Tandberg Television Deploys Small Market VOD for Time Warner Cable

Time Warner Cable has deployed the first video-on-demand (VOD) solution for small markets by leveraging the architectural flexibility of the OpenStream Digital Services Platform by Tandberg Television.

Tandberg, part of the Ericsson Group, said that through a unique configuration of OpenStream, TWC can manage VOD services from its headquarters in Denver and deliver content via satellite distribution to cities throughout the country.

TWC will also use the Tandberg Xport Producer to provide local on-demand content tailored to each location. The system is live in four markets—Clarksburg, W.V., Dothan, Ala., Fort Benning, Ga., and Terre Haute, Ind.—and the company plans to expand to 10 additional cities by the end of the year for a total of 14 deployments in 11 states.

“Tandberg Television’s powerful architecture helps us provide enhanced television services to our subscribers and expand our video-on-demand offerings to parts of the country not previously possible,” said Dick Amell, vice president of engineering for TWC’s National Division. “The flexibility of Tandberg Television technology to interoperate with multiple VOD servers, billing systems and on-demand applications from our Denver headquarters was a key reason we chose its solution to support our VOD deployments thousands of miles away.”

The OpenStream solution helps smaller markets overcome the logistical and financial hurdles in VOD implementation with its MediaPath Secure Content Delivery System and Asset Management System, which enable cable companies to use satellite catcher technology and a mix of VOD servers, applications, billing systems and set-top components of their choice.