Tennessee Telco Taps Harmonic Transcoder for 200-Channel HD/SD IPTV Service


SAN JOSE, CALIF.: Ben Lomand Telephone Cooperative of McMinnville, Tenn., has selected the Harmonic ProStream 1000 with ACE high-density, real-time transcoder to power HD and SD video for its 200-channel HD and SD IPTV service.

"The ProStream 1000 with ACE delivers the video quality, functionality, and reliability to make it possible to expand our digital TV services successfully and cost-effectively, allowing us to bring high-quality, state-of-the-art IPTV services to rural areas," said Ray Cantrell, chief technology officer at Ben Lomand Telephone Cooperative.

The ProStream 1000 with ACE real-time transcoding solution provides Ben Lomand Telephone Cooperative with "any-to-any, any-to-many" support for HD and SD, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) video and audio transcoding of up to 20 HD or 60 SD channels, as well as ASI to IP multiplexing, in a compact and power-efficient one rack unit (1 RU) chassis. The platform's high density enables Ben Lomand to meet growing demand for digital TV services, while lowering capital and operating expenses through reduced power consumption and rack space.

"Harmonic's extensive IPTV deployment experience allowed us to provide Ben Lomand with a powerful, highly-efficient solution that scales with their business needs," added Chris White, manager of telco sales in North America for Harmonic Inc.

The ProStream 1000 with ACE supports more than 18,000 channels worldwide. In addition to transcoding, the ProStream 1000 advanced stream processing core includes enhanced multiplexing and scrambling capabilities.