, executive director at Castle Media, the consultancy tasked with providing program and project management from design to delivery and technology implementation of the HITS project.

NXT DIGITAL is scheduled to roll out pan-India services in 2015, and tests of various components of the business are underway. 

"The Hinduja Group is one of the leading business houses in India and one with a global footprint," said Eric Louvet, vice president, worldwide sales, Thomson Video Networks. "GIL's selection of our compression chain will increase Thomson Video Networks' market share in the satellite segment in India, push the company to among the top compression vendors in the region, and also boost overall market share substantially. This significant project will further strengthen our presence in Southeast Asia."

Further information about Thomson Video Networks and its products is available at www.thomson-networks.com.

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About the Hinduja Group 

The Hinduja Group is one of India's premier diversified and transnational conglomerates. Employing nearly 100,000 employees, with a presence across 38 countries, it has multibillion dollar revenues. The group was founded over a hundred years ago by Shri P.D. Hinduja, whose credo was "My duty is to work so that I can give."

The group's activities span three core areas: investment banking, international trading, and global investments. It also supports charitable and philanthropic activities across the world through the Hinduja Foundation. As part of its global investments, the group owns businesses in automotive, information technology, media, entertainment and communications, banking and finance services, infrastructure project development, oil and gas, power, real estate, trading, and healthcare.

About Thomson Video Networks

A global leader in advanced video compression solutions, Thomson Video Networks empowers media companies, video service providers, and broadcasters to deliver superior video quality at the highest density and lowest bandwidth for contribution, terrestrial, satellite, cable, IPTV, and OTT services. Through its innovative Behind Every Screen(R) approach, Thomson Video Networks combines both on-premises and cloud-based resources to create an all-encompassing video infrastructure for its advanced ingest/playout, branding, ad insertion, encoding/transcoding, and packaging technologies. Media enterprises now have every key capability they need to raise video quality and reduce cost of ownership not just for broadcast, but also for multi-screen services on every device and platform. Behind Every Screen you'll find Thomson Video Networks. Visit www.thomson-networks.com. 

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