New Direct-to-Home Satallite TV Service in Australia Launches with Harmonic's IP-Based MPEG-2 Video Solutions

July 13, 2006 - Harmonic today announced that SELECTV has deployed Harmonic’s industry-leading IP-based compression and multiplexing solutions for its direct-to-home (DTH) satellite pay TV service in Australia. The DiviCom® Electra™ 1000 multi-channel MPEG-2 variable bit-rate (VBR) encoder is being used in combination with the DiviTrackIP™ distributed statistical multiplexing solution to allow SELECTV to more easily combined content whilst maximizing their service carrying capacity and providing superior video quality.

Available throughout Australia, SELECTV’s DTH service targets selected ethnic and cultural market segments and includes language-specific, community-oriented and other premium channels acquired from facilities in both Australia and the United States. For many operators, like SELECTV, MPEG-2 video solutions continue to be an established platform providing outstanding VBR compression performance and superior video quality, possessing the economics and end-to-end compatibility typical of an established technology.

“As a new video service provider in Australia, SELECTV recognized early on that it needed to do more than simply replicate what was already available in the market,” said Andrew Robertson, Chief Technology Officer of SELECTV. “Focusing on underserved viewer segments and creating specific programming packages with content sourced from around the world provides a rich and differentiated television service, though several difficult technical challenges were generated, which Harmonic helped us overcome. Harmonic’s IP-based architecture provides greater flexibility in acquiring, delivering and managing our video services, and at the same time, offers an extensible foundation that can seamlessly grow with our business. The Electra encoders with DiviTrackIP statistical multiplexing eliminate complications associated with obtaining content from different countries. We receive superior quality video at low bit-rates for a higher channel density per leased satellite transponder, while minimizing the rack space and cost, which optimizes our return on investment.”

“SELECTV is leading the way in a new category of service providers who are creating a place for themselves by focusing on a series of discrete market demographics,” said Shahar Bar, Director of Satellite and Broadcast Solutions for Harmonic Inc. “This emerging business model requires a more extensive understanding of the viewer’s interests and preferences as well as a versatile and scalable service infrastructure to enable it. Harmonic is likewise leading the way with IP-enabled systems that give SELECTV and other operators a better way to implement and manage their video services. Our advanced MPEG-2 compression solutions, such as the DiviCom Electra 1000 and DiviTrackIP, provide a cost-effective and competitive foundation for satellite operators today and into the future.”

The DiviCom Electra 1000 efficiently MPEG-2 encodes up to four channels in a compact one rack-unit package. SELECTV is able to implement a 12 channel multiplex in a mere five rack units, considerably reducing space and power requirements. The award-winning DiviTrackIP solution is in use worldwide by leading operators and is able to streamline the aggregation of content and minimize video bit-rates by dynamically inter-operating with encoders over a LAN or WAN. Adding channels and reconfiguring a multiplex is simplified by the intuitive “point, click and provision” user interface of Harmonic’s NMX Digital Service Manager™, a service-oriented system that allows centralized monitoring and control of SELECTV’s entire video infrastructure.